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Show header + skeleton while the dashboard and editor islands load
The dashboard and editor mount browser-only React islands (client:only —
auth and the WordPress editor can't render server-side, per Decisions
0001/0003/0004). Until their JS bundle loaded, the slot="fallback" was a
bare, left-aligned "Loading…", so the page had no shape and hydration
popped the full UI into an empty viewport.
Render the durable page chrome in the fallback instead: a logo-only
header reusing the global .app-bar classes (matching AppBar's
status === 'loading' state, so the swap to the live bar is seamless) plus
a content skeleton that mirrors each loaded layout, so hydration doesn't
reflow. The header omits nav/identity because auth state isn't known
before the island runs.
A new shared LoadingScene.astro carries both variants. The fallback is
plain server-rendered markup (not inside the island's DOM), so the
component's scoped styles reach it. The skeleton shimmer respects
prefers-reduced-motion, and the region is marked aria-busy with a
visually-hidden "Loading…" label. Drops the now-unused
.editor-shell__loading rule.
author
Jeremy Herve
date
(Jun 10, 2026, 8:39 AM +0200)
commit
ae55a518
ae55a5180abc2f3534a71115b56d11bbe201c39d
parent
3e951e32
3e951e320d1dd2a6266536d917165b7ddf667a60
+293
-11
+211
src/components/LoadingScene.astro
+211
src/components/LoadingScene.astro
···
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---
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/**
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* Static loading scene for the `client:only` Studio + Dashboard islands.
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*
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* Those islands are browser-only (auth + editor) and can't render server-side,
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* so until their JS bundle loads Astro shows this `slot="fallback"` markup.
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* Rather than a bare, left-aligned "Loading…", render the durable page chrome —
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* a logo-only header (matching AppBar's `status === 'loading'` state, so the
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* swap to the live bar is seamless) plus a content skeleton — so the page has
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* shape immediately and hydration doesn't reflow into an empty viewport.
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*
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* The fallback is plain server-rendered markup (it is NOT inside the island's
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* DOM), so this component's scoped styles reach it normally. The header reuses
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* the global `.app-bar` classes (app-bar.css is imported by both page shells);
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* only the static logo is shown — nav/identity depend on auth state we don't
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* have yet.
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*/
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interface Props {
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/** Which island is loading; picks the skeleton shape + content width. */
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variant: 'dashboard' | 'editor';
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}
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const { variant } = Astro.props;
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---
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+
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<div class="loading-scene" aria-busy="true">
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<header class="app-bar">
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<a class="app-bar__home" href="/" aria-label="SkyPress home">
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<svg
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class="app-bar__mark"
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width="24"
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height="24"
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viewBox="0 0 32 32"
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fill="none"
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aria-hidden="true"
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>
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<rect x="2.5" y="2.5" width="27" height="27" rx="7.5" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2" />
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<circle cx="16" cy="12.5" r="3.6" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.9" />
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<circle cx="16" cy="12.5" r="0.9" fill="currentColor" />
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<path d="M7 18.5h18" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2.2" stroke-linecap="round" />
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<path d="M9 22.8h14M9 25.6h9" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.7" stroke-linecap="round" opacity="0.55" />
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</svg>
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<span class="app-bar__word">SkyPress</span>
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</a>
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</header>
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{
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variant === 'dashboard' ? (
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<div class="loading-scene__body loading-scene__body--dash">
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<div class="loading-scene__head">
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<span class="sk sk-heading" />
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<span class="sk sk-button" />
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</div>
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<ul class="loading-scene__rows">
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{[ 0, 1, 2 ].map( () => (
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<li class="loading-scene__row">
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<span class="sk sk-logo" />
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<span class="loading-scene__rowtext">
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<span class="sk sk-line sk-line--name" />
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<span class="sk sk-line sk-line--slug" />
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</span>
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</li>
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) )}
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</ul>
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</div>
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) : (
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<div class="loading-scene__body loading-scene__body--editor">
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<span class="sk sk-mode" />
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<span class="sk sk-headline" />
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<span class="sk sk-lede" />
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<span class="sk sk-surface" />
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</div>
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)
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}
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+
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<p class="loading-scene__sr">Loading…</p>
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</div>
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<style>
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/* Skeleton block: a tinted bar with a sweeping shimmer highlight. */
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.sk {
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display: block;
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border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
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background: var(--panel);
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position: relative;
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overflow: hidden;
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}
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.sk::after {
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content: '';
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position: absolute;
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inset: 0;
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transform: translateX(-100%);
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background: linear-gradient(
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90deg,
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transparent,
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color-mix(in srgb, var(--paper-raised) 70%, transparent),
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transparent
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);
