openai / openai/codex

[Feature Request] Drag-and-drop layout editing mode in the in-app browser

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app browser enhancement
Dominant language
Rust
Stars
125k
Forks
19.4k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

What feature would you like to see?

Please add an optional Layout editing mode to the Codex in-app browser, alongside the existing annotation workflow.

When reviewing a local web prototype, the user should be able to:

  • Drag and reorder complete cards or sections.
  • Drag smaller UI blocks within a card to adjust their order or placement.
  • Preview the proposed arrangement in the real page viewport.
  • Save the resulting layout as structured review feedback that Codex can translate into source-code changes.
  • Exit or reset the editing session without modifying the reviewed product itself.

A possible flow is:

  1. Open a page in the in-app browser.
  2. Choose Edit layout.
  3. Drag components to the desired positions.
  4. Choose Save layout.
  5. Codex receives the changed hierarchy/order and updates the source after the user confirms the implementation.

This should be clearly presented as a temporary review tool, not as functionality added to the user's product.

Why this matters

Annotation is useful for identifying an element and describing a change, but layout feedback is often spatial. Explaining card order, internal information hierarchy, alignment, or relative placement through screenshots and text is slower and can be ambiguous.

A lightweight drag-and-drop review mode would let non-developer product and design users demonstrate the intended layout directly, reduce repeated clarification, and give Codex more precise implementation input.

Example use case

While reviewing a mobile web prototype, a user wants an order card to follow the layout of another existing card:

  • store name and status at the top;
  • icon, business name, page count, and amount in the body;
  • order number at the bottom left;
  • date at the bottom right.

The user could rearrange those blocks visually and save the arrangement instead of describing every positional change in prose.

Scope suggestion

A useful first version could support DOM-backed blocks and sortable flex/grid children on localhost or explicitly trusted preview pages. It does not need to become a general-purpose design editor; the key output is structured layout intent for Codex to implement in the real source.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the Codex in-app browser and its existing annotation workflow, then map how review feedback is represented and passed to implementation. Define the first scope around trusted or localhost preview pages, DOM-backed blocks, and sortable flex/grid children. Done means users can enter, preview, save, reset, and exit a temporary layout session without changing the reviewed product directly.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
design, frontend, web-dev
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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