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Summary

Implements a new print_proof functionality that combines cryptographic proof generation with visual tree representation, enhancing the demo and debugging capabilities of the Prolly Tree.

Problem Solved

Previously, users could only see proof data as raw hash arrays. This feature provides an intuitive visual way to understand how cryptographic proofs work by highlighting the exact path through the tree structure.

Features Added

🎯 Core Functionality

  • print_proof method in Tree trait that generates and visualizes proofs
  • Color-coded proof path highlighting (green nodes with hash information)
  • Enhanced tree traversal with print_tree_with_proof method
  • Support for both valid and invalid proofs with clear visual distinction

🎨 Visual Design

  • Green highlighting for nodes in the cryptographic proof path
  • Hash information display (first 16 hex characters) for transparency
  • Familiar tree structure maintained with proper symbols (*[keys], [keys])
  • Clear legend explaining symbols and color coding
  • ANSI color support with graceful degradation

📊 Example Output

root:
└── *[0, 10] (hash: f70044057107ab51...)  ← Green highlighted
    ├── [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
    └── [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24] (hash: 93c4bfe914b636cf...)  ← Green highlighted

Proof for key [10] is valid: true
Proof: Proof {
    path: [
        "[f7, 00, 44, 05, 71, 07, ab, 51, ...]",
        "[93, c4, bf, e9, 14, b6, 36, cf, ...]",
    ],
    target_hash: Some("[93, c4, bf, e9, 14, b6, 36, cf, ...]"),
}

Implementation Details

New Methods Added

  1. print_proof(&self, key: &[u8]) -> bool - Main API in Tree trait
  2. print_tree_with_proof - Node-level visualization method
  3. formatted_traverse_with_proof - Flexible proof path formatting

Technical Approach

  • Hash-based path detection: Compares node hashes with proof.path
  • Recursive tree traversal: Maintains existing tree structure
  • Conditional formatting: Green coloring only for proof path nodes
  • Hash truncation: Shows readable hash prefixes for verification

Testing & Examples

✅ Comprehensive Testing

  • New test cases for proof visualization functionality
  • Example program (examples/proof_visualization.rs) with full demo
  • Integration with existing main.rs demo program
  • All existing tests pass (36/36) - no regressions

🚀 Usage Examples

// Generate and visualize proof for any key
let is_valid = tree.print_proof(&key);

// Works for both existing and non-existing keys
tree.print_proof(&[10]);  // Shows valid proof path
tree.print_proof(&[99]);  // Shows invalid proof path

Benefits

🔍 Enhanced Debugging

  • Visual proof verification makes cryptographic concepts accessible
  • Hash transparency enables manual verification of proof integrity
  • Path tracing helps understand tree traversal algorithms

📚 Educational Value

  • Intuitive demonstration of Merkle tree properties
  • Clear visualization of proof-of-inclusion/exclusion concepts
  • Perfect for demos and presentations about distributed systems

🎯 Use Cases

  • Development and debugging of prolly tree applications
  • Educational demonstrations of cryptographic data structures
  • Verification workflows in distributed database systems
  • Trust-but-verify scenarios in peer-to-peer networks

Breaking Changes

None. This is a purely additive feature that extends existing functionality.

Performance Impact

Minimal. The visualization is only triggered when explicitly requested via print_proof.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

This commit implements a new `print_proof` functionality that combines
cryptographic proof generation with visual tree representation.

Features:
- New `print_proof` method in Tree trait for proof visualization
- Color-coded proof path highlighting (green nodes with hash info)
- Enhanced tree traversal with `print_tree_with_proof` method
- Support for both valid and invalid proof visualization
- Maintains familiar tree structure with proper symbols and indentation

Implementation:
- Added `print_tree_with_proof` to Node trait and ProllyNode
- Created `formatted_traverse_with_proof` for flexible proof path formatting
- Hash information display (first 16 hex chars) for transparency
- ANSI color support with graceful degradation

Testing & Examples:
- Comprehensive tests for the new functionality
- Example program demonstrating proof visualization
- Integration with main demo program
- All existing tests pass (36/36)

Visual output shows:
- Green highlighted nodes in the cryptographic proof path
- Hash values for nodes in the proof path
- Clear legend explaining symbols and coloring
- Detailed proof information with validation results

This enables transparent verification of data integrity and membership
in distributed systems with an intuitive visual interface.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>
@zhangfengcdt zhangfengcdt changed the title Add proof visualization feature with color-coded tree display [GH-17] Add proof visualization feature with color-coded tree display Jul 13, 2025
@zhangfengcdt zhangfengcdt merged commit ea52112 into main Jul 13, 2025
4 checks passed
@zhangfengcdt zhangfengcdt deleted the feature/proof-visualization branch July 13, 2025 01:27
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