Frontend Documentation

Welcome to our frontend documentation. This guide provides a structured path through our established patterns and practices.

Getting Started

Choose your path based on your experience level and immediate needs:

🚀 Quick Start (5 minutes)

New to the project? Start here:

1. Environment Setup - Get up and running locally
2. Core Concepts - Understand our architecture
3. First Contribution - Make your first change

📚 Documentation Structure

Our documentation is organized by user journey and complexity:

Section	Purpose	When to Use
Getting Started	Onboarding & setup	First time setup, troubleshooting
Fundamentals	Core concepts	Building components, understanding patterns
Development Patterns	Practical implementation	Daily development, complex features
Quality Assurance	Testing & accessibility	Before shipping, maintaining quality
Performance Monitoring	Optimization & monitoring	Performance issues, monitoring setup
Reference	Standards & conventions	Code reviews, style questions, API schemas

🆘 Need Help Right Now?

• Something broken? → Troubleshooting Guide
• Code standards? → Code Conventions
• API schemas? → API Schemas & Data Structures
• Component patterns? → Component Architecture
• Styling questions? → Design Tokens

Core Technologies

• Astro

  • Server-first architecture
  • Zero-JavaScript by default
  • Hybrid static/dynamic rendering
  • HTML streaming support
  • Islands architecture for interactivity

• SolidJS

  • Fine-grained reactivity
  • Efficient updates
  • TypeScript support
  • Small bundle size
  • Perfect for Astro islands

• TailwindCSS

  • Utility-first approach
  • Built-in responsive design
  • Performance optimized
  • Strong developer experience
  • Consistent design system

• GraphQL

  • Type-safe queries
  • Efficient data loading
  • Flexible API design
  • Strong tooling support
  • Optimized data fetching

Learning Paths

🎯 By Learning Path

🚀 Getting Started (New Team Members)

1. Environment Setup → Core Concepts
2. Component Architecture → Design Tokens
3. Data Fetching → GraphQL Patterns

⚡ Building Features (Interactive Development)

1. Core Concepts → Data Fetching
2. Forms & Actions → State Management
3. Testing Patterns

🎨 Design & Accessibility (UI/UX Focus)

1. Design Tokens → Component Architecture
2. Accessibility Requirements

🛠️ By Task

Building a New Component

1. Component Architecture - Choose component type
2. Design Tokens - Apply consistent styling
3. Data Fetching - Add data if needed
4. Testing Patterns - Ensure quality

Adding Interactivity

1. State Management - Manage component state
2. Forms & User Input - Handle user interactions
3. Accessibility Requirements - Ensure accessibility

Performance Optimization

1. Component Architecture - Review loading strategies
2. Performance Optimization - Identify bottlenecks
3. GraphQL Patterns - Optimize queries

Quick Reference

📋 Common Tasks

Task	Primary Guide	Supporting Docs
Create Component	Component Architecture	Design Tokens, Code Conventions
Add Data Fetching	Data Fetching Patterns	GraphQL Patterns
Handle Forms	Forms & User Input	State Management
Fix Styling Issues	Design Tokens	Troubleshooting
Add Tests	Testing Patterns	Accessibility Requirements
Debug Problems	Troubleshooting Guide	Code Conventions

🔧 Development Workflow

1. Before Starting: Check Environment Setup if issues arise
2. During Development: Reference Component Architecture and Design Tokens
3. Before Committing: Review Code Conventions and run tests
4. Before Merging: Ensure Accessibility Requirements are met

Best Practices Summary

Key principles across all patterns:

1. Component Design

   • Static by default (Astro)
   • Interactive when needed (SolidJS)
   • Clear component boundaries
   • Proper error handling

2. Data Management

   • Server-first approach
   • Colocated queries
   • Type safety
   • Error handling

3. Testing

   • Colocated tests
   • Multiple testing types
   • Accessibility checks
   • Clear test organization

4. Accessibility

   • WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
   • Semantic HTML
   • Keyboard navigation
   • Screen reader support

Documentation Navigation

Each documentation page includes navigation aids to help you follow the recommended learning path:

1. Header Section

   • Current section and page title
   • Prerequisites for the current page

2. Footer Section

   • Links to previous and next pages in the learning path
   • Quick access to help resources

The navigation is automatically maintained using scripts in the docs/scripts directory:

# To update navigation across all documentation files:
cd docs/scripts
node add-navigation.js

Need Help?

• 🆘 Issues? Check our Troubleshooting Guide
• 📏 Standards? Review Code Conventions
• 🎨 Components? Browse Storybook (when running locally)
• 💬 Questions? Ask in #lp-frontend Slack channel
• 👥 Complex problems? Request a pairing session

Contributing

When adding to this documentation:

1. Follow the established format
2. Include real code examples
3. Explain “Why This Pattern?”
4. Add to this index when needed

Review existing guides in this documentation for examples of these principles in practice.