laconic-deployer-frontend/standards/documentation/FEATURE_BUILDING.md

# Feature Building Process

This document outlines our standardized approach to building new features. Following this process
ensures that features are well-designed, properly structured, thoroughly documented, and
consistently implemented.

## 1. Design and Data Flow Analysis

Before writing any code, thoroughly analyze the design and data flow requirements:

### Design Analysis

- Study the Figma/design mockups thoroughly
- Identify all UI components and their states
- Note interactions, animations, and transitions
- Identify responsive behavior requirements
- Document accessibility considerations

### Data Flow Analysis

- Map out the data requirements for the feature
- Identify data sources and sinks
- Document API endpoints that will be used
- Define state management needs
- Identify where data transformations occur
- Document any caching or persistence requirements

### Output

Create a Design & Data Requirements document containing:

- Screenshots/references to relevant design mockups
- Component breakdown with states and props
- Data flow diagram
- API contract expectations
- State management approach

## 2. Structure Planning

Once the design and data requirements are understood, plan the structure:

### Routing

- Define all routes needed for the feature
- Document route parameters and query parameters
- Specify layout components for each route
- Define route guards or access control

### Component Hierarchy

- Create a component tree showing parent-child relationships
- Identify reusable components vs. feature-specific components
- Define prop interfaces for all components
- Document component responsibilities and boundaries

### File Structure

- Plan the directory structure following project conventions
- Define file naming following established patterns
- Identify shared utilities, hooks, or helpers needed
- Plan test file organization

### Output

Create a Structure Plan document containing:

- Route definitions
- Component hierarchy diagram
- Directory and file structure plan
- List of new files to create with their purpose

## 3. File Creation with Documentation

Create skeleton files with comprehensive documentation:

### For Each Component:

- Purpose and responsibility
- Props interface with detailed documentation
- State management approach
- Side effects and cleanup
- Error handling approach
- Expected behaviors for all edge cases
- Performance considerations
- Testing strategy

### For Data/API Files:

- Type definitions
- Function signatures with parameters and return types
- Error handling approach
- Caching strategy
- Retry logic

### For Hooks/Utilities:

- Purpose and usage examples
- Parameters and return values
- Side effects
- Error scenarios
- Performance characteristics

### Output

A set of skeleton files with detailed JSDoc comments outlining implementation requirements for each
file.

## 4. Implementation Guide

Create a comprehensive guide for engineers or AI agents to follow:

### Implementation Order

- Dependency graph showing which files should be implemented first
- Recommended implementation sequence

### Critical Requirements

- Performance requirements
- Accessibility requirements
- Browser/device compatibility requirements
- Error handling expectations

### Testing Requirements

- Unit test coverage expectations
- Integration test scenarios
- E2E test scenarios

### What NOT to Do

- Anti-patterns to avoid
- Performance pitfalls
- Security concerns
- Common mistakes

### Review Checklist

- Code quality checks
- Performance review points
- Accessibility review points
- Security review points

## Example: Feature Building for a User Profile Page

### 1. Design & Data Analysis

```
Design Requirements:
- Profile page with user avatar, name, email, and bio
- Edit profile form with validation
- Activity feed showing recent actions
...

Data Requirements:
- User profile data from GET /api/users/:id
- Profile updates via PUT /api/users/:id
- Activity data from GET /api/users/:id/activity
...
```

### 2. Structure Plan

```
Routes:
- /profile - Main profile view
- /profile/edit - Edit profile form

Components:
- ProfilePage
  - ProfileHeader
  - ActivityFeed
    - ActivityItem
  - ProfileEditForm
    - ImageUploader
    - FormFields
...
```

### 3. File Skeleton (Example for ProfileHeader.tsx)

```tsx
/**
 * @component ProfileHeader
 * @description Displays the user's profile header with avatar, name, and key information
 *
 * Requirements:
 * - Display user avatar with fallback for missing images
 * - Show user name, handle, and join date
 * - Display edit button only if user is viewing their own profile
 * - Show verified badge if account is verified
 * - Handle loading and error states
 * ...
 */
```

### 4. Implementation Guide (Excerpt)

```
Implementation Order:
1. Types and API functions
2. Hooks for data fetching
3. Base components (ProfileHeader, ActivityItem)
4. Container components (ProfilePage, ActivityFeed)
5. Form components

Do NOT:
- Make direct API calls from components - use the defined hooks
- Store sensitive user data in localStorage
- Use inline styles except for dynamically calculated values
- Implement custom form validation - use the specified validation library
...
```

## Process Checklist

- [ ] Complete Design & Data Flow Analysis
- [ ] Create Structure Plan
- [ ] Create Skeleton Files with Documentation
- [ ] Develop Implementation Guide
- [ ] Review and Finalize Feature Building Documents
- [ ] Implement Feature Following Guide
- [ ] Review Implementation Against Requirements

By following this standardized feature building process, we ensure that features are implemented
consistently, with clear documentation, and according to best practices.

## Getting Started

To start building a new feature using this process, use the
[Feature Building Template](./FEATURE_BUILDING_TEMPLATE.md) as a starting point. This template
provides a structured document that you can fill in with the specific details for your feature.