fix(plugin_utils): ast inheritance map

bec_widgets/__init__.py

@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
 import os
 import sys
 
-import bec_widgets.widgets.containers.qt_ads as QtAds
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
-from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
-
 if sys.platform.startswith("linux"):
     qt_platform = os.environ.get("QT_QPA_PLATFORM", "")
     if qt_platform != "offscreen":
         os.environ["QT_QPA_PLATFORM"] = "xcb"
 
-# Default QtAds configuration
-QtAds.CDockManager.setConfigFlag(QtAds.CDockManager.eConfigFlag.FocusHighlighting, True)
-QtAds.CDockManager.setConfigFlag(
-    QtAds.CDockManager.eConfigFlag.RetainTabSizeWhenCloseButtonHidden, True
-)
-
 __all__ = ["BECWidget", "SafeSlot", "SafeProperty"]
+
+
+def __getattr__(name: str):
+    if name == "BECWidget":
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+
+        return BECWidget
+    if name in {"SafeProperty", "SafeSlot"}:
+        from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
+
+        return {"SafeProperty": SafeProperty, "SafeSlot": SafeSlot}[name]
+    raise AttributeError(f"module {__name__!r} has no attribute {name!r}")

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_dialogs/__init__.py

@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-from .config_choice_dialog import ConfigChoiceDialog
-from .device_form_dialog import DeviceFormDialog

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_dialogs/device_form_dialog.py

@@ -8,14 +8,16 @@ from ophyd_devices.interfaces.device_config_templates.ophyd_templates import OPH
 from qtpy import QtCore, QtWidgets
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components import OphydValidation
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_config_template.device_config_template import (
     DeviceConfigTemplate,
 )
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_config_template.template_items import (
     validate_name,
 )
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation import (
+    OphydValidation,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
     format_error_to_md,

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_dialogs/upload_redis_dialog.py

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from qtpy import QtCore, QtGui, QtWidgets
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
     get_validation_icons,

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_display_widget.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from bec_lib.file_utils import DeviceConfigWriter
 from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from bec_lib.messages import ConfigAction, ScanStatusMessage
 from bec_lib.plugin_helper import plugin_package_name, plugin_repo_path
+from bec_lib.utils.import_utils import lazy_import_from
 from bec_qthemes import apply_theme, material_icon
 from qtpy.QtCore import QMetaObject, Qt, QThreadPool, Signal
 from qtpy.QtGui import QColor
@@ -26,26 +27,18 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
     QWidget,
 )
 
-from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs import (
-    ConfigChoiceDialog,
-    DeviceFormDialog,
-)
-from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs.upload_redis_dialog import (
-    UploadRedisDialog,
-)
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import MaterialIconAction
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.bundles import ToolbarBundle
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.toolbar import ModularToolBar
 from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.dock_area.basic_dock_area import DockAreaWidget
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components import (
-    DeviceTable,
-    DMConfigView,
-    DocstringView,
-    OphydValidation,
-)
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components._util import SharedSelectionSignal
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_table.device_table import (
+    DeviceTable,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_config_view import DMConfigView
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_docstring_view import DocstringView
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
@@ -61,8 +54,29 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.utility.spinner.spinner import SpinnerWidget
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from bec_lib.client import BECClient
 
+    from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs.upload_redis_dialog import (
+        UploadRedisDialog,
+    )
+
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 
+ConfigChoiceDialog = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs.config_choice_dialog",
+    ("ConfigChoiceDialog",),
+)
+DeviceFormDialog = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs.device_form_dialog",
+    ("DeviceFormDialog",),
+)
+UploadRedisDialog = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_dialogs.upload_redis_dialog",
+    ("UploadRedisDialog",),
+)
+OphydValidation = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation",
+    ("OphydValidation",),
+)
+
 _yes_no_question = partial(
     QMessageBox.question,
     buttons=QMessageBox.StandardButton.Yes | QMessageBox.StandardButton.No,

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_view.py

@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 """Module for Device Manager View."""
 
+from bec_lib.utils.import_utils import lazy_import_from
 from qtpy.QtCore import QRect
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_widget import (
-    DeviceManagerWidget,
-)
 from bec_widgets.applications.views.view import ViewBase, ViewTourSteps
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 
+DeviceManagerWidget = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_widget",
+    ("DeviceManagerWidget",),
+)
+
 
 class DeviceManagerView(ViewBase):
     """

bec_widgets/applications/views/device_manager_view/device_manager_widget.py

@@ -6,15 +6,18 @@ import os
 
 from bec_lib.bec_yaml_loader import yaml_load
 from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
+from bec_lib.utils.import_utils import lazy_import_from
 from bec_qthemes import material_icon
 from qtpy import QtCore, QtWidgets
 
-from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_display_widget import (
-    DeviceManagerDisplayWidget,
-)
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 
+DeviceManagerDisplayWidget = lazy_import_from(
+    "bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_display_widget",
+    ("DeviceManagerDisplayWidget",),
+)
+
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 
 

bec_widgets/cli/client.py

@@ -3172,190 +3172,6 @@ class LogPanel(RPCBase):
 class Minesweeper(RPCBase): ...
 
