zenmemes

New post

Chouse Theme — Step 2: Feature Description

Problem

chouse.club has no dedicated visual identity in this codebase yet — a FORUM_SITE_ID=chouse instance currently renders with the same theme options as zenmemes, none of which read as chouse.club's brand.

User Stories

  • As the chouse.club site owner, I want a theme that visually reads as chouse.club, not zenmemes wearing a different name, so the migrated site doesn't feel like an unfinished reskin.

  • As a developer previewing locally, I want the chouse theme to apply automatically when FORUM_SITE_ID=chouse, so I don't have to pick it from the theme menu every session.

  • As the site owner, I want the identity to avoid literally reproducing Red Bull's branding, colors, or logo, for legal reasons, while still evoking the "clubhouse" feel chouse.club currently has.

  • As a zenmemes user, I want zero visual change to any existing theme from this work.

Core Requirements

  • New ThemeRegistry entry (chouse) built on the existing three-block CSS pattern documented in docs/runbooks/theme_development_guide.md.

  • Original visual identity, distinct from Red Bull's actual branding — may evoke the "clubhouse" concept and a vertical wordmark, per the earlier hosting-plan notes, without copying source colors/assets.

  • SiteProfileRegistry's chouse entry's defaultTheme changes from auto to chouse, so it becomes the default automatically (the multi-site-config feature already wires this end to end); zenmemes' entry and defaults are untouched.

  • No change to any existing theme's appearance or to theme-menu behavior for zenmemes.

  • Follows the theme guide's existing verification workflow (stale static-artifact traps, visual sweep, tests/LocalAppSmokeTest.php allow-list update).

Shared Component Inventory

  • ThemeRegistry is the existing canonical registry for every theme; this adds one entry to it rather than introducing a parallel mechanism.

  • public/assets/site.css's three-block pattern (variable block, swatch, scoped section) is the existing styling contract every theme follows — no new CSS architecture.

  • SiteProfileRegistry (already shipped) is the existing hook for per-site default theme selection; this feature changes only chouse's data value, not the registry class.

  • tests/LocalAppSmokeTest.php's theme allow-list assertions are the existing coverage surface for new themes; extended, not duplicated.

Simple User Flow

  1. Operator/developer runs the app with FORUM_SITE_ID=chouse.

  2. The page loads with the chouse theme applied by default — no stored preference needed.

  3. The user can still switch to any other theme via the existing theme menu, same as on zenmemes.

  4. zenmemes deployments and users see no change.

Success Criteria

  • A chouse-profile instance with no stored theme preference renders the new chouse theme, not the shared auto default it uses today.

  • The chouse theme is selectable from the theme menu and is visually distinct at a glance from every other listed theme and from Red Bull's actual branding.

  • Every existing theme renders unchanged after this change.

  • php tests/run.php passes with the allow-list updated.