Enhance reconnect logic and error handling in UI and interface modules

- Implement automatic reconnection attempts in the main UI when disconnected.
- Add a non-blocking connection status dialog to inform users during reconnection.
- Improve error handling when sending messages and during interface reconnections.
- Update the reconnect_interface function to increase the number of attempts and refine connection checks.

contact/ui/contact_ui.py

@@ -383,6 +383,41 @@ def main_ui(stdscr: curses.window) -> None:
     handle_resize(stdscr, True)
 
     while True:
+        interface = interface_state.interface
+        if (
+            hasattr(interface, "stream")
+            and interface.stream is None
+            and not ui_state.reconnect_attempted
+        ):
+            ui_state.reconnect_attempted = True
+            status_win = show_connection_status(stdscr, "Disconnected", "Trying to reconnect…")
+            try:
+                from contact.ui.control_ui import reconnect_interface_with_splash
+
+                reconnect_interface_with_splash(stdscr, interface)
+                if status_win is not None:
+                    status_win.erase()
+                    status_win.refresh()
+                ui_state.reconnect_attempted = False
+                handle_resize(stdscr, False)
+            except Exception:
+                if status_win is not None:
+                    status_win.erase()
+                    status_win.refresh()
+                handle_resize(stdscr, False)
+                logging.exception("Automatic reconnect after transport disconnect failed")
+                retry = get_list_input(
+                    "Contact could not reconnect after 20 seconds.",
+                    "Retry",
+                    ["Retry", "Cancel"],
+                    mandatory=True,
+                )
+                if retry == "Retry":
+                    ui_state.reconnect_attempted = False
+                    handle_resize(stdscr, False)
+                    continue
+                handle_resize(stdscr, False)
+
         with app_state.lock:
             process_pending_ui_updates(stdscr)
         entry_display = f"{ui_state.reply_context}{input_text or ''}"
@@ -652,12 +687,27 @@ def handle_enter(input_text: str) -> str:
             )
             return input_text
         # Enter key pressed, send user input as message
-        send_message(
-            input_text,
-            channel=ui_state.selected_channel,
-            reply_id=ui_state.reply_id,
-            reply_context=ui_state.reply_context,
-        )
+        try:
+            send_message(
+                input_text,
+                channel=ui_state.selected_channel,
+                reply_id=ui_state.reply_id,
+                reply_context=ui_state.reply_context,
+            )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logging.warning("Message send failed; reconnecting interface: %s", exc)
+            try:
+                from contact.ui.control_ui import reconnect_interface_with_splash
+
+                reconnect_interface_with_splash(root_win, interface_state.interface)
+                contact.ui.dialog.dialog("Reconnected", "Connection restored. Your message was not sent; press Enter to retry.")
+            except Exception as reconnect_exc:
+                logging.exception("Automatic reconnect failed")
+                contact.ui.dialog.dialog(
+                    "Reconnect failed",
+                    "Contact could not reconnect after 20 seconds. Check the radio connection and retry your message.",
+                )
+            return input_text
         ui_state.reply_id = None
         ui_state.reply_context = ""
         ui_state.reply_id_unavailable = False
@@ -1012,6 +1062,23 @@ def show_remote_admin_wait(stdscr: curses.window, node_name: str) -> curses.wind
         return None
 
 
+def show_connection_status(stdscr: curses.window, title: str, message: str) -> curses.window | None:
+    """Display a non-blocking connection-status dialog over the current UI."""
+    try:
+        height, width = stdscr.getmaxyx()
+        box_width = min(width - 4, max(len(message) + 4, len(title) + 6, 32))
+        win = curses.newwin(5, box_width, max(0, (height - 5) // 2), max(0, (width - box_width) // 2))
+        win.bkgd(get_color("background"))
+        win.attrset(get_color("window_frame"))
+        win.border()
+        win.addstr(0, 2, f" {title} ", get_color("settings_default"))
+        win.addstr(2, 2, message[: box_width - 4], get_color("settings_default"))
+        win.refresh()
+        return win
+    except curses.error:
+        return None
+
+
 def update_remote_admin_wait(wait_win: curses.window | None, message: str) -> None:
     """Append the current remote-admin request to the waiting overlay."""
     if wait_win is None:

contact/ui/control_ui.py

@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ from contact.ui.colors import get_color
 from contact.ui.dialog import dialog
 from contact.ui.menus import generate_menu_from_protobuf
 from contact.ui.nav_utils import move_highlight, draw_arrows, update_help_window
-from contact.ui.splash import draw_splash
 from contact.ui.user_config import json_editor
 from contact.utilities.arg_parser import setup_parser
 from contact.utilities.singleton import interface_state, menu_state
@@ -236,9 +235,6 @@ def reconnect_interface_with_splash(stdscr: object, interface: object) -> object
     except Exception:
         pass
 
-    stdscr.clear()
-    stdscr.refresh()
-    draw_splash(stdscr)
     new_interface = reconnect_interface(setup_parser().parse_args())
     interface_state.interface = new_interface
     redraw_main_ui_after_reconnect(stdscr)

contact/ui/ui_state.py

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class ChatUIState:
     redraw_full_ui: bool = False
     scroll_messages_to_bottom: bool = False
     preserve_message_selection: bool = False
+    reconnect_attempted: bool = False
     oldest_message_rowid: Dict[Union[str, int], int] = field(default_factory=dict)
     has_older_messages: Dict[Union[str, int], bool] = field(default_factory=dict)
     message_line_ranges: Dict[Union[str, int], List[tuple]] = field(default_factory=dict)

contact/utilities/interfaces.py

@@ -44,15 +44,21 @@ def initialize_interface(args):
         logging.critical(f"Fatal error initializing interface: {ex}")
 
 
-def reconnect_interface(args, attempts: int = 15, delay_seconds: float = 1.0):
+def reconnect_interface(args, attempts: int = 20, delay_seconds: float = 1.0):
     last_error = None
 
     for attempt in range(attempts):
         try:
             interface = initialize_interface(args)
-            if interface is not None:
+            if interface is not None and getattr(interface, "localNode", None) is not None and getattr(
+                interface.localNode, "localConfig", None
+            ) is not None and (not hasattr(interface, "stream") or interface.stream is not None):
                 return interface
-            last_error = RuntimeError("initialize_interface returned None")
+            last_error = RuntimeError("interface did not complete connection setup")
+            try:
+                interface.close()
+            except Exception:
+                pass
         except Exception as ex:
             last_error = ex