 
-class MonacoDock(RPCBase):
-    """MonacoDock is a dock widget that contains Monaco editor instances."""
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def new(
-        self,
-        widget: "QWidget | str",
-        *,
-        closable: "bool" = True,
-        floatable: "bool" = True,
-        movable: "bool" = True,
-        start_floating: "bool" = False,
-        floating_state: "Mapping[str, object] | None" = None,
-        where: "Literal['left', 'right', 'top', 'bottom'] | None" = None,
-        on_close: "Callable[[CDockWidget, QWidget], None] | None" = None,
-        tab_with: "CDockWidget | QWidget | str | None" = None,
-        relative_to: "CDockWidget | QWidget | str | None" = None,
-        return_dock: "bool" = False,
-        show_title_bar: "bool | None" = None,
-        title_buttons: "Mapping[str, bool] | Sequence[str] | str | None" = None,
-        show_settings_action: "bool | None" = False,
-        promote_central: "bool" = False,
-        dock_icon: "QIcon | None" = None,
-        apply_widget_icon: "bool" = True,
-        object_name: "str | None" = None,
-        **widget_kwargs,
-    ) -> "QWidget | CDockWidget | BECWidget":
-        """
-        Create a new widget (or reuse an instance) and add it as a dock.
-
-        Args:
-            widget(QWidget | str): Instance or registered widget type string.
-            closable(bool): Whether the dock is closable.
-            floatable(bool): Whether the dock is floatable.
-            movable(bool): Whether the dock is movable.
-            start_floating(bool): Whether to start the dock floating.
-            floating_state(Mapping | None): Optional floating geometry metadata to apply when floating.
-            where(Literal["left", "right", "top", "bottom"] | None): Dock placement hint relative to the dock area (ignored when
-                ``relative_to`` is provided without an explicit value).
-            on_close(Callable[[CDockWidget, QWidget], None] | None): Optional custom close handler accepting (dock, widget).
-            tab_with(CDockWidget | QWidget | str | None): Existing dock (or widget/name) to tab the new dock alongside.
-            relative_to(CDockWidget | QWidget | str | None): Existing dock (or widget/name) used as the positional anchor.
-                When supplied and ``where`` is ``None``, the new dock inherits the
-                anchor's current dock area.
-            return_dock(bool): When True, return the created dock instead of the widget.
-            show_title_bar(bool | None): Explicitly show or hide the dock area's title bar.
-            title_buttons(Mapping[str, bool] | Sequence[str] | str | None): Mapping or iterable describing which title bar buttons should
-                remain visible. Provide a mapping of button names (``"float"``,
-                ``"close"``, ``"menu"``, ``"auto_hide"``, ``"minimize"``) to booleans,
-                or a sequence of button names to hide.
-            show_settings_action(bool | None): Control whether a dock settings/property action should
-                be installed. Defaults to ``False`` for the basic dock area; subclasses
-                such as `BECDockArea` override the default to ``True``.
-            promote_central(bool): When True, promote the created dock to be the dock manager's
-                central widget (useful for editor stacks or other root content).
-            dock_icon(QIcon | None): Optional icon applied to the dock via ``CDockWidget.setIcon``.
-                Provide a `QIcon` (e.g. from ``material_icon``). When ``None`` (default),
-                the widget's ``ICON_NAME`` attribute is used when available.
-            apply_widget_icon(bool): When False, skip automatically resolving the icon from
-                the widget's ``ICON_NAME`` (useful for callers who want no icon and do not pass one explicitly).
-            object_name(str | None): Optional object name to assign to the created widget.
-            **widget_kwargs: Additional keyword arguments passed to the widget constructor
-                when creating by type name.
-
-        Returns:
-            The widget instance by default, or the created `CDockWidget` when `return_dock` is True.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def dock_map(self) -> "dict[str, CDockWidget]":
-        """
-        Return the dock widgets map as dictionary with names as keys.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def dock_list(self) -> "list[CDockWidget]":
-        """
-        Return the list of dock widgets.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def widget_map(self, bec_widgets_only: "bool" = True) -> "dict[str, QWidget]":
-        """
-        Return a dictionary mapping widget names to their corresponding widgets.
-
-        Args:
-            bec_widgets_only(bool): If True, only include widgets that are BECConnector instances.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def widget_list(self, bec_widgets_only: "bool" = True) -> "list[QWidget]":
-        """
-        Return a list of widgets contained in the dock area.
-
-        Args:
-            bec_widgets_only(bool): If True, only include widgets that are BECConnector instances.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def attach_all(self):
-        """
-        Re-attach floating docks back into the dock manager.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def delete_all(self):
-        """
-        Delete all docks and their associated widgets.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def delete(self, object_name: "str") -> "bool":
-        """
-        Remove a widget from the dock area by its object name.
-
-        Args:
-            object_name: The object name of the widget to remove.
-
-        Returns:
-            bool: True if the widget was found and removed, False otherwise.
-
-        Raises:
-            ValueError: If no widget with the given object name is found.
-
-        Example:
-            >>> dock_area.delete("my_widget")
-            True
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def set_layout_ratios(
-        self,
-        *,
-        horizontal: "Sequence[float] | Mapping[int | str, float] | None" = None,
-        vertical: "Sequence[float] | Mapping[int | str, float] | None" = None,
-        splitter_overrides: "Mapping[int | str | Sequence[int], Sequence[float] | Mapping[int | str, float]] | None" = None,
-    ) -> "None":
-        """
-        Adjust splitter ratios in the dock layout.
-
-        Args:
-            horizontal: Weights applied to every horizontal splitter encountered.
-            vertical: Weights applied to every vertical splitter encountered.
-            splitter_overrides: Optional overrides targeting specific splitters identified
-                by their index path (e.g. ``{0: [1, 2], (1, 0): [3, 5]}``). Paths are zero-based
-                indices following the splitter hierarchy, starting from the root splitter.
-
-        Example:
-            To build three columns with custom per-column ratios::
-
-                area.set_layout_ratios(
-                    horizontal=[1, 2, 1],             # column widths
-                    splitter_overrides={
-                        0: [1, 2],                    # column 0 (two rows)
-                        1: [3, 2, 1],                 # column 1 (three rows)
-                        2: [1],                       # column 2 (single row)
-                    },
-                )
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def describe_layout(self) -> "list[dict[str, Any]]":
-        """
-        Return metadata describing splitter paths, orientations, and contained docks.
-
-        Useful for determining the keys to use in `set_layout_ratios(splitter_overrides=...)`.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def print_layout_structure(self) -> "None":
-        """
-        Pretty-print the current splitter paths to stdout.
-        """
-
-    @rpc_call
-    def set_central_dock(self, dock: "CDockWidget | QWidget | str") -> "None":
-        """
-        Promote an existing dock to be the dock manager's central widget.
-
-        Args:
-            dock(CDockWidget | QWidget | str): Dock reference to promote.
-        """
-
-
 class MonacoWidget(RPCBase):
     """A simple Monaco editor widget"""
 

bec_widgets/cli/rpc/rpc_widget_handler.py

@@ -1,9 +1,19 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from bec_widgets.cli.client_utils import IGNORE_WIDGETS
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_plugin_helper import get_all_plugin_widgets
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
-from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import get_custom_classes
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+from bec_lib.utils.import_utils import lazy_import_from
+
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_plugin_helper import get_all_plugin_widget_references
+from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import get_custom_class_references
+
+try:
+    from bec_widgets.cli.constants import IGNORE_WIDGETS
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover
+    IGNORE_WIDGETS = ["LaunchWindow"]
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
+    from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 
 
 class RPCWidgetHandler:
@@ -13,7 +23,7 @@ class RPCWidgetHandler:
         self._widget_classes = None
 
     @property
-    def widget_classes(self) -> dict[str, type[BECWidget]]:
+    def widget_classes(self) -> dict[str, type["BECWidget"]]:
         """
         Get the available widget classes.
 
@@ -31,12 +41,24 @@ class RPCWidgetHandler:
         Returns:
             None
         """
-        self._widget_classes = (
-            get_custom_classes("bec_widgets", packages=("widgets", "applications"))
-            + get_all_plugin_widgets()
-        ).as_dict(IGNORE_WIDGETS)
+        ignored = set(IGNORE_WIDGETS)
+        widget_classes = {
+            reference.name: lazy_import_from(reference.module, (reference.name,))
+            for reference in get_all_plugin_widget_references(use_cache=False)
+            if reference.name not in ignored
+        }
+        widget_classes.update(
+            {
+                reference.name: lazy_import_from(reference.module, (reference.name,))
+                for reference in get_custom_class_references(
+                    "bec_widgets", packages=("widgets", "applications"), use_cache=False
+                )
+                if reference.name not in ignored
+            }
+        )
+        self._widget_classes = widget_classes
 
-    def create_widget(self, widget_type, **kwargs) -> BECWidget:
+    def create_widget(self, widget_type, **kwargs) -> "BECWidget":
         """
         Create a widget from an RPC message.
 

bec_widgets/utils/__init__.py

@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-from qtpy.QtWebEngineWidgets import QWebEngineView
-
-from .bec_connector import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
-from .bec_dispatcher import BECDispatcher
-from .bec_table import BECTable
-from .colors import Colors
-from .container_utils import WidgetContainerUtils
-from .crosshair import Crosshair
-from .entry_validator import EntryValidator
-from .layout_manager import GridLayoutManager
-from .rpc_decorator import register_rpc_methods, rpc_public
-from .ui_loader import UILoader
-from .validator_delegate import DoubleValidationDelegate

bec_widgets/utils/bec_plugin_helper.py

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import ast
 import importlib.metadata
 import inspect
+import logging
 import pkgutil
 import traceback
 from importlib import util as importlib_util
@@ -9,11 +11,65 @@ from importlib.machinery import FileFinder, ModuleSpec, SourceFileLoader
 from types import ModuleType
 from typing import Generator
 
-from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
+from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import (
+    BECClassContainer,
+    BECClassInfo,
+    BECClassReference,
+    _ast_node_name,
+    _class_has_rpc_markers,
+    _discover_class_references_from_roots,
+    _find_package_roots,
+)
 
