Concepts

This section provides detailed explanations of the key concepts and principles that form the foundation of the ReX content system.

Overview

Concept documentation explores the fundamental ideas and architectural patterns that underpin the system. These documents explain not just how components work, but why they are designed the way they are, providing a deeper understanding of the system’s structure and behavior.

Core Concepts

The ReX content system is built on several foundational concepts:

• Content System: The unified approach to content management across environments
• Composition: Building complex behavior through function composition
• Data Flow: How content moves through the system’s layers
• Environments: Adapting to different runtime contexts
• Historical Impermanence: Approach to versioning and change tracking

Documentation Structure

Each concept document follows a consistent structure:

1. Overview: A high-level introduction with system context
2. Fundamentals: Core principles and basic implementation details
3. Working With the Concept: Common patterns and integration examples
4. Advanced Concepts: Sophisticated patterns and implementation details
5. Related Implementations: Links to reference documentation
6. Examples: Concrete examples showing the concept in practice

Learning Approach

The concepts documentation supports a trimodal learning approach:

• Bottom-Up Implementation: Understanding the concrete implementation details
• Top-Down API Design: Working with high-level abstractions and interfaces
• Holistic System Integration: Seeing how components fit into the larger system

This approach allows readers to engage with the material in the way that best matches their learning style and current needs.

Key Concept Areas

Content Architecture

• Content Model: The fundamental structure of content in the system
• Content URI System: How content is addressed and identified
• Content Operations: Standard operations for manipulating content
• Content Events: How changes are communicated through the system

System Architecture

• Layer Boundaries: Clear separation between system layers
• Component Responsibility: How responsibilities are divided
• Extensibility Points: Where and how the system can be extended
• Composition Pattern: How behavior is enhanced through function composition

Runtime Environment

• Environment Detection: How the system adapts to different environments
• Capability Advertising: How components communicate their capabilities
• Progressive Enhancement: Adding features when capabilities exist
• Graceful Degradation: Maintaining core functionality when capabilities are missing

Time and History

• Versioning: Approach to content versioning
• Editing History: Tracking changes to content over time
• Conflict Resolution: Managing concurrent modifications
• Vector Clocks: Maintaining causality in distributed systems

Connections to Other Documentation

Concept documentation connects directly to:

• Guides: How-to guides that implement these concepts
• Reference: Detailed API and type documentation
• Patterns: Implementation patterns derived from these concepts
• Architecture: Architectural decisions that formalize these concepts