WooNooW/PROJECT_BRIEF.md

# WooNooW — Modern Experience Layer for WooCommerce

## 1. Background

WooCommerce remains the world’s most widely used e‑commerce engine, but its architecture has become increasingly heavy, fragmented, and difficult to modernize.  
The transition toward React‑based components (Cart/Checkout Blocks, HPOS, and new admin screens) introduces compatibility issues that render many existing addons obsolete.  
Store owners and developers face a dilemma: migrate to new SaaS‑like platforms (SureCart, NorthCommerce) and lose their data, or stay with WooCommerce and endure performance and UX stagnation.

**Key pain points:**
- Checkout performance bottlenecks and delayed responses due to synchronous PHP operations (e.g., `wp_mail`).
- Legacy admin and product interfaces causing friction for daily operations.
- HPOS transition breaking legacy addons that query `wp_posts`.
- Increasing incompatibility between modern Woo Blocks and PHP‑based extensions.

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## 2. Vision & Solution Direction

WooNooW acts as a **modern experience layer** for WooCommerce — enhancing UX, performance, and reliability **without data migration**.  
It does not replace WooCommerce; it evolves it.  
By overlaying a fast React‑powered frontend and a modern admin SPA, WooNooW upgrades the store experience while keeping full backward compatibility with existing data, plugins, and gateways.

**Core principles:**
1. **No Migration Needed** — Woo data stays intact.
2. **Safe Activate/Deactivate** — deactivate anytime without data loss.
3. **Hybrid by Default** — SSR + SPA islands for cart, checkout, and my‑account.
4. **Full SPA Toggle** — optional React‑only mode for performance‑critical sites.
5. **HPOS Mandatory** — optimized data reads/writes with indexed datastores.
6. **Compat Layer** — hook mirror + slot rendering for legacy addons.
7. **Async System** — mail and heavy actions queued via Action Scheduler.

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## 3. Development Method & Phases

| Phase | Scope | Output |
|-------|--------|--------|
| **Phase 1** | Core plugin foundation, menu, REST routes, async email | Working prototype with dashboard & REST health check |
| **Phase 2** | Checkout Fast‑Path (quote, submit), cart hybrid SPA | Fast checkout pipeline, HPOS datastore |
| **Phase 3** | Customer SPA (My Account, Orders, Addresses) | React SPA integrated with Woo REST |
| **Phase 4** | Admin SPA (Orders List, Detail, Dashboard, Standalone Mode) | React admin interface with 3 modes: normal (wp-admin), fullscreen, standalone |
| **Phase 4.5** | Settings SPA (Store, Payments, Shipping, Taxes, Checkout) | Shopify-inspired settings UI reading WooCommerce structure; Setup Wizard for onboarding |
| **Phase 5** | Compatibility Hooks & Slots | Legacy addon support maintained |
| **Phase 6** | Packaging & Licensing | Release build, Sejoli integration, and addon manager |

All development follows incremental delivery with full test coverage on REST endpoints and admin components.

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## 4. Technical Strategy

- **Backend:** PHP 8.2+, WooCommerce HPOS, Action Scheduler, Redis (object cache).  
- **Frontend:** React 18 + TypeScript, Vite, React Query, Tailwind/Radix for UI.  
- **Architecture:** Modular PSR‑4 autoload, REST‑driven logic, SPA hydration islands.  
- **Performance:** Read‑through cache, async queues, lazy data hydration.  
- **Compat:** HookBridge and SlotRenderer ensuring PHP‑hook addons still render inside SPA.  