-from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import BECClassContainer, BECClassInfo
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-logger = bec_logger.logger
+
+def _plugin_class_is_candidate(node: ast.ClassDef) -> bool:
+    base_names = {_ast_node_name(base) for base in node.bases}
+    return bool({"BECWidget", "BECConnector"} & base_names) or _class_has_rpc_markers(node)
+
+
+_PLUGIN_WIDGET_REFERENCE_CACHE: dict[tuple[tuple[str, str], ...], tuple[BECClassReference, ...]] = (
+    {}
+)
+
+
+def _plugin_entry_point_snapshot() -> tuple[tuple[str, str], ...]:
+    return tuple(
+        sorted(
+            (entry_point.name, entry_point.module)
+            for entry_point in importlib.metadata.entry_points(group="bec.widgets.user_widgets")  # type: ignore
+        )
+    )
+
+
+def _build_plugin_widget_references() -> tuple[BECClassReference, ...]:
+    references: list[BECClassReference] = []
+    seen_names: set[str] = set()
+    for entry_point in importlib.metadata.entry_points(group="bec.widgets.user_widgets"):  # type: ignore
+        try:
+            package_roots = _find_package_roots(entry_point.module)
+        except ModuleNotFoundError:
+            continue
+        for reference in _discover_class_references_from_roots(
+            entry_point.module,
+            package_roots,
+            file_name_filter=lambda file_name: file_name.endswith(".py")
+            and not file_name.startswith("__"),
+            candidate_filter=_plugin_class_is_candidate,
+        ):
+            if reference.name in seen_names:
+                continue
+            references.append(reference)
+            seen_names.add(reference.name)
+    return tuple(references)
+
+
+def get_all_plugin_widget_references(*, use_cache: bool = True) -> list[BECClassReference]:
+    snapshot = _plugin_entry_point_snapshot()
+    if not use_cache or snapshot not in _PLUGIN_WIDGET_REFERENCE_CACHE:
+        _PLUGIN_WIDGET_REFERENCE_CACHE[snapshot] = _build_plugin_widget_references()
+    return list(_PLUGIN_WIDGET_REFERENCE_CACHE[snapshot])
 
 
 def _submodule_specs(module: ModuleType) -> tuple[ModuleSpec | None, ...]:

bec_widgets/utils/bec_widget.py

@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.utility.spinner.spinner import SpinnerWidget
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from bec_widgets.utils.busy_loader import BusyLoaderOverlay
-    from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.dock import BECDock
 
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 

bec_widgets/utils/plugin_utils.py

@@ -1,22 +1,23 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import ast
 import importlib
 import inspect
 import os
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Iterable
-
-from bec_lib.plugin_helper import _get_available_plugins
-from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
-
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+from functools import lru_cache
+from importlib import util as importlib_util
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Callable, Iterable
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
+    from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
+    from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
     from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.auto_update.auto_updates import AutoUpdates
 
+_DISCOVERY_BASE_NAMES = frozenset({"BECConnector", "BECWidget", "ViewBase"})
 
-def get_plugin_widgets() -> dict[str, BECConnector]:
+
+def get_plugin_widgets() -> dict[str, "BECConnector"]:
     """
     Get all available widgets from the plugin directory. Widgets are classes that inherit from BECConnector.
     The plugins are provided through python plugins and specified in the respective pyproject.toml file using
@@ -35,9 +36,10 @@ def get_plugin_widgets() -> dict[str, BECConnector]:
     Returns:
         dict[str, BECConnector]: A dictionary of widget names and their respective classes.
     """
+    from bec_lib.plugin_helper import _get_available_plugins
+
     modules = _get_available_plugins("bec.widgets.user_widgets")
     loaded_plugins = {}
-    print(modules)
     for module in modules:
         mods = inspect.getmembers(module, predicate=_filter_plugins)
         for name, mod_cls in mods:
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ def get_plugin_widgets() -> dict[str, BECConnector]:
 
 
 def _filter_plugins(obj):
+    from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
+
     return inspect.isclass(obj) and issubclass(obj, BECConnector)
 
 
@@ -66,6 +70,8 @@ def get_plugin_auto_updates() -> dict[str, type[AutoUpdates]]:
     Returns:
         dict[str, AutoUpdates]: A dictionary of widget names and their respective classes.
     """
+    from bec_lib.plugin_helper import _get_available_plugins
+
     modules = _get_available_plugins("bec.widgets.auto_updates")
     loaded_plugins = {}
     for module in modules:
@@ -90,14 +96,20 @@ class BECClassInfo:
     name: str
     module: str
     file: str
-    obj: type[BECWidget]
+    obj: type["BECWidget"]
     is_connector: bool = False
     is_widget: bool = False
     is_plugin: bool = False
 
 
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class BECClassReference:
+    name: str
+    module: str
+
+
 class BECClassContainer:
-    def __init__(self, initial: Iterable[BECClassInfo] = []):
+    def __init__(self, initial: Iterable[BECClassInfo] = ()):
         self._collection: list[BECClassInfo] = list(initial)
 
     def __repr__(self):
@@ -109,12 +121,13 @@ class BECClassContainer:
     def __add__(self, other: BECClassContainer):
         return BECClassContainer((*self, *(c for c in other if c.name not in self.names)))
 
-    def as_dict(self, ignores: list[str] = []) -> dict[str, type[BECWidget]]:
+    def as_dict(self, ignores: list[str] | None = None) -> dict[str, type["BECWidget"]]:
         """get a dict of {name: Type} for all the entries in the collection.
 
         Args:
             ignores(list[str]): a list of class names to exclude from the dictionary."""
-        return {c.name: c.obj for c in self if c.name not in ignores}
+        ignore_set = set(ignores or ())
+        return {c.name: c.obj for c in self if c.name not in ignore_set}
 
     def add_class(self, class_info: BECClassInfo):
         """
@@ -166,48 +179,276 @@ class BECClassContainer:
         return [info.obj for info in self.collection]
 
