Repository source: docs/plans/qdb_quote_numbering/qdb_quote_numbering_step2_feature_description.md

QDB Quote Numbering — Step 2: Feature Description

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

Problem

Quotes submitted through the normal compose flow on the qdb site show their raw internal post ID instead of a sequential quote number, unlike imported archive quotes and unlike original qdb.us, where every accepted submission was immediately numbered.

User stories

As a visitor submitting a quote to the qdb site, I want my quote assigned a number right away so I can reference and share it the way qdb.us quotes always were.
As a visitor browsing the qdb board, I want every quote — imported or newly submitted — to show its number consistently, so the list reads like a real quote database rather than a mix of numbers and raw IDs.

Core requirements

Every quote created through the normal compose flow on the qdb site profile is assigned a sequential number at submission time.
The assigned number is strictly greater than any number currently in use (imported or live), continuing qdb.us's existing sequence.
The number appears on that quote's board-list card immediately after submission, using the same display mechanism already used for imported quotes.
Numbering applies only to the qdb site profile; thread creation on zenmemes and chouse is unaffected.
No database schema change — assignment and display reuse the existing ID-suffix convention, write lock, and board-card template.

Complete feature boundary

Normal entry point: the existing "Submit a quote..." compose-thread form on the qdb site — no new UI.
Observable end-to-end outcome: after submitting, the visitor is redirected to the board and sees their new quote's card showing #<N>, exactly like every imported quote.
Failure/recovery: if submission fails validation before the thread is actually committed, no number is consumed — a corrected resubmission still receives the correct next number, never a skipped one.
Release condition: shippable alone as a single Step 3 stage; it depends on no other in-flight feature and leaves no unusable intermediate state.

Risks and mitigations

Risk: the write-time suffix and quote_card.php's display regex drift out of sync, silently reverting new quotes to raw-ID display. Impact: numbering appears broken for all new submissions. Earliest detection: manual submission test on qdb immediately after implementation, confirming the card reads #<N>. Mitigation: reuse the exact existing suffix convention and regex the importer already proved, rather than inventing a new format.
Risk: the "highest number + 1" lookup isn't actually inside the same write lock as the thread commit, letting two near-simultaneous submissions race onto the same number. Impact: duplicate quote numbers. Earliest detection: a concurrent-submission test in Step 3/4 asserting two quick submissions get two distinct, ordered numbers. Mitigation: perform the lookup and ID mint inside the existing withTimedWriteLock() closure, not before it.
Risk: the site-profile check is scoped incorrectly, numbering zenmemes/chouse threads too, or failing to number real qdb submissions. Impact: a shared-code regression reaching the other two live instances. Earliest detection: a regression test asserting createThread()'s ID shape is unchanged for non-qdb profiles, run before/after this change. Mitigation: gate strictly on SiteProfileRegistry::active(), the same check already used for per-instance theme selection.

Shared component inventory

templates/partials/quote_card.php — already renders #<N> from the -qdb-<N> ID suffix; reused unchanged, no new UI surface.
LocalWriteService::createThread() — the single write path for new threads across all three site profiles; extended with a conditional branch, not forked or duplicated.
SiteProfileRegistry::active() — the existing per-instance identity check (already used for theme selection); reused to scope this behavior to qdb only.
No new route, endpoint, or template is introduced.

Simple user flow

Visitor on the qdb site opens the "Submit a quote..." compose form.
Visitor enters the quote body and submits.
The write path assigns the next sequential number and creates the thread.
Visitor is redirected to the board, where the new quote's card shows #<N> alongside the body, exactly like every imported quote.

Success criteria

A freshly submitted qdb quote displays a number, not its raw internal ID.
That number is exactly one greater than the previous highest number (imported or live) at the moment of submission.
Two submissions in quick succession receive two distinct, correctly ordered numbers.
zenmemes and chouse thread creation remain unchanged (ID format, behavior, and existing tests all pass unaffected).