Schema-driven form renderer plus zddc-server endpoints that turn any
<name>.form.yaml into a working data-collection form at <path>/<name>.form.html.
Submissions land in <path>/<name>/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<email-sanitized>.yaml,
ACL-gated by the existing .zddc cascade. The form posts back to its own URL;
the server strips ".html" and routes by what's underneath, so create and
update use the same client-side code path.
Form spec dialect: JSON Schema 2020-12 + RJSF-style ui:* hints, written in
YAML. Chosen for LLM authorability — it's the canonical structured-output
target for OpenAI/Anthropic, and the ui:* convention is the most-trained UI
hint vocabulary. Supported subset for v0: type (string/number/integer/boolean/
array/object), enum, min/max, minLength/maxLength, required, additionalProperties:
false, properties, items, format (date, email). Round-trip mode is form-as-truth:
submission YAML is regenerated each save, comments are not preserved (the v1
file-as-truth mode for hand-edited files like .zddc itself is deferred).
New components:
* form/ — sixth single-file HTML tool, vanilla JS renderer (~760 LoC)
* zddc/internal/jsonschema/ — focused JSON Schema validator covering only
the v0 keyword subset. Match-implementation-cost-to-surface-used: a full
library brings 70%+ surface we don't use; revisit when v1 adds $ref +
oneOf + if/then/else.
* zddc/internal/handler/formhandler.go — RecognizeFormRequest / ServeForm,
capability-URL re-edit, atomic submission writes via the new
zddc.WriteAtomic helper extracted from writer.go.
* dispatch() in zddc-server/main.go now intercepts *.form.html and
*.yaml.html before the static-file path; spec existence is the trigger.
Build pipeline: form joins ZDDC_RELEASE_TOOLS in lockstep, gets its own
embedded copy in handler/form.html (separate from the apps cascade —
the form renderer is fixed, not subject to per-folder version overrides).
Tests: 5 new Playwright specs (form-safety) + 14 new Go tests across the
validator and handler. All 172 Playwright tests + 10 Go packages green.
End-to-end manual verification: GET empty → POST 201 + capability URL →
GET re-edit (pre-filled) → POST update → 200, raw YAML browsable, ACL
deny → 403.
Docs: form/ section added to AGENTS.md and ARCHITECTURE.md. AGENTS.md
also documents the implementation-vs-dependency policy. CLAUDE.md repo-shape
list extended.
Deferred (v1+): .zddc editor migration onto this system, file-as-truth
lossless YAML round-trip, ui:show-when conditional visibility, oneOf/anyOf,
apps-cascade preview hook, cascade-fetched form definitions.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
32 KiB
ZDDC Architecture
This document is the single authoritative reference for how ZDDC tools are designed and built. It covers the shared single-file HTML application pattern, the build system, tool-specific architectural decisions, and contribution guidelines.
Why Single-File HTML Applications
Every ZDDC tool compiles to a single self-contained .html file — no servers, no installers, no subscriptions.
| Principle | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Reliability | Opens in any modern Chromium-based browser without network access or external services |
| Portability | Can be emailed, archived, or deployed to air-gapped environments with no tooling |
| Auditability | Source, embedded data, and output travel together, satisfying ZDDC traceability requirements |
| Longevity | Static assets remain functional long after build environments have changed |
| Simplicity | A single .html file eliminates deployment steps and brittle dependency chains |
Repository Structure
Every HTML tool follows the same directory layout:
tool/
README.md # Feature scope, UI design, domain rules, help content
css/ # Logically separated stylesheets (one responsibility per file)
js/ # Vanilla ES modules (one responsibility per file)
template.html # Shell markup with {{PLACEHOLDER}} markers for development
build.sh # Inlines css/ and js/ into dist/tool.html
dist/
tool.html # Generated output — never edit this manually
Website files (what zddc.varasys.io serves) live on a separate Codeberg repo (codeberg.org/VARASYS/ZDDC-website, typically cloned at ~/src/zddc-website/) for hand-edited content, plus the deploy host's /srv/zddc/ for the assembled live site. The system Caddy bind-mounts /srv/zddc/. ./deploy rsyncs both into it.
