Project Brief
Project: Texas RBA Case Management System v1.0
Purpose: Browser-based arbitration case management — replaces Airtable workflow
End User: John Gann (arbitrator, admin) + unlimited assistants
Platform: Duda HTML widgets (Business plan) — all pages hidden from nav
Database: Firebase Realtime Database — compat SDK only, NOT Firestore
Firebase Proj: rba-mgr (separate from rba-dev-team-portal)
AI: Claude API — image intake on Case Intake Form; key in Settings
Email: Phase 1: mailto links; Phase 2: Claude API-generated drafts
Auth: None in Phase 1 — no login required
Design Spec: arb-implementation-plan-v05.html (authoritative source of truth)
Duda Rules — Every File
addEventListener()
only — never onclick=""
· !important
on all CSS · Never document.body.innerHTML =
· Hidden/visible div toggling for all state changes · Firebase compat SDK via CDN script tags only
File Naming Conventions
rba-[component]-mockup.html ← Phase 1 static prototype
rba-[component]-v[X.X].html ← Phase 2+ working version
rba-[component]-final-v[X.X].html ← Production ready
rba-firebase-config.js
rba-settings-mockup.html
rba-settings-v1.0.html
rba-intake-mockup.html
rba-intake-v1.0.html
rba-dashboard-mockup.html
rba-dashboard-v1.0.html
rba-case-detail-mockup.html
rba-case-detail-v1.0.html
rba-email-templates-mockup.html
rba-email-templates-v1.0.html
rba-automations-v1.0.js
rba-comm-log-mockup.html
rba-comm-log-v1.0.html
rba-resources-mockup.html
rba-resources-v1.0.html
rba-reports-mockup.html
rba-reports-v1.0.html
Build Sequence & Dependencies
Phase Methodology
Every component follows the same three-phase build pattern. Never begin Phase 2 until Phase 1 is complete and reviewed.
- Phase 1 — Structure & Layout: Static HTML only. No JavaScript. All values in [bracket] placeholders. Brand styles applied. Mobile-tested at 400px.
- Phase 2 — Interactivity & Logic:
Firebase wired. All data reads/writes functional. Event handlers via
addEventListener(). Form validation. Success/error states via div toggling. - Phase 3 — Polish & Edge Cases: Empty states handled. Loading indicators. Real data tested. Edge cases verified. Version stamped in 3 locations. Production-ready.
Components C1 – C10
One-time setup. No HTML mockup phase — just Firebase console configuration and the config snippet included in every subsequent component file.
// Config snippet — paste into every component file
const firebaseConfig = {
apiKey: "[from console]",
authDomain: "rba-mgr.firebaseapp.com",
databaseURL: "https://rba-mgr-default-rtdb.firebaseio.com",
projectId: "rba-mgr",
storageBucket: "rba-mgr.firebasestorage.app",
messagingSenderId: "[from console]",
appId: "[from console]"
};
Global configuration hub. Must be built before Case Intake because field toggle states and the Anthropic API key are read by the intake form at runtime.
Sections: arbitrator profile · Anthropic API key (localStorage, never Firebase) · field toggles → arbitrators/[id]/settings/fieldToggles/
· resource docs CRUD → resources/[id]/
Creates new case records. Supports manual entry and AI image intake (Claude API reads PTAS screenshot → populates fields). Respects global field toggle settings. 29 fields across 5 groups: Property, Parties, Appeal, Hearing, Financials.
Key integrations: field toggles from Firebase on load · File # auto-generation ( counters/[id]/[year]
, YYYY-### format) · Claude API image intake (base64 encode → API call → map response to fields) · saves to arbitrators/[id]/cases/[caseId]/
Lists all cases. Search, filter, sort. Status badges. Payment-due flags. Aggregate payment summary. Links to Case Detail View.
Table columns: File # · Arbitration # · Status · County · Property Owner · Tax Year · Hearing Date · Hearing Type · Arb Fee · Last Modified. Filters: status, county, hearing type, verdict. Row click → /case/?id=[caseId]
Full case record in 3 tabs mirroring PTAS structure: Tab 1 — Request Dashboard · Tab 2 — Hearing · Tab 3 — