moved favourites into submenue

README.md

@@ -1,2 +1,143 @@
-# ebbes-meme-clipboard
+# Ebbe's Meme Clipboard
 
+A meme and GIF picker for Windows, inspired by the built-in Windows Emoji Picker (<kbd>Win</kbd>+<kbd>.</kbd>).
+
+Press a global hotkey anywhere, a small popup appears, search your memes or Giphy, click one —
+and it lands straight in whatever app you were just typing in. It lives in the system tray and
+stays out of the way until you need it.
+
+---
+
+## Features
+
+- **Global hotkey** — opens the picker over any app. Defaults to <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>Alt</kbd>+<kbd>M</kbd>, fully remappable (the <kbd>Win</kbd> key works too, e.g. <kbd>Win</kbd>+<kbd>Y</kbd>).
+- **Your own meme library** — add images by clicking **+**, dragging files onto the window, or simply pasting with <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd>. Supports JPG, PNG and GIF.
+- **Giphy search** — a second tab searches Giphy directly (needs a free API key, see below). Scroll and it keeps loading more results. You can also paste a Giphy link straight into the search box to jump to that one GIF.
+- **Favourites** — right-click any meme to pin it to a ★ Favourites row at the top of that tab. Kept separately per source.
+- **Three insert modes** — copy to clipboard, paste into the active window, or paste *and* send instantly.
+- **Animated GIFs stay animated** — the clipboard is written in several formats at once so GIFs paste as real animations in Discord, Slack and Teams, rather than as a flattened still frame.
+- **Search as you type** — filters your library by filename; Giphy results are debounced so typing doesn't burn through the API rate limit.
+- **Runs from the tray** — optional start-with-Windows, and a movable, dismiss-on-click-away popup.
+
+## Installation
+
+**Installer (recommended)** — run `EbbesMemeClipboard-Setup-<version>.exe`. It installs per-user by
+default (no admin prompt) but lets you choose "just me" or "all users", and offers optional desktop
+and start-with-Windows shortcuts.
+
+**Portable** — grab `EbbesMemeClipboard.exe` and run it. No installation, no .NET runtime needed;
+everything is bundled. It'll write its library and settings to `%AppData%` as usual.
+
+> Windows may show a SmartScreen warning on first run, because the executable isn't code-signed.
+> Choose *More info → Run anyway*. Signing requires a paid certificate from a certificate authority.
+
+## Usage
+
+| Action | How |
+|---|---|
+| Open / close the picker | <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>Alt</kbd>+<kbd>M</kbd>, or left-click the tray icon |
+| Insert a meme | Click it |
+| Add memes | **+** button, drag files in, or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> |
+| Favourite / unfavourite | Right-click a meme |
+| Delete a meme | Right-click → **Remove** (goes to the Recycle Bin) |
+| Search | Just start typing |
+| Move the window | Drag the title bar |
+| Close the picker | <kbd>Esc</kbd>, or click elsewhere |
+| Settings / quit | Right-click the tray icon |
+
+Pasting plain text into the window still goes to the search box — only images get imported.
+
+### Insert modes
+
+Set these under **Settings → Insert Mode**:
+
+- **Copy to clipboard** — just copies; you paste it yourself.
+- **Paste into active window** *(default)* — restores focus to the app you came from and pastes for you.
+- **Paste and send instantly** — the above, plus <kbd>Enter</kbd>. Handy in chat apps, but it *will* send the message immediately, so it's off by default.
+
+### Giphy setup
+
+The Giphy tab needs your own free API key:
+
+1. Go to [developers.giphy.com](https://developers.giphy.com), create an account and an app, and choose **API Key**.
+2. Paste the key into **Settings → Giphy**.
+
+The free tier allows 100 requests per hour, which is plenty for personal use. Giphy's terms
+require the "Powered by GIPHY" attribution shown in the app whenever their results are displayed.
+
+You can also paste a Giphy link into the search box — share links
+(`giphy.com/gifs/funny-cat-<id>`), direct media links (`media.giphy.com/media/<id>/giphy.gif`)
+and `i.giphy.com` image links all work, and resolve to that single GIF.
+
+## Where your data lives
+
+```
+%AppData%\EbbesMemeClipboard\
+  settings.json     hotkey, insert mode, Giphy API key
+  favorites.json    favourites, per source
+  Library\          your imported memes + an index
+
+%LocalAppData%\EbbesMemeClipboard\
+  GifCache\         downloaded Giphy GIFs (re-downloadable; safe to delete)
+```
+
+Uninstalling deliberately leaves your memes, favourites and settings in place — only the
+re-downloadable cache is cleared.
+
+## Known limitations
+
+- **The popup appears at the mouse cursor, not the text caret.** The real Emoji Panel can follow
+  the caret because it's a privileged part of the Windows shell; third-party apps have no
+  equivalent access.
+- **Auto-paste doesn't work into apps running as administrator.** Windows blocks a normal program
+  from sending input to an elevated window (UIPI). The meme is still copied — just press
+  <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> yourself.
+- **No single-instance guard yet.** If two copies run at once they'll compete for the global
+  hotkey. Worth checking you don't have both a Startup shortcut *and* the autostart setting enabled.
+- **Windows only.** See below.
+
+## Building from source
+
+Requires the [.NET 10 SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download).
+
+```bash
+# run it
+dotnet run --project src/EbbesMemeClipboard
+
+# portable single exe -> publish/
+dotnet publish src/EbbesMemeClipboard/EbbesMemeClipboard.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 \
+  --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
+  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true -p:EnableCompressionInSingleFile=true \
+  -o publish
+```
+
+To build the installer you'll also need [Inno Setup 6](https://jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php). Note the
+publish step deliberately disables .NET's own compression, so Inno's LZMA2 can compress the raw
+bytes instead — that yields a noticeably smaller setup and a faster-starting app:
+
+```bash
+dotnet publish src/EbbesMemeClipboard/EbbesMemeClipboard.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 \
+  --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
+  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true -p:EnableCompressionInSingleFile=false \
+  -o publish-installer
+
+"%LocalAppData%\Programs\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" installer\EbbesMemeClipboard.iss
+```
+
+### Tech stack
+
+.NET 10 · WPF · MVVM ([CommunityToolkit.Mvvm](https://github.com/CommunityToolkit/dotnet)) ·
+[H.NotifyIcon](https://github.com/HavenDV/H.NotifyIcon) for the tray icon ·
+`Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection`
+
+### Platform support
+
+Windows only, and not portable without a rewrite. WPF doesn't exist on macOS or Linux, and the
+features that make the app work — global hotkeys, synthetic paste, tray icon, clipboard formats,
+autostart — are all built directly on Win32. The data and business-logic layer would carry over
+to a cross-platform UI framework such as [Avalonia](https://avaloniaui.net), but every
+platform-integration service and the entire UI would need reimplementing.
+
+## License
+
+[MIT](LICENSE)