~/src/zddc-website/ (clone of codeberg.org/VARASYS/ZDDC-website)
index.html # hand-edited intro page + install snippets (root URL)
reference.html # hand-edited file-naming convention spec
css/, js/, img/ # hand-edited static assets
README.md, LICENSE # repo housekeeping
# NO releases/ — release artifacts are NOT in any git history.
~/src/zddc/dist/release-output/ (gitignored, produced by ./build alpha|beta|release)
index.html # download page, regenerated by build
<tool>_v<X.Y.Z>.html # real per-version HTML (immutable)
<tool>_v<X.Y>.html → ... # symlink: latest patch within X.Y.*
<tool>_v<X>.html → ... # symlink: latest within X.*.*
<tool>_stable.html → ... # symlink: current stable HTML
<tool>_beta.html → ... # symlink to stable (or real bytes when active beta dev)
<tool>_alpha.html → ... # symlink to beta/stable (or real bytes when active alpha dev)
zddc-server_v<X.Y.Z>_<platform> # real per-version cross-compiled binary (raw bytes, no LFS)
zddc-server_v<X.Y>_<platform> → ... # symlink chain (mirrors the HTML cascade per platform)
zddc-server_v<X>_<platform> → ...
zddc-server_<channel>_<platform> → ... # channel mirror per platform
zddc-server_<X>.html # generated stub: cell link → fans out 4 platform downloads
/srv/zddc/ (deploy host; Caddy bind-mount)
index.html, reference.html, css/, js/, img/ ← rsync'd from ~/src/zddc-website/
releases/ ← rsync'd from ~/src/zddc/dist/release-output/
<tool> ∈ {archive, transmittal, classifier, mdedit, landing}. <platform> ∈ {linux-amd64, darwin-amd64, darwin-arm64, windows-amd64.exe}.
Every URL under /releases/ resolves directly via the symlink chain — no manifest.json, no Caddy regex-rewrite, no JavaScript indirection, no third-party mirror. Caddy serves these as plain static files. The Docker-tag pattern: :1.2.3 is pinned, :1.2 floats, :1 floats further, :stable floats furthest, and :beta / :alpha are mutable channel mirrors that overwrite in place.
zddc-server binaries are reproducible from a tag, not in git — ./build alpha|beta|release cross-compiles them into dist/release-output/, ./deploy rsyncs them to /srv/zddc/releases/, Caddy serves from there. Older versions: git checkout zddc-server-v0.0.8 && ./build release 0.0.8. The helm/zddc-server-{prod,dev}/ charts build from source via init container, but operators who want a prebuilt binary just curl -O https://zddc.varasys.io/releases/zddc-server_stable_linux-amd64. The single cell link per release points at zddc-server_<X>.html, a small generated stub that surfaces all four platform downloads.
To preview a build locally, open dist/tool.html directly via the dev server. To publish on zddc.varasys.io, cut a release with ./build alpha|beta|release and then ./deploy.
Vendor dependencies (bundled third-party libraries) live in tool/vendor/ if present. The build script is responsible for inlining them into the output.
Documentation ownership
Each topic has exactly one authoritative home; everything else links to it.
| Topic | Single home | Linked from |
|---|---|---|
| What ZDDC is + tool channel links + dual-mode (local/server) overview + install snippets | ~/src/zddc-website/index.html (hand-edited intro for zddc.varasys.io/, in the ZDDC-website repo) |
repo README.md, zddc/README.md |
| File-naming convention spec (status codes, modifiers, folder format) | ~/src/zddc-website/reference.html |
repo README.md, in-tool help text |
| Versions + channel builds index of every tool | dist/release-output/index.html (regenerated by ./build; deployed to /srv/zddc/releases/index.html) |
website intro nav, "Browse all versions" link |
Customer-deployment install (zddc-server binary embeds current-stable tools; .zddc apps: cascade overrides; cache at <root>/_app/) |
zddc/README.md "Apps: virtual tool HTMLs" section |
website intro, AGENTS.md |
zddc-server operations: env vars, ACL syntax, .archive URLs, container vs binary |
zddc/README.md |
AGENTS.md, website intro |
| Build / release / channel commands | AGENTS.md |
repo README.md ("see AGENTS.md") |
| Architecture & internal patterns | ARCHITECTURE.md (this file) |
AGENTS.md |
| Per-tool internal design quirks | <tool>/README.md |
(linked from website intro tool cards) |
index.html in the ZDDC-website repo (working dir ~/src/zddc-website/index.html) is hand-edited static content (analogous to reference.html), not the landing-tool output. The install section points operators at two paths: local (download a .html file from /releases/) and server (run zddc-server; current-stable builds of all six tools are baked into the binary at compile time via //go:embed). The landing tool's released bytes live at /srv/zddc/releases/landing_v<X.Y.Z>.html (rsync'd from dist/release-output/); the embedded copy serves at the deployment root by default. The public website at zddc.varasys.io/ is the same hand-edited index.html — its root URL is the introduction page, not the project picker (because there are no projects to pick from a static site).
