Added Continuity Explorer feature document.

PlotLine/Docs/Features/ContinuityExplorer.md

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+# Continuity Explorer
+
+## Overview
+
+The Continuity Explorer is a dedicated tool within PlotDirector designed
+to allow authors to visualise and trace the state of their fictional
+world throughout a story.
+
+Unlike the existing Scene Inspector, which focuses primarily on editing
+the current scene, the Continuity Explorer provides a global view of how
+Characters, Assets, and Locations evolve over time.
+
+The goal is to answer questions such as:
+
+-   Where is the murder weapon at this point in the story?
+-   Which characters have been inside the library?
+-   Who possessed the diary before Beth found it?
+-   What was the state of the world during Scene 42?
+-   Are there continuity issues caused by characters or objects
+    appearing in impossible locations?
+
+This feature is particularly valuable for mysteries, thrillers, fantasy
+novels, historical fiction, and any work involving large casts or
+numerous interconnected locations.
+
+## Objectives
+
+The Continuity Explorer should allow authors to:
+
+-   View the complete story state at any point in the timeline.
+-   Track the movement of characters between locations.
+-   Track the movement and ownership of assets.
+-   Examine the history of individual characters, assets, or locations.
+-   Identify continuity problems before publication.
+-   Reduce reliance on external notes and spreadsheets.
+
+## Core Concepts
+
+### Story State
+
+Story State represents the author's current understanding of the
+fictional world at a particular scene.
+
+If an entity has not explicitly moved since its last appearance, its
+previous state is assumed to remain valid.
+
+#### Explicit State
+
+The entity's state was directly set within the selected scene.
+
+Examples:
+
+-   Beth enters the kitchen.
+-   The revolver is placed inside the desk.
+
+#### Inferred State
+
+The entity has not been updated since an earlier scene.
+
+Examples:
+
+-   Beth remains in the kitchen.
+-   The revolver remains inside the desk.
+
+The last scene in which the state was explicitly confirmed should always
+be displayed.
+
+## Access Points
+
+### 1. Scene Inspector Integration
+
+A new tab should be added:
+
+**Story State**
+
+Purpose:
+
+Provide immediate continuity information while writing.
+
+This view is scene-specific and read-only.
+
+### 2. Continuity Explorer Page
+
+A dedicated navigation item:
+
+**Continuity Explorer**
+
+Purpose:
+
+Allow detailed investigation of continuity throughout the project.
+
+## Filter Panel
+
+Users may filter by:
+
+-   Characters
+-   Assets
+-   Locations
+
+Multiple types may be selected simultaneously.
+
+### Scene Range
+
+Options:
+
+-   Entire Project
+-   Specific Book
+-   Specific Chapter
+-   Custom Scene Range
+
+### Display Mode
+
+#### Full Timeline
+
+Display every scene.
+
+#### Changes Only
+
+Display only scenes where the selected entity changed state.
+
+## Views
+
+### Story State View
+
+Answers:
+
+"What does the world look like at Scene X?"
+
+Displays:
+
+-   Characters and locations
+-   Assets and ownership
+-   Locations with occupants and contents
+
+### Character Journey View
+
+Answers:
+
+"Where has this character been?"
+
+Supports:
+
+-   Table view
+-   Timeline view
+
+### Asset Journey View
+
+Answers:
+
+"Where has this object been?"
+
+Supports:
+
+-   Table view
+-   Timeline view
+
+### Location Activity View
+
+Answers:
+
+"What happened in this location?"
+
+Shows:
+
+-   Characters present
+-   Assets present
+-   Changes over time
+
+### Combined Tracking View
+
+Allows multiple entities to be displayed together to reveal
+relationships and continuity issues.
+
+## Visual Timeline View (Future Enhancement)
+
+Provide a horizontal timeline showing movement patterns.
+
+Example:
+
+SCENE →
+
+Beth: Bedroom → Kitchen → Library → Study
+
+Knife: Library → Beth → Evidence Locker
+
+Diary: Library → Study
+
+## Continuity Warnings (Future Enhancement)
+
+Potential warnings include:
+
+-   Impossible movement
+-   Asset discrepancies
+-   Multiple locations
+-   Missing states
+
+## Technical Requirements
+
+Story State calculations should be generated dynamically.
+
+Initial implementation should reuse existing:
+
+-   Character Appearance records
+-   Asset State records
+-   Scene chronology
+
+For each selected scene:
+
+1.  Identify all Characters, Assets, and Locations.
+2.  Search backwards through prior scenes.
+3.  Retrieve the most recent explicit state.
+4.  Carry state forwards until superseded.
+5.  Mark whether the displayed state is Explicit or Inferred.
+
+## Performance Considerations
+
+Large projects may contain:
+
+-   100+ Characters
+-   500+ Assets
+-   Thousands of Scenes
+
+Potential optimisation:
+
+Pre-compute continuity snapshots during project save operations.
+
+## Phase 1 Scope
+
+### Included
+
+-   Story State tab within Scene Inspector
+-   Continuity Explorer page
+-   Character Journey View
+-   Asset Journey View
+-   Location Activity View
+-   Combined Tracking View
+-   Changes Only filtering
+-   Explicit/Inferred state indicators
+
+### Excluded
+
+-   Automatic continuity warnings
+-   Visual movement diagrams
+-   Snapshot persistence
+-   AI continuity suggestions
+
+## Expected Benefits
+
+Authors gain immediate visibility into their fictional world.
+
+Continuity errors become easier to identify.
+
+Complex mysteries become significantly easier to manage.
+
+PlotDirector moves beyond planning software and becomes an active
+continuity assistant.
+
+The Continuity Explorer transforms PlotDirector from a repository of
+information into a system capable of understanding and tracking the
+evolving state of a story.
+
+Rather than asking:
+
+"Where did I write that?"
+
+Authors can ask:
+
+"Where was everyone and everything when this happened?"