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7.5 KiB

Active conventions

This document captures the mandatory naming and structure conventions for the Active framework codebase. Every new module, type, constant, and file must comply. Existing code that drifts from these rules is treated as audit debt and migrated module by module.

The goal is single-rule homogeneity: a developer learns the convention once and applies it everywhere. No exceptions without an explicit decision recorded here.


1. Module identifier — 4-letter alias

Every artifact and lib that pairs with one is identified by a stable 4-letter alias that already lives in svelte.config.js as a bundler alias ($buss, $conn, $sess, …).

The same alias is the canonical module identifier across the codebase:

  • Path scoping in string values (already enforced after audit section 2): 'buss.event.published', 'conn.auth_failed', 'sess.lifecycle.adopted', 'perm.client.remote_check_failed'.
  • Constant name prefix: BUSS_*, CONN_*, SESS_*, PERM_*, TIMR_*, LOGR_*, CACH_*, STOR_*, FMTS_*, FEND_*, ADOM_*, AAPP_*, AUTH_*, LANG_*, HTTP_*, SIUM_*, ERRS_*.

Forbidden: full English words like BUS_*, CONNECTION_*, SESSION_*, PERMISSION_*, TIMER_*, LOGGER_*, CACHE_*, STORAGE_*, FORMATS_*, FRONTEND_*. Drift on this axis is being closed in a dedicated audit pass.


2. Constant naming — <MOD>_<CATEGORY>_<NAME>

Every categorical module-level constant follows the pattern:

<MOD>_<CATEGORY>_<NAME>
  • <MOD> — the module's 4-letter alias in caps (rule 1).
  • <CATEGORY> — what kind of constant it is. Picked from the fixed vocabulary in section 3.
  • <NAME> — the specific value's identifier in UPPER_SNAKE_CASE.

Examples

// good
BUSS_DIAGNOSTIC_EVENTS
BUSS_DEFAULT_MAX_LISTENERS_PER_EVENT
BUSS_ERR_DISPOSED
SESS_EVENT_LIFECYCLE_ADOPTED
PERM_METHOD_CHECK
TIMR_STATE_PENDING
CONN_REASON_AUTH_FAILED
CACH_LIMIT_DEFAULT_MAX_ENTRIES
STOR_MODULE

// bad (will be flagged in audit)
BUS_DIAGNOSTIC_EVENTS              // wrong module prefix (rule 1)
DEFAULT_TIMER_SCOPE_SEPARATOR      // category before module (rule 2)
PERMISSION_METHOD_CHECK            // wrong module prefix (rule 1)
AUTO_REAUTH_USER_IDENTITY_CHANGE   // missing module prefix (rule 1)

Sub-categories

When a category needs internal hierarchy, append additional segments in the <NAME> part, not in <CATEGORY>:

// good
BUSS_LISTENER_ERROR_MODE_THROW
SESS_EVENT_LIFECYCLE_ADOPTED
SESS_EVENT_LIFECYCLE_REVOKED
PERM_DEFAULT_REMOTE_FAILURE_BACKOFF_MS

// bad
BUSS_LISTENER_ERR_MODE_THROW       // category split across underscores

3. Category vocabulary — fixed list

Only these category tokens are allowed. Adding a new category is a deliberate decision recorded in this document, not an ad-hoc choice inside a module.

Category Use
MODULE The module's canonical 4-letter alias as a string constant. Single source of truth for the module's identity. Used wherever the module's identifier is needed: logger category, error message prefix, event scope, etc. Every module declares exactly one <MOD>_MODULE = '<alias>'.
ERR Error codes (ErrCode values from $libs/errs)
EVENT Bus or lifecycle event names (string discriminators)
DIAGNOSTIC_EVENTS Event values published through Logger (catalog object)
METHOD Method labels for error messages (ensureLive(METHOD))
STATE Tagged-union state discriminators
STATUS Tagged-union status discriminators
KIND Tagged-union kind discriminators
REASON Tagged-union reason discriminators
TYPE Tagged-union type discriminators (when none of the above fits)
MODE Mode discriminators (e.g. listener error mode)
DEFAULT Default values for options
LIMIT Maximum / minimum values
ID_PREFIX Prefix used by ID factories
LOG_MSG Log message strings
ERROR_MSG Error message strings (technical, dev-facing). Must use a template referencing <MOD>_MODULE for the prefix, never a hardcoded literal: `[${MOD_MODULE}] ...`.
ERROR_NAME Legacy Error.name strings (being replaced by ERR codes)
CONTEXT_KEY Svelte context keys

