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Forte Reply — Step 2: Feature Description

Problem

Forte's paned reader has a disabled "Reply" toolbar button and no way to compose a reply to the selected post without leaving the paned window for the classic UI.

User Stories

  • As a Forte reader, I want to reply to the currently selected post without leaving the paned window, so that I stay in a consistent newsreader workflow.

  • As a Forte reader, I want the reply composer to look like part of the paned interface, so that it doesn't feel like a bolted-on classic-UI form.

  • As a Forte reader, I want the "Reply" toolbar button to reflect the current selection, so that it's clear what post my reply will attach to.

Core Requirements

  • Clicking the toolbar "Reply" button reveals an in-pane composer targeting the currently selected post (thread_id + parent_id).

  • The composer reuses partials/reply_form.php and submits to the existing /compose/reply endpoint unchanged — no new backend logic.

  • The composer is styled via forte.css-scoped classes so it visually matches the paned-window chrome (borders, spacing, font) rather than the classic site.css form look, per the existing CSS-isolation constraint (.paned-window scoping).

  • The "Reply" toolbar button becomes enabled once a post is selected (it is currently permanently disabled).

  • Submitting or cancelling the composer returns the reader to the thread view with the replied-to post's context intact (matching existing /compose/reply redirect behavior).

Shared Component Inventory

  • partials/reply_form.php — canonical reply form (fields, hidden inputs, submit actions). Reused as-is; only its container/wrapper classes differ per surface (Forte vs. classic), no fork of the form markup itself.

  • POST /compose/reply (Application.php::handleComposeReplySubmit) — canonical reply-submission endpoint. Reused unchanged.

  • templates/partials/post_card.php / thread_root_card.php "Reply" links — classic per-post reply entry point. Not reused directly; Forte instead drives the same form from its toolbar button, since Forte's single-selected-post model differs from the classic per-post-link layout.

  • forte.css — existing Forte-only stylesheet (from forte_css_isolation). Extended with new scoped classes for the compose panel; no new stylesheet needed.

  • paned_reader.js — existing pane interaction script. Extended with toggle logic for showing/enabling the composer; no new script file needed.

Simple User Flow

  1. Reader selects a post in the paned list, its content shows in the content pane.

  2. Reader clicks the "Reply" toolbar button (now enabled).

  3. An in-pane compose panel appears, styled to match the paned window, pre-filled with the selected post's thread_id/parent_id.

  4. Reader types a body and submits (or posts anonymously, or clears/cancels).

  5. On submit, the existing /compose/reply flow processes the reply and returns the reader to the thread, with the new reply visible in the pane.

Success Criteria

  • The toolbar "Reply" button is enabled whenever a post is selected and opens the in-pane composer.

  • The composer visually matches Forte's paned chrome (reviewed against forte.css conventions), not the classic form look.

  • Submitting the composer creates a reply via the existing /compose/reply endpoint with no new backend code, and the new reply is visible in the Forte pane afterward.

  • No site.css/classic-page styling leaks into the composer, and no Forte-specific CSS leaks outside .paned-window (consistent with forte_css_isolation).