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animation: loading-shimmer 1.5s ease-in-out infinite;
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}
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@keyframes loading-shimmer {
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100% {
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transform: translateX(100%);
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}
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}
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@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
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.sk::after {
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animation: none;
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}
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}
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/* Visually-hidden live label — the skeleton conveys "loading" visually, but
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screen readers get an explicit announcement (paired with aria-busy). */
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.loading-scene__sr {
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position: absolute;
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width: 1px;
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height: 1px;
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margin: -1px;
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padding: 0;
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overflow: hidden;
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clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
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white-space: nowrap;
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border: 0;
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}
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+
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/* Content column — mirrors the loaded layouts so the swap doesn't shift. */
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.loading-scene__body {
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max-width: 48rem;
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margin: 0 auto;
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padding: 0 1.25rem 5rem;
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}
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.loading-scene__body--editor {
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max-width: var(--studio-measure, 60rem);
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}
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/* Dashboard skeleton — mirrors `.dash__section-head` + a few `.dash__pub` rows. */
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.loading-scene__head {
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display: flex;
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align-items: center;
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justify-content: space-between;
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gap: 1rem;
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margin: 1rem 0 1.5rem;
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}
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.sk-heading {
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width: clamp(10rem, 40vw, 16rem);
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height: clamp(1.6rem, 4vw, 2.2rem);
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}
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.sk-button {
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width: 9.5rem;
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height: 2.2rem;
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flex: none;
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}
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.loading-scene__rows {
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list-style: none;
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margin: 0;
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padding: 0;
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}
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.loading-scene__row {
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display: flex;
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align-items: center;
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gap: 1rem;
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padding: 0.9rem 0;
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border-top: 1px solid var(--line);
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}
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.sk-logo {
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width: 48px;
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height: 48px;
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border-radius: 10px;
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flex: none;
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}
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.loading-scene__rowtext {
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display: flex;
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flex-direction: column;
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gap: 0.5rem;
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flex: 1;
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min-width: 0;
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}
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.sk-line {
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height: 0.85rem;
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}
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.sk-line--name {
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width: 45%;
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height: 1rem;
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}
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.sk-line--slug {
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width: 22%;
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height: 0.7rem;
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}
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+
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/* Editor skeleton — mode line, title, lede, then the framed writing surface. */
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.sk-mode {
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width: 11rem;
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height: 0.9rem;
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margin: 0.5rem 0 1.25rem;
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}
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.sk-headline {
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width: 70%;
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height: clamp(1.9rem, 4vw, 2.6rem);
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margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
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}
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.sk-lede {
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width: 48%;
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height: 1.2rem;
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}
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.sk-surface {
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height: 60vh;
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min-height: 18rem;
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margin-top: 1.5rem;
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border-radius: var(--radius);
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border: 1px solid var(--line-strong);
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}
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</style>
+74
src/components/LoadingScene.meta.test.ts
+74
src/components/LoadingScene.meta.test.ts
···
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/**
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* Source-level guard for the client:only island loading fallback.
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*
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* `dashboard.astro` and `editor.astro` mount browser-only React islands
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* (`client:only`). Until their JS bundle loads, Astro shows the `slot="fallback"`
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* markup. That fallback must carry the durable page chrome — a logo-only header
7
+
* (matching AppBar's `status === 'loading'` state) plus a content skeleton — so
8
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* the page has shape before hydration instead of a bare, left-aligned "Loading…".
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*
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* Rendering the pages through astro/container isn't viable here (the runner is
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* pinned to jsdom for the WordPress block suites), so these assertions pin the
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* wiring at the source level — same approach as `_index.phase.test.ts`.
