LEARN_MACOS_STATUS_BAR_APPS - Expanded Project Guides
Generated from: ../LEARN_MACOS_STATUS_BAR_APPS.md
This folder contains individual deep-dive guides for all 21 projects.
Overview
These files break the sprint into implementation-ready project manuals with theory, architecture, testing, pitfalls, and completion criteria.
Project Index
| # | Project | Difficulty | Time | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hello Menu Bar Baseline | Level 1: Beginner | 4-6 hours | Status bar lifecycle |
| 2 | MenuBarExtra and Popover Hybrid | Level 2: Intermediate | 8-12 hours | SwiftUI/AppKit interop |
| 3 | Hotkey Command Palette | Level 2: Intermediate | 10-14 hours | Global shortcuts and command routing |
| 4 | Clipboard Snippet Ring | Level 2: Intermediate | 10-14 hours | State modeling and list UX |
| 5 | Focus Timer Notification Engine | Level 2: Intermediate | 12-16 hours | State machines and notifications |
| 6 | Login Item and Update Hardening | Level 3: Advanced | 16-22 hours | Startup/update hardening |
| 7 | Steam Library Detector for Multi-Drive Installs | Level 2: Intermediate | 8-12 hours | File parsing and metadata indexing |
| 8 | Deck Verified Badge Tracker | Level 3: Advanced | 14-20 hours | Compatibility signal tracking |
| 9 | Proton Release Watcher | Level 2: Intermediate | 8-10 hours | Dependency and release monitoring |
| 10 | Launch Options Preset Manager | Level 3: Advanced | 14-20 hours | Configuration layering and rollback |
| 11 | Steam Input Profile Router | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Input profile validation |
| 12 | Steam Cloud Conflict Sentinel | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Conflict detection and safe recovery |
| 13 | SteamOS Update Channel Watcher | Level 2: Intermediate | 8-12 hours | Environment drift tracking |
| 14 | Deck SSH Telemetry Puller | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Remote telemetry collection |
| 15 | Gamescope Session Inspector | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Runtime and session analysis |
| 16 | MangoHud Log Analyzer | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Performance trend analysis |
| 17 | SteamPipe Upload Dashboard | Level 4: Expert | 24-32 hours | Guarded release automation |
| 18 | Devkit Deploy Orchestrator | Level 4: Expert | 26-34 hours | Multi-device rollout orchestration |
| 19 | Proton Compatibility Lab Queue | Level 4: Expert | 26-34 hours | Experiment queue scheduling |
| 20 | Decky Plugin Health Monitor | Level 3: Advanced | 18-24 hours | Plugin ecosystem monitoring |
| 21 | Steam Deck Control Center (Capstone) | Level 4: Expert | 36-48 hours | Full-system integration |
Learning Paths
- Foundation Path: P01 -> P02 -> P03 -> P04 -> P05 -> P06
- Deck QA Path: P07 -> P08 -> P09 -> P14 -> P15 -> P16 -> P19
- Release Automation Path: P06 -> P10 -> P17 -> P18 -> P21
Prerequisites
- Intermediate Swift and basic SwiftUI
- Comfortable command-line workflow on macOS
- Steam client and at least one Steam Deck test target
- Familiarity with logs and structured troubleshooting