---

## 5. Settings Architecture Philosophy

WooNooW settings act as a **"better wardrobe"** for WooCommerce configuration:

**Core Principles:**
1. **Read WooCommerce Structure** — Listen to WC's registered gateways, shipping methods, and settings (the "bone structure")
2. **Transform & Simplify** — Convert complex WC settings into clean, categorized UI with progressive disclosure
3. **Enhance Performance** — Direct DB operations where safe, bypassing WC bloat (30s → 1-2s like Orders)
4. **Respect the Ecosystem** — If addon extends `WC_Payment_Gateway` or `WC_Shipping_Method`, it appears automatically
5. **No New Hooks** — Don't ask addons to support us; we support WooCommerce's existing hooks

**UI Strategy:**
- **Generic form builder** as standard for all WC-compliant gateways/methods
- **Custom components** for recognized popular gateways (Stripe, PayPal) while respecting the standard
- **Redirect to WC settings** for complex/non-standard addons
- **Multi-page forms** for gateways with 20+ fields (categorized: Basic → API → Advanced)

**Compatibility Stance:**
> "If it works in WooCommerce, it works in WooNooW. If it doesn't respect WooCommerce's structure, we can't help."

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## 6. Community Addon Support Strategy

WooNooW leverages the irreplaceable strength of the WooCommerce ecosystem through a three-tier support model:

### **Tier A: Automatic Integration** ✅
**Addons that respect WooCommerce bone structure work automatically.**

- Payment gateways extending `WC_Payment_Gateway`
- Shipping methods extending `WC_Shipping_Method`
- Plugins using WooCommerce hooks and filters
- HPOS-compatible plugins

**Examples:**
- Stripe for WooCommerce
- WooCommerce Subscriptions
- WooCommerce Bookings
- Any plugin following WooCommerce standards

**Result:** Zero configuration needed. If it works in WooCommerce, it works in WooNooW.

---

### **Tier B: Bridge Snippets** 🌉
**For addons with custom injection that partially or fully don't integrate.**

We provide bridge snippet code to help users connect non-standard addons:

**Use Cases:**
- Addons that inject custom fields via JavaScript
- Addons that bypass WooCommerce hooks
- Addons with custom session management (e.g., Rajaongkir)
- Addons with proprietary UI injection

**Approach:**
```php
// Bridge snippet example
add_filter('woonoow_before_shipping_calculate', function($data) {
    // Convert WooNooW data to addon format
    if ($data['country'] === 'ID') {
        CustomAddon::set_session_data($data);
    }
    return $data;
});
```

**Distribution:**
- Documentation with code snippets
- Community-contributed bridges
- Optional bridge plugin packages

**Philosophy:** We help users leverage ALL WooCommerce addons, not rebuild them.

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### **Tier C: Essential WooNooW Addons** ⚡
**We build our own addons only for critical/essential features.**

**Criteria for building:**
- ✅ Essential for store operations
- ✅ Significantly enhances WooCommerce
- ✅ Provides unique value in WooNooW context
- ✅ Cannot be adequately bridged

**Examples:**
- WooNooW Indonesia Shipping (Rajaongkir, Biteship integration)
- WooNooW Advanced Reports
- WooNooW Inventory Management
- WooNooW Multi-Currency

**NOT building:**
- Generic features already available in WooCommerce ecosystem
- Features that can be bridged
- Niche functionality with low demand

**Goal:** Save energy, focus on core experience, leverage community strength.

---

### **Why This Approach?**

**Leverage WooCommerce Ecosystem:**
- 10,000+ plugins available
- Proven, tested solutions
- Active community support
- Regular updates and maintenance

**Avoid Rebuilding Everything:**
- Save development time
- Focus on core WooNooW experience
- Let specialists maintain their domains
- Reduce maintenance burden

**Provide Flexibility:**
- Users choose their preferred addons
- Bridge pattern for edge cases
- Essential addons for critical needs
- No vendor lock-in

**Community Strength:**
> "We use WooCommerce, not PremiumNooW as WooCommerce Alternative. We must take the irreplaceable strength of the WooCommerce community."

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## 7. Strategic Goal

Position WooNooW as the **"WooCommerce for Now"** — a paid addon that delivers the speed and UX of modern SaaS platforms while retaining the ecosystem power and self‑hosted freedom of WooCommerce.

**Key Differentiators:**
- ⚡ Lightning-fast performance
- 🎨 Modern, intuitive UI
- 🔌 Full WooCommerce ecosystem compatibility
- 🌉 Bridge support for any addon
- ⚙️ Essential addons for critical features
- 🚀 No data migration needed

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