VortiDeck 0.6.8 is here — This release brings Windows Explorer context menu integration, a completely overhauled Flow Editor, new error-handling nodes, faster plugin loading, and a fresh new look for the VortiDeck website.

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VortiDeck 0.6.8 — Right-Click Menu, Flow Editor Rework, and a Bunch of Other Stuff

0.6.8 has a lot in it. Context menu integration for Windows Explorer, a reworked Flow Editor, faster plugin loading, and a new website. Here's what changed and why.

Windows Explorer Context Menu

You can now right-click files, folders, or the desktop in Windows Explorer and see your VortiDeck actions right there.

Instead of switching to VortiDeck, finding the right flow, and dragging files into it — you right-click, pick the action, and it runs. The selected file paths get passed straight into your flow or action.

What you can configure

Each menu item has:

• A title — what shows up in the menu

• File type filters — only show for .mp3, .png, .py, whatever. * for everything

• File name patterns — match Makefile, readme*, etc.

• Where it appears — files, folders, directory backgrounds, desktop, drive roots

• What it does:

  • Opens a VortiDeck page

  • Runs a Flow (with the file paths as input)

  • Launches a program

  • Triggers a deep link

• Icons — separate light/dark mode variants

• Grouping — same group name = grouped with a visual separator

How it's built

It's a COM-based Windows Shell Extension — a native DLL registered through an MSIX sparse package. No regsvr32, no admin registry edits. The DLL reads your config, filters items based on what you clicked, and sends deep links back to VortiDeck. Runs in dllhost.exe.

[callout variant="tip" title="No admin required"] The extension uses MSIX sparse packaging — it registers itself without administrator privileges or manual registry editing. Install VortiDeck and it works.

Flow Editor Rework

The Flow Editor got a significant rework. Here's what's different.

Node Inspector Panel

Clicking a node now opens a Node Inspector — a side panel with all the node's configuration in one place:

• Node type and assignment link

• All inputs with type-colored borders, required/optional labels, connection indicators

• Input-appropriate widgets — sliders for numbers, file pickers for paths, color pickers for colors, toggles for booleans, multi-select for arrays

• Inline JSON editing with validation for object/array inputs

• Live preview of values flowing in from connected nodes

• Conditional fields — inputs that depend on other inputs only show when relevant

Previously, node config was spread across hover tooltips and inline widgets. The Inspector puts it all in one panel.

Visual improvements

• Ports render with type-colored dots and glow effects — green for strings, blue for numbers, orange for booleans, purple for arrays

• Connected ports fill with color; disconnected ports show a ring

• Node cards got layout improvements, compact assignment mode, execution status indicators, and progress bars

• Canvas rendering is faster

Node minimizing

Nodes can collapse to a header-only view — just the title and a badge like "3 in · 2 out". Connections still work; they route to anchors on the collapsed header. The minimized state saves to the database and restores when you reopen the flow.

[callout variant="info" title="When to minimize"] Minimize nodes you're not actively configuring. Keeps large flows readable without scrolling past walls of inputs.

Deck assignments as flow nodes

Drag an action from your Assignments Deck onto the flow canvas. It becomes an assignment node — a compact card representing that deck action as a step in your automation. Wires into the flow like any other node.

Schema input inference

A new utility (schemaInputs.ts) handles converting JSON Schema into flow node inputs. Type, default value, widget type, required status, conditional display — all inferred from the schema. One source of truth for all nodes.

Faster Plugin Loading

Plugins now load in parallel instead of one-by-one. If you have multiple plugins, the app gets to a usable state faster.

There's also a dedup guard that prevents the loader from running twice on rapid HMR re-mounts during development.

Desktop UI Polish

Settings, deck pages, store, modals, sidebar — various layout and styling fixes throughout.

Website Redesign

The landing page got a full redesign. The visual theme is animated connection paths — SVG bezier curves flowing between sections. Backgrounds use animated orbs, particle systems, and dot grids instead of flat gradients.

New sections: AI Agents, Ecosystem, Use Cases, Product Showcase. The headline now leads with "Desktop Control Center for AI & Workflows."

Coming Next

Flow Type System

Right now, flow ports use plain labels — "string", "number", "any". The connection validator does basic compatibility checks and ports are color-coded, but a string port doesn't know if it's a file path, a URL, or an AI prompt.

We're building a type system where ports declare rich types: File { accepted_types: [".mp3", ".wav"] }, Embedding { dimensions: 1536 }, Union { String | Number }. The executor will validate data between nodes. The canvas will highlight compatible ports as you drag a connection.

Result: fewer silent failures from bad data flowing between nodes, and the editor tells you what can connect to what before you try it.

Error Handling Nodes

TryCatch, Retry, Fallback, Timeout — these are already defined in the engine. Next release they'll be fully functional. Wrap parts of a flow to catch failures, retry, or fall back to an alternative path.

[release_summary title="Summary"]

• Windows Explorer Context Menu | New

• Node Inspector Panel | New

• Node minimizing (collapse to header) | New

• Deck assignments as flow nodes | New

• Error Handling Nodes (TryCatch, Retry, Fallback, Timeout) | Coming next

• Concurrent Plugin Loading | Improved

• BaseModal unified component | New

• TopbarActions component | New

• Flow canvas & port rendering | Improved

• Schema input inference utility | New

• Website redesign | New

• Flow Type System | Coming next