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Robert Bond 0de9268255 Merged PR 2242: Refactor: New Appeal flow structural cleanup (Slices 1–8, no behaviour change)

## Summary

This PR merges the completed new-appeal refactor stream (Slices 1–8) into SIPS-Development.

This refactor was executed in controlled slices with regression validation at each step.

## Scope

Structural and readability improvements only:
- XML/form derivation extraction
- payload and file helper extraction
- side-effect facade introduction
- BuildSection and BuildCheckSection decomposition
- BuildCheckRow formatter map refactor
- nested prop boundary cleanup
- start-flow cleanup (CreateCase / AboutYou)

## Behaviour

No intended behavioural changes.

The following were explicitly preserved:
- S78 journey behaviour
- payload shapes and field names/ids
- HASCAS mapping logic
- appellant/agent branching
- validation rules and messages
- redirect/query parameters (`lpa`, `apt`, `id`)
- navigation and side-effect sequencing
- EN/CY output parity

## Validation

Full regression has been performed on:
- start flow (CreateCase / AboutYou)
- save and resume flows
- file upload handling
- check answers rendering
- submit/finalisation sequence
- confirmation flow
- CRM insertion path
- EN/CY parity

Additional checks:
- docsOffline branch behaviour
- completion and partial-save email paths
- negative-path validation scenarios
- lint (warnings baseline unchanged)

## Risk

Low:
- changes are structural only
- no business logic changes
- no contract changes

## Rollback

Safe rollback via reverting this merge commit.

## Notes

This refactor reduces coupling and prepares the new-appeal flow for future appeal-type expansion.

Related work items: #22570, #22576, #22577, #22583, #22586, #22587, #22588, #22590

2026-04-13 13:09:12 +00:00

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Contributing with AI (Refactor Branch — PEDW FrontEnd)

Purpose

This guide defines how engineers and AI agents should work safely and efficiently in this refactor branch.

This branch focuses on safe, behaviour-preserving refactor of the new appeal flow.

Start Here (Required Order)

Read .clinerules/refactor-branch-rules.md
Read GUARDRAILS.md
Read core context:
- context/refactor-branch-charter.md
- context/newappeal-refactor-guardrails.md
- context/architecture.md
- context/domain-flows.md

Only read additional files when directly relevant.

Do not load all context, templates, or memory-bank files by default.

Core Principle

This is a refactor branch, not a feature branch.

Preserve current live S78 behaviour
Do not introduce business-rule changes unless explicitly requested
Prefer small, safe, reversible changes
Focus on structure, not behaviour

Standard AI-Assisted Workflow

1. Scope

Define requirement
Confirm non-goals
Identify impacted flow areas
Identify risk level

2. Plan

Keep plan small and incremental
Identify safe boundaries
Avoid mixing refactor + feature work

3. Implement

Make the smallest viable change
Prefer extraction over rewrite
Preserve interfaces and payload shapes

4. Validate

Minimum required:

npm run lint
targeted manual checks
EN/CY parity checks (if user-facing)
negative-path checks for sensitive flows

5. Document (only when needed)

update memory-bank/change-log.md for non-trivial work
record decisions or pitfalls if useful

Templates (Use Only When Needed)

Templates are optional tools, not default context.

Use only one template if needed:

feature implementation
bug fix
refactor
debugging
code review

Do not load all templates. Do not treat templates as baseline context.

Context Loading Rule (Critical)

Always use the minimum required context.

Default context for this branch:

context/refactor-branch-charter.md
context/newappeal-refactor-guardrails.md
context/architecture.md
context/domain-flows.md

Only load additional files when:

working with integrations → integration-map.md
reviewing test gaps → test-coverage-map.md
performing release work → runbook.md
working on specific planned sequence → context/plans/*

Never load:

all context files
all templates
onboarding or overview docs

Branching Protocol

This repository currently uses different branch rules depending on the work type.

For BAU / normal delivery work

create work branches from SIPS-Development

For new appeal refactor work

use the refactor branch as the base branch
do refactor implementation either:
- directly on refactor, if that is the agreed working model, or
- on a short-lived feature branch created from refactor

Do not perform refactor implementation directly on SIPS-Development.

If unsure which branch model applies, stop and confirm before making changes.

No-Break Rules (Always Enforce)

Do not weaken auth/session behaviour
Do not weaken security headers/CSP
Keep EN/CY behaviour aligned
Do not expose secrets or personal data
Protect save/resume/upload/submit journeys

PR Minimum (AI-Assisted)

Every change must include:

Scope summary
Files changed
Risk notes (auth/data/i18n/a11y)
Validation evidence
Rollback plan

Handling Unknowns

If unsure:

Choose the safer option
Do not change behaviour
call out assumptions clearly
log open questions if needed

Summary Rule

If in doubt:

Preserve behaviour, reduce risk, keep changes small.

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