When updating documentation, prefer linking over duplicating. If you find yourself rewriting the file-naming convention in a tool's README, link to reference.html instead.
Build System
How It Works
Each HTML tool's build.sh:
- Reads CSS files in declaration order, concatenates them
- Reads JS files in declaration order, concatenates them
- Processes
template.htmlwithawk, replacing{{PLACEHOLDER}}markers with the concatenated content and stripping CDN<script>/<link>tags - Writes the result to
dist/tool.html - If
--release <channel-or-version>was passed, callspromote_releaseto write intodist/release-output/(per-version file + symlink updates for stable; channel mirror overwrite for alpha/beta).
The top-level ./build at the repository root is the canonical lockstep entry point. It:
- On a channel/release cut, seeds
dist/release-output/from/srv/zddc/releases/(preserving symlinks) so the bundle is a complete intended-live snapshot, not a sparse one-channel diff. Cascades and the verifier downstream see the same world the live site has. - Forwards
--release [version|alpha|beta]to every HTML tool's build, computing a coordinated next-stable target via_coordinated_next_stable(max of every tool's latest tag + 1) when no explicit version is given. - Cross-compiles zddc-server for the four target platforms inside a containerized Go toolchain (podman/docker).
- On a channel/release cut, calls
promote_zddc_serverto copy the freshly cross-compiled binaries intodist/release-output/with the matching symlink chain (one set per platform) and tagzddc-server-v<X.Y.Z>alongside the six HTML-tool tags (stable cuts only). - Calls
write_zddc_server_stubs_allto refresh the per-version + per-channel stub HTML pages from whatever artifacts are indist/release-output/. - Regenerates
dist/release-output/index.htmlas the action-first download page. - Calls
verify_channel_links— fails the build if any channel link is dangling.
Then ./deploy --releases rsyncs dist/release-output/ → /srv/zddc/releases/ with --delete-after.
Channels
Three release channels, applied in lockstep across all seven tools (6 HTML + zddc-server). The cascade rule keeps downstream channel symlinks current automatically.
- Stable — versioned, immutable.
./build release [version]writes per-version HTML for the six HTML tools and per-version binaries for zddc-server (real bytes), refreshes the symlink chain (5 symlinks per HTML tool + 5 symlinks per zddc-server platform) all → the new version, and tags<tool>-v<X.Y.Z>for every tool. Skips per-tool HTML rewrites when source hasn't changed since that tool's last stable tag (binaries always rebuild). - Beta —
./build betaoverwrites<tool>_beta.htmlfor each HTML tool andzddc-server_beta_<platform>for each platform with fresh bytes. Cascades alpha → beta for both HTML and binaries (one symlink per platform). No tag — channel URLs are stable URLs by design. - Alpha —
./buildoverwrites only the alpha mirrors, all seven tools. No tag, no other side-effects.
A plain ./build (no arg) is a dev build: it produces dist/<tool>.html and zddc/dist/zddc-server-<platform> binaries; doesn't touch dist/release-output/ or the live site. The download index, stub pages, and verifier only run when a channel/release is being cut.
The cascade rule (stable cut → beta + alpha mirrors reset to stable; beta cut → alpha resets to beta) means downstream channels are never stale across either HTML or binaries. "No active beta" silently shows current stable; "no active alpha" silently shows current beta or stable. Operators don't need to run a freshen step after each stable release.
The on-page {{BUILD_LABEL}} is rendered red+bold for dev/alpha/beta builds (is_red=1) and black for stable releases. The label format is:
| Build | Label |
|---|---|
dev (no --release) |
v0.0.6-alpha · 2026-04-27 14:00:00 · abc1234[-dirty] |
--release alpha |
v0.0.6-alpha · 2026-04-27 · abc1234 |
--release beta |
v0.0.6-beta · 2026-04-27 · abc1234 |
--release [ver] |
v0.0.5 |
X.Y.Z for non-stable labels is the next-stable target — patch+1 from the latest clean <tool>-vX.Y.Z tag. Dev builds use the full timestamp + -dirty marker so iterative work is distinguishable from a formal --release alpha cut (which stamps date-only and is committed-clean by definition).
