# Word 97 theme repair checklist

Date: 2026-11-01
Status: done on branch `fix/word97-theme-repair`; each fix landed as its own commit, recorded on the item. Not merged.

Screenshots of the board, Users and /user/ pages under `word97` showed the
theme no longer holds together. The cause is coverage, not regression: three
recent changes added components that `public/assets/theme-word97.css` never
styles, so they fall back to the generic variables (grey panel on grey desktop,
rounded corners, pill chips).

- App shell header (`site-header--app`, `site-brand`, `new-post-button`,
  `account-menu`): commits 4ace73ab7, 650fe55d9 (2026-10-27).
- Paged thread list board (`board-toolbar`, `board-filter`, `thread-rows`,
  `thread-row`, `section-label`, `chip`): commit 1e536cffb (2026-10-27).
- Users and person pages built from Account's `account-card`,
  `account-group`, `account-row`, `account-avatar`: commit bb95e3d57 and the
  users rebuild (2026-10-28).

No sibling theme (Chicago, Midnight, ...) covered these selectors either. Midnight
was repaired on the same branch (1340fa3be); Chicago is still open.

## Header (app shell)

- [x] (a4f8870e4) Wordmark text is blue on the navy title bar. `:root[data-theme="word97"] a { color: #0000ff }`
      outranks `.site-brand { color: inherit }`. Add a theme rule for `.eyebrow a` (white, no underline).
- [x] (a4f8870e4; full-width title bar over a toolbar row) Wordmark title bar is cramped: icon, text and the fake min/max/close controls overlap
      because `.eyebrow` is now a `flex: 0 0 auto` item on one row. Either give it a min-width
      and gap, or (better for the theme) make the title bar span the full header width with the
      nav as a toolbar row beneath it, as Word 97 lays out title bar then toolbar.
- [x] (a4f8870e4; ruler on its own line) Stray vertical bar after the You button. The theme's `.site-header::after` ruler is still
      generated inside the flex app header and collapses to a 2px-wide flex item. Give it
      `flex-basis: 100%` so the ruler sits on its own line under the toolbar, or drop it in the app shell.
- [x] (bb9abf9d5) New post is a flat navy block and You is a white box. Both should be bevelled Win95
      buttons (`#c0c0c0`, white/grey inset bevel); New post may keep a bold label.
- [x] (no change needed: `theme-nav-icons.css` already squares it for icon themes) `.account-menu__icon` is a round ring (`border-radius: 50%`); square it or hide it behind the
      existing pixel icon from `theme-nav-icons.css`.
- [x] (bb9abf9d5; verified open at 1400 and 390) Verify: `.account-menu__panel` uses a soft blurred drop shadow. Match the theme menu popover
      (hard 3px offset shadow, bevel, no blur). Not in the screenshots; check when fixing.
- [x] (bb9abf9d5; raised strip, pressed current tab) Verify: phone tab bar (max-width 639px) under word97. Not in the screenshots.

## Board (list slot)

- [x] (bed7230e8) Filter toolbar (All / Liked / Newest / Tags) floats on the bare grey desktop. Style
      `.board-toolbar` as a toolbar strip: grey surface, bevelled edge, aligned with the header.
      The sunken active state on "Liked" is right; keep it. Same fix covers Members / Waiting
      on Users and Threads / Replies on /user/, which reuse `.board-filter`.
- [x] (bed7230e8; white document inside the window frame) `.thread-rows` has no window chrome while the composer card above it has the full frame
      and hard shadow. Decide one treatment. Recommended: render the rows as the white Word
      "document" page (white background, inset bevel), since titles are already serif underlined
      links; the composer stays a floating window.
- [x] (bed7230e8; title bar pulled over the frame; verified with pinned threads on ?view=all) `.section-label` ("Pinned", "Latest") is soft uppercase text on the desktop. Turn it into
      the title bar of its rows group, or hide it when the frame carries a title.
- [x] (bed7230e8; white surface, #c0c0c0 separators) Grey hairlines between rows vanish on the grey panel (`--line: #808080` on `#c0c0c0`).
      Resolved by the white document surface above; otherwise use the `#dfdfdf` / `#808080`
      etched-line pair.
- [x] (bed7230e8; Times inside the document) Row metadata mixes Times (author link) with Tahoma (date, reply count). Pick one per
      surface: Times for everything inside the document area, Tahoma only for chrome.
- [x] (bed7230e8; flat grey square fields) `.chip`, `.chip--pending`, `.chip--approved` are rounded pills with coloured outlines.
      Square them (`border-radius: 0`), black 1px border, grey fill, Tahoma 0.72rem; drop the
      colour tint or keep it only on the text.
- [x] (no change needed: the density toggle only renders on `board.php` and `tag.php`, where `.thread-card` still exists; the list board has no toggle, so nothing to port) Dead rules: the theme's `[data-thread-density="compact"] .thread-list .thread-card`
      block targets the old card board. The list board renders `.board-list .thread-rows`, so
      the density toggle does nothing under word97. Port the compact rules to `.thread-row`
      or remove them.
- [x] (bed7230e8; #404040 on white) Excerpt line (`.thread-row__excerpt`) is `--ink-soft` grey on grey; verify contrast after
      the surface change.

