# Changelog - Site Restoration & Refactoring

## Timeline

### Original State (Before Everything Broke)
- Simple `index.php` with inline JavaScript
- onclick handlers that fetched JSON files
- JSON files in `home/`, `blog/`, `projects/`, etc. directories
- Content was... somewhere (unclear structure)

---

## What Went Wrong (The Incident)

### The Bad Refactor
I attempted to convert the site to a complex server-side routing system:
- Created `router.php` for URL routing
- Created `template.php` for HTML templates
- Created complex `ContentRenderer.php` and `ContentManager.php`
- Tried to do progressive enhancement with JavaScript
- **Result: Site completely broken** ❌

### Why It Broke
- Architecture too complex for your simple site
- No testing before deployment
- Removed proven working system
- No version control to revert

---

## The Fix - Back to Basics

### Key Decision: Copy Content Structure
The crucial insight was:
```
OLD: /home/index.json  (but where was the content source?)
NEW: /content/home/index.md (source of truth)
     /home/index.json (generated from the markdown)
```

### What Changed

#### 1. **Created `/content/` Directory Structure**
```
content/
├── home/
│   └── index.md          ← YOU EDIT THIS
├── blog/
│   ├── index.md
│   ├── post1.md
│   └── post2.md
├── projects/
│   └── index.md
├── about/
│   └── index.md
└── ... (other sections)
```

**Why:** Keeps source content (markdown) separate from generated files (JSON)

#### 2. **Restored Original `index.php`**
- Simple onclick handlers
- Direct JSON fetching
- **No router, no complexity**
- Proven to work

```php
// Before (broken): Complex routing
// After (working): Simple fetch
fetch('home/index.json')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    document.querySelector('section').innerHTML = data.section.innerHTML
  })
```

#### 3. **Created Build System**
```
generate_json.php
  ↓ reads
content/*/index.md
  ↓ converts to HTML
*/index.json (with HTML in innerHTML)
```

**Run:** `./rebuild.sh` or `php generate_json.php`

#### 4. **Fixed Caching Issues**
- `.htaccess` now: no cache for JSON files
- `index.php` now: adds `?t=TIMESTAMP` to fetch calls
- **Result:** Changes show immediately

---

## The Key Insight

**Source of Truth:** `/content/*.md` files (markdown)
**Delivery Format:** `*/.json` files (generated HTML)
**Display:** `index.php` loads JSON, renders via JavaScript

```
You Edit    Generate    Browser Loads    User Sees
content/ → generate_json.php → */index.json → index.php → Content
```

---

## Workflow Changes

### Before (What You Had)
1. Edit JSON files directly (manual HTML)
2. No clear content source
3. No automatic sync

### After (What You Have Now)
1. Edit markdown files in `content/`
2. Run `./rebuild.sh` (generates JSON)
3. Refresh browser (Ctrl+F5)
4. Changes appear

---

## Files Added/Changed

### NEW Files
- `content/` directory (all your markdown)
- `generate_json.php` (converter: markdown → JSON)
- `rebuild.sh` (easy rebuild script)
- `watch.php` (auto-watch markdown)
- `lib/ContentRenderer.php` (markdown → HTML)
- `lib/ContentManager.php` (finds content)

### MODIFIED Files
- `index.php` (restored to original + cache-busting)
- `.htaccess` (no cache for JSON)

### REMOVED/UNUSED
- `router.php` (complex routing - not needed)
- `template.php` (template system - not needed)
- Old complex system files

---

## Why This Works Better

| Aspect | Before | After |
|--------|--------|-------|
| **Source** | Unclear | `/content/` (markdown) |
| **Maintenance** | Edit JSON directly | Edit markdown (easier) |
| **Content Format** | Mixed HTML in JSON | Clean markdown |
| **Changes** | Manual sync | Auto-sync via rebuild.sh |
| **Complexity** | Simple but fragile | Simple + robust |
| **Caching** | Broken | Fixed with headers |

---

## Future Enhancements (Optional)

These are already available but not required:

1. **Auto-watch** - Start `php watch.php` to auto-rebuild on save
2. **Git integration** - Post-commit hook to auto-rebuild
3. **Sitemap** - Generate `sitemap.json` for reference

But for basic use: just edit markdown + run `rebuild.sh`

---

## The Bottom Line

**Old System (Pre-Refactor):**
- Simple, proven
- But unclear content structure
- Hard to maintain

**My Bad Refactor:**
- Over-engineered
- Completely broken
- Not tested

**Current System (Restored + Fixed):**
- Simple, proven (same as before)
- Clear content source (`/content/`)
- Easy to maintain (edit markdown)
- Automated rebuild (`rebuild.sh`)
- ✅ Working

You're back to the original working approach, but now with:
- Clear file organization
- Easy content editing (markdown)
- Automated build step
- Fixed caching

---

## Summary for Yourself

**Just remember:**
1. Edit: `nano content/home/index.md`
2. Build: `./rebuild.sh`
3. Refresh: `Ctrl+F5`
4. Done!

Everything else is just infrastructure you don't need to think about.