Install distribution model
Two orthogonal axes: how the bytes get there (this section), and what runtime mode the tool ends up in (next section).
Local mode (no server): download a tool .html from https://zddc.varasys.io/releases/ and open it. Tools are self-contained — no install, no install script.
Server mode (zddc-server): the binary //go:embeds the current-stable build of every tool at compile time. That's the default — no fetching happens out of the box. The server virtually serves each tool only at directories where the convention says it belongs (internal/apps/availability.go):
| App | Available at |
|---|---|
archive |
every directory (multi-project, project, archive, vendor) |
classifier |
any Incoming, Working, or Staging directory and its subtree |
mdedit |
any Working directory and its subtree |
transmittal |
any Staging directory and its subtree |
landing |
only at the deployment root |
Resolution order at a request to <dir>/<app>.html where the app is available:
- Override — real
.htmlfile at the path → static handler. .zddc apps:cascade — walk leaf→root for anapps.<app>entry. Spec isstable/beta/alpha(canonical channel),v0.0.4/v0.0/v0(canonical version), full URL (custom mirror), or local path. Closer-to-leaf wins.- Embedded — the build-time HTML compiled into the binary.
URL sources fetch once on first request and cache forever in <ZDDC_ROOT>/_app/<host>/<path>. There is no background refresh, no SHA-256 verification, no admin UI. To pull a new build, delete the cache file. Concurrent misses for the same URL share one outbound fetch (hand-rolled singleflight). Failed fetches fall through to embedded with a one-time WARN log per source URL. Direct URL access to /_app/... is blocked at dispatch.
The X-ZDDC-Source response header always reports what was served: fetch:URL, cache:URL, path:/abs, or embedded:<app>@<build>.
Runtime mode detection
Independent of how the tool got installed. archive auto-detects from the URL and folder shape (?projects= set → multi-project; scan root has an archive/ child → project-root; otherwise → in-archive). The other tools don't care — transmittal, classifier, mdedit work the same regardless of where they live.
Build Script Requirements
Every build.sh must:
- Begin with
#!/bin/shandset -eu(POSIX sh, not bash) - Source
shared/build-lib.shfirst (providesensure_exists,concat_files,build_timestamp,compute_build_label,promote_release, plus the lockstep helpers_coordinated_next_stable,promote_zddc_server,write_zddc_server_stubs_all,verify_channel_links) - Fail immediately on missing source files (
ensure_existspattern) - Clean up temp files on exit (use
trap cleanup EXIT) - Accept
--release [<version>|alpha|beta]— explicit version or channel name; otherwise produce a dev build
HTML Embedding Safety
When inlining JavaScript into a <script> block, the HTML parser scans for the exact string </script> to terminate the block — backslash escaping (<\/script>) does not prevent termination. Any JS source file or vendor library that contains </tag> sequences inside string literals or template literals will break the inline <script> block.
The rule is:
All
</sequences in inlined JavaScript must be escaped as<\/usingsed.
Both the app JS concatenation step and any vendor JS bundling step must run through:
sed 's#</#<\\/#g' "$input_js" > "$safe_js"
Then use </script> (not <\/script>) to close the <script> block, since the content no longer contains any </ sequences that the parser could misread.
This is already enforced for mdedit's vendor bundling. It is the contributor's responsibility to ensure new tools follow this pattern.
Vendor Dependencies
Some tools bundle third-party libraries. These live in tool/vendor/ and are committed to the repository. The build script inlines them into dist/tool.html.
Current vendor files:
| Tool | Library | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| mdedit | Toast UI Editor v3.2.2 | vendor/toastui-editor-all.min.js |
Markdown editor with live preview |
| mdedit | Toast UI Editor CSS | vendor/toastui-editor.min.css |
Editor stylesheet |
| transmittal | jszip, docx-preview, xlsx | CDN at runtime | Optional preview features; tool works without them |
Runtime CDN loading exception: The transmittal tool loads jszip, docx-preview, and xlsx from CDN at runtime via loadLibrary() forDOCX/XLSX preview functionality. These are optional enhancements—core transmittal functionality (JSON payload communication) works without them. This exception is documented here because:
- The core transmittal features (creating, signing, verifying SHA-256 digests) do not depend on these libraries
- Preview functionality gracefully degrades if libraries fail to load
- Bundling would significantly increase file size for rarely-used features
Rule: Runtime CDN loading is allowed only when:
- Features are strictly optional (graceful degradation)
- Core functionality works without the external library
- Library is clearly documented as non-essential
template.html for tools with vendor deps loads those deps from CDN for convenient local development. The build script replaces CDN tags with the bundled vendor files in the output.