installer/EbbesMemeClipboard.iss

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 ; anyone who just wants the portable single exe.
 
 #define AppName "Ebbe's Meme Clipboard"
-#define AppVersion "1.1.0"
+#define AppVersion "1.1.5"
 #define AppPublisher "Ebbe Baß"
 #define AppExeName "EbbesMemeClipboard.exe"
 #define SourceExe "..\publish-installer\EbbesMemeClipboard.exe"

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/EbbesMemeClipboard.csproj

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <PackageReference Include="WPF-UI" Version="4.3.0" />
     <PackageReference Include="CommunityToolkit.Mvvm" Version="8.4.2" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection" Version="10.0.0" />
+    <PackageReference Include="XamlAnimatedGif" Version="2.3.2" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Models/AppSettings.cs

@@ -14,4 +14,16 @@ public sealed class AppSettings
     /// key is its own source of truth, so caching it would risk the two drifting apart.
     /// </summary>
     public string? GiphyApiKey { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Animate GIF thumbnails in the grid. Off by default: playing a screenful of GIFs at once
+    /// costs noticeably more CPU and memory than showing static first frames.
+    /// </summary>
+    public bool PlayGifPreviews { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Which source tab the picker reopens on. Persisted so the choice survives an app restart,
+    /// not just a hide/show.
+    /// </summary>
+    public MemeSource LastSource { get; set; } = MemeSource.Local;
 }

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Services/GiphyGifProvider.cs

@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
+using System.Net;
 using System.Net.Http;
 using System.Net.Http.Json;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
 using EbbesMemeClipboard.Models;
 
 namespace EbbesMemeClipboard.Services;
 
-public sealed class GiphyGifProvider : IGifProvider
+public sealed partial class GiphyGifProvider : IGifProvider
 {
     private const string BaseUrl = "https://api.giphy.com/v1/gifs";
     private const string Rating = "pg-13";
@@ -20,45 +22,112 @@ public sealed class GiphyGifProvider : IGifProvider
     public string NotConfiguredMessage =>
         "No Giphy API key set. Add one in Settings - a free key is available from developers.giphy.com.";
 
+    public string SearchPlaceholder => "Search Giphy, or paste a GIF link...";
+
     public GiphyGifProvider(HttpClient http, ISettingsService settings)
     {
         _http = http;
         _settings = settings;
     }
 
-    public async Task<IReadOnlyList<GifSearchResult>> SearchAsync(string query, int limit, CancellationToken ct)
+    public async Task<IReadOnlyList<GifSearchResult>> SearchAsync(string query, int limit, int offset, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         if (!IsConfigured) return Array.Empty<GifSearchResult>();
 
         var apiKey = Uri.EscapeDataString(_settings.Current.GiphyApiKey!);
         var url = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(query)
-            ? $"{BaseUrl}/trending?api_key={apiKey}&limit={limit}&rating={Rating}"
+            ? $"{BaseUrl}/trending?api_key={apiKey}&limit={limit}&offset={offset}&rating={Rating}"
-            : $"{BaseUrl}/search?api_key={apiKey}&q={Uri.EscapeDataString(query)}&limit={limit}&rating={Rating}";
+            : $"{BaseUrl}/search?api_key={apiKey}&q={Uri.EscapeDataString(query)}&limit={limit}&offset={offset}&rating={Rating}";
 
         var response = await _http.GetAsync(url, ct);
         response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
 
-        var payload = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<GiphyResponse>(cancellationToken: ct);
+        var payload = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<GiphyListResponse>(cancellationToken: ct);
         if (payload?.Data is null) return Array.Empty<GifSearchResult>();
 
-        return payload.Data
+        return payload.Data.Select(ToResult).OfType<GifSearchResult>().ToList();
-            .Where(item => item.Images?.FixedWidth?.Url is not null && item.Images.Original?.Url is not null)
-            .Select(item => new GifSearchResult
-            {
-                Id = item.Id ?? Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"),
-                Title = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(item.Title) ? "Giphy GIF" : item.Title,
-                PreviewUrl = item.Images!.FixedWidth!.Url!,
-                FullUrl = item.Images.Original!.Url!,
-                Source = MemeSource.Giphy,
-            })
-            .ToList();
     }
 
