summercms-initial-research/.planning/phases/07-admin-forms-lists/07-CONTEXT.md

Phase 7: Admin Forms & Lists - Context

Gathered: 2026-02-04 Status: Ready for planning

## Phase Boundary

YAML-driven form and list generation for the admin backend. Developers define fields.yaml and columns.yaml, the system renders corresponding forms and tables with standard widgets, filters, and validation display. RelationController-style relations and WinterCMS repeater behavior included.

## Implementation Decisions

Form widget styling

• Modern minimal aesthetic: clean lines, whitespace, subtle borders (Linear/Notion feel)
• Labels positioned above inputs (stacked layout)
• Sections collapsible, expanded by default
• Action buttons (Save, Cancel) at bottom of form
• Required fields indicated with red asterisk
• Help text always visible below fields
• Field width configurable via YAML (span: left, cssClass grid system) — similar to WinterCMS
• Disabled fields render as read-only appearance (normal styling, not editable)
• Multiple sections use horizontal tabs
• Dark mode supported with user toggle in preferences

Relations and repeaters

• Relation fields use RelationController-style behavior: modal-based, rich list/form within, highly customizable through YAML
• Repeater fields match WinterCMS behavior: inline add/remove, drag handles for reorder, collapsible items, configurable min/max

List presentation

• Table density user-selectable (comfortable/compact toggle)
• Row click navigates to edit/preview screen (configurable)
• Bulk actions toolbar above list: Create, Delete Selected, etc. — operates on checkbox-selected records
• Traditional pagination (page numbers, explicit navigation)
• Columns auto-size by content or explicit YAML width; user can drag to resize
• Row reordering is separate feature controlled by model trait

Validation UX

• Validation on submit only (no real-time or on-blur)
• Error messages inline under each invalid field
• Auto-scroll to first error with highlight/pulse animation
• Two save actions: "Save" (stay on form + flash), "Save and close" (redirect to list + flash)

YAML syntax design

• WinterCMS-inspired but improved — cleaner patterns, better defaults
• Conditional visibility via trigger property (WinterCMS style)
• Custom widgets registered via plugin boot lifecycle (explicit, not convention)
• YAML anchors/aliases supported for field reuse (standard YAML mixins)
• Validation rules defined in Scala model only (type-safe, not in YAML)

Claude's Discretion

• Specific animation/transition implementations
• Exact color palette within "modern minimal" aesthetic
• Internal component architecture
• Widget rendering optimizations

## Specific Ideas

• Forms and lists should feel like WinterCMS to experienced users, but with cleaner visuals
• RelationController is important — rich modal-based relation management, not simple dropdowns
• Repeater must match WinterCMS exactly: collapse/expand items, drag reorder, add/remove inline
• Column resizing like Excel — drag borders, but auto-fit by default

## Deferred Ideas

None — discussion stayed within phase scope

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Phase: 07-admin-forms-lists Context gathered: 2026-02-04