Development vs Production
| Context | Tailwind / Vendor | How to run |
|---|---|---|
| Development | CDN (live, from template.html) |
Open template.html directly in Chromium |
| Production | Bundled / Static CSS | Run bash tool/build.sh, open dist/tool.html |
For mdedit specifically: template.html loads Toast UI from CDN and uses Tailwind Play CDN. The build replaces Toast UI with the bundled vendor file and replaces the Tailwind CDN script with the static css/tailwind-utils.css subset.
JavaScript Architecture
Vanilla JS Only
All tools use plain JavaScript — no TypeScript, no frameworks, no bundlers. Dependencies are managed manually via vendor files.
Module Pattern
Each JS file wraps its code in an IIFE or module-scope block and registers its API on window.app.modules:
// js/mymodule.js
(function() {
function doSomething() { ... }
window.app.modules.mymodule = { doSomething };
})();
Two top-level globals:
window.app— per-tool app state, modules, and debug surface (every tool)window.zddc— shared filename/folder/revision parsers fromshared/zddc.js(every tool)
No other globals. Never expose implementation internals beyond what's needed for testing.
Module Load Order
JS files are concatenated in the order declared in build.sh. Each file can assume earlier files' modules are available on window.app. Circular dependencies are not permitted — modules must be layered.
Typical ordering:
app.js ← Declares window.app and top-level state
utils.js ← Stateless helpers (no dependencies)
store.js ← State management (depends on app.js)
[domain].js ← Feature modules (depend on store/utils)
main.js ← Initialization (depends on all modules)
State Management
Tools manage state in one of two patterns:
1. Direct state on window.app (archive, classifier, mdedit)
window.app = { files: [], selectedFolders: new Set(), modules: {}, ... };
State is read directly; mutations trigger explicit re-render calls. Classifier additionally layers a small pub-sub on top via store.js (store.on('files', render)).
2. Proxy-based reactive state (transmittal)
const state = createReactiveState({ mode: 'edit', published: false });
state.subscribe((prop, newVal) => { /* auto-update UI */ });
state.mode = 'view'; // Proxy notifies all subscribers automatically
Use reactive state when the same property drives multiple independent UI elements. Use direct state when the data flow is simple and unidirectional.
Tool-Specific Architecture
Archive Browser
Pattern: Direct mutation of window.app.{directories, files, filteredFiles, selectedFiles, ...}, helper modules namespaced under window.app.modules.{events, table, urlState, source, ...}. Supports two source modes (window.app.sourceMode): 'local' (File System Access API) and 'http' (zddc-server JSON browse).
Two-level directory structure required:
root-directory/
transmittal-folder/ ← "grouping folder" — must be a subdirectory
123456-EL-SPC-0001_A (IFC) - Spec.pdf
...
Files at the root level are ignored. The grouping folder list and transmittal folder list are populated from the first two levels of the selected directory. Files are only counted in filteredFiles after ZDDC filename parsing succeeds.
Key DOM IDs: #addDirectoryBtn, #noDirectoryMessage, .main-container, #filesTableBody, #fileCount, #selectedCount, #selectAllGroupingCheckbox.
Document Classifier
Pattern: Event-driven store (store.js) with notify() / on() pub-sub, spreadsheet rendering on 'files' events.
File object shape (as produced by scanner.js):
{
trackingNumber: '123456-EL-SPC-2623',
title: 'Specification',
revision: 'A',
status: 'IFC',
extension: 'pdf', // no leading dot
originalFilename: '...', // filename without extension
name: '...', // full filename with extension
path: 'folder/filename.pdf',
size: 45000,
isDirectory: false,
manualFilename: null // set if user overrides computed name
}
computeNewFilename(file) (in utils.js) returns file.originalFilename + '.' + file.extension if any required field is missing.
Main app panel (#mainApp) stays hidden (class hidden) until a real directory is opened via showDirectoryPicker. State can be injected via store.setFolderTree() + store.setSelectedFolders() for testing without triggering the picker.