 
+def _ast_node_name(node: ast.expr) -> str | None:
+    if isinstance(node, ast.Name):
+        return node.id
+    if isinstance(node, ast.Attribute):
+        return node.attr
+    return None
+
+
+def _class_has_rpc_markers(node: ast.ClassDef) -> bool:
+    for stmt in node.body:
+        if isinstance(stmt, ast.Assign):
+            target_names = {target.id for target in stmt.targets if isinstance(target, ast.Name)}
+            if (
+                "PLUGIN" in target_names
+                and isinstance(stmt.value, ast.Constant)
+                and stmt.value.value
+            ):
+                return True
+            if {"RPC_CONTENT_CLASS", "USER_ACCESS"} & target_names:
+                return True
+        if isinstance(stmt, ast.AnnAssign) and isinstance(stmt.target, ast.Name):
+            if (
+                stmt.target.id == "PLUGIN"
+                and isinstance(stmt.value, ast.Constant)
+                and stmt.value.value
+            ):
+                return True
+            if stmt.target.id in {"RPC_CONTENT_CLASS", "USER_ACCESS"}:
+                return True
+    return False
+
+
+def _class_is_candidate(node: ast.ClassDef) -> bool:
+    base_names = {_ast_node_name(base) for base in node.bases}
+    return bool(_DISCOVERY_BASE_NAMES & base_names) or _class_has_rpc_markers(node)
+
+
+def _candidate_top_level_class_names(path: str) -> list[str]:
+    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as file_handle:
+        module = ast.parse(file_handle.read(), filename=path)
+    return [
+        node.name
+        for node in module.body
+        if isinstance(node, ast.ClassDef) and _class_is_candidate(node)
+    ]
+
+
+@lru_cache(maxsize=64)
+def _find_package_roots(module_name: str) -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    spec = importlib_util.find_spec(module_name)
+    if spec is None:
+        raise ModuleNotFoundError(module_name)
+
+    package_roots = tuple(spec.submodule_search_locations or ())
+    if package_roots:
+        return package_roots
+    if spec.origin:
+        return (os.path.dirname(spec.origin),)
+    raise ModuleNotFoundError(module_name)
+
+
+def _discover_class_references_from_roots(
+    module_prefix: str,
+    package_roots: Iterable[str],
+    *,
+    file_name_filter: Callable[[str], bool],
+    candidate_filter: Callable[[ast.ClassDef], bool],
+) -> tuple[BECClassReference, ...]:
+    references: list[BECClassReference] = []
+    seen_names: set[str] = set()
+
+    for package_root in package_roots:
+        for root, _, files in sorted(os.walk(package_root)):
+            for file_name in sorted(files):
+                if not file_name_filter(file_name):
+                    continue
+                path = os.path.join(root, file_name)
+                with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as file_handle:
+                    module = ast.parse(file_handle.read(), filename=path)
+                rel_path = os.path.relpath(path, package_root).removesuffix(".py")
+                module_name = ".".join([module_prefix, *rel_path.split(os.sep)])
+                for node in module.body:
+                    if not isinstance(node, ast.ClassDef) or not candidate_filter(node):
+                        continue
+                    if node.name in seen_names:
+                        continue
+                    references.append(BECClassReference(name=node.name, module=module_name))
+                    seen_names.add(node.name)
+
+    return tuple(references)
+
+
+def _iter_candidate_modules(repo_name: str, package: str) -> Iterable[tuple[str, str, list[str]]]:
+    try:
+        package_roots = _find_package_roots(f"{repo_name}.{package}")
+    except ModuleNotFoundError:
+        return ()
+
+    modules: list[tuple[str, str, list[str]]] = []
+    for directory in package_roots:
+        for root, _, files in sorted(os.walk(directory)):
+            for file_name in sorted(files):
+                if (
+                    not file_name.endswith(".py")
+                    or file_name.startswith("__")
+                    or file_name.startswith("register_")
+                    or file_name.endswith("_plugin.py")
+                ):
+                    continue
+                path = os.path.join(root, file_name)
+                rel_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.relpath(path, directory))
+                module_name = (
+                    file_name.removesuffix(".py")
+                    if rel_dir in ("", ".")
+                    else ".".join(rel_dir.split(os.sep) + [file_name.removesuffix(".py")])
+                )
+                class_names = _candidate_top_level_class_names(path)
+                if class_names:
+                    modules.append((f"{repo_name}.{package}.{module_name}", path, class_names))
+    return tuple(modules)
+
+
 def _collect_classes_from_package(repo_name: str, package: str) -> BECClassContainer:
     """Collect classes from a package subtree (for example ``widgets`` or ``applications``)."""
     collection = BECClassContainer()
-    try:
-        anchor_module = importlib.import_module(f"{repo_name}.{package}")
-    except ModuleNotFoundError as exc:
-        # Some plugin repositories expose only one subtree. Skip gracefully if it does not exist.
-        if exc.name == f"{repo_name}.{package}":
-            return collection
-        raise
+    for module_name, path, _ in _iter_candidate_modules(repo_name, package):
+        from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
 
-    directory = os.path.dirname(anchor_module.__file__)
-    for root, _, files in sorted(os.walk(directory)):
-        for file in files:
-            if not file.endswith(".py") or file.startswith("__"):
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+
+        module = importlib.import_module(module_name)
+        for name, obj in inspect.getmembers(module, inspect.isclass):
+            if obj.__module__ != module.__name__:
                 continue
-
-            path = os.path.join(root, file)
-            rel_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.relpath(path, directory))
-            if rel_dir in ("", "."):
-                module_name = file.split(".")[0]
-            else:
-                module_name = ".".join(rel_dir.split(os.sep) + [file.split(".")[0]])
-
-            module = importlib.import_module(f"{repo_name}.{package}.{module_name}")
-
-            for name in dir(module):
-                obj = getattr(module, name)
-                if not hasattr(obj, "__module__") or obj.__module__ != module.__name__:
-                    continue
-                if isinstance(obj, type):
-                    class_info = BECClassInfo(name=name, module=module.__name__, file=path, obj=obj)
-                    if issubclass(obj, BECConnector):
-                        class_info.is_connector = True
-                    if issubclass(obj, QWidget) or issubclass(obj, BECWidget):
-                        class_info.is_widget = True
-                    if hasattr(obj, "PLUGIN") and obj.PLUGIN:
-                        class_info.is_plugin = True
-                    collection.add_class(class_info)
+            class_info = BECClassInfo(name=name, module=module.__name__, file=path, obj=obj)
+            if issubclass(obj, BECConnector):
+                class_info.is_connector = True
+            if issubclass(obj, QWidget) or issubclass(obj, BECWidget):
+                class_info.is_widget = True
+            if hasattr(obj, "PLUGIN") and obj.PLUGIN:
+                class_info.is_plugin = True
+            collection.add_class(class_info)
     return collection
 
 
+def _build_ast_inheritance_map(
+    repo_name: str, packages: tuple[str, ...]
+) -> dict[str, tuple[str, set[str]]]:
+    """
+    Walk all candidate modules in the given packages and return a map of:
+        class_name -> (module_name, {direct_base_names})
+
+    This is used for the transitive-closure widget discovery so that subclasses
+    of discovered widget bases are themselves discoverable without needing to
+    repeat ``PLUGIN = True`` on every intermediate or leaf class.
+    """
+    mapping: dict[str, tuple[str, set[str]]] = {}
+    for package in packages:
+        try:
+            package_roots = _find_package_roots(f"{repo_name}.{package}")
+        except ModuleNotFoundError:
+            continue
+        for directory in package_roots:
+            for root, _, files in sorted(os.walk(directory)):
+                for file_name in sorted(files):
+                    if (
+                        not file_name.endswith(".py")
+                        or file_name.startswith("__")
+                        or file_name.startswith("register_")
+                        or file_name.endswith("_plugin.py")
+                    ):
+                        continue
+                    path = os.path.join(root, file_name)
+                    rel_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.relpath(path, directory))
+                    module_name = (
+                        file_name.removesuffix(".py")
+                        if rel_dir in ("", ".")
+                        else ".".join(rel_dir.split(os.sep) + [file_name.removesuffix(".py")])
+                    )
+                    full_module = f"{repo_name}.{package}.{module_name}"
+                    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+                        tree = ast.parse(fh.read(), filename=path)
+                    for node in tree.body:
+                        if not isinstance(node, ast.ClassDef):
+                            continue
+                        base_names = {_ast_node_name(b) for b in node.bases} - {None}
+                        mapping[node.name] = (full_module, base_names)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+    return mapping
+
+
+@lru_cache(maxsize=32)
+def _cached_custom_class_references(
+    repo_name: str, packages: tuple[str, ...]
+) -> tuple[BECClassReference, ...]:
+    """Discover widget/connector class references using a transitive-closure AST scan.
+
+    The first pass identifies classes that directly inherit from
+    ``_DISCOVERY_BASE_NAMES`` or carry explicit RPC markers (``PLUGIN``,
+    ``USER_ACCESS``, ``RPC_CONTENT_CLASS``).  Subsequent passes treat every
+    newly found class name as an additional base name, so subclasses of
+    subclasses are discovered automatically — without requiring each
+    intermediate class to repeat ``PLUGIN = True``.
+    """
+    inheritance_map = _build_ast_inheritance_map(repo_name, packages)
+
+    # Seed with _class_has_rpc_markers — we need the AST nodes for that check.
+    # Re-parse only to identify initial RPC-marker classes; inheritance_map
+    # already has everything else we need.
+    rpc_marker_names: set[str] = set()
+    for package in packages:
+        try:
+            package_roots = _find_package_roots(f"{repo_name}.{package}")
+        except ModuleNotFoundError:
+            continue
+        for directory in package_roots:
+            for root, _, files in sorted(os.walk(directory)):
+                for file_name in sorted(files):
+                    if (
+                        not file_name.endswith(".py")
+                        or file_name.startswith("__")
+                        or file_name.startswith("register_")
+                        or file_name.endswith("_plugin.py")
+                    ):
+                        continue
+                    path = os.path.join(root, file_name)
+                    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+                        tree = ast.parse(fh.read(), filename=path)
+                    for node in tree.body:
+                        if isinstance(node, ast.ClassDef) and _class_has_rpc_markers(node):
+                            rpc_marker_names.add(node.name)
+
+    # Transitive closure: start with known base names + RPC-marker classes,
+    # then repeatedly add classes whose direct bases are already known.
+    known: set[str] = set(_DISCOVERY_BASE_NAMES) | rpc_marker_names
+    changed = True
+    while changed:
+        changed = False
+        for class_name, (_, bases) in inheritance_map.items():
+            if class_name not in known and bases & known:
+                known.add(class_name)
+                changed = True
+
+    # Build the final list of references, preserving first-seen order and
+    # keeping only classes that are in the inheritance map (i.e. have a module).
+    references: list[BECClassReference] = []
+    seen_names: set[str] = set()
+    for class_name, (module_name, bases) in inheritance_map.items():
+        if class_name not in known:
+            continue
+        if class_name in seen_names:
+            continue
+        # Only emit if the class is actually a candidate (not just a raw base)
+        if class_name in _DISCOVERY_BASE_NAMES:
+            continue
+        references.append(BECClassReference(name=class_name, module=module_name))
+        seen_names.add(class_name)
+    return tuple(references)
+
+
+def get_custom_class_references(
+    repo_name: str, packages: tuple[str, ...] | None = None, *, use_cache: bool = True
+) -> list[BECClassReference]:
+    selected_packages = packages or ("widgets",)
+    if use_cache:
+        return list(_cached_custom_class_references(repo_name, tuple(selected_packages)))
+    _cached_custom_class_references.cache_clear()
+    return list(_cached_custom_class_references(repo_name, tuple(selected_packages)))
+
+
 def get_custom_classes(
     repo_name: str, packages: tuple[str, ...] | None = None
 ) -> BECClassContainer:

bec_widgets/utils/rpc_server.py

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
 from redis.exceptions import RedisError
 
 from bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_register import RPCRegister
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECDispatcher
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_dispatcher import BECDispatcher
 from bec_widgets.utils.container_utils import WidgetContainerUtils
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import ErrorPopupUtility
 from bec_widgets.utils.screen_utils import apply_window_geometry
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.main_window.main_window import BECMainWindow
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from bec_lib import messages
-    from qtpy.QtCore import QObject
 else:
     messages = lazy_import("bec_lib.messages")
 logger = bec_logger.logger

bec_widgets/utils/widget_io.py

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
 from bec_widgets.widgets.utility.toggle.toggle import ToggleSwitch
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
-    from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+    from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ class WidgetHierarchy:
             only_bec_widgets(bool, optional): Whether to print only widgets that are instances of BECWidget.
             show_parent(bool, optional): Whether to display which BECWidget is the parent of each discovered BECWidget.
         """
-        from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
         from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.waveform import Waveform
 
         for node in WidgetHierarchy.iter_widget_tree(
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ class WidgetHierarchy:
 
         from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication
 
-        from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
         from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.plot_base import PlotBase
 
         # 1) Gather ALL QWidget-based BECConnector objects
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ class WidgetHierarchy:
         Returns:
             The nearest ancestor that is a BECConnector, or None if not found.
         """
-        from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 
         # Guard against deleted/invalid Qt wrappers
         if not shb.isValid(widget):
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@ class WidgetHierarchy:
         Return all BECConnector instances whose closest BECConnector ancestor is the given widget,
         including the widget itself if it is a BECConnector.
         """
-        from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+        from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 
         connectors: list[BECConnector] = []
         if isinstance(widget, BECConnector):
@@ -664,7 +664,7 @@ class WidgetHierarchy:
             return None
 
         try:
-            from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector  # local import to avoid cycles
+            from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector  # local import to avoid cycles
 
             is_bec_target = False
             if isinstance(ancestor_class, str):

bec_widgets/widgets/containers/dock_area/dock_area.py

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import bec_widgets.widgets.containers.qt_ads as QtAds
 from bec_widgets import BECWidget, SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.applications.views.view import ViewTourSteps
 from bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_widget_handler import widget_handler
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECDispatcher
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_dispatcher import BECDispatcher
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.rpc_decorator import rpc_timeout
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import (
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.dock_area.toolbar_components.workspace_actio
 from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.main_window.main_window import BECMainWindowNoRPC
 from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.qt_ads import CDockWidget
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_control.positioner_box import PositionerBox, PositionerBox2D
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control import ScanControl
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control.scan_control import ScanControl
 from bec_widgets.widgets.editors.bec_console.bec_console import BecConsole, BECShell
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.heatmap.heatmap import Heatmap
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image import Image

bec_widgets/widgets/containers/main_window/addons/notification_center/notification_banner.py

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import QObject, QTimer
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication, QFrame, QMainWindow, QScrollArea, QWidget
 
 from bec_widgets import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
 

bec_widgets/widgets/containers/main_window/main_window.py

@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
 )
 
 import bec_widgets
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.main_window.addons.hover_widget import HoverWidget
 from bec_widgets.widgets.containers.main_window.addons.notification_center.notification_banner import (
     BECNotificationBroker,

bec_widgets/widgets/containers/qt_ads/__init__.py

@@ -1 +1,4 @@
 from PySide6QtAds import *
+
+CDockManager.setConfigFlag(CDockManager.eConfigFlag.FocusHighlighting, True)
+CDockManager.setConfigFlag(CDockManager.eConfigFlag.RetainTabSizeWhenCloseButtonHidden, True)

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_control/positioner_box/positioner_box/positioner_box.py

@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import Qt, Signal
 from qtpy.QtGui import QDoubleValidator
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QDoubleSpinBox
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme, get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_control.positioner_box.positioner_box_base import (
     DeviceUpdateUIComponents,
     PositionerBoxBase,

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_control/positioner_box/positioner_box_2d/positioner_box_2d.py

@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import Signal
 from qtpy.QtGui import QDoubleValidator
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QDoubleSpinBox
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_control.positioner_box.positioner_box_base import (
     DeviceUpdateUIComponents,
     PositionerBoxBase,

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_input/base_classes/device_input_base.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from bec_lib.device import Signal as BECSignal
 from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from pydantic import field_validator
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.filter_io import FilterIO

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_input/base_classes/device_signal_input_base.py

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from bec_lib.device import Signal
 from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from qtpy.QtCore import Property
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.filter_io import FilterIO

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/__init__.py

@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-from .components import DeviceTable, DMConfigView, DocstringView, OphydValidation

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/__init__.py

@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-# from .device_table_view import DeviceTableView
-from .device_table.device_table import DeviceTable
-from .dm_config_view import DMConfigView
-from .dm_docstring_view import DocstringView, docstring_to_markdown
-from .ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation import OphydValidation

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/available_device_resources/__init__.py

@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-from .available_device_resources import AvailableDeviceResources
-
-__all__ = ["AvailableDeviceResources"]

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/device_table/device_table.py

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from bec_widgets.utils.fuzzy_search import is_match
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_table.device_table_row import (
     DeviceTableRow,
 )
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
     get_validation_icons,

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/device_table/device_table_row.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from bec_lib.atlas_models import Device as DeviceModel
 
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
 )

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/ophyd_validation/__init__.py

