| name | lamina-controls-and-menus |
| description | Actions and reversibility in contracts — primary/destructive actions, undo policy, confirmations. Use when destructive ops lack scenarios. |
| metadata | {"lamina":{"id":"controls-and-menus","problems":["destructive action UX","undo and reversible actions","command placement"],"related":["lamina-forms","lamina-error-handling","lamina-platform-posture","lamina-progressive-disclosure"],"tags":["interaction"]}} |
Controls and Actions (agent-native)
Specify action semantics in screen and workflow contracts — destructive, reversible, confirmation policy — not menu widget styling.
Contract encoding
Per action on surfaces[]:
id, label, destructive: true|falsereversible: true|false → if true, confirmation usually unnecessaryconfirmation_required only when undo impossible + scenario documentsundo_scope: step | session | none
Working-set actions on primary toolbar area in screen spec; full catalog in nav/menus.
Frameworks
- Ask forgiveness, not permission: undo replaces confirm dialogs for recoverable ops.
- Rich modeless feedback: status in view, not modal for normalcy.
- Preview/compare: before irreversible-feeling changes — note in workflow step.
Design checklists
- Destructive ops have
scenarios[] + recovery or undo policy.
- Daily working-set actions ≤1-2 clicks from working screen.
- Confirm only when invariant violation risk and undo absent.
- Selection + manipulation pattern documented for sovereign apps.
- Platform conventions noted in
implement.md (web vs desktop) — Lamina stays unopinionated on library.
Verify checks
- Actor walk: destructive op matches contract confirmation/undo behavior.
- Accidental click recovery — undo or cancel path exists per contract.
Anti-patterns
- Confirm dialog for undoable delete.
- Modal error for recoverable validation.
- All actions equal weight on crowded screen spec.
- Hidden working-set functions three levels deep.
Related
