Better Conversations Foundation Website

The official website for the Better Conversations Foundation (BCF), built with Astro and focused on promoting improved professional and personal communication through Better Conversations methodology.

Quick Start

npm install             # Install dependencies
npm run dev             # Start dev server at localhost:4321
npm run build           # Build production site to ./dist/
npm run preview         # Preview production build locally
npx astro check         # Check for TypeScript errors

🚀 Project Structure

/
├── docs/               # Complete development documentation
│   ├── README.md       # Documentation overview
│   ├── design-system.md
│   ├── accessibility.md
│   ├── development.md
│   └── content-guidelines.md
├── public/             # Static assets (favicon, robots.txt)
├── scripts/            # Build automation scripts
├── src/
│   ├── assets/         # Optimized images (processed by Astro)
│   ├── components/     # Reusable Astro components
│   ├── content/        # Content collections (blog, _whitepapers)
│   ├── data/           # Image imports, metadata, data utilities
│   ├── layouts/        # Page wrapper components (Layout.astro)
│   ├── pages/          # File-based routing
│   ├── scripts/        # Client-side JavaScript
│   ├── styles/         # Global CSS with .bcf-* classes
│   └── utils/          # Helper functions and utilities
├── AGENTS.md           # Quick reference for AI assistants
└── PLAN.md             # Project roadmap and task tracking

🏗️ Technology Stack

• Astro v5.15.6 - Static site generator (fully static build, no SSR)
• Tailwind CSS v3.4.17 - Utility-first CSS framework with global .bcf-* component classes
• TypeScript v5.9.2 - Type-safe JavaScript with strict configuration
• Alpine.js v3.14.9 - Lightweight framework for progressive enhancement

📖 Documentation

For Developers

Primary Documentation: /docs/ folder contains comprehensive guides:

• Design System - Brand colors, UI components, spacing standards, button system
• Accessibility - WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, ARIA patterns, keyboard navigation
• Development - TypeScript rules, component structure, Alpine.js integration, build process
• Content Guidelines - UK English standards, metadata conventions, writing style, SEO

Start with /docs/README.md for an overview and common tasks.

Quick References

• AGENTS.md - Critical rules and quick reference (useful for AI assistants and humans)
• PLAN.md - Project roadmap, current status, and task tracking

🎨 Design System

• Brand Colors: Primary teal (#54C4B6) and secondary green (#A8D381)
• Consistent Gradients: from-[#54C4B6] to-[#A8D381] pattern throughout
• Global CSS Classes: .bcf-* prefix for consistent components (see src/styles/global.css)
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with generous spacing
• Typography: Sentence case for headings, title case for buttons

See docs/design-system.md for complete specifications.

📝 Content Management

Blog Posts

Create markdown files in src/content/blog/ with required frontmatter:

---
title: "Your Post Title"
pubDate: 2024-01-15
author: "Author Name"
tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
excerpt: "Brief description for cards and listings"
---

Images

• Blog hero images: Place in /src/assets/images/blog/ as [slug]-hero.{ext} (auto-optimized)
• Author photos: Place in /src/assets/images/authors/ as [firstname-lastname].{ext}
• General images: Place in /src/assets/images/ for automatic optimization

See docs/content-guidelines.md for complete guidelines.

🔍 Key Features

• Content Collections: Blog posts managed through Astro's content collections with schema validation
• File-based Routing: Automatic route generation from the src/pages/ directory
• Client-Side Search: Fast, interactive search with advanced filtering (Typesense-powered)
• SEO Optimized: Sitemap generation, robots.txt, structured data (JSON-LD), OpenGraph tags
• Progressive Enhancement: Server-rendered content enhanced with Alpine.js for interactivity
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant with keyboard navigation and screen reader support

⚠️ Current Status

• ✅ Blog: Live and active with 8+ posts
• ✅ Static Pages: All main navigation pages complete
• ⚠️ Whitepapers: Currently hidden (directories prefixed with _whitepapers)
• ⚠️ Search: Functional but has 2 TODOs (API key and collection name - see SearchTypesense.astro)

🤝 Contributing

When making changes:

1. Check documentation first - See /docs/ for comprehensive guidelines
2. Run npx astro check after TypeScript/Astro file changes (must pass)
3. Use UK English spelling in all content (organisation, colour, centre)
4. Check global .bcf-* classes before creating custom styles
5. Test responsive design on mobile, tablet, and desktop viewports
6. Test accessibility with keyboard navigation and screen readers

Critical Development Rules

• TypeScript: Scripts with define:vars must use is:inline and plain JavaScript only
• Accessibility: All interactive elements must be keyboard accessible
• Mobile-first: Always start with mobile styles, enhance for larger screens
• UK English: Content only (never change code syntax like CSS properties)

See AGENTS.md for quick reference or docs/development.md for details.

🧪 Testing Before Deployment

• npx astro check passes with 0 errors
• All navigation links work
• Images load with proper alt text
• Forms submit correctly
• Keyboard navigation works (Tab, Enter, Escape)
• Mobile responsive (320px - 1920px)
• No console errors in browser
• Search functionality works

📚 Additional Resources

• Astro Documentation: https://docs.astro.build
• Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com/docs
• BCF Website: https://betterconversations.foundation

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About BCF: The Better Conversations Foundation promotes improved communication through evidence-based methodologies. This is not a sales site—we emphasize partnership, collaboration, and open resources.

Learn more at betterconversations.foundation