Resource Library

The Resource Library is Nephele's built-in file browser, docked at the bottom of the window. Move your mouse to the drawer handle at the bottom-center of the screen and click to bring it up.

What the Resource Library Is

In Nephele's design, images are first-class citizens. You don't need to leave the app to dig through your file explorer, you don't need to open a separate asset-management tool, and you don't need to switch between ten windows hunting for references—the Resource Library brings everything together in a single bottom drawer, ready whenever you call for it.

It has just three core responsibilities:

1. Browse —— a unified entry point to your local file system and external asset libraries
2. Use —— once you find an asset, pin it to your moodboard, open it in the file explorer, or copy its path, all in one click
3. Preview —— double-click to see the full image, scroll to zoom in on the details

The Resource Library is not an add-on to Eagle, nor a shell around some third-party tool. It is a standalone, complete, self-sufficient file browser. Whether or not you use Eagle, all of the Resource Library's core features work just fine.

Why It Lives at the Bottom

A traditional file browser is a separate window that covers your workspace the moment you open it. Nephele built the Resource Library as a bottom drawer for two reasons:

• It doesn't steal focus: an illustrator's visual attention belongs on the canvas. The bottom drawer only takes up space at the bottom and never covers the area you're painting.
• It's always within reach: a quick swipe of the mouse downward opens it, and once you've found an asset you can drag it or right-click to use it—no window switching at any point.

The panel has two states:

• Normal height (about 380px): good for browsing while you keep working in the main interface
• Expanded full-screen (near the full window height): click the expand button at the top of the panel to switch; good for batch-browsing large amounts of material

Interface Layout

The Resource Library is divided into three areas:

Data Sources

The Resource Library can browse two kinds of content, switched via the left sidebar:

Local Files

This is the Resource Library's default capability and requires no external software:

• Quick access —— the four system directories: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and Downloads
• Custom folders —— the project directories you frequently use and pin yourself

To add a custom folder: click "Add Folder" at the bottom of the sidebar and select the target directory. Right-click a pinned folder to remove it.

Browsing local files relies on no network, no account, and no third-party tools. Even if you use Nephele offline, this part works perfectly.

Eagle Library

If you use Eagle to manage your assets, after you configure your Eagle library path the sidebar gains an extra Eagle data source:

• All —— shows every image asset in your Eagle library
• Folder tree —— browse hierarchically by Eagle's folder structure, with expand/collapse support

The colored dot to the left of a folder name matches the folder color you set in Eagle.

Browsing Actions

Basic Interactions

Toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the content area provides:

• Path / folder name —— shows your current location; in local directories you can click to go up a level
• Search box —— type a keyword for instant search
• Sort —— sort by name, date, size, and more
• Layout toggle —— grid / masonry view
• Thumbnail size —— drag the slider to adjust thumbnail size

Search

Search queries both kinds of data sources at once:

• Local: a quick filename match within the current directory
• Eagle: a semantic search across your configured Eagle library (requires completing library indexing first)

Clearing the search box automatically returns you to your previous browsing state.

Right-Click Menu

Right-click any asset to perform the following actions:

Lightbox Preview

Double-clicking any image asset enters full-screen Lightbox mode:

• View the full image, and use the mouse wheel to zoom in on details with the cursor as the anchor point
• Press Esc or click an empty area to close

Inspector Panel

When you select an asset, the panel on the right slides out and shows:

• File name and format
• Dimensions (width × height)
• Rating / star level
• Tag list
• Source (Local or Eagle)

Click the "Pin as reference" button in the inspector to pin the asset to your moodboard directly.

The Resource Library's Independence

This point is worth stressing on its own: Nephele's operation and asset management do not depend on Eagle.

• If you don't install Eagle, the Resource Library is still a complete file browser
• If you don't configure an Eagle path, all local browsing, search, right-click actions, Lightbox preview, and moodboard pinning still work
• Eagle integration is an optional enhancement layer, not a prerequisite dependency

Nephele chose to be directly compatible with Eagle's underlying file format—rather than build a "plugin" or "extension"—precisely to avoid a bundling relationship. What we read is the public data structure that Eagle generates (the .library/ directory and metadata.json), which is fundamentally no different from reading an ordinary folder of images—only the parsing format differs.

If you're using Eagle, Nephele makes your workflow smoother; if you don't use Eagle, Nephele isn't left missing an arm or a leg for it.