fix(gui): reopen the Aetherial strip after minimize — Principle XI.

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -877,6 +877,7 @@ set(GUI_SOURCES
     src/gui/MainWindow.cpp
     src/gui/MainWindowHelpers.cpp
     src/gui/WindowGeometryRestore.cpp
+    src/gui/WindowShowState.cpp
     src/gui/MainWindow_Controllers.cpp
     src/gui/MainWindow_DspApplets.cpp
     src/gui/MainWindow_Menus.cpp

src/gui/MainWindow.cpp

@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
 #include "models/XvtrPolicy.h"
 #include "core/BandStackSettings.h"
 #include "gui/BandStackPanel.h"
+#include "gui/WindowShowState.h"
 #include "models/TunerModel.h"
 #include "models/TransmitModel.h"
 #include "models/EqualizerModel.h"
@@ -9378,13 +9379,15 @@ void MainWindow::toggleAetherialStrip()
         m_aetherialStrip->setMicInputReady(ready);
         m_aetherialStrip->setTxActive(ready && tx.isTransmitting());
     }
-    if (m_aetherialStrip->isVisible()) {
+    // windowIsShowing() rather than isVisible(): a minimized strip still
+    // reports isVisible(), so the bare check sent it down the hide() branch and
+    // the next press called show(), which restores it straight back to
+    // minimized.  The strip could then only be recovered from the taskbar/Dock,
+    // never from its own button.
+    if (windowIsShowing(m_aetherialStrip))
         m_aetherialStrip->hide();
-    } else {
-        m_aetherialStrip->show();
-        m_aetherialStrip->raise();
-        m_aetherialStrip->activateWindow();
-    }
+    else
+        showAndRaiseWindow(m_aetherialStrip);
 }
 
 void MainWindow::toggleMinimalModeFromAction()

src/gui/WindowShowState.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#include "gui/WindowShowState.h"
+
+#include <QWidget>
+
+namespace AetherSDR {
+
+bool windowIsShowing(const QWidget* w)
+{
+    return w && w->isVisible() && !w->isMinimized();
+}
+
+void showAndRaiseWindow(QWidget* w)
+{
+    if (!w)
+        return;
+    // showNormal() only for a minimized window — see the header note on #3918.
+    if (w->isMinimized())
+        w->showNormal();
+    else
+        w->show();
+    w->raise();
+    w->activateWindow();
+}
+
+} // namespace AetherSDR

src/gui/WindowShowState.h

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#pragma once
+
+class QWidget;
+
+namespace AetherSDR {
+
+// Window show-state helpers for press-to-open / press-again-to-close buttons.
+//
+// QWidget::isVisible() stays TRUE for a minimized window, and QWidget::show()
+// on a minimized window restores it to its saved state — which is minimized.
+// A toggle written as `if (w->isVisible()) w->hide(); else w->show();` is
+// therefore unrecoverable once the window is minimized: the first press hides
+// it, and the second press "shows" it straight back into the taskbar/Dock.
+// Both behaviours are pinned by window_show_state_test.
+
+// True when w is actually on screen for the user — visible AND not minimized.
+[[nodiscard]] bool windowIsShowing(const QWidget* w);
+
+// Bring w to the front, un-minimizing it first if needed.  showNormal() is
+// guarded on isMinimized() because calling it unconditionally would clear a
+// Maximized or FullScreen window (#3918).
+void showAndRaiseWindow(QWidget* w);
+
+} // namespace AetherSDR

tests/tests.cmake

@@ -1055,6 +1055,20 @@ add_test(NAME window_geometry_restore_test COMMAND window_geometry_restore_test)
 set_tests_properties(window_geometry_restore_test PROPERTIES
     ENVIRONMENT "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen")
 
+# Aetherial Audio Channel Strip toggle: a minimized window still reports
+# isVisible() and show() does not un-minimize it, so the old toggle could not
+# reopen the strip once minimized.  Drives a real QWidget offscreen so both Qt
+# behaviours are pinned rather than assumed.
+add_executable(window_show_state_test
+    tests/window_show_state_test.cpp
+    src/gui/WindowShowState.cpp
+)
+target_include_directories(window_show_state_test PRIVATE src)
+target_link_libraries(window_show_state_test PRIVATE Qt6::Widgets)
+add_test(NAME window_show_state_test COMMAND window_show_state_test)
+set_tests_properties(window_show_state_test PROPERTIES
+    ENVIRONMENT "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen")
+
 # Workspace canvas (RFC #4887) phase 1 — normalized geometry.  Pure logic, no
 # widgets: the edge-rounding rule that keeps tiled items seam-free, and the
 # resolution independence the whole RFC rests on, are pinned on every platform.