-    private sealed class GiphyResponse
+    public bool CanResolveLink(string text) => TryExtractId(text, out _);
+
+    public async Task<GifSearchResult?> ResolveLinkAsync(string text, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        if (!IsConfigured || !TryExtractId(text, out var id)) return null;
+
+        var apiKey = Uri.EscapeDataString(_settings.Current.GiphyApiKey!);
+        var response = await _http.GetAsync($"{BaseUrl}/{Uri.EscapeDataString(id)}?api_key={apiKey}", ct);
+
+        // A link can easily point at something deleted or region-blocked; treat that as "no
+        // result" rather than surfacing a raw HTTP error to the user.
+        if (response.StatusCode is HttpStatusCode.NotFound or HttpStatusCode.BadRequest) return null;
+        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
+
+        var payload = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<GiphySingleResponse>(cancellationToken: ct);
+        return payload?.Data is null ? null : ToResult(payload.Data);
+    }
+
+    private static GifSearchResult? ToResult(GiphyItem item)
+    {
+        var preview = item.Images?.FixedWidth?.Url ?? item.Images?.Original?.Url;
+        var full = item.Images?.Original?.Url ?? item.Images?.FixedWidth?.Url;
+        if (preview is null || full is null || item.Id is null) return null;
+
+        return new GifSearchResult
+        {
+            Id = item.Id,
+            Title = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(item.Title) ? "Giphy GIF" : item.Title,
+            PreviewUrl = preview,
+            FullUrl = full,
+            Source = MemeSource.Giphy,
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Pulls the GIF id out of the various shapes a Giphy link can take - the share URL
+    /// (giphy.com/gifs/some-slug-ID), a direct media URL, or an i.giphy.com image URL.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static bool TryExtractId(string text, out string id)
+    {
+        id = string.Empty;
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text) || !text.Contains("giphy.com", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            return false;
+
+        var trimmed = text.Trim();
+        foreach (var regex in new[] { MediaUrlRegex(), DirectImageUrlRegex(), ShareUrlRegex() })
+        {
+            var match = regex.Match(trimmed);
+            if (match.Success)
+            {
+                id = match.Groups["id"].Value;
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    // media.giphy.com/media/<optional rendition token>/<id>/giphy.gif
+    [GeneratedRegex(@"media\d*\.giphy\.com/media/(?:.+/)?(?<id>[A-Za-z0-9]{6,})/[^/]*\.(?:gif|webp|mp4)", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase)]
+    private static partial Regex MediaUrlRegex();
+
+    // i.giphy.com/<id>.gif
+    [GeneratedRegex(@"i\.giphy\.com/(?<id>[A-Za-z0-9]{6,})\.", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase)]
+    private static partial Regex DirectImageUrlRegex();
+
+    // giphy.com/gifs/funny-cat-<id>  (also /clips/, /stickers/, /embed/)
+    [GeneratedRegex(@"giphy\.com/(?:gifs|clips|stickers|embed)/(?:[^/?#]*-)?(?<id>[A-Za-z0-9]{6,})", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase)]
+    private static partial Regex ShareUrlRegex();
+
+    private sealed class GiphyListResponse
     {
         [JsonPropertyName("data")] public List<GiphyItem>? Data { get; set; }
     }
 
+    private sealed class GiphySingleResponse
+    {
+        [JsonPropertyName("data")] public GiphyItem? Data { get; set; }
+    }
+
     private sealed class GiphyItem
     {
         [JsonPropertyName("id")] public string? Id { get; set; }

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Services/IGifProvider.cs

@@ -12,6 +12,18 @@ public interface IGifProvider
     /// <summary>Shown in the UI when IsConfigured is false, explaining how to fix it.</summary>
     string NotConfiguredMessage { get; }
 
-    /// <summary>An empty query returns whatever the provider considers trending.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Placeholder shown in the search box while it's empty.</summary>
-    Task<IReadOnlyList<GifSearchResult>> SearchAsync(string query, int limit, CancellationToken ct);
+    string SearchPlaceholder { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// An empty query returns whatever the provider considers trending. <paramref name="offset"/>
+    /// pages through results for infinite scrolling.
+    /// </summary>
+    Task<IReadOnlyList<GifSearchResult>> SearchAsync(string query, int limit, int offset, CancellationToken ct);
+
+    /// <summary>True when the text looks like a link to a single item on this provider.</summary>
+    bool CanResolveLink(string text);
+
+    /// <summary>Resolves a link from <see cref="CanResolveLink"/> to one result, or null if it can't be found.</summary>
+    Task<GifSearchResult?> ResolveLinkAsync(string text, CancellationToken ct);
 }

