Document markitect include/selector/region/explode primitives and map Bubble chunks to addressable extractions rather than a priori chunk storage.
189 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
189 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
# Transclusion vs a priori chunks — coulomb + markitect
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| Field | Value |
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|-------|--------|
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| Date | 2026-08-12 |
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| Status | design note (aligns with ArchitectureBlueprint + existing Bubble map) |
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| Layer | markitect-tool (syntax) · coulomb product model |
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## Thesis
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**Pages of markdown are the fluent unit of knowledge work.**
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A “chunk” should usually mean **an addressable region or extracted view of a page** (or of another page), not a separate first-class storage object that documents are assembled from *a priori*.
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Bubble’s `custom.chunk` graph (stages, subchunks, backlog) is powerful but **tool-shaped**: it forces structure before fluency. Rebuild should invert that:
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```text
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Write fluently in a page
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→ address regions when reuse is needed
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→ transclude / extract / promote
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→ only then materialize a derived page or asset if it earns independence
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```
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Tooling adapts; it does not demand an ontology of chunks up front.
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---
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## What markitect-tool already provides
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### 1. Include / transclusion (FR-022)
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Documented in `markitect-tool/docs/transform-compose-include.md`.
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**Markers:**
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```markdown
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<!-- mkt:include path="sections/intro.md" -->
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<!-- mkt:include path="other.md" selector="sections[heading=Summary]" heading_delta="1" -->
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{{include:sections/intro.md}}
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```
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| Attribute | Role |
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|-----------|------|
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| `path` | Target markdown file (relative; sandboxed under base dir) |
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| `selector` | Optional query — **only matching content** is included |
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| `heading_delta` | Shift heading levels on include |
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| `include_frontmatter` | Optionally keep target frontmatter |
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**API:** `resolve_includes(...)`
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**Safety:** cycle detection, max depth, no path escape, markers inside fences left literal
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**Provenance:** include events record marker line, target path, selector, heading shift
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This is **transclusion without a database**: the including page remains editable markdown; resolution is a deterministic operation for render/export/agents.
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### 2. Selectors (query / extract)
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`docs/query-extraction.md` — extract sections/blocks without inventing chunk rows:
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```text
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sections[heading=Context]
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sections[heading~=risk]
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sections[contains~=PROBLEM]
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blocks[type=paragraph]
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headings[level=2]
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```
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`mkt transform --extract SELECTOR` can replace a document with extracted content — **promote a region to a standalone body** when needed.
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### 3. Content references (addressable units)
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`docs/content-references.md` — name units without a priori chunk types:
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```text
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path/to/file.md
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path/to/file.md#section:introduction
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path/to/file.md::sections[heading=Decision]
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std:clauses/payment.md#region:boilerplate
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```
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**Named regions** (in-document, optional):
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```markdown
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<!-- mkt:region id="boilerplate" tags="legal reuse" -->
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Reusable text.
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<!-- /mkt:region -->
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```
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Units carry `unit_id`, kind (`document` | `section` | `heading` | …), source span, content hash — enough for cache, ACLs later, and include targets.
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### 4. Explode / implode (optional materialization)
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`docs/explode-implode.md` — temporarily split a large page into section files + manifest, edit, reassemble.
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**Not** “documents are made of chunk types”; it is a **reversible workflow** when humans want filesystem granularity.
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### 5. Compose
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`compose_files` — concatenate whole files (different from selective transclusion).
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---
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## Mapping to coulomb / Bubble concepts
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| Bubble (live) | Page-first + transclusion model |
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|---------------|----------------------------------|
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| `custom.page` | **SoR page** — frontmatter + body + backmatter |
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| `custom.chunk` as storage atoms | **Avoid a priori** — use sections/regions/selectors inside the page |
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| Chunk list / SelectedChunk | **Derived view**: query `sections[...]` or region index on the page |
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| Subchunks | Nested headings / nested regions, not separate types |
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| Copy page | Duplicate page file (or deep-copy with rewritten includes) |
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| Transfer page | Move/re-home page file; includes keep relative or get rewritten |
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| Card UI | Projection of page (title, abstractor, visual) — may also project a **transcluded excerpt** as card body |
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| Article + chunks_list | Page that **includes** other pages or regions, or a view over query results |
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| Stage1…Stage5 on chunks | Optional **workflow metadata** on regions/frontmatter later — not required for S1 |
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### “Extract a chunk out of a page”
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Three elegant operations, increasing commitment:
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| Op | Meaning | Storage impact |
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|----|---------|----------------|
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| **Address** | Point at `page.md#section:foo` or `::sections[heading=Foo]` | None — still one page |
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| **Transclude** | Another page includes that region via `mkt:include` + selector | Still one SoR for the region; host page has a marker |
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| **Promote / extract** | Write region to `pages/foo-excerpt.md` (transform extract or explode entry) | New page; optional leave include behind in origin |
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Fluency prefers **address → transclude → promote**, not **create chunk type first**.
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---
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## Product rules (proposed)
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1. **SoR is the page file** (markdown). No required `Chunk` table for stage 1.
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2. **Cards** show page projections; optional card body = first section or selected region.
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3. **Reuse** uses markitect include/reference, resolved at render/export/agent time (and optionally cached).
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4. **Independent editing of a reused piece** = promote to its own page, then transclude from both places.
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5. **DB/cache** may index section titles and region ids for search/cards — **disposable**, rebuilt from markdown.
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6. Bubble chunk migration: prefer **serialize chunk trees into page sections/regions** or separate pages with includes, not recreate `custom.chunk` as a permanent model.
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---
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## Where this sits in the architecture
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```text
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coulomb UI (cards, edit, copy, transfer)
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│
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▼
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PageOps (get/put page markdown)
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│
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├─ markitect-tool: parse, query, resolve_includes, extract, references
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└─ content plane: store page files (+ assets)
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```
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Transclusion is a **syntax-layer** concern (markitect-tool), not a reason to pick kontextual vs shard-wiki. Any content plane that stores markdown files can host includes.
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---
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## Gaps / future (markitect-tool)
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From markitect docs themselves (not blockers for S1):
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- Variable / conditional transclusion not yet
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- Includes currently path-first; content-reference-as-include path is designed for later
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- Dependency graph invalidation for caches is planned (WP-0007 hooks)
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Coulomb can start with **path + selector includes** and **section/region addressing**.
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---
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## Relation to stage-1 cut
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| Stage-1 need | Transclusion stance |
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|--------------|---------------------|
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| Title / Abstractor / Visual | Page frontmatter |
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| Page CRUD | Whole page files |
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| Page copy | File duplicate; resolve or rewrite includes |
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| Page transfer | Move file between spaces; rewrite relative includes |
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| Chunk UX (if users need “pieces”) | Address/transclude first; promote only if sticky |
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---
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## One-liner
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**Don’t model knowledge as Lego chunks that assemble into pages.
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Model pages as living markdown, and treat chunks as addressable, transcludable extractions that tooling materializes only when reuse demands it.**
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## Related
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- markitect-tool: `docs/transform-compose-include.md`, `docs/content-references.md`, `docs/query-extraction.md`, `docs/explode-implode.md`
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- coulomb: `docs/architecture/ArchitectureBlueprint.md`, `docs/capability/existing-bubble-capability-map.md`
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