@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-from .ophyd_validation_utils import (
-    ConfigStatus,
-    ConnectionStatus,
-    DeviceTestModel,
-    format_error_to_md,
-    get_validation_icons,
-)
-from .validation_list_item import ValidationButton, ValidationListItem

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/ophyd_validation/ophyd_validation.py

@@ -22,15 +22,17 @@ from bec_widgets.utils.bec_list import BECList
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
     DeviceTestModel,
-    ValidationButton,
-    ValidationListItem,
     format_error_to_md,
     get_validation_icons,
 )
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.validation_list_item import (
+    ValidationButton,
+    ValidationListItem,
+)
 
 READY_TO_TEST = False
 

bec_widgets/widgets/control/device_manager/components/ophyd_validation/validation_list_item.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from qtpy import QtCore, QtGui, QtWidgets
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation_utils import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,
     DeviceTestModel,

bec_widgets/widgets/control/scan_control/__init__.py

@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-from .scan_control import ScanControl

bec_widgets/widgets/control/scan_control/scan_control.py

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
     QWidget,
 )
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme, get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot

bec_widgets/widgets/dap/lmfit_dialog/lmfit_dialog.py

@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from qtpy.QtCore import Signal
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QPushButton, QSizePolicy, QTreeWidgetItem, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 

bec_widgets/widgets/editors/jupyter_console/jupyter_console.py

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
-from bec_ipython_client.main import BECIPythonClient
+from bec_lib.utils.import_utils import lazy_import_from
 from qtconsole.inprocess import QtInProcessKernelManager
 from qtconsole.manager import QtKernelManager
 from qtconsole.rich_jupyter_widget import RichJupyterWidget
 from qtpy.QtCore import Qt
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication, QMainWindow
 
+BECIPythonClient = lazy_import_from("bec_ipython_client.main", ("BECIPythonClient",))
+
 
 class BECJupyterConsole(RichJupyterWidget):  # pragma: no cover:
     def __init__(self, inprocess: bool = False):

bec_widgets/widgets/editors/monaco/scan_control_dialog.py

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from qtpy.QtCore import QSize, Qt
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QDialog, QDialogButtonBox, QPushButton, QVBoxLayout
 
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control import ScanControl
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control.scan_control import ScanControl
 
 logger = bec_logger.logger
 

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/heatmap/heatmap.py

@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ from scipy.interpolate import (
 from scipy.spatial import cKDTree
 from toolz import partition
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingsDialog
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import MaterialIconAction

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/heatmap/settings/heatmap_setting.py

@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import os
 
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QFrame, QScrollArea, QVBoxLayout
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 
 
 class HeatmapSettings(SettingWidget):

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/image/image.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, field_validator
 from qtpy.QtCore import QTimer
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors, apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image_base import ImageBase

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/image/image_base.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field, ValidationError
 from qtpy.QtCore import QPointF, Signal, SignalInstance
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QDialog, QVBoxLayout
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.container_utils import WidgetContainerUtils
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.side_panel import SidePanel

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/image/image_item.py

@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ from pydantic import Field, ValidationError, field_validator
 from qtpy.QtCore import Signal
 from qtpy.QtGui import QTransform
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector, Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image_processor import (
     ImageProcessor,
     ImageStats,

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/image/setting_widgets/image_roi_tree.py

@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
 )
 
 from bec_widgets import BECWidget
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECDispatcher, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_dispatcher import BECDispatcher
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import WidgetAction
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.bundles import ToolbarBundle
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.toolbar import MaterialIconAction, ModularToolBar

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/motor_map/motor_map.py

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import Signal
 from qtpy.QtGui import QColor
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QHBoxLayout, QMainWindow, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors, ConnectionConfig
-from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors, apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingsDialog
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.toolbar import MaterialIconAction

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/motor_map/settings/motor_map_settings.py

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import os
 
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QFrame, QScrollArea, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
 
 

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/multi_waveform/multi_waveform.py

@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ from pydantic import Field, ValidationError, field_validator
 from qtpy.QtCore import Signal
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.side_panel import SidePanel
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_input.device_combobox.device_combobox import DeviceComboBox

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/multi_waveform/settings/control_panel.py

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import os
 
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
 
 

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/plot_base.py

@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ from bec_lib import bec_logger
 from qtpy.QtCore import QPoint, QPointF, Qt, Signal
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QHBoxLayout, QLabel, QMainWindow, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig, Crosshair, EntryValidator
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.crosshair import Crosshair
+from bec_widgets.utils.entry_validator import EntryValidator
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.fps_counter import FPSCounter
 from bec_widgets.utils.plot_indicator_items import BECArrowItem, BECTickItem

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/roi/image_roi.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from qtpy import QtCore
 from qtpy.QtCore import QObject, Signal
 
 from bec_widgets import SafeProperty
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/scatter_waveform/scatter_curve.py

@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ from bec_lib import bec_logger
 from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, ValidationError, field_validator
 from qtpy import QtCore
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector, Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.scatter_waveform.scatter_waveform import ScatterWaveform

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/scatter_waveform/scatter_waveform.py

@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ from pydantic import Field, ValidationError, field_validator
 from qtpy.QtCore import QTimer, Signal
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QHBoxLayout, QMainWindow, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty, SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingsDialog
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.toolbar import MaterialIconAction

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/scatter_waveform/settings/scatter_curve_setting.py

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import os
 
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QFrame, QScrollArea, QVBoxLayout
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 
 
 class ScatterCurveSettings(SettingWidget):

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/setting_menus/axis_settings.py

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import os
 
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QFrame, QScrollArea, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
 
 

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/waveform/curve.py

@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ from bec_lib import bec_logger
 from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, field_validator
 from qtpy import QtCore
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector, Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.waveform import Waveform

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/waveform/settings/curve_settings/curve_tree.py

@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
 )
 
 from bec_widgets import SafeSlot
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig, EntryValidator
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
+from bec_widgets.utils.entry_validator import EntryValidator
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import WidgetAction
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.bundles import ToolbarBundle
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.toolbar import MaterialIconAction, ModularToolBar

bec_widgets/widgets/plots/waveform/waveform.py

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
     QWidget,
 )
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_signal_proxy import BECSignalProxy
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors, apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.utils.container_utils import WidgetContainerUtils

bec_widgets/widgets/progress/ring_progress_bar/ring_progress_bar.py

@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ from bec_lib.logger import bec_logger
 from qtpy.QtCore import QPointF, QSize, Qt
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QHBoxLayout, QLabel, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingsDialog
 from bec_widgets.utils.toolbars.actions import MaterialIconAction

bec_widgets/widgets/progress/ring_progress_bar/ring_progress_settings_cards.py

@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
     QWidget,
 )
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
 from bec_widgets.widgets.progress.ring_progress_bar.ring import Ring
 from bec_widgets.widgets.utility.visual.colormap_widget.colormap_widget import BECColorMapWidget
 

bec_widgets/widgets/services/device_browser/device_browser.py

@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot
 from bec_widgets.utils.list_of_expandable_frames import ListOfExpandableFrames
 from bec_widgets.utils.ui_loader import UILoader
-from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.device_item import DeviceItem
 from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.device_item.device_config_dialog import (
     DirectUpdateDeviceConfigDialog,
 )
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.device_item.device_item import DeviceItem
 from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.util import map_device_type_to_icon
 
 logger = bec_logger.logger

bec_widgets/widgets/services/device_browser/device_item/__init__.py

@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-from .device_item import DeviceItem

bec_widgets/widgets/services/scan_history_browser/components/__init__.py

@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-from .scan_history_device_viewer import ScanHistoryDeviceViewer
-from .scan_history_metadata_viewer import ScanHistoryMetadataViewer
-from .scan_history_view import ScanHistoryView
-
-__all__ = ["ScanHistoryDeviceViewer", "ScanHistoryMetadataViewer", "ScanHistoryView"]

bec_widgets/widgets/services/scan_history_browser/components/scan_history_view.py

