Create a Changelog UI

Data Flow & Component Pipeline

Entry Points

  1. Content Creation: /content/changelog--{content,code}/*.md
  2. UI Entry: /site/src/pages/workflow/changelog.astro
  3. Single Entry View: /site/src/pages/log/[entry].astro

Data Structure

typescript 
// Flexible interface - NO strict validation
interface ChangelogEntry {
  // Required by transformation
  tags: any[];
  authors: any[];
  
  // Common but optional
  title?: string;
  date?: string | Date;
  category?: string;
  emphasis?: string;
  
  // Allow any additional fields
  [key: string]: any;
}

Component Flow

graph TD A[Markdown Files] --> B[Content Collections] B --> C[changelog.astro] B --> D["/log/[entry].astro"] C --> E[ArticleListColumn] D --> F[ChangelogEntryPage] E --> G[ChangelogEntry] F --> G

Implementation Details

Key Components

  1. ArticleListColumn.astro
    • Purpose: List container for changelog entries
    • Props: { entries: ChangelogEntry[] }
    • Features: Sorting, filtering, pagination
  2. ChangelogEntry.astro
    • Purpose: Individual entry preview
    • Props: { title, date, category, emphasis, slug }
    • Features: Consistent formatting, link to full view
  3. ChangelogEntryPage.astro
    • Purpose: Full entry view
    • Props: { entry: ChangelogEntry }
    • Features: Rich markdown rendering, metadata display

Content Loading

typescript 
// In [entry].astro
const allEntries = await getCollection('changelog--content');
const entry = allEntries.find(e => path.basename(e.id, '.md') === params.entry);
const { Content } = await render(entry);

Important Constraints

  1. NO Strict Validation
    • Content is AI-generated and may be inconsistent
    • Use flexible interfaces with optional fields
    • Handle missing data gracefully with fallbacks
  2. Progressive Enhancement
    • Core functionality works without JavaScript
    • Enhanced features (filtering, search) added client-side
    • Maintain accessibility throughout
  3. Performance
    • Static generation of entry pages
    • Efficient loading of entry lists
    • Optimized image handling

Example Entry

markdown 
---
emphasis: 'Major Update:'
title: 'New Feature Release'
date: 2025-03-25
authors: 
  - Developer Name
category: Feature
tags:
  - UI
  - Enhancement
---

## Summary
Brief description of changes

## Details
- Bullet points of specific changes
- Technical details if relevant

Testing Checklist

  1. Entry Creation
    • Markdown files properly collected
    • Frontmatter parsed correctly
    • Missing fields handled gracefully
  2. UI Rendering
    • List view displays correctly
    • Single entry view works
    • Responsive on all devices
  3. Navigation
    • Links work correctly
    • Back navigation functional
    • 404 handling for missing entries