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/ViewModels/MemeTileViewModel.cs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System.IO;
 using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 using EbbesMemeClipboard.Models;
@@ -11,11 +12,10 @@ namespace EbbesMemeClipboard.ViewModels;
 /// </summary>
 public partial class MemeTileViewModel : ObservableObject
 {
-    // Comfortably above the ~126px logical tile width so thumbnails stay sharp at 150-200%
-    // display scaling, without decoding anything near full resolution.
     private const int ThumbnailPixelWidth = 240;
 
     private readonly IGifCacheService? _cache;
+    private readonly bool _animatePreviews;
     private string? _localPath;
 
     public LocalMemeRecord? Record { get; }
@@ -35,20 +35,33 @@ public partial class MemeTileViewModel : ObservableObject
     [ObservableProperty]
     private bool _isFavorite;
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Animation sources for XamlAnimatedGif. Only one is ever set, and only when GIF preview
+    /// playback is switched on - otherwise both stay null and the static Thumbnail shows.
+    /// A local file animates straight from disk; a remote one needs its bytes kept in memory.
+    /// </summary>
+    [ObservableProperty]
+    private Uri? _animationUri;
+
+    [ObservableProperty]
+    private Stream? _animationStream;
+
     public string FavoriteActionLabel => IsFavorite ? "Remove from favourites" : "Add to favourites";
 
     partial void OnIsFavoriteChanged(bool value) => OnPropertyChanged(nameof(FavoriteActionLabel));
 
-    public MemeTileViewModel(LocalMemeRecord record, string fullPath)
+    public MemeTileViewModel(LocalMemeRecord record, string fullPath, bool animatePreviews = false)
     {
         Record = record;
         _localPath = fullPath;
+        _animatePreviews = animatePreviews;
     }
 
-    public MemeTileViewModel(GifSearchResult remoteResult, IGifCacheService cache)
+    public MemeTileViewModel(GifSearchResult remoteResult, IGifCacheService cache, bool animatePreviews = false)
     {
         RemoteResult = remoteResult;
         _cache = cache;
+        _animatePreviews = animatePreviews;
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -71,11 +84,23 @@ public partial class MemeTileViewModel : ObservableObject
             {
                 var path = _localPath!;
                 Thumbnail = await Task.Run(() => ImageDecoding.DecodeFirstFrame(path, ThumbnailPixelWidth), ct);
+
+                if (_animatePreviews && ImageDecoding.IsGif(path))
+                {
+                    AnimationUri = new Uri(path);
+                }
             }
             else
             {
                 var bytes = await _cache!.DownloadPreviewAsync(RemoteResult!, ct);
                 Thumbnail = await Task.Run(() => ImageDecoding.DecodeFirstFrameFromBytes(bytes, ThumbnailPixelWidth), ct);
+
+                // Remote previews have no file on disk, so animation has to run off the bytes
+                // we already fetched for the thumbnail.
+                if (_animatePreviews && LooksLikeGif(RemoteResult!.PreviewUrl))
+                {
+                    AnimationStream = new MemoryStream(bytes);
+                }
             }
         }
         catch (OperationCanceledException)
@@ -88,4 +113,7 @@ public partial class MemeTileViewModel : ObservableObject
             // renders empty and stays clickable.
         }
     }
+
+    private static bool LooksLikeGif(string url) =>
+        url.Contains(".gif", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
 }

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/ViewModels/PickerViewModel.cs

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
+using System.Collections.Specialized;
 using System.IO;
+using System.Windows.Data;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Input;
 using EbbesMemeClipboard.Models;
@@ -9,7 +11,9 @@ namespace EbbesMemeClipboard.ViewModels;
 
 public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
 {
-    private const int RemoteResultLimit = 30;
+    // 50 is the Giphy per-request maximum; more results come from paging via offset as the user
+    // scrolls rather than from a single bigger call.
+    private const int RemoteResultLimit = 50;
     private static readonly TimeSpan SearchDebounce = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(350);
 
     private readonly ILocalMemeLibraryService _library;
@@ -23,11 +27,30 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
     /// <summary>Cancels the in-flight remote search when a newer keystroke supersedes it.</summary>
     private CancellationTokenSource? _searchCts;
 
+    private int _remoteOffset;
+    private bool _remoteHasMore;
+    private bool _isLoadingMore;
+
+    /// <summary>True when the grid is showing a single item resolved from a pasted link.</summary>
+    private bool _showingResolvedLink;
+
     public ObservableCollection<MemeTileViewModel> Items { get; } = new();
 
-    /// <summary>Favourites for the currently active source only.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Favourites for the active source, shown in the favourites submenu.</summary>
     public ObservableCollection<MemeTileViewModel> Favorites { get; } = new();
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Holds at most one navigation tile ("Favourites" or "Back") that is rendered as the first
+    /// cell of the grid, ahead of the actual memes.
+    /// </summary>
+    public ObservableCollection<FolderTileViewModel> HeaderTiles { get; } = new();
+
+    private readonly CompositeCollection _mainGrid = new();
+    private readonly CompositeCollection _favoritesGrid = new();
+
+    /// <summary>What the grid binds to: the nav tile followed by either the results or the favourites.</summary>
+    public CompositeCollection GridSource => IsInFavoritesView ? _favoritesGrid : _mainGrid;
+
     [ObservableProperty]
     private string _searchText = string.Empty;
 
@@ -43,12 +66,27 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
     [ObservableProperty]
     private bool _hasFavorites;
 
+    [ObservableProperty]
+    private bool _isInFavoritesView;
+
     [ObservableProperty]
     private MemeSource _activeSource = MemeSource.Local;
 
     public bool IsLocalSource => ActiveSource == MemeSource.Local;
     public bool IsGiphySource => ActiveSource == MemeSource.Giphy;
 
