feat(dashboard): stabilize idle mode and add system controls

- Fix: Implement Heartbeat Tick in dashboard backend to prevent CARLA window from freezing during GPU Idle Mode.
- Feat: Add "Force Kill Simulator" functionality to terminate unresponsive engine instances.
- Feat: Add "Nuclear EXIT ALL" button to sidebar for coordinated shutdown of CARLA, Flask server, and Browser.
- UI/UX: Design and center a premium "System Offline" overlay for graceful exit visibility.
- Automation: Implement auto-minimization logic in dashboard.bat to keep the workspace clean.

dashboard.bat

@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
 timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul
 start "" "http://127.0.0.1:5000"
 
+:: Auto-minimize this terminal to keep the workspace clean
+powershell -Command "$t = '[DllImport(\"user32.dll\")] public static extern bool ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, int nCmdShow); [DllImport(\"kernel32.dll\")] public static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();'; $type = Add-Type -MemberDefinition $t -Name 'Win32Utils' -Namespace 'Win32' -PassThru; [void]$type::ShowWindow($type::GetConsoleWindow(), 2)"
+
 :: Launch the Flask app — always from PROJECT_ROOT so run.bat is reachable
 cd /d "%PROJECT_ROOT%"
 python dashboard\app.py

dashboard/app.py

@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ app = Flask(
 
 active_simulation_process = None
 
+def is_simulation_running():
+    """Returns True if a scenario process is currently alive."""
+    global active_simulation_process
+    if active_simulation_process is None:
+        return False
+    return active_simulation_process.poll() is None
+
 # ── Routes ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 @app.route("/")
@@ -108,12 +115,51 @@ def simulator_status():
             client.set_timeout(10.0)
             client.get_server_version() # Will raise if not ready
             status = "ready"
-            is_paused = client.get_world().get_settings().synchronous_mode
+            world = client.get_world()
+            is_paused = world.get_settings().synchronous_mode
+            
+            # HEARTBEAT: If idle (sync mode) and no scenario is running, tick once
+            # to keep the UE4 window responsive.
+            if is_paused and not is_simulation_running():
+                try:
+                    world.tick()
+                except Exception:
+                    pass
         except Exception:
             pass
             
     return jsonify({"status": status, "is_paused": is_paused})
 
+
+@app.route("/api/simulator/kill", methods=["POST"])
+def simulator_kill():
+    """Forces all CarlaUE4 processes to terminate."""
+    try:
+        killed_any = False
+        for proc in psutil.process_iter(['name']):
+            if proc.info['name'] and 'CarlaUE4' in proc.info['name']:
+                try:
+                    proc.kill()
+                    killed_any = True
+                except (psutil.NoSuchProcess, psutil.AccessDenied):
+                    pass
+        return jsonify({"success": True, "killed": killed_any})
+    except Exception as e:
+        return jsonify({"success": False, "error": str(e)})
+
+
+@app.route("/api/shutdown", methods=["POST"])
+def shutdown():
+    """Stops the Flask server itself."""
+    import threading
+    def delay_exit():
+        time.sleep(1.0)
+        print("[INFO] Shutdown triggered. Exiting...")
+        os._exit(0)
+    
+    threading.Thread(target=delay_exit).start()
+    return jsonify({"success": True, "message": "Server shutting down..."})
+
 @app.route("/api/simulator/idle", methods=["POST"])
 def simulator_idle():
     try:

dashboard/static/app.js

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
     const simStatusDot = document.getElementById('sim-status-dot');
     const simStatusText = document.getElementById('sim-status-text');
     const launchSimBtn = document.getElementById('launch-sim-btn');
+    const killSimBtn = document.getElementById('kill-sim-btn');
+    const exitAllBtn = document.getElementById('exit-all-btn');
     
     // Idle Toggle Elements
     const idleToggleContainer = document.getElementById('idle-toggle-container');
@@ -91,12 +93,14 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
                         simStatusText.textContent = 'Ready';
                     }
                     launchSimBtn.style.display = 'none';
+                    if (killSimBtn) killSimBtn.style.display = 'block';
                 } else if (status === 'loading') {
                     isSimulatorRunning = false;
                     if (idleToggleContainer) idleToggleContainer.style.display = 'none';
                     simStatusDot.classList.add('yellow');
                     simStatusText.textContent = 'Loading...';
                     launchSimBtn.style.display = 'none';
+                    if (killSimBtn) killSimBtn.style.display = 'block';
                 } else {
                     isSimulatorRunning = false;
                     if (idleToggleContainer) idleToggleContainer.style.display = 'none';
@@ -105,6 +109,7 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
                     simStatusDot.classList.add('red');
                     simStatusText.textContent = 'Offline';
                     launchSimBtn.style.display = 'block';
+                    if (killSimBtn) killSimBtn.style.display = 'none';
                 }
             })
             .catch(() => {
@@ -123,6 +128,60 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
         fetch('/api/simulator/launch', { method: 'POST' });
     });
 