## Users page

- [x] (37c961307; removed from view, kept for assistive technology, because the tabs under it are member-only and cannot carry a title bar for guests) `.users-page__title` "Users" is a Times h1 on the bare desktop. Make it the title bar of a
      frame that encloses the tools and list, or remove it (the nav already says Users; the UI
      copy rule favours removal).
- [x] (37c961307; white list in a window frame) `.account-group` has `border-radius: 0.75rem`. Square it and give it the sunken white
      ListView look (white background, inset bevel), which also fixes grey-on-grey rows.
- [x] (37c961307) `.account-row--link::after` renders a "›" chevron. Hide it in word97; rows are plain
      underlined links or ListView rows with navy selection.
- [x] (37c961307; sunken white field) `select` in `.users-tools` (the Activity sort) is not covered by the theme's
      `input, textarea` bevel rule and renders with platform styling. Add `select` to the
      sunken rule, or style it as a raised button with the pixel dropdown arrow already used
      by `.theme-menu__trigger`.
- [x] (37c961307) Search input placeholder is Times while the select is Tahoma; align to Tahoma for form
      chrome.

## Person page (/user/...)

- [x] (37c961307; also covers the Account page cards, checked at /account/key/) `.account-card.person-head` is a rounded grey card with no window chrome. Square it and
      apply the `.card` window treatment with the username as the title bar.
- [x] (37c961307; 2rem bevelled tile) `.account-avatar` is a round navy circle with an initial. Replace with a square 32px
      bevelled tile, or hide it in word97.
- [x] (37c961307; title bar of the identities window) `.person-identities__title` "Identities" is a Times h2 on the desktop; same fix as the
      Users title (title bar of the identities frame).
- [x] (37c961307) Identities `.account-group` rows: same rounded-corner and chevron fixes as Users.
- [x] (left as a plain link under the window; acceptable in Word 97 and not worth markup) "Manage access" sits as a bare link under the list; fine as a link, but place it inside
      the frame or a status line rather than on the desktop.
- [x] (no change needed: no script fills the banner, so it is always empty and hidden) Verify: `.starfield.banner` is hidden only while empty. If the client fills it, a starfield
      paints behind the Win95 card. Hide it explicitly in word97.

## Account page (added 2026-11-01 from a signed-in screenshot)

- [x] (f44cb1f53) "Account" h1 is a Times heading on the bare desktop. The
      `.account-key-header` is now the title bar of the first window below it (the feedback
      notice when one renders, otherwise the visible guest or member card).
- [x] (f44cb1f53) "Remove this key" rendered as a bevelled button filling a whole
      window frame: the theme's general button bevel matched `button.account-row`, and the base
      `button[type="button"]` colour painted the row grey. Grouped rows are now flat list rows
      and keep the danger colour. Verified guest and simulated member state at 1400.

## Follow-up from the 2026-11-01 header crops (Word 97 and Midnight)

- [x] (fb7bf6804) The filter strip and the Members / Waiting strip sat flush under
      the header's drop shadow and their edges did not line up with the window ring above and
      the cards below. The strips now share the window frame (ring and hard shadow) and the
      header has 1.25rem of clearance before the first window. Verified in both themes at 1400
      and 390 on the board, Users and thread pages.

- [x] (b49e5f424) Users page review: member rows had reused Account's settings rows and the
      sort was a native select beside the board's existing sort menu. Members now use the board's
      thread rows, the tabs and search share the board toolbar, and the sort is gone; see the cycle-7
      entry in `ui_redesign/implementation_checklist.md`. Both themes pick the components up unchanged.
      Follow-up 2026-11-01: the user asked for the sort back in the board's standard form; Users now renders `partials/board_sort.php` (Activity, Last active, Name) between the tabs and the search, and each row's meta line ends with the member's last post date. See the cycle-7 follow-up in `ui_redesign/implementation_checklist.md`.

## Cross-cutting

- [x] (bed7230e8, 37c961307; white document surfaces for `.thread-rows` and `.account-group`, grey windows for cards) The theme has three greys (`--page-bg`, `--panel`, `--line`) that new components rely on
      for contrast. Add a content-surface override (white document area) in the theme file rather
      than per-component patches where possible.
- [x] (9fbffb52f; one window-frame rule for `.card`, `.feedback`, `.account-card`, `.thread-rows`, `.account-group`; nothing added to `site.css` or `account.css`) Reuse: all fixes belong in `theme-word97.css`; do not add word97-specific rules to
      `site.css` or `account.css`. Check that the `.card` window treatment can be shared with
      `.thread-rows`, `.account-card`, `.account-group` via a shared selector list instead of
      duplicating the shadow stack.
- [x] (1495d64f7; `tests/Word97ThemeCoverageTest.php` asserts the theme covers every component above. Screenshots at 1400 and 390 of the board, ?view=all with pinned threads, Users as guest and member, /user/ilyag, /threads/root-001 and /account/key/ were reviewed by hand; the project has no screenshot-diff harness. Sibling check: Midnight showed the same header overlap, stray bar and unthemed rows and received the same repairs in 1340fa3be, verified by screenshot at 1400 and 390 on the board, Users, person and Account pages; the coverage test now checks both themes. Chicago keeps the rounded lists with chevrons and the bare Users heading and is outside this branch.) Verification: extend the theme matrix screenshot test (added in ui_tools_launcher stage 3)
      to the list board, Users and /user/ pages under word97 at desktop and phone widths. Check
      Chicago and Midnight once for the same components and record the gap for them.