Markdown Editor (mdedit)
Pattern: Global functions (window.updateToc), editor instances managed per file-path in a Map, File System Access API for direct file read/write.
Dependencies: Toast UI Editor v3.2.2 (bundled), Tailwind utility subset (static CSS).
Toast UI availability check:
if (typeof toastui === 'undefined') {
// Graceful degradation — show error message
}
const editor = new toastui.Editor({ el: container, ... });
Key DOM IDs: #app, #select-directory, #welcome-screen, #file-tree, #content-container.
File tree: Populated after showDirectoryPicker() resolves. File items are rendered as DOM children of #file-tree. Clicking a file opens it in the editor panel.
Transmittal Creator
Pattern: Proxy-based reactive state, two-phase hydration, ECDSA digital signatures, SHA-256 file integrity.
Two-phase hydration:
populateStatic()— called before publishing. Fills all form fields and the file table into the HTML so the output is readable without JavaScript (progressive enhancement for SharePoint, email clients, etc.).hydrate()— called on page load of a published transmittal. Hides the "Not Validated" static warning, runs signature verification, and enables interactive features.
Progressive enhancement matrix:
| Feature | No JavaScript | With JavaScript |
|---|---|---|
| Content display | ✅ Full | ✅ Full |
| File table | ✅ Shown | ✅ Shown |
| Digest / signatures | ✅ Listed | ✅ Listed + cryptographically verified |
| Validation status | ⚠️ "Not Validated" badge | ✅ "Verified" / ❌ "Invalid" |
| Editing | ❌ Disabled | ✅ Enabled (if draft) |
| Column filtering | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Data store: A <script id="transmittal-data" type="application/json"> element embedded in the published HTML holds the full transmittal payload. On load, data.js reads and parses it; all UI state derives from this JSON.
Reactive state:
// app.state is a Proxy — assignments auto-notify subscribers
app.state.mode = 'view'; // Triggers UI updates automatically
Subscribe for cross-cutting concerns:
app.state.subscribe((property, newValue) => {
if (property === 'mode') updateModeToggleLabel(newValue);
});
Security model: ECDSA P-256 signing of the SHA-256 digest. Signatures are stored in the JSON payload. Any number of signers can co-sign. Verification runs client-side in the browser's Web Crypto API — no server required.
Key module globals: window.transmittalApp exposes app.data, app.state, and app.modules for debugging and testing.
Form Renderer (form/)
Pattern: Schema-driven renderer for the form-data system. Reads a JSON Schema 2020-12 + RJSF-style ui:* hints from a server-injected <script id="form-context"> block; recursively walks the schema and mounts a tree of widgets; on submit, walks the widget tree to serialize back to JSON and POSTs to the URL the form was loaded from.
Why schema-driven (vs. transmittal's hardcoded HTML): the form tool is generic — one renderer serves any form spec a user (or LLM) drops into the file tree. Adding a new form requires no code change; adding a new field type to an existing form requires only a YAML edit.
Widget interface — every widget exposes:
el— DOM rootread()— current value (recurses into children for object / array)setError(msg)/clearErrors()— show / clear field-level errorschild(name|idx)— for container widgets, look up nested widget by JSON-Pointer segment (used byerrors.jsto attach server-side validation messages by path)
Module layout:
js/app.js—window.formApp = { context, rootWidget, modules }js/context.js— read injected#form-contextJSONjs/util.js—h()DOM builder, JSON-Pointer encode/parsejs/widgets.js— primitives (string/number/integer/boolean/enum, format date/email, textarea)js/object.js— fieldset rendering withui:orderresolutionjs/array.js— repeating-row UX (add/remove)js/render.js— type-triage dispatcherjs/serialize.js— read tree → JSONjs/errors.js— distribute errors by JSON Pointer pathjs/post.js— POST + handle 200/201/422/403/409 responsesjs/main.js— boot: load context, mount root widget, wire submit
Server-side counterpart: zddc/internal/handler/formhandler.go recognizes *.form.html and *.yaml.html URLs, parses the spec, validates submissions via zddc/internal/jsonschema/, writes via zddc.WriteAtomic. Existence of <name>.form.yaml is the trigger; without it, the URL falls through to static-file serving.
Round-trip philosophy: v0 is "form-as-truth" — submission YAML is regenerated from form state on every save. Hand-edits to submission files are not preserved across re-edit→re-submit. v1 will add an opt-in "file-as-truth" mode (eemeli/yaml Document API) for forms like .zddc itself where users hand-edit and comments must survive.