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*/
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import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
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import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
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import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
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const read = ( rel: string ) =>
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readFileSync( fileURLToPath( new URL( rel, import.meta.url ) ), 'utf8' );
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describe( 'LoadingScene fallback', () => {
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const scene = read( './LoadingScene.astro' );
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it( 'renders the durable logo header using the shared app-bar classes', () => {
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /class="app-bar"/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /class="app-bar__home"/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /class="app-bar__word"/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /SkyPress/ );
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} );
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it( 'omits the dynamic nav + identity (auth state is unknown pre-hydration)', () => {
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expect( scene ).not.toMatch( /app-bar__nav/ );
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expect( scene ).not.toMatch( /app-bar__identity/ );
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expect( scene ).not.toMatch( /app-bar__signout/ );
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} );
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it( 'renders shimmering skeleton placeholders', () => {
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /class="sk\b/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /@keyframes/ );
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} );
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it( 'flags the region as busy and keeps an accessible loading label', () => {
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /aria-busy="true"/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /Loading…/ );
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} );
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it( 'stills the shimmer for reduced-motion users', () => {
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /prefers-reduced-motion/ );
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} );
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it( 'offers distinct dashboard and editor variants', () => {
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /'dashboard'\s*\|\s*'editor'/ );
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expect( scene ).toMatch( /variant === 'dashboard'/ );
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} );
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} );
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describe( 'island fallbacks use LoadingScene', () => {
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const dashboard = read( '../pages/dashboard.astro' );
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const editor = read( '../pages/editor.astro' );
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it( 'dashboard fallback renders LoadingScene, not a bare "Loading…"', () => {
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expect( dashboard ).toMatch( /import LoadingScene from '[^']*LoadingScene.astro'/ );
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expect( dashboard ).toMatch( /<LoadingScene[\s\S]*?slot="fallback"/ );
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expect( dashboard ).toMatch( /variant="dashboard"/ );
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expect( dashboard ).not.toMatch( /class="dash__loading">Loading…/ );
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} );
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it( 'editor fallback renders LoadingScene, not a bare "Loading…"', () => {
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expect( editor ).toMatch( /import LoadingScene from '[^']*LoadingScene.astro'/ );
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expect( editor ).toMatch( /<LoadingScene[\s\S]*?slot="fallback"/ );
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expect( editor ).toMatch( /variant="editor"/ );
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expect( editor ).not.toMatch( /class="editor-shell__loading">Loading…/ );
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} );
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} );
+4
-2
src/pages/dashboard.astro
+4
-2
src/pages/dashboard.astro
···
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---
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import Base from '../layouts/Base.astro';
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import Dashboard from '../components/Dashboard.tsx';
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import LoadingScene from '../components/LoadingScene.astro';
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// Shared top-bar styles (the Dashboard island is client:only, so Astro scoped
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// styles can't reach its DOM). The sign-in form styles are shared with the editor.
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import '../styles/app-bar.css';
···
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<Base title="Dashboard — SkyPress">
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<main class="dash-shell">
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<!-- client:only — auth runs only in the browser; its bundle never reaches
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reading pages (Decisions 0003 & 0004). No `@wordpress/*` here. -->
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reading pages (Decisions 0003 & 0004). No `@wordpress/*` here. The
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fallback shows the durable header + a skeleton until the island loads. -->
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<Dashboard client:only="react">
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<p slot="fallback" class="dash__loading">Loading…</p>
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<LoadingScene slot="fallback" variant="dashboard" />
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</Dashboard>
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</main>
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</Base>
+4
-9
src/pages/editor.astro
+4
-9
src/pages/editor.astro
···
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---
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import Base from '../layouts/Base.astro';
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import Studio from '../components/Studio.tsx';
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import LoadingScene from '../components/LoadingScene.astro';
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// The Studio is a `client:only` React island, so Astro's scoped styles never
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// reach its DOM — its chrome is styled globally from these shared stylesheets.
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import '../styles/app-bar.css';
···
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<Base title="Write — SkyPress">
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<main class="editor-shell">
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<!-- client:only — auth + editor run only in the browser; their bundle never
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reaches reading pages (Decisions 0001 & 0004). -->
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reaches reading pages (Decisions 0001 & 0004). The fallback shows the
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durable header + a skeleton until the island loads. -->
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<Studio client:only="react">
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<p slot="fallback" class="editor-shell__loading">Loading…</p>
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<LoadingScene slot="fallback" variant="editor" />
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</Studio>
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</main>
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</Base>
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<style>
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.editor-shell__loading {
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padding: 2rem 1.25rem;
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color: var(--muted);
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}
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</style>