Embed Implementation Plan

Goal

Enable third-party sites to embed posts from our platform using an iframe. This requires a lightweight, dedicated build of the application that renders a single post with minimal distractions (no navigation, no sidebar, etc.).

Architecture

1. Dedicated Output Build

We will create a separate Vite build for the embed view to ensure the bundle size is minimal and isolated from the main application's complexity.

Config: vite.config.embed.ts
Entry: src/main-embed.tsx
Output: dist/client/embed/
Feature Flags: Use Vite define to set __IS_EMBED__ constant to true at build time. This allows dead-code elimination (tree-shaking) of unused components in CompactRenderer.

2. Client-Side Entry Point (`src/main-embed.tsx`)

A simplified entry point that:

Does not include the full App router.
Reads initial state from window.__INITIAL_STATE__.
Renders EmbedApp.

3. Component Strategy (`EmbedRenderer.tsx`)

Create src/pages/Post/renderers/EmbedRenderer.tsx. This component will be:

Lightweight: Minimal imports, no heavy third-party libs (unless critical).
Read-Only: No edit controls, no comments, no wizard.
Navigation:
- Image click → Opens window.open(postUrl, '_blank').
- Title/Author click → Opens window.open(profileUrl, '_blank').
Layout:
- Responsive Media (Image/Video).
- Filmstrip (for galleries).
- Simple footer (Like count, Share button).

4. Server-Side Serving (`server/src/products/serving/index.ts`)

A new route GET /embed/:postId will be added to the serving product.

Logic:
1. Fetch the post/media.
2. Inject into window.__INITIAL_STATE__.
3. Serve embed.html (which points to main-embed.tsx).
4. Set headers to allow embedding.

5. UI Trigger (`ArticleRenderer.tsx`)

Add an "Embed" action button next to "Export to Markdown".

Action: Opens a modal with the iframe code snippet.

Implementation Steps

1. Build Configuration

Create vite.config.embed.ts:

import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react-swc';
import path from 'path';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [react()],
  build: {
    outDir: 'dist/embed',
    rollupOptions: {
      input: 'embed.html', // We might need a dedicated HTML or use index.html with a different entry
    },
  },
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      "@": path.resolve(__dirname, "./src"),
    },
  },
});

2. Embed Entry Point

Create src/embed.html (copy of index.html pointing to src/main-embed.tsx). Create src/main-embed.tsx. Create src/EmbedApp.tsx.

3. Server Route

Update server/src/products/serving/index.ts:

// Add to routes
this.routes.push({ definition: { method: 'get', path: '/embed/:id' }, handler: this.handleGetEmbed.bind(this) });

// Handler
async handleGetEmbed(c: Context) {
    const id = c.req.param('id');
    // ... fetch post ...
    // ... load embed/index.html ...
    // ... inject data ...
    return c.html(injected);
}

4. UI Component

Modify src/pages/Post/renderers/ArticleRenderer.tsx to add the Embed button.

Considerations

Styling: Ensure global styles (index.css) are included but verify they don't assume a full page layout that breaks inside a small iframe.
Analytics: Embed views might need distinct tracking.
Links: All links inside the embed should open in a new tab (target="_blank") to avoid navigating the iframe itself.

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