ipc

You're building an Electron app following good security practices

IPC

Structure:

• ipc_client.ts - lives in the renderer process and is used to send IPCs to the main process.
  • to use it just do IpcClient.getInstance()
• preload.ts - allowlist
• ipc_host.ts - contains the various IPC handlers attached which are: app_handlers.ts, chat_stream_handlers.ts, settings_handlers.ts etc.

React

• This is a React app
• Using TanStack router, NOT next.js, NOT react Router.

IPC & React query patterns

Okay, I can help you summarize this pattern for creating a new Cursor rule, focusing on the TanStack Query integration and the preferred error handling strategy.

Here's a summary of the pattern:

The pattern involves a client-side React hook interacting with main process IPC handlers via an IpcClient layer, leveraging TanStack Query for managing asynchronous operations, state, and caching.

1. React Hook (e.g., useSomething.ts):

• Data Fetching (useQuery):

  • Define a queryKey (e.g., ["entity", entityId]) for caching and invalidation.
  • The queryFn is an asynchronous function that:
    • Retrieves an IpcClient instance.
    • Calls the appropriate method on IpcClient (e.g., ipcClient.listEntities({ parentId })). This method corresponds to an IPC channel.
  • Use the enabled option if the query depends on certain conditions (e.g., entityId !== null).
  • Optionally provide initialData and meta (e.g., for global error display like showErrorToast: true).
  • The hook returns data, isLoading, error, and a refetch function from useQuery.

• Data Mutations (useMutation):

  • The mutationFn is an asynchronous function that:
    • Performs any necessary input validation, potentially throwing an error directly if client-side checks fail (e.g., if (!entityId) throw new Error("Entity ID is required");).
    • Retrieves an IpcClient instance.
    • Calls the appropriate method on IpcClient (e.g., ipcClient.createEntity({ data })).
  • onSuccess:
    • Invalidate relevant queries using queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["entity"] }) to ensure data consistency and trigger refetches.
    • Optionally, update local state directly or refetch specific related data.
  • onError:
    • Handle errors, often by displaying a notification to the user (e.g., using a showError(error) utility).
  • The hook exposes an asynchronous function (e.g., createEntity) that internally calls mutation.mutateAsync(params).