+    public string SearchPlaceholder => IsLocalSource
+        ? "Search your memes..."
+        : ActiveProvider?.SearchPlaceholder ?? "Search...";
+
+    public bool ShowEmptyState => Items.Count == 0 && !IsBusy && IsLocalSource && !IsInFavoritesView;
+
+    public string EmptyStateText => "No memes yet. Click +, drag files in, or paste with Ctrl+V.";
+
+    private IGifProvider? ActiveProvider => _providers.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Source == ActiveSource);
+
+    private bool AnimatePreviews => _settings.Current.PlayGifPreviews;
+
     public event EventHandler? RequestClose;
 
     public PickerViewModel(
@@ -68,16 +106,70 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         _favorites = favorites;
         _providers = providers.ToList();
 
-        RefreshLocalItems();
+        Items.CollectionChanged += OnItemsChanged;
+
+        // Restore persisted view state. Assigned to the backing fields directly so restoring
+        // doesn't count as a user change and immediately re-save.
+        _activeSource = _settings.Current.LastSource;
+
+        _mainGrid.Add(new CollectionContainer { Collection = HeaderTiles });
+        _mainGrid.Add(new CollectionContainer { Collection = Items });
+        _favoritesGrid.Add(new CollectionContainer { Collection = HeaderTiles });
+        _favoritesGrid.Add(new CollectionContainer { Collection = Favorites });
+
+        // Seed the grid. Remote sources are skipped here because that needs an async call -
+        // OnShown covers it when the window is actually opened.
+        if (IsLocalSource) RefreshLocalItems();
         RefreshFavorites();
     }
 
-    partial void OnSearchTextChanged(string value) => _ = RefreshAsync();
+    private void OnItemsChanged(object? sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e) =>
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowEmptyState));
+
+    partial void OnSearchTextChanged(string value)
+    {
+        // A query is a request to search, so it always leaves the favourites submenu.
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value)) IsInFavoritesView = false;
+        UpdateHeaderTile();
+        _ = RefreshAsync();
+    }
+
+    partial void OnHasFavoritesChanged(bool value) => UpdateHeaderTile();
+
+    partial void OnIsBusyChanged(bool value) => OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowEmptyState));
+
+    partial void OnIsInFavoritesViewChanged(bool value)
+    {
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(GridSource));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowEmptyState));
+        UpdateHeaderTile();
+    }
+
+    private void UpdateHeaderTile()
+    {
+        HeaderTiles.Clear();
+
+        if (IsInFavoritesView)
+        {
+            HeaderTiles.Add(new FolderTileViewModel("\u25C4", "Back"));
+        }
+        else if (HasFavorites && string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(SearchText))
+        {
+            HeaderTiles.Add(new FolderTileViewModel("\u2605", "Favourites"));
+        }
+    }
 
     partial void OnActiveSourceChanged(MemeSource value)
     {
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsLocalSource));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsGiphySource));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SearchPlaceholder));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowEmptyState));
+
+        _settings.Current.LastSource = value;
+        _ = _settings.SaveAsync();
+
+        IsInFavoritesView = false;
         SearchText = string.Empty;
         RefreshFavorites();
         // Setting SearchText above only triggers a refresh if the value actually changed, so
@@ -88,6 +180,9 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
     [RelayCommand]
     private void SelectSource(MemeSource source) => ActiveSource = source;
 
+    [RelayCommand]
+    private void ToggleFavoritesView() => IsInFavoritesView = !IsInFavoritesView;
+
     [RelayCommand]
     private async Task SelectItemAsync(MemeTileViewModel? tile)
     {
@@ -155,13 +250,14 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
     {
         if (tile?.Record is null) return;
 
+        var name = tile.DisplayName;
         await _library.RemoveAsync(tile.Record);
         // Drop the matching favourite too, otherwise it lingers pointing at a deleted file.
         await _favorites.RemoveAsync(MemeSource.Local, tile.Record.Id);
 
         RefreshLocalItems();
         RefreshFavorites();
-        StatusMessage = $"Removed {tile.DisplayName}";
+        StatusMessage = $"Removed {name}";
     }
 
     [RelayCommand]
@@ -256,12 +352,53 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     public void OnShown()
     {
+        IsInFavoritesView = false;
         SearchText = string.Empty;
-        if (IsLocalSource)
-        {
-            RefreshLocalItems();
-        }
         RefreshFavorites();
+        // Rebuild rather than just reset: picks up memes added since last time, and lets a
+        // changed "animate GIF previews" setting take effect.
+        _ = RefreshAsync();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Appends the next page of remote results. Called as the grid is scrolled near the bottom,
+    /// so browsing feels continuous instead of stopping dead at the first batch.
+    /// </summary>
+    public async Task LoadMoreAsync()
+    {
+        if (IsLocalSource || _showingResolvedLink || !_remoteHasMore || _isLoadingMore) return;
+
+        var provider = ActiveProvider;
+        if (provider is null || !provider.IsConfigured) return;
+
+        _isLoadingMore = true;
+        var queryAtStart = SearchText;
+        try
+        {
+            var results = await provider.SearchAsync(queryAtStart, RemoteResultLimit, _remoteOffset, CancellationToken.None);
+
+            // The query may have changed while this page was in flight; if so the newer search
+            // owns the grid and these results are stale.
+            if (!string.Equals(queryAtStart, SearchText, StringComparison.Ordinal)) return;
+
+            foreach (var result in results)
+            {
+                AddRemoteTile(result);
+            }
+
+            _remoteOffset += results.Count;
+            _remoteHasMore = results.Count >= RemoteResultLimit;
+            StatusMessage = $"{Items.Count} result(s).";
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            StatusMessage = $"Couldn't load more: {ex.Message}";
+            _remoteHasMore = false;
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            _isLoadingMore = false;
+        }
     }
 
     private async Task RefreshAsync()
@@ -271,13 +408,17 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         _searchCts?.Dispose();
         _searchCts = null;
 
