Feat/comment handling

src/components/Properties/PropertiesPanel.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useLabelStore, useCurrentObjects } from "../../store/labelStore";
 import { ObjectRegistry } from "../../registry";
+import { stripZplCommandChars } from "../../registry/zplHelpers";
 import { dotsToMm, mmToDots } from "../../lib/coordinates";
 import {
   mmToUnit,
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ export function PropertiesPanel() {
             rows={2}
             value={obj.comment ?? ""}
             onChange={(e) =>
-              updateObject(obj.id, { comment: e.target.value || undefined })
+              updateObject(obj.id, { comment: stripZplCommandChars(e.target.value) || undefined })
             }
           />
         </div>

src/lib/zplGenerator.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { mmToDots } from './coordinates';
 import { ObjectRegistry } from '../registry';
+import { stripZplCommandChars } from '../registry/zplHelpers';
 import type { LabelConfig } from '../types/ObjectType';
 import type { LabelObject } from '../registry';
 import type { Page } from '../store/labelStore';
@@ -29,9 +30,7 @@ export function generateZPL(label: LabelConfig, objects: LabelObject[]): string
   lines.push(...objects.map((obj) => {
     const zpl = ObjectRegistry[obj.type]?.toZPL(obj) ?? '';
     if (!obj.comment) return zpl;
-    // Strip ^ to prevent breaking ZPL structure inside the comment text
-    const safe = obj.comment.replace(/\^/g, '');
-    return `^FX${safe}\n${zpl}`;
+    return `^FX${stripZplCommandChars(obj.comment)}\n${zpl}`;
   }));
 
   if (label.printQuantity && label.printQuantity > 1) {

src/lib/zplParser.test.ts

@@ -192,6 +192,39 @@ describe('parseZPL — ^FX comment', () => {
     expect(objects).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(skipped.some((s) => s.startsWith('^FX'))).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it('attaches a single ^FX to the next object as comment', () => {
+    const { objects } = parseZPL(
+      '^XA^FXTop section^FO10,20^A0N,30,0^FDText^FS^XZ',
+      8,
+    );
+    expect(objects[0]?.comment).toBe('Top section');
+  });
+
+  it('joins consecutive ^FX lines with a newline', () => {
+    const { objects } = parseZPL(
+      '^XA^FXLine 1^FXLine 2^FO10,20^A0N,30,0^FDText^FS^XZ',
+      8,
+    );
+    expect(objects[0]?.comment).toBe('Line 1\nLine 2');
+  });
+
+  it('does not bleed comments across ^XA boundaries', () => {
+    const { objects } = parseZPL(
+      '^XA^FXOnly first^XZ^XA^FO10,20^A0N,30,0^FDText^FS^XZ',
+      8,
+    );
+    expect(objects[0]?.comment).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('does not reattach a consumed comment to a later object', () => {
+    const { objects } = parseZPL(
+      '^XA^FXOnly first^FO10,20^A0N,30,0^FDFirst^FS^FO10,60^A0N,30,0^FDSecond^FS^XZ',
+      8,
+    );
+    expect(objects[0]?.comment).toBe('Only first');
+    expect(objects[1]?.comment).toBeUndefined();
+  });
 });
 
 // ── ^FH hex encoding ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

src/lib/zplParser.ts

@@ -531,6 +531,14 @@ export function parseZPL(zpl: string, dpmm = 8): ParsedZPL {
   // ── Command handler map ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   const noop: Handler = () => void 0;
   const resetComment: Handler = (_, rest) => { pendingComment = rest.trim() || undefined; };
+  // Hand-written ZPL often splits a logical comment across several `^FX` lines
+  // before the field they describe. Accumulate them so each line survives on
+  // the imported object's comment field; XA/XZ still reset at label boundaries.
+  const appendComment: Handler = (_, rest) => {
+    const next = rest.trim();
+    if (!next) return;
+    pendingComment = pendingComment ? `${pendingComment}\n${next}` : next;
+  };
   const mkBrowserLimit = (prefix: string, delimiter = "^"): Handler => (_, rest) => {
     const tok = `${delimiter}${prefix}${rest}`;
     skipped.push(tok);
@@ -1083,8 +1091,9 @@ export function parseZPL(zpl: string, dpmm = 8): ParsedZPL {
     // ^XA / ^XZ: label start/end — reset pending comment via empty rest
     XA: resetComment,
     XZ: resetComment,
-    // ^FX: comment field — store for attachment to the next field object
-    FX: resetComment,
+    // ^FX: comment field — accumulate across consecutive ^FX lines so the
+    // assembled text reaches the next field object as one multi-line comment.
+    FX: appendComment,
 
     // These commands carry no canvas-design information and are silently
     // discarded so they do not pollute importReport.unknown.

src/registry/zplHelpers.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,16 @@ export function fieldPos(obj: LabelObjectBase): string {
   return `^${cmd}${obj.x},${obj.y}`;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Remove ZPL command/format prefixes from free-form text. `^FX` (comment) and
+ * other text-only contexts have no `^FH` escape mechanism, so these chars
+ * cannot be encoded — strip them so a stray `^` or `~` cannot terminate the
+ * surrounding command.
+ */
+export function stripZplCommandChars(s: string): string {
+  return s.replace(/[\^~]/g, '');
+}
+
 const FH_DELIM = '_';
 const NEEDS_FH = /[\^~]/;