@@ -330,8 +330,10 @@ class ScanHistoryView(BECWidget, QtWidgets.QTreeWidget):
 if __name__ == "__main__":  # pragma: no cover
     # pylint: disable=import-outside-toplevel
 
-    from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components import (
+    from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_device_viewer import (
         ScanHistoryDeviceViewer,
+    )
+    from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_metadata_viewer import (
         ScanHistoryMetadataViewer,
     )
     from bec_widgets.widgets.utility.visual.dark_mode_button.dark_mode_button import DarkModeButton

bec_widgets/widgets/services/scan_history_browser/scan_history_browser.py

@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 from qtpy import QtCore, QtWidgets
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget, ConnectionConfig
-from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_device_viewer import (
     ScanHistoryDeviceViewer,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_metadata_viewer import (
     ScanHistoryMetadataViewer,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_view import (
     ScanHistoryView,
 )
 

bec_widgets/widgets/utility/visual/colormap_widget/colormap_widget.py

@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ from qtpy import QtCore, QtGui
 from qtpy.QtCore import Property, Signal, Slot
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QSizePolicy, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 
 
 class RoundedColorMapButton(ColorMapButton):

bec_widgets/widgets/utility/widget_hierarchy_tree/widget_hierarchy_tree.py

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from qtpy.QtWidgets import (
     QWidget,
 )
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_highlighter import WidgetHighlighter
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetHierarchy
 

tests/end-2-end/conftest.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import random
 import pytest
 
 from bec_widgets.cli.client_utils import BECGuiClient
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control import ScanControl
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control.scan_control import ScanControl
 
 # pylint: disable=unused-argument
 # pylint: disable=redefined-outer-name

tests/end-2-end/test_rpc_widgets_e2e.py

@@ -89,13 +89,6 @@ def test_available_widgets(qtbot, connected_client_gui_obj):
         # Skip private attributes
         if object_name.startswith("_"):
             continue
-        # Skip BECShell as ttyd is not installed
-        if object_name == "BECShell":
-            continue
-
-        # Skip BecConsole as ttyd is not installed
-        if object_name == "BecConsole":
-            continue
 
         #############################
         ######### Add widget ########

tests/end-2-end/test_with_plugins_e2e.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ except ImportError:
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QGridLayout
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control import ScanControl
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control.scan_control import ScanControl
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="function")

tests/unit_tests/test_bec_connector.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import pytest
 from qtpy.QtCore import QObject
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import BECConnector
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import BECConnector
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeProperty
 from bec_widgets.utils.error_popups import SafeSlot as Slot
 

tests/unit_tests/test_color_utils.py

@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@ from pydantic import ValidationError
 from qtpy.QtGui import QColor
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors, ConnectionConfig
+from bec_widgets.utils.bec_connector import ConnectionConfig
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
-from bec_widgets.utils.colors import apply_theme
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors, apply_theme
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.curve import CurveConfig
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
-from tests.unit_tests.conftest import create_widget
+
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
+from .conftest import create_widget
 
 
 def test_color_validation_CSS():

tests/unit_tests/test_crosshair.py

@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ import pytest
 from qtpy.QtCore import QPointF, Qt
 from qtpy.QtGui import QTransform
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Crosshair
+from bec_widgets.utils.crosshair import Crosshair
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image_item import ImageItem
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.waveform import Waveform
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
 
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 from .conftest import create_widget
 
 # pylint: disable = redefined-outer-name
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ def test_crosshair_clicked_signal(qtbot, plot_widget_with_crosshair):
     pos_in_widget = graphics_view.mapFromScene(pos_in_scene)
 
     # Simulate mouse click
-    qtbot.mouseClick(graphics_view.viewport(), Qt.LeftButton, pos=pos_in_widget)
+    qtbot.mouseClick(graphics_view.viewport(), Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, pos=pos_in_widget)
 
     x, y = emitted_positions[0]
 

tests/unit_tests/test_curve_settings.py

@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.settings.curve_settings.curve_tree impor
     ScanIndexValidator,
 )
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.waveform import Waveform
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import dap_plugin_message, mocked_client, mocked_client_with_dap
-from tests.unit_tests.conftest import create_widget
+
+from .client_mocks import dap_plugin_message, mocked_client, mocked_client_with_dap
+from .conftest import create_widget
 
 ##################################################
 # CurveSetting

tests/unit_tests/test_device_browser.py

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 if TYPE_CHECKING:  # pragma: no cover
     from qtpy.QtWidgets import QListWidgetItem
 
-    from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.device_item import DeviceItem
+    from bec_widgets.widgets.services.device_browser.device_item.device_item import DeviceItem
 
 
 # pylint: disable=no-member

tests/unit_tests/test_device_manager_components.py

@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@ from qtpy import QtCore, QtGui, QtWidgets
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.bec_list import BECList
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager import DeviceTable, DMConfigView, DocstringView
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components import docstring_to_markdown
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.constants import HEADERS_HELP_MD
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_config_template.device_config_template import (
     DeviceConfigTemplate,
@@ -34,9 +32,17 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_config_templat
     ReadoutPriorityComboBox,
     _try_literal_eval,
 )
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_table.device_table import (
+    DeviceTable,
+)
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_table.device_table_row import (
     DeviceTableRow,
 )
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_config_view import DMConfigView
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_docstring_view import (
+    DocstringView,
+    docstring_to_markdown,
+)
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation import (
     DeviceTest,
     LegendLabel,

tests/unit_tests/test_device_manager_view.py

@@ -31,12 +31,11 @@ from bec_widgets.applications.views.device_manager_view.device_manager_view impo
     DeviceManagerWidget,
 )
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.device_table.device_table import (
     DeviceTable,
-    DMConfigView,
-    DocstringView,
-    OphydValidation,
 )
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_config_view import DMConfigView
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.dm_docstring_view import DocstringView
 from bec_widgets.widgets.control.device_manager.components.ophyd_validation.ophyd_validation import (
     ConfigStatus,
     ConnectionStatus,

tests/unit_tests/test_heatmap_widget.py

@@ -16,9 +16,7 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.heatmap.heatmap import (
 )
 
 # pytest: disable=unused-import
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
-
-from .client_mocks import create_dummy_scan_item
+from .client_mocks import create_dummy_scan_item, mocked_client
 
 
 @pytest.fixture

tests/unit_tests/test_image_roi_tree.py

@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import QPointF, Qt
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image import Image
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.setting_widgets.image_roi_tree import ROIPropertyTree
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.roi.image_roi import CircularROI, RectangularROI
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
-from tests.unit_tests.conftest import create_widget
+
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
+from .conftest import create_widget
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ def test_initialization(roi_tree, image_widget):
     assert roi_tree.plot == image_widget.plot_item
     assert roi_tree.controller == image_widget.roi_controller
     assert isinstance(roi_tree.roi_items, dict)
-    assert len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("", Qt.MatchContains)) == 0  # Empty tree initially
+    assert len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("", Qt.MatchFlag.MatchContains)) == 0  # Empty tree initially
 
     # Check toolbar actions
     assert roi_tree.toolbar.components.get_action("roi_rectangle")
@@ -66,12 +67,16 @@ def test_controller_connection(roi_tree, image_widget):
 
     # Verify that ROI was added to the tree
     assert roi in roi_tree.roi_items
-    assert len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("test_roi", Qt.MatchExactly, roi_tree.COL_ROI)) == 1
+    assert (
+        len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("test_roi", Qt.MatchFlag.MatchExactly, roi_tree.COL_ROI)) == 1
+    )
 