+        _remoteOffset = 0;
+        _remoteHasMore = false;
+        _showingResolvedLink = false;
+
         if (IsLocalSource)
         {
             RefreshLocalItems();
             return;
         }
 
-        var provider = _providers.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Source == ActiveSource);
+        var provider = ActiveProvider;
         if (provider is null) return;
 
         if (!provider.IsConfigured)
@@ -297,20 +438,25 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
             await Task.Delay(SearchDebounce, cts.Token);
 
             IsBusy = true;
-            StatusMessage = "Searching...";
 
-            var results = await provider.SearchAsync(SearchText, RemoteResultLimit, cts.Token);
+            if (provider.CanResolveLink(SearchText))
+            {
+                await ResolveLinkAsync(provider, cts.Token);
+                return;
+            }
+
+            StatusMessage = "Searching...";
+            var results = await provider.SearchAsync(SearchText, RemoteResultLimit, 0, cts.Token);
             cts.Token.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
 
             Items.Clear();
             foreach (var result in results)
             {
-                var tile = new MemeTileViewModel(result, _gifCache);
+                AddRemoteTile(result, cts.Token);
-                Items.Add(tile);
-                _ = tile.LoadThumbnailAsync(cts.Token);
             }
 
-            SyncFavoriteFlags();
+            _remoteOffset = results.Count;
+            _remoteHasMore = results.Count >= RemoteResultLimit;
             StatusMessage = results.Count == 0 ? "No results." : $"{results.Count} result(s).";
         }
         catch (OperationCanceledException)
@@ -330,6 +476,37 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         }
     }
 
+    private async Task ResolveLinkAsync(IGifProvider provider, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        StatusMessage = "Opening link...";
+        var result = await provider.ResolveLinkAsync(SearchText, ct);
+        ct.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+
+        Items.Clear();
+
+        if (result is null)
+        {
+            StatusMessage = "Couldn't find that GIF - check the link.";
+            return;
+        }
+
+        AddRemoteTile(result, ct);
+
+        // A single resolved item has nothing to page through.
+        _showingResolvedLink = true;
+        StatusMessage = "Found 1 GIF from link.";
+    }
+
+    private void AddRemoteTile(GifSearchResult result, CancellationToken ct = default)
+    {
+        var tile = new MemeTileViewModel(result, _gifCache, AnimatePreviews)
+        {
+            IsFavorite = _favorites.IsFavorite(result.Source, result.Id),
+        };
+        Items.Add(tile);
+        _ = tile.LoadThumbnailAsync(ct);
+    }
+
     private void RefreshLocalItems()
     {
         var records = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(SearchText)
@@ -339,12 +516,14 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         Items.Clear();
         foreach (var record in records)
         {
-            var tile = new MemeTileViewModel(record, _library.GetFullPath(record));
+            var tile = new MemeTileViewModel(record, _library.GetFullPath(record), AnimatePreviews)
+            {
+                IsFavorite = _favorites.IsFavorite(MemeSource.Local, record.Id),
+            };
             Items.Add(tile);
             _ = tile.LoadThumbnailAsync();
         }
 
-        SyncFavoriteFlags();
         StatusMessage = string.Empty;
     }
 
@@ -359,10 +538,10 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
             if (fav.Source == MemeSource.Local)
             {
                 var record = _library.GetAll().FirstOrDefault(r => r.Id == fav.Key);
-                // Favourite pointing at a meme that's since been deleted - skip it rather than
+                // Favourite pointing at a meme that has since been deleted - skip it rather
-                // rendering a broken tile.
+                // than rendering a broken tile.
                 if (record is null) continue;
-                tile = new MemeTileViewModel(record, _library.GetFullPath(record));
+                tile = new MemeTileViewModel(record, _library.GetFullPath(record), AnimatePreviews);
             }
             else
             {
@@ -376,7 +555,8 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
                         FullUrl = fav.FullUrl,
                         Source = fav.Source,
                     },
-                    _gifCache);
+                    _gifCache,
+                    AnimatePreviews);
             }
 
             tile.IsFavorite = true;
@@ -385,6 +565,8 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         }
 
         HasFavorites = Favorites.Count > 0;
+        // Last favourite removed while inside the submenu: nothing left to show, so step out.
+        if (!HasFavorites) IsInFavoritesView = false;
     }
 
     /// <summary>Keeps the star state on the main grid in step with the favourites store.</summary>
@@ -396,3 +578,6 @@ public partial class PickerViewModel : ObservableObject
         }
     }
 }
+
+/// <summary>A navigation tile occupying the first grid cell (opens or leaves the favourites submenu).</summary>
+public sealed record FolderTileViewModel(string Glyph, string Label);

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/ViewModels/SettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
     [ObservableProperty]
     private string _giphyApiKey = string.Empty;
 
+    [ObservableProperty]
+    private bool _playGifPreviews;
+
     public bool IsCopyOnly
     {
         get => InsertMode == InsertMode.CopyOnly;
@@ -52,6 +55,7 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
         _insertMode = _settings.Current.InsertMode;
         _giphyApiKey = _settings.Current.GiphyApiKey ?? string.Empty;
+        _playGifPreviews = _settings.Current.PlayGifPreviews;
         _hotkeyDisplay = HotkeyFormatter.Format(_settings.Current.HotkeyModifiers, _settings.Current.HotkeyKey);
         // Read from the registry rather than a stored setting, so the checkbox reflects reality
         // even if the entry was removed outside the app.
@@ -69,6 +73,12 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     partial void OnAutostartEnabledChanged(bool value) => _autostart.SetEnabled(value);
 
