NODE_SELECTION_FOR_MANUAL_NETS.md

Node Selection for Manual Net Control - Implementation

Overview

Added ability to specify which node to monitor when manually starting a net through the web portal.

Changes Made

1. Frontend Form (web/templates/net_control.html)

Added node selector dropdown to the "Flag Net Start" form:

<label for="net-node">Node (optional)</label>
<select id="net-node" name="node_id">
    <option value="">All Nodes</option>
    {% for node in available_nodes %}
        <option value="{{ node }}" {% if selected_node == node %}selected{% endif %}>{{ node }}</option>
    {% endfor %}
</select>

Features:

• Only shows if multiple nodes are available
• Pre-selects the currently filtered node (if viewing a specific node)
• Optional - defaults to "All Nodes"

2. Backend Route (web/routes/profiles.py)

Added node_id parameter to form handler:

@router.post("/net-control/start")
async def start_net_control(
    name: str = Form(""),
    notes: str = Form(""),
    node_id: str = Form(""),  # NEW
    ...
):
    payload = await net_control.start_session(
        ...
        node_id=node_id or None,  # Pass to service
    )

3. Service Layer (web/services/net_control.py)

Updated start_session() to accept and store node_id:

async def start_session(
    session,
    *,
    name: str,
    started_by: str,
    started_by_callsign: str | None,
    notes: str | None = None,
    node_id: str | None = None,  # NEW parameter
) -> dict:
    # Store node_id in metadata
    metadata = {}
    if node_id:
        metadata["node_id"] = node_id
    
    record = NetControlSession(
        ...
        metadata_=metadata,
    )

Updated serialize_session() to return node_id:

def serialize_session(record: NetControlSession | None) -> dict | None:
    # Extract node_id from metadata
    node_id = None
    if record.metadata_:
        node_id = record.metadata_.get("node_id")
    
    return {
        ...
        "node_id": node_id,  # NEW field
    }

4. Display Updates (web/templates/net_control.html)

Active session shows node:

<p class="muted">
    Active since {{ active_session.started_at }} • started by {{ active_session.started_by }}
    {% if active_session.node_id %}
        • <span class="node-badge">Node: {{ active_session.node_id }}</span>
    {% endif %}
</p>

Recent sessions show node:

<span>
    {{ session.name }} • {{ session.started_at }}
    {% if session.node_id %}
        • <span class="node-badge">{{ session.node_id }}</span>
    {% endif %}
</span>

User Experience

Before

Manual Net Session
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ Net name: [              ] │
│ Notes:    [              ] │
│           [Flag Net Start] │
└─────────────────────────────┘

After

Manual Net Session
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ Net name: [              ] │
│ Node:     [All Nodes ▼   ] │  ← NEW
│           [node_1        ] │
│           [node_2        ] │
│ Notes:    [              ] │
│           [Flag Net Start] │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Active Session Display

Before: Active since 2026-01-28 10:00 • started by W7XYZ After: Active since 2026-01-28 10:00 • started by W7XYZ • Node: node_1

Data Storage

Node selection is stored in net_control_sessions.metadata JSON field:

{
  "node_id": "node_1"
}

This approach:

• ✅ No database migration required (uses existing metadata column)
• ✅ Backward compatible (null/empty metadata = all nodes)
• ✅ Extensible (can add more metadata later)

Use Cases

1. Single Node Net: Operator starts net and selects node_1 → only node_1 transcripts monitored
2. Multi-Node Net: Operator starts net with "All Nodes" → all nodes monitored
3. Node Switching: Operator can view different nodes using the top filter while net is active

Integration with Existing Features

• Node Filter at top of page: Filters display of live callsigns and transcripts
• Manual Net Start: Now respects node selection for net scope
• Live Callsigns: Already shows node badges, now filtered by selected node
• Recent Sessions: Shows which node each manual net was scoped to

Testing

1. Start net with node selection:

   • Navigate to /net-control
   • Fill net name
   • Select specific node from dropdown
   • Click "Flag Net Start"
   • Verify active session shows node badge

2. Start net without node (all nodes):

   • Leave node dropdown on "All Nodes"
   • Start net
   • Verify no node badge shown (or shows "All Nodes")

3. View recent sessions:

   • Check recent sessions list
   • Verify node badges appear for node-specific nets
   • Verify no badge for all-node nets

Files Modified

1. web/templates/net_control.html - Added form field + display badges
2. web/routes/profiles.py - Added node_id form parameter
3. web/services/net_control.py - Added node_id handling in start_session() and serialize_session()

Total: 3 files, backward compatible, no database changes needed