RC3 · Components

Comms / health strip

A persistent strip that carries link state, signal strength, and platform health for whatever scope the operator is addressing. Visible whenever a platform is live.

Live

Four scopes, four densities of the same idea. Status colours follow semantic tokens — success for a clean link, warning for degraded, danger for lost.

PlatformUGV-04

Single platform — signal, link, battery, GPS

UGV-04LINKBATT 87%GPS LOCK

GroupECHELON BRAVO · 3 PLATFORMS

Aggregated link count, per-platform pips

3/3 LINK67% OK1 DEGRADED

SwarmPERIMETER WATCH · 12 PLATFORMS

Aggregated count, percent healthy, degraded callout

11/12 LINK83% OK1 DEGRADED1 LOST

MissionOP NIGHTOWL · 47 PLATFORMS

Mission-wide summary with degraded and lost counts

44/47 LINK85% OK4 DEGRADED3 LOST

Anatomy

Platform scope is rich and single-row; group / swarm / mission collapse to an aggregated summary. Both share the same monospace, the same status-token palette, and the same compact strip silhouette so the strip reads the same regardless of scope.

Signal bars

Four-bar reading coloured by link status. Greyed bars indicate empty slots.

Link label

LINK · DEGRADED · LOST. Coloured by semantic token. Always present even when LOST.

Aggregated count

X / Y LINK at group, swarm, and mission scope. Degraded and lost surface as separate counts in their semantic colours.

Per-platform pips

At group and swarm scope (≤12 platforms), a small dot per platform shows individual status. Mission scope drops the pips for legibility.

Props

Prop	Type	Default	Description
scope	`Scope`	—	Selects single-row platform view vs aggregated summary. See Command contexts for the type definition.
platform	`PlatformLink`	—	Required when `scope="platform"`. The single platform's link state.
platforms	`PlatformLink[]`	—	Required when `scope` is `group` / `swarm` / `mission`. Leave lost platforms in the list with `status: "lost"` rather than removing them — the operator's spatial map stays stable.
className	`string`	—	Forwarded to the root container.

Types

PlatformLink

Per-platform link and health state. Derive from your link layer; the strip doesn't poll or fetch. Polling cadence is the consumer's call — 500ms–1s is typical for command-post surfaces.

interface PlatformLink {
  id: string;                                // operator-visible identifier, e.g. "UGV-04"
  signal: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4;                 // bars, derived from RSSI / link quality
  battery?: number;                          // percentage, 0-100; omit if not applicable
  gpsLock?: boolean;                         // omit if platform has no GPS dependency
  status: "good" | "degraded" | "lost";      // your link-quality classifier
}

Wiring

Read-only — the strip renders whatever you pass in. Derive PlatformLink values from your link layer and re-render on a cadence that matches your surface.

tsx

// single-platform
<CommsHealthStrip
  scope="platform"
  platform={{
    id: "UGV-04",
    signal: 4,
    battery: 78,
    gpsLock: true,
    status: "good",
  }}
/>

tsx

// aggregated
<CommsHealthStrip
  scope="group"
  platforms={liveFleet.map(toLinkState)}
/>

Behavioural rule

Invariant Two

Comms always visible

A degraded link is information the operator needs before deciding anything. The strip is persistent for every connected platform and is never collapsed into a settings panel or tucked behind a tab.

Read invariant

Accessibility

Live region	The strip carries `role="status"` and `aria-live="polite"`. Screen readers announce link transitions without interrupting the operator.
Labels	Platform-scope strip uses an `aria-label` of the form `Comms for {id}: {status}`. Aggregated strip describes the summary count and health percent.
Decorative parts	Signal bars, dividers, and per-platform pips are `aria-hidden`. The textual link label and counts carry the meaning.
Colour and meaning	Status colour is never the only signal — every state also carries a text label (LINK / DEGRADED / LOST). Operators with colour-vision differences still read state.

JavaFX

Ships in the PRIZM JavaFX library for thick-client C3 apps as Rc3CommsHealthStrip (extends HBox). Run the gallery to see it natively.

java

import design.prizm.fx.rc3.Rc3CommsHealthStrip;

Rc3CommsHealthStrip()

Member	Type	Default	Description
Scope	`enum`	—	PLATFORM shows a single rich row; group / swarm / mission show an aggregated summary.
LinkStatus	`enum`	—	GOOD / DEGRADED / LOST — drives colour + link label.
PlatformLink	`record(String id, int signal, Integer battery, boolean gpsLock, LinkStatus status)`	—	One platform's link state; battery may be null.
setScope	`(Scope) → void`	—	Switches between single and aggregated views.
setPlatform	`(PlatformLink) → void`	—	The single platform at PLATFORM scope.
setPlatforms	`(List<PlatformLink>) → void`	—	Aggregated scopes; per-platform pips show at group / swarm when ≤ 12.

Status uses the success / warning / danger tokens — no Ember. Honours behavioural invariant 2. Mirrors components/rc3/comms-health-strip.tsx.

Usage

Place the strip where it stays in primary attention — top edge of the operator panel, the canvas footer, or the active-platform chip. Never collapse into a settings panel, never tuck behind a tab, never gate behind a hover. Status colour follows semantic tokens — do not retint with Ember; comms is status, not identity.