+    partial void OnPlayGifPreviewsChanged(bool value)
+    {
+        _settings.Current.PlayGifPreviews = value;
+        _ = _settings.SaveAsync();
+    }
+
     partial void OnGiphyApiKeyChanged(string value)
     {
         _settings.Current.GiphyApiKey = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) ? null : value.Trim();

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Views/PickerWindow.xaml

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
         xmlns:vm="clr-namespace:EbbesMemeClipboard.ViewModels"
         xmlns:models="clr-namespace:EbbesMemeClipboard.Models"
+        xmlns:gif="clr-namespace:XamlAnimatedGif;assembly=XamlAnimatedGif"
         Title="Meme Clipboard"
         Width="420" Height="520"
         WindowStyle="None"
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@
         <!-- Shared by the favourites row and the main grid so both behave identically.
              No fixed Width: the tile stretches to fill its UniformGrid cell, so a row always
              spans the full panel width instead of leaving a ragged gap on the right. -->
-        <DataTemplate x:Key="MemeTileTemplate" DataType="{x:Type vm:MemeTileViewModel}">
+        <DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type vm:MemeTileViewModel}">
             <Grid Height="118" Margin="4">
                 <Button Padding="0"
                         Style="{StaticResource FlatButtonStyle}"
@@ -98,7 +99,13 @@
                                       CommandParameter="{Binding PlacementTarget.DataContext, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ContextMenu}}"/>
                         </ContextMenu>
                     </Button.ContextMenu>
-                    <Image Source="{Binding Thumbnail}" Stretch="Uniform" Margin="5"/>
+                    <!-- Source is the static first frame; the gif attached properties take over only when
+                         preview playback is enabled (both stay null otherwise). -->
+                    <Image Stretch="Uniform" Margin="5"
+                           Source="{Binding Thumbnail}"
+                           gif:AnimationBehavior.SourceUri="{Binding AnimationUri}"
+                           gif:AnimationBehavior.SourceStream="{Binding AnimationStream}"
+                           gif:AnimationBehavior.RepeatBehavior="Forever"/>
                 </Button>
 
                 <!-- Star overlay: marks favourites at a glance without needing a second grid. -->
@@ -108,6 +115,19 @@
                            Visibility="{Binding IsFavorite, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisibility}}"/>
             </Grid>
         </DataTemplate>
+        <!-- Navigation tile in the first grid cell: opens / leaves the favourites submenu. -->
+        <DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type vm:FolderTileViewModel}">
+            <Button Height="118" Margin="4"
+                    Style="{StaticResource FlatButtonStyle}"
+                    Command="{Binding DataContext.ToggleFavoritesViewCommand, ElementName=RootWindow}">
+                <StackPanel>
+                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Glyph}" FontSize="34" Foreground="#FFC72C"
+                               HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
+                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Label}" FontSize="12" Foreground="#C4C6CC"
+                               FontWeight="SemiBold" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Margin="0,4,0,0"/>
+                </StackPanel>
+            </Button>
+        </DataTemplate>
     </Window.Resources>
 
     <Border Background="#F0202225" CornerRadius="10" BorderBrush="#3A3B3E" BorderThickness="1">
@@ -145,18 +165,38 @@
                         Command="{Binding SelectSourceCommand}"
                         CommandParameter="{x:Static models:MemeSource.Giphy}"/>
             </StackPanel>
-
             <Grid Grid.Row="2" Margin="0,0,0,10">
                 <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                     <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
                     <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/>
                 </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                 <Border Grid.Column="0" Background="#2B2D31" CornerRadius="8">
-                    <TextBox x:Name="SearchBox"
+                    <Grid>
-                             Text="{Binding SearchText, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
+                        <TextBox x:Name="SearchBox"
-                             Background="Transparent" Foreground="White" BorderThickness="0"
+                                 Text="{Binding SearchText, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
-                             Padding="10,7" FontSize="14"
+                                 Background="Transparent" Foreground="White" BorderThickness="0"
-                             CaretBrush="White"/>
+                                 Padding="10,7" FontSize="14"
+                                 CaretBrush="White"/>
+                        <!-- WPF has no native placeholder, so this sits behind the caret and
+                             hides as soon as anything is typed. Not hit-testable, so clicking
+                             it still focuses the box underneath. -->
+                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding SearchPlaceholder}"
+                                   Foreground="#6E7078" FontSize="14"
+                                   Margin="11,0,10,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                   IsHitTestVisible="False"
+                                   TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis">
+                            <TextBlock.Style>
+                                <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
+                                    <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Collapsed"/>
+                                    <Style.Triggers>
+                                        <DataTrigger Binding="{Binding SearchText}" Value="">
+                                            <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Visible"/>
+                                        </DataTrigger>
+                                    </Style.Triggers>
+                                </Style>
+                            </TextBlock.Style>
+                        </TextBlock>
+                    </Grid>
                 </Border>
                 <Button Grid.Column="1" Content="+" Width="36" Height="36" Margin="8,0,0,0"
                         FontSize="18" Style="{StaticResource FlatButtonStyle}"
@@ -165,48 +205,19 @@
                         ToolTip="Add memes"/>
             </Grid>
 
