ReplyNowEpic1.md

Epic 1: Core Input and Generation Flow Task List

This task list breaks down Epic 1 for ReplyNow into sequential, actionable steps. Each task includes dependencies (if any), estimated effort (low/medium/high based on complexity in vanilla HTML/CSS/JS), and success criteria. Tasks are grouped by feature for clarity but can be tackled in order. Assume a basic project setup (e.g., index.html, styles.css, app.js with module files) is already in place. Use Git for version control—commit after each major task.

Feature 1.1: Email Input Handling

1. Create the HTML textarea element

   • Description: Add a <textarea> to index.html for users to paste the incoming email.
   • Details: ID="email-input", rows=5, cols=50, placeholder="Paste the incoming email here...". Wrap in a for structure.
   • Dependencies: None.
   • Effort: Low.
   • Success Criteria: Textarea renders on page load; users can type/paste text.
   • Commit Message: "Add email input textarea to HTML form"

2. Style the textarea with CSS

   • Description: Apply basic styling in styles.css to make it visually appealing and responsive.
   • Details: Use width: 100%; max-width: 600px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: Arial. Add media query for mobile (e.g., @media (max-width: 768px) { textarea { font-size: 16px; } }).
   • Dependencies: Task 1.
   • Effort: Low.
   • Success Criteria: Textarea resizes properly on desktop/mobile; maintains professional look.
   • Commit Message: "Style email input textarea for responsiveness"

3. Add JS event listener for input changes

   • Description: In input.js (InputModule), create a function to capture the textarea value on input/change events.
   • Details: Use document.getElementById('email-input').addEventListener('input', (e) => { this.emailText = e.target.value; }); Store in a class property.
   • Dependencies: Task 1.
   • Effort: Low.
   • Success Criteria: Console.log the value on change to verify capture.
   • Commit Message: "Implement input event listener for email textarea"

4. Implement validation for empty input

   • Description: In InputModule, add a validate() method that checks if emailText is empty or just whitespace.
   • Details: If invalid, create and show a Please paste an email. below the textarea (hidden by default via CSS display: none;). Toggle visibility on generate attempt.
   • Dependencies: Tasks 1, 3.
   • Effort: Medium.
   • Success Criteria: Error shows/hides correctly when textarea is empty/filled.
   • Commit Message: "Add validation and error display for email input"

Feature 1.2: Intent and Tone Selection

5. Create HTML select elements for intent and tone

   • Description: Add two dropdowns to the form in index.html. Details: For intent (id="intent-select"): Select Intent, then options for "Accept", "Decline", "Ask for clarification", "Follow up". For tone (id="tone-select"): similar, with "Friendly", "Professional", "Firm". Place below textarea with labels (Reply Intent:). Dependencies: Task 1 (form exists). Effort: Low. Success Criteria: Dropdowns render with options; selections persist. Commit Message: "Add intent and tone select dropdowns to HTML" Style the selects with CSS Description: Style dropdowns in styles.css for consistency. Details: width: 100%; max-width: 300px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 5px. Add flexbox for layout if needed (e.g., .form-group { display: flex; flex-direction: column; }). Dependencies: Task 5. Effort: Low. Success Criteria: Dropdowns look professional and align well on mobile. Commit Message: "Style intent and tone selects" Add JS event listeners for select changes Description: In InputModule, capture selected values. Details: Similar to Task 3: addEventListener('change') for each select, storing this.intent and this.tone. Dependencies: Tasks 3, 5. Effort: Low. Success Criteria: Console.log selected values on change. Commit Message: "Implement change listeners for intent and tone selects" Implement validation for unselected options Description: Extend validate() in InputModule to check if intent and tone are selected (not empty string). Details: Show separate error spans (id="intent-error", "tone-error") like "Please select an intent." Use same CSS class for errors. Dependencies: Tasks 4, 7. Effort: Medium. Success Criteria: Errors appear if dropdowns are default; clear on selection. Commit Message: "Add validation for intent and tone selections" Feature 1.3: Reply Generation Add the Generate Reply button Description: Add a Generate Reply to the form in index.html. Details: Place below selects; make it prominent (e.g., class="cta"). Dependencies: Task 5. Effort: Low. Success Criteria: Button renders and is clickable. Commit Message: "Add generate reply button to form" Style the generate button Description: In styles.css, make it stand out. Details: background-color: #007bff; color: white; padding: 10px 20px; border: none; cursor: pointer. Hover effect: opacity: 0.9. Center with margin: auto. Dependencies: Task 9. Effort: Low. Success Criteria: Button is visually hierarchical and responsive. Commit Message: "Style generate reply CTA button" Wire up generate button click event Description: In input.js, add click listener to button that triggers validation and generation. Details: event.preventDefault(); if (this.validate()) { const reply = ReplyGenerator.generate(this.intent, this.tone, this.emailText); OutputModule.renderReply(reply); } Dependencies: Tasks 4, 8, 9 (and upcoming ReplyGenerator). Effort: Medium. Success Criteria: Button click logs "Generating..." if valid; shows errors if not. Commit Message: "Connect generate button to validation and generation flow" Define reply templates in ReplyGenerator Description: In replyGenerator.js, create a templates object with 12 combinations (4 intents x 3 tones). Details: E.g., templates['Accept-Friendly'] = "Thank you for your message. I'd be happy to accept your proposal regarding {context}. Let's proceed!"; Use placeholders like {context} for email summary. Dependencies: None. Effort: Medium. Success Criteria: Object has all keys; strings are concise (3-6 sentences). Commit Message: "Define static reply templates for all intent-tone combos" Implement basic email context parsing Description: In replyGenerator.js, add a parseContext(emailText) function. Details: Use simple string methods or regex, e.g., extract first sentence or keywords: const context = emailText.split('.')[0].trim() + '...'; Handle if empty. Dependencies: Task 12. Effort: Medium. Success Criteria: Function returns a short summary string from input text. Commit Message: "Add simple context parsing from email text" Implement generate method Description: In ReplyGenerator, create generate(intent, tone, emailText) that selects template and replaces placeholders. Details: const key = ${intent}-${tone}; let reply = templates[key] || 'Default reply'; reply = reply.replace('{context}', parseContext(emailText)); Ensure 3-6 sentences. Dependencies: Tasks 12, 13. Effort: Medium. Success Criteria: Returns polished string based on inputs; test with console.log. Commit Message: "Implement reply generation logic with template mapping" Post-Feature Integration and Testing Integrate modules in main.js Description: In a main.js file, import InputModule, ReplyGenerator, OutputModule and initialize (e.g., const input = new InputModule();). Dependencies: All above. Effort: Low. Success Criteria: App flows from input to generation without errors. Commit Message: "Wire up modules in main entry point" End-to-End Testing for Epic 1 Description: Manually test the flow: Paste email, select options, generate; check for errors and output. Details: Test on desktop and mobile (use browser dev tools). Time the process (<30s). Fix any bugs. Dependencies: All above. Effort: High. Success Criteria: Full input-to-generation works; no console errors. Commit Message: "Epic 1 E2E testing and bug fixes" Once this task list is complete, Epic 1 will deliver a functional core flow. Proceed to Epic 2 next if ready. Let me know if you need code snippets or adjustments!