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Feature plan: Step 1 · Step 2 · Step 3 · Step 4

Debug mode: enabled

Step 3: Development Plan — Stable Messages/Invite Nav Buttons (Revised)

Completion Contract

  • Normal entry: an eligible viewer loads any page with the main nav.

  • End-to-end outcome: Messages/Invite never move; unread > 0 shows as an outline plus ARIA, caption stays Messages.

  • Required recovery: if the unread check fails, no outline, ARIA says status unavailable, size unchanged.

  • Deployment/external verification: browser check in each theme with nav icons.

  • Release condition: all stages verified; browser tests updated and passing; no schema changes.

Key Risks

  • Theme styling may hide or distort the outline; validate in Stage 2. Mitigation: layout-neutral outline, per-theme tweaks only where needed.

  • Scripts and tests depend on the removed count text; validate in Stage 1. Mitigation: drive state via attributes/ARIA.

Stage 1

  • Goal: remove visible count/placeholder; keep state in attributes and ARIA.

  • Dependencies: none.

  • Expected changes: nav partial drops the visible count span and …; unread script and flag-toggle error path stop writing visible text and instead set unread state attributes and accessible name/description; browser tests updated.

  • Verification approach: browser tests for unread UI, live navigation, seen windows/recovery; measure nav item widths before/after load.

  • Risks or open questions:

    • Impact: errors where code expects removed elements.

    • Early warning / validation: console errors in unread tests.

    • Mitigation: null-safe updates.

  • Canonical components/API contracts touched: nav.php, private_message_unread.js, feature_flags.js, listed browser tests.

Stage 2

  • Goal: outline highlight when unread > 0.

  • Dependencies: Stage 1.

  • Expected changes: CSS rule keyed on the unread state attribute using a layout-neutral outline; theme adjustments if needed.

  • Verification approach: visual check per theme; bounding boxes unchanged with/without unread.

  • Risks or open questions:

    • Impact: weak contrast or bevel clash.

    • Early warning / validation: screenshot per theme.

    • Mitigation: per-theme override via existing nav-icons theme scoping.

  • Canonical components/API contracts touched: site.css, theme-nav-icons.css.

Stage 3

  • Goal: final verification and regression pass.

  • Dependencies: Stages 1–2.

  • Expected changes: fix-ups and added assertions (caption constant, no shift, outline + ARIA).

  • Verification approach: full browser and PHP test runs; manual guest/approved check.

  • Risks or open questions:

    • Impact: guest or disabled-messaging regressions.

    • Early warning / validation: existing disabled/unavailable tests.

    • Mitigation: reuse existing availability hooks.

  • Canonical components/API contracts touched: tests; no new contracts.

Approval: Reply Approved Step 3 to begin Stage 1.