OpenNoodl/dev-docs/tasks/phase-9-styles-overhaul/QUICK-REFERENCE.md

Phase 8: Styles Overhaul - Quick Reference

TL;DR

Transform Noodl's styling from "blank canvas every time" to "beautiful defaults that scale." Three levels of control: Variant Picker (easy) → Token Overrides (intermediate) → Manual Values (advanced).

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Task Summary

Task	Name	Effort	Status
STYLE-001	Token System Enhancement	12-16 hrs	🔴 Not Started
STYLE-002	Element Configs & Variants	16-20 hrs	🔴 Not Started
STYLE-003	Style Presets System	8-12 hrs	🔴 Not Started
STYLE-004	Property Panel UX Overhaul	12-16 hrs	🔴 Not Started
STYLE-005	Smart Style Suggestions	8-10 hrs	🔴 Not Started
WIZARD-001	Project Creation Wizard	20-28 hrs	🔴 Not Started

Total: 76-102 hours

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Dependency Chain

STYLE-001 (Tokens)
    │
    ├──► STYLE-002 (Element Configs) ──┐
    │                                  │
    └──► STYLE-003 (Presets) ─────────►├──► STYLE-004 (Property Panel)
                │                      │           │
                │                      │           ▼
                │                      │    STYLE-005 (Suggestions)
                │                      │
                └──────────────────────┴──► WIZARD-001 (Project Wizard)
                                                   │
                                           ┌───────┴───────┐
                                           │  Optional:    │
                                           │  GIT-004A     │
                                           │  DEPLOY-001   │
                                           │  AI-004       │
                                           │  BACKEND-001  │
                                           └───────────────┘

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Key Deliverables

STYLE-001: Token System

• Complete token categories (colors, spacing, typography, borders, shadows, animations)
• Tailwind-inspired scales
• Token picker component
• Enhanced tokens panel

STYLE-002: Element Configs

• Pre-built variants for Button, Group, Text, Input
• Size presets (sm, md, lg, xl)
• State handling (hover, active, disabled)
• BUG FIX: Text element default sizing

STYLE-003: Presets

• 5 built-in presets (Modern, Minimal, Playful, Enterprise, Soft)
• Preset selector with previews
• Custom preset creation
• Import/export

STYLE-004: Property Panel

• Variant picker (Level 1)
• Token overrides section (Level 2)
• Advanced/manual section (Level 3)
• Override indicators

STYLE-005: Suggestions

• Repeated value detection
• Variant candidate detection
• Inconsistency detection
• Non-intrusive UI

WIZARD-001: Project Creation Wizard

• Three entry modes (Quick/Guided/AI Builder)
• Style preset selection with previews
• Backend & auth configuration
• GitHub & deployment integration
• AI scaffold generation (optional)

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File Locations

dev-docs/tasks/phase-8-styles-overhaul/
├── PHASE-8-OVERVIEW.md
├── STYLE-001-token-system/
│   └── README.md
├── STYLE-002-element-configs/
│   └── README.md
├── STYLE-003-presets/
│   └── README.md
├── STYLE-004-property-panel/
│   └── README.md
├── STYLE-005-suggestions/
│   └── README.md
└── WIZARD-001-project-creation/
    └── README.md

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Integration Points

Feature	Integrates With
Presets	Project Creation Wizard (WIZARD-001)
Tokens	Existing experimental style tokens panel
Variants	Existing style variants system
Property Panel	Existing property editor
Suggestions	New floating UI system

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The Big Picture

Before Phase 8:

New Project → Blank elements → 10 min styling each → Inconsistent app

After Phase 8:

New Project → Pick preset → Styled elements instantly → Consistent app
             → Customize with tokens if needed
             → Full CSS control always available

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Risk Mitigation

1. Backward Compatibility: All existing projects work unchanged
2. Opt-In System: New features don't force migration
3. Preserved Freedom: Manual controls always available in Advanced section
4. Progressive Disclosure: Complexity hidden until needed

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Success Metrics

Metric	Target
Time to styled button	<10 seconds (from ~10 min)
Projects using tokens	>60% (from ~5%)
Beginner completion rate	>80% (from ~40%)

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Notes for Implementation

1. Start with STYLE-001 - everything else depends on it
2. The Text element bug fix is in STYLE-002
3. STYLE-003 and STYLE-002 can be parallelized after STYLE-001
4. STYLE-005 is polish - can be deprioritized if needed
5. WIZARD-001 can ship incrementally (start with just presets, add integrations later)
6. WIZARD-001's optional dependencies (GIT, DEPLOY, AI) can be stubbed initially

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Quick Reference v1.0 - January 2026