feat: optimize large table performance with stable row ordering and debounced updates

CollabTableAndroid/README.md

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ A collaborative table management Android application built with Jetpack Compose
 - Local Room database for offline support
 - Automatic synchronization with server (WebSocket-first with HTTP fallback)
 - Soft delete support (items can be recovered on server)
+- Optimized large table scrolling (stable row ordering + debounced updates)
 
 ## Architecture
 
@@ -92,6 +93,15 @@ app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/
 2. Fill in values for each field
 3. Values are saved automatically as you type
 
+### Performance Notes (Large Tables)
+For very large tables the app applies several optimizations:
+- Rows are kept in their original creation order rather than sorting by last update timestamp. This prevents the entire list from resorting after each edit and reduces scroll jank.
+- Rapid successive database emissions are coalesced (debounced ~75ms) before updating the UI state, lowering unnecessary recompositions during bulk edits or sync bursts.
+Further planned improvements:
+- Incremental paging for extremely large datasets
+- Horizontal virtualization for very wide column sets
+If you encounter sluggishness with tens of thousands of rows, enable server-side filtering/sorting to reduce client load.
+
 ### Column Content Alignment
 In the Edit Column dialog you can choose how each column's cell content is aligned (Left, Center, Right) via a single connected Material 3 segmented button group. The selection persists per list/field and updates immediately when you save changes. To adjust later, open the Manage Columns dialog or edit the field again.
 

CollabTableAndroid/app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/data/dao/ItemDao.kt

@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
 
 @Dao
 interface ItemDao {
-    @Query("SELECT * FROM items WHERE listId = :listId AND isDeleted = 0 ORDER BY updatedAt DESC")
+    // Use stable creation order instead of updatedAt-based ordering to avoid resorting the entire list
+    // on every cell edit (which bumps updatedAt). This dramatically reduces scroll jank and recomposition
+    // churn for large tables while still presenting rows in a predictable order.
+    @Query("SELECT * FROM items WHERE listId = :listId AND isDeleted = 0 ORDER BY createdAt ASC")
     fun getItemsForList(listId: String): Flow<List<Item>>
 
     @Transaction
-    @Query("SELECT * FROM items WHERE listId = :listId AND isDeleted = 0 ORDER BY updatedAt DESC")
+    @Query("SELECT * FROM items WHERE listId = :listId AND isDeleted = 0 ORDER BY createdAt ASC")
     fun getItemsWithValuesForList(listId: String): Flow<List<ItemWithValues>>
 
     @Query("SELECT * FROM items WHERE id = :itemId")

CollabTableAndroid/app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/data/database/CollabTableDatabase.kt

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ val migration2To3 =
         Item::class,
         ItemValue::class,
     ],
-    version = 3,
+    version = 4,
     exportSchema = false,
 )
 abstract class CollabTableDatabase : RoomDatabase() {
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ abstract class CollabTableDatabase : RoomDatabase() {
                             context.applicationContext,
                             CollabTableDatabase::class.java,
                             "collab_table_database",
-                        ).addMigrations(migration1To2, migration2To3)
+                        ).addMigrations(migration1To2, migration2To3, migration3To4)
                         .build()
                 dbInstance = instance
                 instance
@@ -77,3 +77,11 @@ abstract class CollabTableDatabase : RoomDatabase() {
         }
     }
 }
+
+// Add index to accelerate item listing by listId ordered by creation time
+val migration3To4 =
+    object : Migration(3, 4) {
+        override fun migrate(database: SupportSQLiteDatabase) {
+            database.execSQL("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS index_items_listId_createdAt ON items(listId, createdAt)")
+        }
+    }

CollabTableAndroid/app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/data/model/Item.kt

@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@ import androidx.room.PrimaryKey
             onDelete = ForeignKey.CASCADE,
         ),
     ],
-    indices = [Index("listId")],
+    indices = [
+        Index("listId"),
+        Index(value = ["listId", "createdAt"]),
+    ],
 )
 data class Item(
     @PrimaryKey val id: String,

