# Displays ## Definition A **Display** encapsulates **reusable, UI-only display logic**. In this codebase, a Display is a **Frontend Value Object**: - class-based - immutable - deterministic - side-effect free ### Distinction from Domain Value Objects While both are "Value Objects", they serve different layers: 1. **Domain Value Objects (Core):** Encapsulate business truth and invariants (e.g., `Money`, `EmailAddress`). They are pure and never contain formatting logic. 2. **Display Objects (Website):** Encapsulate presentation truth and formatting (e.g., `PriceDisplay`, `DateDisplay`). They are used to transform raw data or Domain Value Objects into user-ready strings. It answers the question: > “How should this specific piece of information be shown?” Displays are **not screen-specific**. They exist to avoid duplicating presentation logic across View Models. **Naming Convention:** - Displays MUST end with `Display` suffix - Displays MUST be reusable across multiple screens - Valid examples: `PriceDisplay`, `EmailDisplay`, `RatingDisplay` - Invalid examples: `DashboardRatingDisplay`, `UserProfileDisplay` --- ## Responsibilities A Display MAY: - format values (money, dates, durations) - handle localization only when localization inputs are deterministic (for example: mapping stable codes to stable labels) - map codes to labels - encapsulate UI display conventions - be reused across multiple View Models In addition, a Display MAY: - normalize presentation inputs (for example trimming/casing) - expose multiple explicit display variants (for example `shortLabel`, `longLabel`) A Display MUST: - be deterministic - be side-effect free - operate only on presentation data A Display MUST: - be implemented as a **class** with a small, explicit API - accept only primitives/plain data in its constructor (or static factory) - expose only primitive outputs (strings/numbers/booleans) --- ## Restrictions A Display MUST NOT: - contain business logic - enforce domain invariants - perform validation - influence system behavior - be sent back to the server - depend on backend or infrastructure concerns - **depend on environment-specific APIs** (e.g., `window`, `document`, `navigator`) - **be serialized** (they are classes; only their primitive outputs are stored in `ViewData`) In this repository, a Display MUST NOT: - call `Intl.*` - call `Date.toLocaleString()` / `Date.toLocaleDateString()` / `Date.toLocaleTimeString()` Reason: these are runtime-locale/timezone dependent and cause SSR/hydration mismatches. ### Handling Client-Only Formatting If a formatting requirement **strictly requires** client-only APIs (e.g., browser-native relative time or local timezone detection): 1. It MUST NOT live in a `Display Object`. 2. It SHOULD live in a **View Model** (which is client-only). 3. The Template should handle the transition from server-provided `ViewData` to client-updated `ViewData`. ### Best Practices for Time/Date Formatting To avoid hydration mismatches while still providing good SEO and UX: 1. **Use UTC methods for Determinism:** In `Display Objects`, prefer `getUTCDate()`, `getUTCMonth()`, etc., over their local counterparts. This ensures the server and client produce the exact same string regardless of their local timezones. 2. **Hardcoded Arrays:** Use hardcoded arrays for month/day names instead of `Intl` to ensure consistency across environments. 3. **Pass "Now" as an Argument:** For relative time (e.g., "time ago"), pass the reference "now" timestamp as an argument to the `Display Object` instead of calling `Date.now()` inside it. 4. **The "Upgrade" Pattern:** - **Server:** `ViewData Builder` uses a `Display Object` to produce a deterministic UTC-based string (e.g., "2024-01-18 15:00 UTC"). - **Client:** `View Model` uses client APIs (`Intl`, `toLocale*`) to produce a localized string (e.g., "3:00 PM") and updates the `ViewData`. ## Localization rule (strict) Localization MUST NOT depend on runtime locale APIs. Allowed approaches: - API returns the exact labels/strings for the current user context. - Website maps stable codes to stable labels using a deterministic table. Forbidden approaches: - any usage of `Intl.*` - any usage of `toLocale*` If a rule affects system correctness or persistence, it does not belong in a Display. --- ## Ownership & Placement - Displays belong to the **presentation layer** - They are frontend-only - They are not shared with the backend or core Placement rule (strict): - Displays live under `apps/website/lib/display-objects/*`. - Filenames MUST match the class name with `.tsx` extension (e.g., `RatingDisplay.tsx` contains `class RatingDisplay`) --- ## Relationship to View Models and ViewData Builders Displays are the **shared source of truth** for formatting logic across the website: - **ViewData Builders (Server):** Use Displays to produce deterministic, formatted strings for SEO and initial SSR. - **View Models (Client):** Use Displays to produce formatted strings for interactive UI and client-specific context. Additional strict rules: - View Models SHOULD compose Displays. - ViewData Builders SHOULD use Displays for all formatting. - **Templates and Components MUST NOT use Displays directly.