zenmemes

New post

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

Debug mode: enabled

Step 4: Implementation Summary — Stable Messages/Invite Nav Buttons

Stage 1 - Diagnose late nav buttons

  • Changes:

    • None to application code (read-only diagnosis).

  • Verification:

    • Code reading only; no browser run yet.

    • FrontController::resolveStaticArtifactPath() serves prebuilt static HTML only for GET requests with no query string and no cookies at all; any cookie (session, identity_hint, theme hint) falls through to the dynamic Application.

    • Static HTML is built with no viewer, so it never contains Messages/Invite. Dynamic pages include them only when resolveViewerProfileFromIdentityHint() finds an approved viewer with _authenticated_identity === true (needs a live PHP session; an identity_hint cookie alone gives false and no items).

    • No script found that inserts Messages/Invite on a normal page load. feature_flags.js patches Messages only after a flag toggle; private_site_auth.js reloads the page after authenticating, and is loaded only in members-only/public-resume modes.

  • Notes:

    • Step 2 assumption not confirmed: there is no client-side post-load insertion in the code. Plausible explanations, each unverified: (a) navigating between cookie-less static pages and dynamic pages makes the items appear/disappear between page loads; (b) a viewer with an identity_hint but no live session gets no items until a session is established; (c) site.css loads non-blocking (media="print" swap) so nav styling/icons for these links arrive after first paint.

    • Needs the user's observation (which pages, signed-in how, which theme) or a browser repro before Stage 2 so the fix targets the real cause.

Stage 1 (revised plan) - Remove visible unread text, keep state in attributes/ARIA

  • Changes:

    • templates/partials/nav.php: dropped the visible … count span; Messages caption is now exactly Messages. The hidden status span (aria-describedby) stays.

    • private_message_unread.js, feature_flags.js: stop writing visible count text (?, (N)); state still set via data-unread-state, data-unread-count, title, and the hidden status text.

    • Browser tests updated to assert the caption stays Messages and the status description is populated, instead of …/?.

  • Verification:

    • node tests/browser/private_message_live_navigation.mjs passed.

    • node tests/browser/private_message_list_browser.mjs passed (includes unread UI checks).

    • php tests/run.php exit 0, 1225 passes, no FAIL lines.

  • Notes:

    • Outline highlight is Stage 2; until then there is no visible unread signal.

    • Plan revision commit 5931a5da precedes this stage; the earlier Stage 1 diagnosis (commit 7dc7856f) is retained as history.

Stage 2 - Outline highlight for unread Messages

  • Changes:

    • public/assets/site.css: layout-neutral outline on .nav-link[data-unread-count] when the count is not 0.

    • public/assets/theme-sticker.css: override (double outline) because sticker already uses a 2px outline as its resting nav style, which would hide the highlight.

    • New tests/browser/nav_unread_outline.mjs: for every theme sheet, asserts Messages/Invite boxes are identical across no-count, 0, and 3, that unread outline differs from the resting style and is visible, and that zero adds nothing.

  • Verification:

    • node tests/browser/nav_unread_outline.mjs: passed in 16 themes.

    • php tests/run.php: exit 0, 1225 passes. A first run failed 3 tests because the selector included the string data-private-message-unread in shared CSS (guarded by release-isolation/nav tests); rekeyed on data-unread-count and reran clean.

    • git diff --check passed.

  • Notes:

    • Contrast/aesthetics of the outline per theme were checked structurally (differs from resting, visible), not by eye; worth a visual look.

Stage 3 - Final verification

  • Changes:

    • tests/browser/private_message_unread_ui.mjs: added assertions that the caption stays Messages and ARIA (aria-describedby → hidden status text) reports N unread conversation(s) once ready.

  • Verification:

    • node tests/browser/private_message_list_browser.mjs, private_message_live_navigation.mjs, nav_unread_outline.mjs all passed.

    • php tests/run.php: exit 0, 1225 passes (run after Stage 2; Stage 3 changed only a browser test). git diff --check passed.

    • Deployment/external checks: not applicable (local CSS/JS/template change, no schema, no external systems).

  • Notes:

    • Guest/disabled messaging paths covered by existing availability and live-navigation tests.

    • The originally reported "buttons appear late" symptom was not reproducible from code (Stage 1); the fixed jank is the width shift. Not visually reviewed by eye per theme.