CollabTableAndroid/app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/ui/screens/ListDetailScreen.kt

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
@@ -81,6 +82,8 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.compose.ui.window.Dialog
 import androidx.compose.ui.window.DialogProperties
+import androidx.compose.ui.layout.Layout
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.Constraints
 import com.collabtable.app.R
 import com.collabtable.app.data.database.CollabTableDatabase
 import com.collabtable.app.data.model.Field
@@ -956,19 +959,19 @@ fun ItemRow(
         remember(itemWithValues.values) {
             itemWithValues.values.associateBy { it.fieldId }
         }
-    Row(
+    val widths = remember(fields, fieldWidths) { fields.map { fieldWidths[it.id] ?: 150.dp } }
+
+    EqualHeightRow(
+        widths = widths,
         modifier =
             Modifier
                 .fillMaxWidth()
-                .height(androidx.compose.foundation.layout.IntrinsicSize.Min)
-                .clickable(onClick = onClick)
-                ,
-        verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+                .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                .clickable(onClick = onClick),
     ) {
         fields.forEach { field ->
             key(field.id) {
                 val value = valuesByFieldId[field.id]
-                val fieldWidth = fieldWidths[field.id] ?: 150.dp
                 val alignment = when (fieldAlignments[field.id]?.lowercase()) {
                     "center" -> Alignment.Center
                     "end", "right" -> Alignment.CenterEnd
@@ -983,8 +986,6 @@ fun ItemRow(
                 Box(
                     modifier =
                         Modifier
-                            .width(fieldWidth)
-                            .fillMaxHeight()
                             .border(
                                 width = 1.dp,
                                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.outline,
@@ -1453,6 +1454,53 @@ fun ItemRow(
     }
 }
 
+@Composable
+private fun EqualHeightRow(
+    widths: List<Dp>,
+    modifier: Modifier = Modifier,
+    content: @Composable () -> Unit,
+) {
+    val density = LocalDensity.current
+    val widthsPx = remember(widths, density) { widths.map { with(density) { it.roundToPx() } } }
+    Layout(
+        modifier = modifier,
+        content = content,
+    ) { measurables, outerConstraints ->
+        val count = measurables.size
+        val n = widthsPx.size.coerceAtMost(count)
+
+        // First pass: measure children with fixed widths and unconstrained height to find max height
+        var maxHeight = 0
+        val placeablesFirst = Array(n) { i ->
+            val w = widthsPx[i].coerceAtLeast(0)
+            val c = Constraints.fixedWidth(w)
+            val p = measurables[i].measure(c)
+            if (p.height > maxHeight) maxHeight = p.height
+            p
+        }
+
+        // Second pass: remeasure with fixed width and fixed row height so cells share same height
+        val placeables = Array(n) { i ->
+            val w = widthsPx[i].coerceAtLeast(0)
+            val c = Constraints.fixed(width = w, height = maxHeight)
+            measurables[i].measure(c)
+        }
+
+    val totalWidth = widthsPx.take(n).sum()
+    val layoutWidth = totalWidth.coerceIn(outerConstraints.minWidth, outerConstraints.maxWidth)
+    val layoutHeight = maxHeight.coerceIn(outerConstraints.minHeight, outerConstraints.maxHeight)
+
+        layout(layoutWidth, layoutHeight) {
+            var x = 0
+            for (i in 0 until n) {
+                val p = placeables[i]
+                p.placeRelative(x, 0)
+                x += p.width
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 @OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)
 @Composable
 fun AddFieldDialog(

CollabTableAndroid/app/src/main/java/com/collabtable/app/ui/screens/ListDetailViewModel.kt

@@ -51,9 +51,12 @@ class ListDetailViewModel(
         }
 
         viewModelScope.launch {
-            database.itemDao().getItemsWithValuesForList(listId).collect { itemsData ->
-                _items.value = itemsData
-            }
+            database.itemDao()
+                .getItemsWithValuesForList(listId)
+                .debounce(75)
+                .collect { itemsData ->
+                    _items.value = itemsData
+                }
         }
 
         viewModelScope.launch {