-            <ScrollViewer Grid.Row="3" VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" Padding="0,0,4,0">
+            <ScrollViewer x:Name="ResultsScrollViewer"
+                          Grid.Row="3" VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" Padding="0,0,4,0"
+                          ScrollChanged="ResultsScrollViewer_OnScrollChanged">
                 <StackPanel>
-                    <!-- Favourites for the active source. Scrolls with the content rather than
-                         being pinned, so it doesn't permanently eat height in a 520px window. -->
-                    <StackPanel Visibility="{Binding HasFavorites, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisibility}}">
-                        <TextBlock Text="★ Favourites" Foreground="#9A9CA3" FontSize="11"
-                                   FontWeight="SemiBold" Margin="4,0,0,4"/>
-                        <ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Favorites}"
-                                      ItemTemplate="{StaticResource MemeTileTemplate}">
-                            <ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
-                                <ItemsPanelTemplate>
-                                    <UniformGrid Columns="3"/>
-                                </ItemsPanelTemplate>
-                            </ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
-                        </ItemsControl>
-                        <Border Height="1" Background="#3A3B3E" Margin="4,10,4,10"/>
-                    </StackPanel>
-
                     <Grid>
-                        <TextBlock Text="No memes yet. Click +, drag files in, or paste with Ctrl+V."
+                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding EmptyStateText}"
                                    Foreground="#7B7D85" FontSize="13"
                                    HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center"
                                    TextWrapping="Wrap" TextAlignment="Center" Width="260"
-                                   Margin="0,40,0,0">
+                                   Margin="0,40,0,0"
-                            <TextBlock.Style>
+                                   Visibility="{Binding ShowEmptyState, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisibility}}"/>
-                                <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
-                                    <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Collapsed"/>
-                                    <Style.Triggers>
-                                        <MultiDataTrigger>
-                                            <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
-                                                <Condition Binding="{Binding Items.Count}" Value="0"/>
-                                                <Condition Binding="{Binding IsLocalSource}" Value="True"/>
-                                            </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
-                                            <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Visible"/>
-                                        </MultiDataTrigger>
-                                    </Style.Triggers>
-                                </Style>
-                            </TextBlock.Style>
-                        </TextBlock>
 
-                        <ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
+                        <ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding GridSource}">
-                                      ItemTemplate="{StaticResource MemeTileTemplate}">
                             <ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
                                 <ItemsPanelTemplate>
                                     <UniformGrid Columns="3"/>

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Views/PickerWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ public partial class PickerWindow : Window
         _autoPaste.CaptureForegroundWindow();
         PositionNearCursor();
         _viewModel.OnShown();
+        // Always reopen at the top rather than wherever the last session was left scrolled to.
+        ResultsScrollViewer.ScrollToTop();
         Show();
         Activate();
         SearchBox.Focus();
@@ -88,6 +90,15 @@ public partial class PickerWindow : Window
         {
             Activate();
         }
+
+        // Switching tab/view or typing replaces the whole grid, so a retained scroll offset
+        // would leave the user part-way down a completely different set of results.
+        if (e.PropertyName is nameof(PickerViewModel.ActiveSource)
+            or nameof(PickerViewModel.SearchText)
+            or nameof(PickerViewModel.IsInFavoritesView))
+        {
+            ResultsScrollViewer.ScrollToTop();
+        }
     }
 
     private void PickerWindow_OnDeactivated(object? sender, EventArgs e)
@@ -99,6 +110,22 @@ public partial class PickerWindow : Window
         Hide();
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Loads the next page of remote results once the user scrolls near the bottom, so Giphy
+    /// browsing continues instead of stopping at the first batch. The view model guards against
+    /// overlapping or unnecessary calls, so firing this on every scroll tick is safe.
+    /// </summary>
+    private void ResultsScrollViewer_OnScrollChanged(object sender, ScrollChangedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        if (sender is not ScrollViewer viewer || viewer.ScrollableHeight <= 0) return;
+
+        const double triggerDistanceFromBottom = 250;
+        if (viewer.VerticalOffset >= viewer.ScrollableHeight - triggerDistanceFromBottom)
+        {
+            _ = _viewModel.LoadMoreAsync();
+        }
+    }
+
     private void PickerWindow_OnContextMenuOpening(object sender, ContextMenuEventArgs e) => _isContextMenuOpen = true;
 
     private void PickerWindow_OnContextMenuClosing(object sender, ContextMenuEventArgs e) => _isContextMenuOpen = false;

src/EbbesMemeClipboard/Views/SettingsWindow.xaml

@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@
         <CheckBox Content="Start automatically when Windows starts" Foreground="White"
                   IsChecked="{Binding AutostartEnabled}"/>
 
+        <TextBlock Text="Previews" Foreground="White" FontSize="14" FontWeight="Bold" Margin="0,24,0,8"/>
+        <CheckBox Content="Play GIF previews in the picker" Foreground="White"
+                  IsChecked="{Binding PlayGifPreviews}"/>
+        <TextBlock Text="Animates GIF thumbnails instead of showing a still frame. Uses more CPU and memory, especially with lots of Giphy results."
+                   Foreground="#7B7D85" FontSize="10" TextWrapping="Wrap" Margin="20,4,0,0"/>
         <TextBlock Text="Giphy" Foreground="White" FontSize="14" FontWeight="Bold" Margin="0,24,0,8"/>
         <Border Background="#2B2D31" CornerRadius="6">
             <TextBox Text="{Binding GiphyApiKey, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"