tests/window_show_state_test.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+// Regression test for the Aetherial Audio Channel Strip toggle, which could
+// not reopen the window once it had been minimized.
+//
+// Two Qt behaviours combine into the bug, and both are pinned here against a
+// REAL QWidget rather than asserted from memory:
+//
+//   1. QWidget::isVisible() stays TRUE while a window is minimized.  A toggle
+//      written `if (w->isVisible()) w->hide(); else w->show();` therefore
+//      treats a minimized window as "showing" and hides it.
+//   2. QWidget::show() on a minimized window restores its SAVED state, which
+//      is still minimized — so the follow-up press does not recover it either.
+//
+// windowIsShowing() fixes (1) and showAndRaiseWindow() fixes (2), while the
+// isMinimized() guard inside it keeps a maximized window maximized (#3918).
+//
+// Runs on the offscreen platform, where both behaviours reproduce.
+
+#include "gui/WindowShowState.h"
+
+#include <QApplication>
+#include <QWidget>
+
+#include <cstdio>
+
+using AetherSDR::showAndRaiseWindow;
+using AetherSDR::windowIsShowing;
+
+namespace {
+
+int g_failures = 0;
+
+void report(const char* name, bool ok)
+{
+    std::printf("%s %s\n", ok ? "[ OK ]" : "[FAIL]", name);
+    if (!ok) {
+        ++g_failures;
+    }
+}
+
+// The toggle exactly as MainWindow::toggleAetherialStrip() runs it.
+void toggle(QWidget* w)
+{
+    if (windowIsShowing(w))
+        w->hide();
+    else
+        showAndRaiseWindow(w);
+}
+
+}  // namespace
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv)
+{
+    QApplication app(argc, argv);
+
+    // --- Case 1: null is never "showing", and raising it must not crash.
+    report("windowIsShowing(nullptr) is false", !windowIsShowing(nullptr));
+    showAndRaiseWindow(nullptr);
+    report("showAndRaiseWindow(nullptr) is a no-op", true);
+
+    QWidget w;
+    w.resize(320, 240);
+
+    // --- Case 2: a hidden window is not showing; the toggle opens it.
+    report("hidden window is not showing", !windowIsShowing(&w));
+    toggle(&w);
+    app.processEvents();
+    report("toggle opens a hidden window", windowIsShowing(&w));
+
+    // --- Case 3: the toggle closes an ordinary open window.
+    toggle(&w);
+    app.processEvents();
+    report("toggle hides a showing window", !w.isVisible());
+
+    // --- Case 4: THE BUG.  Qt reports a minimized window as visible, so the
+    // old bare isVisible() check would take the hide() branch here.
+    w.show();
+    app.processEvents();
+    w.showMinimized();
+    app.processEvents();
+    report("Qt: minimized window still reports isVisible()", w.isVisible());
+    report("Qt: minimized window reports isMinimized()", w.isMinimized());
+    report("windowIsShowing() treats minimized as not showing",
+           !windowIsShowing(&w));
+
+    // --- Case 5: why the second press never recovered it either — show() on a
+    // minimized window leaves it minimized.
+    w.show();
+    app.processEvents();
+    report("Qt: show() does not un-minimize", w.isMinimized());
+
+    // --- Case 6: the toggle restores a minimized window in ONE press.
+    toggle(&w);
+    app.processEvents();
+    report("toggle restores a minimized window", windowIsShowing(&w));
+    report("restored window is no longer minimized", !w.isMinimized());
+
+    // --- Case 7: the isMinimized() guard — raising a maximized window must
+    // not drop it out of maximized state (#3918).
+    w.showMaximized();
+    app.processEvents();
+    if (w.isMaximized()) {
+        showAndRaiseWindow(&w);
+        app.processEvents();
+        report("showAndRaiseWindow keeps a maximized window maximized",
+               w.isMaximized());
+    } else {
+        // Some platforms decline to maximize; the guard is still pinned by
+        // case 6, so skip rather than fail on a platform quirk.
+        std::printf("[SKIP] maximized state unavailable on this platform\n");
+    }
+
+    if (g_failures == 0) {
+        std::printf("All window show-state tests passed.\n");
+    }
+    return g_failures == 0 ? 0 : 1;
+}