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Add improvement planning documentation for React on Rails
This PR adds strategic planning documents that outline the roadmap for incremental improvements to React on Rails: 1. IMPROVEMENT_SUMMARY.md - Summary of smart error messages implementation - Details the SmartError class features - Explains auto-bundling priority in error messages - Documents debug mode capabilities - Shows before/after examples of error improvements 2. REACT_ON_RAILS_IMPROVEMENTS.md - Comprehensive improvement roadmap - 8 phases of incremental improvements - Practical, achievable baby steps to match/exceed Inertia Rails - Each phase includes effort estimates and impact assessments - Covers DX improvements, Rspack integration, RSC enhancements, and more These documents provide valuable context for the smart error messages feature that was recently implemented and serve as a roadmap for future enhancements to the gem. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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IMPROVEMENT_SUMMARY.md

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# Better Error Messages - Implementation Summary
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## Overview
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This implementation provides the first step in the React on Rails incremental improvements plan: **Better Error Messages with actionable solutions**.
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## Changes Made
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### 1. SmartError Class (`lib/react_on_rails/smart_error.rb`)
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- New intelligent error class that provides contextual help
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- Supports multiple error types:
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- `component_not_registered` - Component registration issues
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- `missing_auto_loaded_bundle` - Auto-loaded bundle missing
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- `hydration_mismatch` - Server/client render mismatch
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- `server_rendering_error` - SSR failures
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- `redux_store_not_found` - Redux store issues
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- `configuration_error` - Configuration problems
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- Features:
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- Suggests similar component names for typos
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- Provides specific code examples for fixes
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- Includes colored output for better readability
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- Shows context-aware troubleshooting steps
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### 2. Enhanced PrerenderError (`lib/react_on_rails/prerender_error.rb`)
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- Improved error formatting with colored headers
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- Pattern-based error detection for common issues:
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- `window is not defined` - Browser API on server
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- `document is not defined` - DOM API on server
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- Undefined/null errors - Missing props or data
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- Hydration errors - Server/client mismatch
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- Specific solutions for each error pattern
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- Better organization of error information
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### 3. Component Registration Debugging (JavaScript)
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- New debug options in `ReactOnRails.setOptions()`:
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- `debugMode` - Full debug logging
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- `logComponentRegistration` - Component registration details
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- Logging includes:
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- Component names being registered
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- Registration timing (performance metrics)
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- Component sizes (approximate)
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- Registration success confirmations
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### 4. Helper Module Updates (`lib/react_on_rails/helper.rb`)
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- Integrated SmartError for auto-loaded bundle errors
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- Required smart_error module
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### 5. TypeScript Types (`node_package/src/types/index.ts`)
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- Added type definitions for new debug options
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- Documented debug mode and registration logging options
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### 6. Tests
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- Ruby tests (`spec/react_on_rails/smart_error_spec.rb`)
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- Tests for each error type
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- Validation of error messages and solutions
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- Context information tests
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- JavaScript tests (`node_package/tests/debugLogging.test.js`)
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- Component registration logging tests
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- Debug mode option tests
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- Timing information validation
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### 7. Documentation (`docs/guides/improved-error-messages.md`)
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- Complete guide on using new error features
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- Examples of each error type
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- Debug mode configuration
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- Troubleshooting checklist
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## Benefits
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### For Developers
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1. **Faster debugging** - Errors now tell you exactly what to do
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2. **Less context switching** - Solutions are provided inline
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3. **Typo detection** - Suggests correct component names
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4. **Performance insights** - Registration timing helps identify slow components
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5. **Better visibility** - Debug mode shows what's happening under the hood
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### Examples of Improvements
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#### Before:
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```text
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Component HelloWorld not found
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```
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#### After (Updated with Auto-Bundling Priority):
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```text
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❌ React on Rails Error: Component 'HelloWorld' Not Registered
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Component 'HelloWorld' was not found in the component registry.
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React on Rails offers two approaches:
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• Auto-bundling (recommended): Components load automatically, no registration needed
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• Manual registration: Traditional approach requiring explicit registration
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💡 Suggested Solution:
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Did you mean one of these? HelloWorldApp, HelloWorldComponent
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🚀 Recommended: Use Auto-Bundling (No Registration Required!)
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1. Enable auto-bundling in your view:
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<%= react_component("HelloWorld", props: {}, auto_load_bundle: true) %>
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2. Place your component in the components directory:
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app/javascript/components/HelloWorld/HelloWorld.jsx
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3. Generate the bundle:
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bundle exec rake react_on_rails:generate_packs
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✨ That's it! No manual registration needed.
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```
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### Key Innovation: Auto-Bundling as Primary Solution
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The improved error messages now **prioritize React on Rails' auto-bundling feature**, which completely eliminates the need for manual component registration. This is a significant improvement because:
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1. **Simpler for developers** - No need to maintain registration files
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2. **Automatic code splitting** - Each component gets its own bundle
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3. **Better organization** - Components are self-contained in their directories
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4. **Reduced errors** - No forgetting to register components
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## Usage
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### Enable Debug Mode (JavaScript)
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```javascript
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// In your entry file
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ReactOnRails.setOptions({
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debugMode: true,
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logComponentRegistration: true,
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});
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```
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### View Enhanced Errors (Rails)
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Errors are automatically enhanced - no configuration needed. For full details:
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```ruby
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ENV["FULL_TEXT_ERRORS"] = "true"
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```
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## Next Steps
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This is Phase 1 of the incremental improvements. Next phases include:
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- Enhanced Doctor Command (Phase 1.2)
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- Modern Generator Templates (Phase 2.1)
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- Rspack Migration Assistant (Phase 3.1)
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- Inertia-Style Controller Helpers (Phase 5.1)
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## Testing
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Due to Ruby version constraints on the system (Ruby 2.6, project requires 3.0+), full testing wasn't completed, but:
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- JavaScript builds successfully
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- Code structure follows existing patterns
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- Tests are provided for validation
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## Impact
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This change has **High Impact** with **Low Effort** (2-3 days), making it an ideal first improvement. It immediately improves the developer experience without requiring any migration or configuration changes.

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