Search: clear the previous result line while a new search loads, draw long lists in chunks, append the full list instead of redrawing, warm fewer thumbnails

frontend/app.js

@@ -1894,7 +1894,9 @@ function startCacheResyncWatch() {
 // Pull a result set's artwork into the service worker's thumbnail cache, a few at
 // a time, so a saved search still has pictures offline.
 function warmSearchThumbs(results) {
-  const urls = (results || []).map((r) => r && r.thumbnail).filter(Boolean).slice(0, 100);
+  // Only the first screens: warming 100+ images competes with the results
+  // themselves on a slow link.
+  const urls = (results || []).map((r) => r && r.thumbnail).filter(Boolean).slice(0, 24);
   let i = 0;
   const next = () => { if (i >= urls.length) return; warmThumb(urls[i++]); setTimeout(next, 40); };
   next(); next(); next();
@@ -8067,6 +8069,9 @@ function wireUI() {
       collectSearchMetadata(q, instant.results);
       if (SearchLibrary.isFresh(instant.ts)) { scrollListIntoViewPortrait(); return; }
     } else {
+      // Never leave the previous search's "Updated … · N results" line over
+      // an empty list while this one loads.
+      $('searchMeta')?.classList.add('hidden');
       render();
       showSearchSkeletons();
     }
@@ -8120,8 +8125,15 @@ function wireUI() {
           const more = await API.search(q);
           const full = merged(more?.results || []);
           if (mySeq !== searchSeq || !more?.ok || full.length <= results.length) return;
-          searchResults = full;
-          renderList();
+          const shown = searchResults;
+          const prefix = shown.length <= full.length && shown.every((v, i) => full[i] && full[i].id === v.id);
+          if (prefix && els.cards.children.length) {
+            // Grow the same array, so cards already drawn queue the full list too.
+            const from = shown.length;
+            shown.push(...full.slice(from));
+            searchResults = shown;
+            appendListCards(shown, from);
+          } else { searchResults = full; renderList(); }
           RecentSearches.cacheResults(q, full, Date.now());
           showSearchMeta(q, Date.now());
         } catch { /* keep the first page */ }

frontend/views-core.js

@@ -405,8 +405,38 @@ function renderList() {
   }
   els.status.classList.add('hidden');
 
-  list.forEach((v, i) => els.cards.appendChild(renderCard(v, i, list)));
+  // Long lists (a deep search returns up to 200) are drawn in chunks: the first
+  // screenful at once, the rest on later frames, so a phone never freezes.
+  const token = (renderList._token = (renderList._token || 0) + 1);
+  const FIRST = 30, STEP = 40;
+  const draw = (from, to) => {
+    const frag = document.createDocumentFragment();
+    for (let i = from; i < Math.min(to, list.length); i++) frag.appendChild(renderCard(list[i], i, list));
+    els.cards.appendChild(frag);
+  };
+  draw(0, FIRST);
   markPlayingCard();
+  let at = FIRST;
+  const more = () => {
+    if (renderList._token !== token || at >= list.length) return;
+    draw(at, at + STEP); at += STEP; markPlayingCard();
+    (window.requestIdleCallback || ((f) => setTimeout(f, 30)))(more);
+  };
+  if (list.length > FIRST) (window.requestIdleCallback || ((f) => setTimeout(f, 30)))(more);
+}
+// Search only: the server's fuller list arrived and starts with the cards
+// already shown — add the new ones below instead of redrawing everything.
+function appendListCards(list, fromIndex) {
+  const token = renderList._token;
+  let at = fromIndex;
+  const step = () => {
+    if (renderList._token !== token || at >= list.length) return;
+    const frag = document.createDocumentFragment();
+    for (const end = Math.min(at + 40, list.length); at < end; at++) frag.appendChild(renderCard(list[at], at, list));
+    els.cards.appendChild(frag);
+    (window.requestIdleCallback || ((f) => setTimeout(f, 30)))(step);
+  };
+  step();
 }
 
 function addBrowseCta(empty, label) {