CSS Architecture
All tools use vanilla CSS. No frameworks at build time (mdedit's Tailwind utilities are pre-generated static CSS).
Common conventions:
- CSS variables for theme colors and spacing in
base.css - Component-scoped class names (no global utilities except where Tailwind provides them)
.hiddenclass usesdisplay: none !importantfor JavaScript show/hide- Print styles in a separate
print.css
mdedit Tailwind subset:
css/tailwind-utils.css contains only the ~80 Tailwind v3 utility classes actually used in template.html. If a new utility class is needed in the template, add it here. Classes follow Tailwind v3 naming and values exactly.
Testing
Tests use Playwright with Chromium only (File System Access API requires it).
Running Tests
npm test # all tools
npx playwright test archive # single tool
npx playwright test --debug # debug mode
Test Structure
Each tool has a spec file in tests/:
tests/
archive.spec.js ← 2 tests: load + directory scan
classifier.spec.js ← 2 tests: load + store injection
mdedit.spec.js ← 2 tests: load + file tree render
transmittal.spec.js ← 2 tests: paste round-trip + filesystem round-trip
fixtures/
mock-fs-api.js ← Reusable File System Access API mock
transmittal-data.js
zddc-filenames.js
Mock File System API
MOCK_FS_INIT_SCRIPT (from tests/fixtures/mock-fs-api.js) overrides showDirectoryPicker, showOpenFilePicker, and showSaveFilePicker. Inject it via page.addInitScript before navigating.
// Flat directory
window.__setMockDirectory('name', [{ name: 'file.pdf', content: '...', size: 100 }]);
// Nested directory tree
window.__setMockDirectoryTree('name', {
'subfolder': { 'file.pdf': 'content' },
'root-file.md': 'content',
});
Writing Tests
Follow the pattern in tests/transmittal.spec.js:
- Use ESM
importsyntax - Inject
MOCK_FS_INIT_SCRIPTintest.beforeEachfor any test that navigates to a tool page - Use
waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded'or'load'(not'networkidle'— the bundled scripts may keep the network active) - Prefer
page.waitForFunctionoverpage.waitForSelectorfor app-state readiness - Assert through the store/module API for tests that don't need visible DOM
Code Standards
| Rule | Rationale |
|---|---|
No </script> or any </tag> in JS string literals |
Breaks inline HTML embedding — escape with '<' + '/tag>' or use <\/ in sed at build time |
| No external dependencies at runtime | Self-contained output requirement |
| No TypeScript, no bundlers | Keeps the build system auditable and simple |
Only window.app and window.zddc are global |
Keeps the global namespace clean; expose only what's needed for debugging |
| Defensive input validation | File System API handles and user-pasted data are untrusted |
| Update README.md when features ship | Documentation parity is a delivery requirement, not optional |
Git Workflow
Branching: short-lived feature branches (feature/<name>, bugfix/<name>, hotfix/<name>), squash-merged to main and immediately deleted. Quick fixes (typos, one-liners) go direct to main.
Commit messages: Conventional Commits — <type>(<scope>): <description>. Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, perf, test, chore. See AGENTS.md for the full table and examples.
Releases: Tag the commit after confirming dist/ is current. Format: {project}-v{version} (e.g. archive-v1.0.0). Semantic versioning applies. There is no CI/CD — the built .html file is already committed to the repo.
bash tool/build.sh # rebuild dist/
git add -f tool/dist/tool.html # stage if needed
git commit -m "chore(tool): rebuild for vX.Y.Z"
git tag tool-vX.Y.Z
git push origin main --tags
git tag -l "archive-v*" # list releases
git push origin :refs/tags/tag-name # delete a remote tag
Adding a New Tool
- Create
tool/with the standard directory layout - Write
template.htmlwith{{CSS_PLACEHOLDER}}and{{JS_PLACEHOLDER}}markers - Write
tool/build.shfollowing the pattern of an existing tool - Add
bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/tool/build.sh"to the rootbuild.sh - Add a test project entry to
playwright.config.js - Create a stub
tests/tool.spec.js - Force-add the dist output:
git add -f tool/dist/tool.html
If the tool requires vendor dependencies, download them to tool/vendor/, add them to .gitignore exclusions if appropriate, and update build.sh to inline them (with the </ escaping step).