Tool development

NimbusImage Tool Development

Tools are configured through JSON templates (public/config/templates.json) and implemented in Vue components. The system supports manual annotation, selection, AI-powered, worker-based, and custom interaction tools.

Template Structure

{
  "name": "Tool Section Name",
  "type": "toolType",
  "shortName": "Optional short name",
  "interface": [
    {
      "name": "Interface Element Name",
      "id": "elementId",
      "type": "elementType",
      "isSubmenu": true,
      "advanced": false,
      "meta": {}
    }
  ]
}

Interface Element Types

Type	Component	Purpose
annotation	AnnotationConfiguration	Shape selection
select	v-select	Dropdown options
checkbox	v-checkbox	Boolean toggle
radio	v-radio-group	Single choice
tags	TagPicker	Tag selection
dockerImage	Worker selector	Docker worker tools
restrictTagsAndLayer	TagAndLayerRestriction	Filter annotations

Submenu Interface

One interface element should have isSubmenu: true. This creates tool variants in the selection dialog. For select type submenus, each item in meta.items becomes a separate tool option.

Adding a New Tool

Step 1: Define Template

Add to templates.json:

{
  "name": "My Tool Category",
  "type": "myTool",
  "interface": [
    {
      "name": "Tool Mode",
      "id": "mode",
      "type": "select",
      "isSubmenu": true,
      "meta": {
        "items": [
          {
            "text": "Mode A",
            "value": "mode_a",
            "description": "Brief description of Mode A"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Add Type Definition

In src/store/model.ts, add to TToolType:

export type TToolType =
  | "annotation"
  | "selection"
  // ... existing types
  | "myTool";

Step 3: Implement Logic

In src/components/AnnotationViewer.vue:

Set annotation mode in setNewAnnotationMode():

case "myTool":
  this.interactionLayer.mode("point"); // or null for custom handling
  break;

Handle annotations in handleAnnotationChange():

case "myTool":
  // Process the annotation/interaction
  break;

Tool Descriptions

{
  "text": "Tool Name",
  "value": "tool_value",
  "description": "Brief action-oriented description"
}

Keep descriptions under 50 characters. Use action verbs: "Click to...", "Draw to...", "Select...".

Featured Tools

Configure public/config/featuredTools.json:

{
  "featuredTools": ["Tool Name 1", "Tool Name 2"]
}

Names must match the text field exactly.

Docker Worker Tools

Worker-based tools use the dockerImage interface type. Workers are registered with labels:

• interfaceName - Display name
• interfaceCategory - Category for grouping
• description - Tool description
• isAnnotationWorker - Must be set for annotation workers
• annotationShape - Default output shape

Common Patterns

Direct Mouse Handling

For tools that don't create visible annotations during interaction:

case "myTool":
  this.interactionLayer.mode(null);
  this.annotationLayer.geoOn(geojs.event.mouseclick, this.handleMyToolClick);
  break;

Hit Testing

Find annotations at a click location:

const fakeAnnotation = { coordinates: [clickCoords], shape: "point" };
const hits = this.getSelectedAnnotationsFromAnnotation(fakeAnnotation);

Updating Annotations

await annotationStore.updateAnnotationsPerId({
  annotationsById: { [annotationId]: { tags: newTags } },
});

Category Colors

Tools are color-coded by category. To add a new category color, edit ToolTypeSelection.vue:

1. Add SCSS variable: $color-mycategory: #hexcolor;
2. Add to categoryClassMap: "My Category": "category-mycategory"
3. Add class: .category-mycategory { @include category-colors($color-mycategory); }

References

• For detailed GeoJS interaction patterns: read references/tool-interaction-patterns.md
• For a complete worked example (combine annotations tool): read references/combine-annotations-example.md
• For SAM tool architecture: read codebaseDocumentation/SAM2_MIGRATION.md