Fix variable indicators and add project caching

src/project_manager.py

@@ -42,25 +42,44 @@ class ProjectManager:
         self.projects_file = self.data_dir / 'requests.json'
         self._ensure_data_dir()
 
+        # In-memory cache for projects to reduce disk I/O
+        self._projects_cache: Optional[List[Project]] = None
+
     def _ensure_data_dir(self):
         """Create data directory if it doesn't exist."""
         self.data_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
-    def load_projects(self) -> List[Project]:
+    def load_projects(self, force_reload: bool = False) -> List[Project]:
-        """Load projects from JSON file."""
+        """
+        Load projects from JSON file with in-memory caching.
+
+        Args:
+            force_reload: If True, bypass cache and reload from disk
+
+        Returns:
+            List of Project objects
+        """
+        # Return cached data if available and not forcing reload
+        if self._projects_cache is not None and not force_reload:
+            return self._projects_cache
+
+        # Load from disk
         if not self.projects_file.exists():
+            self._projects_cache = []
             return []
 
         try:
             with open(self.projects_file, 'r') as f:
                 data = json.load(f)
-            return [Project.from_dict(p) for p in data.get('projects', [])]
+            self._projects_cache = [Project.from_dict(p) for p in data.get('projects', [])]
+            return self._projects_cache
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error loading projects: {e}")
+            self._projects_cache = []
             return []
 
     def save_projects(self, projects: List[Project]):
-        """Save projects to JSON file."""
+        """Save projects to JSON file and update cache."""
         try:
             data = {
                 'version': 1,
@@ -68,6 +87,9 @@ class ProjectManager:
             }
             with open(self.projects_file, 'w') as f:
                 json.dump(data, f, indent=2)
+
+            # Update cache with the saved data
+            self._projects_cache = projects
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error saving projects: {e}")
 

src/request_tab_widget.py

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
         self.env_separator: Optional[Gtk.Separator] = None
         self.undefined_variables: Set[str] = set()
         self._update_indicators_timeout_id: Optional[int] = None
+        self._is_programmatically_changing_environment: bool = False
 
         # Build the UI
         self._build_ui()
@@ -819,6 +820,10 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
         if request.syntax in syntax_options:
             self.body_language_dropdown.set_selected(syntax_options.index(request.syntax))
 
+        # Update variable indicators after loading the request (if project is set)
+        if self.project_id:
+            self._update_variable_indicators()
+
     def get_request(self) -> HttpRequest:
         """Build and return HttpRequest from current UI state."""
         method = self.method_dropdown.get_selected_item().get_string()
@@ -1152,8 +1157,8 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
         self.environment_dropdown.set_enable_search(False)
         self.environment_dropdown.set_tooltip_text("Select environment for variable substitution")
 
-        # Connect signal
+        # Connect signal handler
-        self.environment_dropdown.connect("notify::selected", self._on_environment_changed)
+        self._env_change_handler_id = self.environment_dropdown.connect("notify::selected", self._on_environment_changed)
 
         # Add to container at the beginning (left side)
         container.prepend(self.environment_dropdown)
@@ -1178,6 +1183,11 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
         if not project:
             return
 
+        # Set flag to indicate we're programmatically changing the dropdown
+        # This prevents the signal handler from triggering indicator updates during initialization
+        self._is_programmatically_changing_environment = True
+
+        try:
             # Build string list with "None" + environment names
             string_list = Gtk.StringList()
             string_list.append("None")
@@ -1201,8 +1211,12 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
             else:
                 self.environment_dropdown.set_selected(0)  # Default to "None"
 
-        # Update indicators after environment is set
+        finally:
-        self._update_variable_indicators()
+            # Always clear the flag
+            self._is_programmatically_changing_environment = False
+
+        # Note: Don't update indicators here as the request might not be loaded yet
+        # Indicators will be updated when environment changes or request is loaded
 
     def _show_environment_selector(self):
         """Show environment selector (create if it doesn't exist)."""
@@ -1226,16 +1240,28 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
             # Populate if project_manager is available
             if self.project_manager:
                 self._populate_environment_dropdown()
+                # Update indicators after environment selector is shown
+                self._update_variable_indicators()
 
     def _on_environment_changed(self, dropdown, _param):
         """Handle environment selection change."""
+        # If we're programmatically changing the environment during population, skip this
+        if self._is_programmatically_changing_environment:
+            return
+
         if not hasattr(self, 'environment_ids'):
+            logger.warning("Environment changed but environment_ids not initialized")
             return
 
         selected_index = dropdown.get_selected()
+
         if selected_index < len(self.environment_ids):
             self.selected_environment_id = self.environment_ids[selected_index]
-            # Update visual indicators when environment changes
+        else:
+            logger.warning(f"Environment index {selected_index} out of range (max {len(self.environment_ids)-1})")
+            self.selected_environment_id = None
+
+        # Always update visual indicators when environment changes
         self._update_variable_indicators()
 
     def get_selected_environment(self):
@@ -1303,6 +1329,10 @@ class RequestTabWidget(Gtk.Box):
 
     def _update_variable_indicators(self):
         """Update visual indicators for undefined variables."""
+        # Only update if we have a project (variables only make sense in project context)
+        if not self.project_id:
+            return
+
         # Detect undefined variables
         self.undefined_variables = self._detect_undefined_variables()
 

src/variable_substitution.py

@@ -64,8 +64,11 @@ class VariableSubstitution:
             var_name = match.group(1)
             if var_name in variables:
                 value = variables[var_name]
-                # Replace with value or empty string if value is None/empty
+                # Check if value is empty/None - treat as undefined for warning purposes
-                return value if value else ""
+                if not value:
+                    undefined_vars.append(var_name)
+                    return ""
+                return value
             else:
                 # Variable not defined - track it and replace with empty string
                 undefined_vars.append(var_name)

src/window.py

@@ -950,7 +950,8 @@ class RosterWindow(Adw.ApplicationWindow):
 
     def _on_manage_environments(self, widget, project):
         """Show environments management dialog."""
-        # Reload project from disk to get latest data (including variables created by scripts)
+        # Get latest project data (includes variables created by scripts)
+        # Note: load_projects() uses cached data that's kept up-to-date by save operations
         projects = self.project_manager.load_projects()
         fresh_project = None
         for p in projects: