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).

---

## 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  │
                                           └───────────────┘
```

---

## 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)

---

## 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
```

---

## 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 |

---

## 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
```

---

## 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

---

## 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%) |

---

## 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*