Discussion: Target use cases for ForceDirectedLayout & Feature request for Grid Snapping / Comment Boxes in data-flow apps #468

Use Case / Background

I am doing a technical evaluation of ktsu.ImGui.NodeEditor to build an industrial machine vision pipeline application (VisionLab). In machine vision, execution flow relies on a strict, sequential pipeline (e.g., Camera ➡️ Filter ➡️ Alignment ➡️ Output).

While ForceDirectedLayout is amazing for generalized network topologies or relational graphs, linear pipeline tools require high layout precision, neat alignments, and structural organization to keep the graphs readable for automation engineers.

Proposed Features

To make this library more friendly for sequential logic and data-flow editors, I would love to request the following foundational layout tools:

1. Grid Snapping: Allowing nodes to align to a discrete pixel grid (e.g., 8px or 16px) upon being dragged or released. This ensures linking wires remain clean and horizontal/vertical.
2. Comment Boxes / Grouping borders: Visual container nodes that enclose multiple sub-nodes, allowing users to label sections of their pipeline (e.g., "Image Preprocessing") and drag the container block along with its children.

Are these manual layout and organizational features planned on the project's roadmap? I would love to hear your thoughts on supporting linear data-flow application scenarios.