fix(gui): open run-time pickers vertically centered like input prompts

[chhoumann]

Picking from a Multi (or any QuickAdd run-time suggester) now opens the picker vertically centered, in the same spot as the VALUE prompt that follows it, instead of at core's fixed spot 80px from the top.

Obsidian anchors every SuggestModal (.prompt) at top: 80px, while QuickAdd's input prompts are regular modals that the container centers. So a single run jumped from the top of the window to the middle. ChoiceSuggester (the launcher and Multi picker) and SuggesterModal ({{VALUE:a,b,c}}, api.suggester, the input suggester) now call centerSuggestModal in onOpen.

Centering uses the height the picker has when it opens, not its live height. Plain flex centering would move the input on every keystroke as filtering shrinks the list, which is why core top-anchors these in the first place. If the list grows while you type (nested search), it's capped 80px above the bottom edge and scrolls. Mobile keeps core's layout (body:not(.is-mobile)).

Verified in Obsidian 1.13.7 (the reporter's version) using the reporter's flow: a Multi with four Template choices, each asking {{VALUE:Title}}. 800px-tall window:

	Before	After
Multi picker, vertical center	183px	400px
Title prompt, vertical center	400px	400px
Picker input top, before / after filtering to one row	-	298.5 / 298.5

Also checked by hand: {{VALUE:alpha,beta,gamma}} opens centered (400px). With nested search, a list that grows from 108px to 30 rows keeps the input still, stops 80px from the bottom, and scrolls. Mobile emulation still uses core's --prompt-top. Resizing the window while a picker is open keeps it on-screen: growing it keeps the input's offset, and shrinking 800px to 500px clamps the top to core's 80px (the picker spans 80-430px instead of pushing the input to y=-29).

Regression test: tests/e2e/picker-position.test.ts runs this flow in real Obsidian. It fails on master (expected 217.5 to be less than 2) and passes with the fix. The full E2E suite passed except one run of capture-cursor > refreshes cursor autocomplete when switching between body and property capture, a settings capture-builder test this change doesn't touch. It passed on 2/2 isolated reruns and on a full rerun of its file (39/39), so it looks flaky. pnpm run build-with-lint is clean and the unit suite passes (5758 tests).

Visual change: every QuickAdd run-time picker moves from the top to the middle of the window on desktop. Obsidian's own pickers (command palette, quick switcher) and QuickAdd's settings-time template discovery picker keep core's top position. No migration.

Fixes #1796

Note

Center run-time pickers vertically on desktop, like input prompts

• Adds a centerSuggestModal helper in utils.ts that records the modal's rendered height in a CSS custom property and marks it for QuickAdd positioning.
• Applies the helper in SuggesterModal.onOpen and ChoiceSuggester.onOpen so pickers open centered.
• Adds desktop-only CSS in styles.css that centers the modal from the viewport midpoint and caps its height to the lower viewport area; the 80px top minimum is kept and mobile layouts are unchanged.
• Adds an e2e test in picker-position.test.ts covering picker centering, input stability while filtering, and alignment with the following value prompt.

^{Macroscope summarized 23d6611.}

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Improvements
  • Suggestion pickers are now vertically centered on desktop, with their height adjusted to available screen space. Filtering suggestions keeps the input in place, and mobile layout remains unchanged.
• Tests
  • Added checks for picker positioning before and after filtering, and for the value prompt’s alignment with the picker.

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Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between a1b8ecf and 23d6611.

📒 Files selected for processing (5)

• src/gui/GenericSuggester/SuggesterModal.ts
• src/gui/suggesters/choiceSuggester.ts
• src/gui/suggesters/utils.ts
• src/styles.css
• tests/e2e/picker-position.test.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Suggester modals now record their height when opened and use desktop CSS to center them within the viewport. Both generic and choice suggesters apply the positioning helper. An end-to-end test checks picker position, input position after filtering, and value prompt position.

Changes

Prompt positioning

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Positioning helper and desktop styles src/gui/suggesters/utils.ts, src/styles.css	The helper records the modal’s open-time height and applies a CSS class. Desktop styles center matching modals and limit their maximum height.
Suggester integration and position test src/gui/GenericSuggester/SuggesterModal.ts, src/gui/suggesters/choiceSuggester.ts, tests/e2e/picker-position.test.ts	Both suggester types call the helper when they open. The end-to-end test checks picker position, input position after filtering, and value prompt position.

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~12 minutes

Change: Bug fix · Severity of issue fixed: Low

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 23d66

The picker-positioning change has no identified issue requiring a fix before merge. Proceed with normal checks.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 66.67% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 3 functions across 4 files. (1 skipped: 1…	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Issue #1796 requires the Multi-select dialog to align vertically with VALUE prompts. The PR calls centerSuggestModal from ChoiceSuggester.onOpen(), records the opening height, and applies the cent…
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	The reported changes stay within runtime picker positioning. ChoiceSuggester, SuggesterModal, shared suggester utilities, desktop styles, and the picker-position regression test directly support t…
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: vertically centering run-time pickers like input prompts.

Full details: Docstring Coverage

Explanation

Docstring coverage is 66.67% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 3 functions across 4 files. (1 skipped: 1 unsupported.)

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_{A rabbit taps the modal’s top,
It finds the height and sets the spot.
The picker settles near the middle,
The filtered input stays put and still.
Then value prompts align just right,
And bunny hops into the night.}

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[chhoumann]

Closing in favor of #1802: centering pickers is Obsidian's default behavior to customize with CSS, not something QuickAdd should override. #1802 adds stable classes so users can do that with a snippet.