+    // Kill CarlaUE4 action
+    if (killSimBtn) {
+        killSimBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
+            if (confirm("Are you sure you want to FORCE KILL CarlaUE4?\n\nThis will terminate the engine immediately. Any unsaved simulation data or unsynced frames will be lost.")) {
+                fetch('/api/simulator/kill', { method: 'POST' })
+                    .then(res => res.json())
+                    .then(data => {
+                        if (data.success) {
+                            appendLog('> CarlaUE4 process terminated by user.', 'warn');
+                            updateSimulatorStatus();
+                        }
+                    })
+                    .catch(err => appendLog(`> Failed to kill simulator: ${err.message}`, 'error'));
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    // EXIT ALL action
+    if (exitAllBtn) {
+        exitAllBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
+            if (confirm("FULL SYSTEM EXIT\n\nThis will:\n1. Terminate CarlaUE4\n2. Shutdown the Dashboard Server\n3. Close this browser window\n\nProceed ? (use with caution)")) {
+                appendLog('\n> [CRITICAL] Initiating full system shutdown...', 'error');
+                
+                // 1. Kill CARLA
+                fetch('/api/simulator/kill', { method: 'POST' });
+                
+                // 2. Shutdown Server
+                fetch('/api/shutdown', { method: 'POST' });
+                
+                // 3. UI Feedback and self-destruct window
+                setTimeout(() => {
+                    document.body.innerHTML = `
+                        <div style="height:100vh; width: 100vw; position: fixed; top: 0; left: 0; z-index: 9999; display:flex; flex-direction:column; align-items:center; justify-content:center; background:radial-gradient(circle at center, #1a202c, #0d1117); color:white; font-family:'Inter', sans-serif; text-align:center;">
+                            <div style="width: 80px; height: 80px; background: #f85149; border-radius: 50%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 2rem; box-shadow: 0 0 40px rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.6); animation: pulse 2s infinite;">
+                                <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="40" height="40" stroke="white" stroke-width="2" fill="none"><path d="M18.36 6.64a9 9 0 1 1-12.73 0"></path><line x1="12" y1="2" x2="12" y2="12"></line></svg>
+                            </div>
+                            <h1 style="font-size: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; letter-spacing: -1.5px; font-weight: 800; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #fff, #8b949e); -webkit-background-clip: text; -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;">SYSTEM OFFLINE</h1>
+                            <p style="color: #8b949e; font-size: 1.2rem; max-width: 400px;">All simulation processes and the dashboard server have been terminated.</p>
+                            <p style="margin-top: 3rem; font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 0.85rem; color: #484f58; border: 1px solid #30363d; padding: 0.5rem 1rem; border-radius: 6px;">You can now safely close this tab.</p>
+<style>
+@keyframes pulse {
+  0% { transform: scale(1); box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.7); }
+  70% { transform: scale(1.05); box-shadow: 0 0 0 20px rgba(248, 81, 73, 0); }
+  100% { transform: scale(1); box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(248, 81, 73, 0); }
+}
+</style>
+                        </div>
+                    `;
+                    setTimeout(() => window.close(), 2000);
+                }, 500);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     // Fetch Initial Config
     fetch('/api/config')
         .then(response => response.json())

dashboard/static/style.css

@@ -600,6 +600,26 @@ input:checked + .slider:before {
     font-size: 0.85rem;
 }
 
+.danger-icon:hover {
+    background: rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.18) !important;
+    color: #ff7b72 !important;
+}
+
+.btn-outline {
+    background: transparent !important;
+    border: 1.5px solid var(--danger) !important;
+    color: var(--danger) !important;
+    box-shadow: none !important;
+}
+
+.btn-outline:hover {
+    background: var(--danger) !important;
+    color: white !important;
+    opacity: 1 !important;
+    border-style: solid !important;
+    box-shadow: 0 0 15px rgba(248, 81, 73, 0.4) !important;
+}
+
 /* Idle Toggle CSS */
 .idle-toggle-container {
     display: flex;

dashboard/templates/index.html

@@ -26,9 +26,14 @@
             <div class="nav-section" style="margin-bottom: 2rem;">
                 <div class="section-title">SIMULATOR STATUS</div>
                 <div class="status-card" id="sim-status-card">
-                    <div class="status-indicator">
-                        <span class="dot red" id="sim-status-dot"></span>
-                        <span id="sim-status-text" style="font-weight: 500; font-size: 0.9rem;">Offline</span>
+                    <div class="status-indicator" style="display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; width: 100%;">
+                        <div style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.5rem;">
+                            <span class="dot red" id="sim-status-dot"></span>
+                            <span id="sim-status-text" style="font-weight: 500; font-size: 0.9rem;">Offline</span>
+                        </div>
+                        <button id="kill-sim-btn" class="icon-btn danger-icon" title="Force Kill CarlaUE4" style="display: none; padding: 4px; color: var(--danger); border-radius: 4px;">
+                            <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" fill="none"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"></circle><line x1="15" y1="9" x2="9" y2="15"></line><line x1="9" y1="9" x2="15" y2="15"></line></svg>
+                        </button>
                     </div>
                     <button id="launch-sim-btn" class="btn btn-secondary btn-small" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0.6rem;">Initialize CarlaUE4</button>
                     <!-- Idle Toggle -->
@@ -48,6 +53,13 @@
                     <!-- Populated dynamically via JS -->
                 </div>
             </div>
+
+            <div class="nav-section" style="margin-top: auto; padding-top: 2rem;">
+                <button id="exit-all-btn" class="btn btn-danger btn-outline" style="width: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 8px; border-style: dashed; opacity: 0.8; padding: 0.8rem;">
+                    <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="18" height="18" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" fill="none"><path d="M9 21H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h4"></path><polyline points="16 17 21 12 16 7"></polyline><line x1="21" y1="12" x2="9" y2="12"></line></svg>
+                    <span style="letter-spacing: 1px; font-weight: 700;">EXIT ALL</span>
+                </button>
+            </div>
         </aside>
 
         <!-- Main Workspace -->