Categories that are not in this list (e.g. AUTO_REAUTH, AUTO_INVALIDATE, BACKOFF, BUFFER_POLICY, CHANNEL_STATE) must fold into one of the above. Examples:

  • CONNECTION_AUTO_REAUTH_* → CONN_REASON_AUTO_REAUTH_* if the value drives a "why this happened" branch, or CONN_MODE_AUTO_REAUTH_* if it configures behavior.
  • CACHE_AUTO_INVALIDATE_* → CACH_MODE_AUTO_INVALIDATE_*.
  • CONN_BUFFER_POLICY_* → CONN_MODE_BUFFER_*.

When in doubt, propose the addition here before introducing it.


4. Error codes (ErrCode) — special case under rule 2

Error codes from $libs/errs follow rule 2 with category ERR:

import { code, type ErrCode } from '$libs/errs';

export const BUSS_ERR: ErrCode = code('buss::base');                 // family root
export const BUSS_ERR_DISPOSED: ErrCode = code('buss::disposed');
export const BUSS_ERR_INVALID_PAYLOAD: ErrCode = code('buss::invalid_payload');
export const BUSS_ERR_LISTENER: ErrCode = code('buss::listener');    // sub-family root
export const BUSS_ERR_LISTENER_FAILED: ErrCode = code('buss::listener.failed');

The string value's path segments mirror the constant's <NAME> part: BUSS_ERR_LISTENER_FAILED ↔ 'buss::listener.failed'.

The :: separator inside the string distinguishes module from hierarchy. The constant uses _ as the syntactic separator (rule 2). A helper codeToLangPath(c) converts 'buss::listener.failed' → 'buss.listener.failed' for the i18n path.


5. String values inside diagnostic / event constants

Already enforced after audit section 2:

// good — value carries the module scope
export const CONN_DIAGNOSTIC_EVENTS = {
  AUTH_FAILED: 'conn.auth_failed',
  RECONNECT_EXHAUSTED: 'conn.reconnect_exhausted'
} as const;

// bad — bare value collides across modules
export const CONN_DIAGNOSTIC_EVENTS = {
  AUTH_FAILED: 'auth_failed',          // collides with auth.* events
  LISTENER_THREW: 'listener_threw'     // collides with sess and timr
} as const;

Rule: every string value emitted as an event identifier must start with the module's 4-letter alias (rule 1) followed by . and the value-specific path.


6. File and folder structure

Layer Rule
libs/<mod>/ Pure contracts: types, constants, error classes, helpers. No Svelte runes, no engine state.
arts/<mod>/ Runtime engine + *.svelte.ts active wrappers. May import from $libs/<mod> and from its own files.
arts/<mod>/index.ts Public barrel. Re-exports the artifact's surface.
arts/<mod>/test/ Tests for engine and active wrappers.
svrs/<mod>/ Server-side counterparts (cookies, db adapters, route handlers).
arts/aapp/ Composition root. Allowed to import any $<mod>.

Cross-artifact imports are forbidden (arts/X cannot import $Y). Sole exception: arts/aapp/.


7. When this document is updated

  • A new category in section 3 requires a record-of-decision: who, when, why.
  • Module aliases are frozen: a new artifact picks a 4-letter alias not yet taken; renaming an existing alias is a breaking change.
  • Drift found in the codebase that violates these rules is filed as an audit finding and resolved in a dedicated commit.

Last updated: 2026-05-02 — initial version after audit-1-5.md sections 1–2 closed.

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