     # Remove ROI via controller and check that it's removed from the tree
     image_widget.remove_roi(0)
     assert roi not in roi_tree.roi_items
-    assert len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("test_roi", Qt.MatchExactly, roi_tree.COL_ROI)) == 0
+    assert (
+        len(roi_tree.tree.findItems("test_roi", Qt.MatchFlag.MatchExactly, roi_tree.COL_ROI)) == 0
+    )
 
 
 def test_expand_collapse_tree(roi_tree, image_widget):

tests/unit_tests/test_image_rois.py

@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.roi.image_roi import (
     RectangularROI,
     ROIController,
 )
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
-from tests.unit_tests.conftest import create_widget
+
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
+from .conftest import create_widget
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(params=["rect", "circle", "ellipse"])

tests/unit_tests/test_image_view_next_gen.py

@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@ from bec_lib.endpoints import MessageEndpoints
 from qtpy.QtCore import QPointF
 
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image import Image
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
-from tests.unit_tests.conftest import create_widget
+
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
+from .conftest import create_widget
 
 ##################################################
 # Image widget base functionality tests

tests/unit_tests/test_motor_map_next_gen.py

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 from qtpy.QtTest import QSignalSpy
 
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.motor_map.motor_map import MotorMap
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
 
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 from .conftest import create_widget
 
 

tests/unit_tests/test_multi_waveform_next_gen.py

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import numpy as np
 
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.multi_waveform.multi_waveform import MultiWaveform
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
 
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 from .conftest import create_widget
 
 ##################################################

tests/unit_tests/test_plugin_utils.py

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import get_custom_classes
+import sys
+
+from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import get_custom_class_references, get_custom_classes
 
 
 def test_client_generator_classes():
@@ -10,3 +12,13 @@ def test_client_generator_classes():
     assert "Waveform" in connector_cls_names
     assert "MotorMap" in plugins
     assert "NonExisting" not in plugins
+
+
+def test_get_custom_class_references_avoids_importing_widget_modules():
+    target_module = "bec_widgets.widgets.plots.image.image"
+    sys.modules.pop(target_module, None)
+
+    references = get_custom_class_references("bec_widgets", use_cache=False)
+
+    assert "Image" in [reference.name for reference in references]
+    assert target_module not in sys.modules

tests/unit_tests/test_ring_progress_bar.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import QEvent, QPoint, QPointF, Qt
 from qtpy.QtGui import QColor, QMouseEvent
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication
 
-from bec_widgets.utils import Colors
+from bec_widgets.utils.colors import Colors
 from bec_widgets.widgets.progress.ring_progress_bar.ring_progress_bar import (
     RingProgressBar,
     RingProgressContainerWidget,

tests/unit_tests/test_ring_progress_settings.py

@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import pytest
 from bec_widgets.utils.settings_dialog import SettingsDialog
 from bec_widgets.widgets.progress.ring_progress_bar.ring_progress_bar import RingProgressBar
 from bec_widgets.widgets.progress.ring_progress_bar.ring_progress_settings_cards import RingSettings
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import mocked_client
+
+from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 
 
 @pytest.fixture

tests/unit_tests/test_rpc_widget_handler.py

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+import sys
+from types import ModuleType
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_widget_handler import RPCWidgetHandler
-from bec_widgets.utils.bec_widget import BECWidget
-from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import BECClassContainer, BECClassInfo
+from bec_widgets.utils.plugin_utils import BECClassReference
 
 
 def test_rpc_widget_handler():
@@ -12,19 +13,38 @@ def test_rpc_widget_handler():
     assert "BECDockArea" in handler.widget_classes
 
 
-class _TestPluginWidget(BECWidget): ...
+def test_duplicate_plugins_not_allowed(monkeypatch):
+    builtin_module = ModuleType("builtin_test_widgets")
+    plugin_module = ModuleType("plugin_test_widgets")
 
+    SharedWidgetBuiltin = type("SharedWidget", (), {})
+    SharedWidgetBuiltin.__module__ = builtin_module.__name__
+    setattr(builtin_module, "SharedWidget", SharedWidgetBuiltin)
 
-@patch(
-    "bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_widget_handler.get_all_plugin_widgets",
-    return_value=BECClassContainer(
-        [
-            BECClassInfo(name="DeviceComboBox", obj=_TestPluginWidget, module="", file=""),
-            BECClassInfo(name="NewPluginWidget", obj=_TestPluginWidget, module="", file=""),
-        ]
-    ),
-)
-def test_duplicate_plugins_not_allowed(_):
-    handler = RPCWidgetHandler()
-    assert handler.widget_classes["DeviceComboBox"] is not _TestPluginWidget
-    assert handler.widget_classes["NewPluginWidget"] is _TestPluginWidget
+    SharedWidgetPlugin = type("SharedWidget", (), {})
+    SharedWidgetPlugin.__module__ = plugin_module.__name__
+    setattr(plugin_module, "SharedWidget", SharedWidgetPlugin)
+
+    NewPluginWidget = type("NewPluginWidget", (), {})
+    NewPluginWidget.__module__ = plugin_module.__name__
+    setattr(plugin_module, "NewPluginWidget", NewPluginWidget)
+
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, builtin_module.__name__, builtin_module)
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, plugin_module.__name__, plugin_module)
+
+    with (
+        patch(
+            "bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_widget_handler.get_all_plugin_widget_references",
+            return_value=[
+                BECClassReference(name="SharedWidget", module=plugin_module.__name__),
+                BECClassReference(name="NewPluginWidget", module=plugin_module.__name__),
+            ],
+        ),
+        patch(
+            "bec_widgets.cli.rpc.rpc_widget_handler.get_custom_class_references",
+            return_value=[BECClassReference(name="SharedWidget", module=builtin_module.__name__)],
+        ),
+    ):
+        handler = RPCWidgetHandler()
+        assert handler.widget_classes["SharedWidget"].__module__ == builtin_module.__name__
+        assert handler.widget_classes["NewPluginWidget"].__module__ == plugin_module.__name__

tests/unit_tests/test_scan_control.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from qtpy.QtCore import QModelIndex, Qt
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.forms_from_types.items import StrFormItem
 from bec_widgets.utils.widget_io import WidgetIO
-from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control import ScanControl
+from bec_widgets.widgets.control.scan_control.scan_control import ScanControl
 
 from .client_mocks import mocked_client
 

tests/unit_tests/test_scan_history_browser.py

@@ -6,9 +6,13 @@ from pytestqt import qtbot
 from qtpy import QtCore
 
 from bec_widgets.utils.colors import get_accent_colors
-from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components import (
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_device_viewer import (
     ScanHistoryDeviceViewer,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_metadata_viewer import (
     ScanHistoryMetadataViewer,
+)
+from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.components.scan_history_view import (
     ScanHistoryView,
 )
 from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.scan_history_browser import (

tests/unit_tests/test_scatter_waveform.py

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.scatter_waveform.scatter_waveform import ScatterW
 from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.scatter_waveform.settings.scatter_curve_setting import (
     ScatterCurveSettings,
 )
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import create_dummy_scan_item, mocked_client
 
+from .client_mocks import create_dummy_scan_item, mocked_client
 from .conftest import create_widget
 
 

tests/unit_tests/test_waveform.py

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ from bec_widgets.widgets.plots.waveform.waveform import Waveform
 from bec_widgets.widgets.services.scan_history_browser.scan_history_browser import (
     ScanHistoryBrowser,
 )
-from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import (
+
+from .client_mocks import (
     DummyData,
     create_dummy_scan_item,
     dap_plugin_message,
@@ -26,7 +27,6 @@ from tests.unit_tests.client_mocks import (
     mocked_client,
     mocked_client_with_dap,
 )
-
 from .conftest import create_widget
 
 # pylint: disable=unexpected-keyword-arg