** They must receive already-formatted primitive outputs (strings, numbers) via their props. Reason: This keeps the rendering layer "dumb" and ensures that the `ViewData` remains the single source of truth for what is displayed on the screen. - Displays MUST NOT be serialized or passed across boundaries. --- ## Testing Displays SHOULD be tested because they often contain: - locale-specific behavior - formatting rules - edge cases visible to users Additionally: - test determinism by running the same inputs under Node and browser contexts (where applicable) - test boundary rules (no `Intl.*`, no `toLocale*`) --- ## Common Candidates (Found in Components) The following patterns were identified in `apps/website/components` and SHOULD be migrated to Display Objects: ### 1. Date & Time - **Month/Year:** `new Date().toLocaleDateString('en-US', { month: 'short', year: 'numeric' })` → `DateDisplay.formatMonthYear()` - **Time only:** `new Date().toLocaleTimeString([], { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit' })` → `DateDisplay.formatTime()` - **Full Date:** `new Date().toLocaleDateString()` → `DateDisplay.formatShort()` (ensure UTC) - **Relative Time:** `timeAgo(timestamp)` logic → `RelativeTimeDisplay.format(timestamp, now)` ### 2. Currency & Prices - **Price with Symbol:** `$` + `amount.toFixed(2)` → `CurrencyDisplay.format(amount, 'USD')` - **Compact Price:** `$` + `amount.toLocaleString()` → `CurrencyDisplay.formatCompact(amount)` ### 3. Numbers & Stats - **Ratings:** `Math.round(rating).toLocaleString()` → `RatingDisplay.format(rating)` - **Percentages:** `(val * 100).toFixed(1) + '%'` → `PercentDisplay.format(val)` - **Consistency:** `${stats.consistency}%` → `ConsistencyDisplay.format(stats.consistency)` - **Average Finish:** `avgFinish.toFixed(1)` → `FinishDisplay.format(avgFinish)` - **Durations:** `duration.toFixed(2) + 'ms'` or `minutes:seconds` → `DurationDisplay.format(ms)` - **Memory:** `(bytes / 1024 / 1024).toFixed(1) + 'MB'` → `MemoryDisplay.format(bytes)` ### 4. Status & Labels - **Race Status:** Mapping `scheduled | running | completed` to labels → `RaceStatusDisplay` - **Protest Status:** Mapping `pending | under_review | resolved` to labels → `ProtestStatusDisplay` - **Action Status:** Mapping `PENDING | COMPLETED | FAILED` to labels → `ActionStatusDisplay` ### 5. Pluralization - **Member Count:** `${count} ${count === 1 ? 'member' : 'members'}` → `MemberDisplay.formatCount(count)` - **League Count:** `${count} ${count === 1 ? 'league' : 'leagues'}` → `LeagueDisplay.formatCount(count)` --- ## Existing Display Objects - **[`DateDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/DateDisplay.ts)**: UTC-based date and time formatting. - **[`CurrencyDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/CurrencyDisplay.ts)**: Deterministic currency formatting. - **[`RaceStatusDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/RaceStatusDisplay.ts)**: Race status labels, variants, and icons. - **[`RatingDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/RatingDisplay.ts)**: Rounded rating formatting with thousands separators. - **[`RelativeTimeDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/RelativeTimeDisplay.ts)**: Deterministic relative time (requires "now" argument). - **[`MemberDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/MemberDisplay.ts)**: Member count pluralization. - **[`LeagueDisplay`](apps/website/lib/display-objects/LeagueDisplay.ts)**: League count pluralization. --- ## Summary - Displays encapsulate **how something looks** (the single source of truth for formatting logic). - View Models encapsulate **what a screen needs** (including client-specific "last mile" formatting). - Both are presentation concerns. - Neither contains business truth. In one sentence: **Displays are the shared source of truth for deterministic formatting logic, used by both the server and the client.** --- ## Final Rule: Where does formatting go? 1. **Is it deterministic?** (e.g., currency symbols, fixed date formats, labels) → **Display Object**. 2. **Is it client-only?** (e.g., `Intl.*`, `toLocale*`, browser timezone) → **View Model**. 3. **Is it for SEO?** → **ViewData Builder** (using a Display Object).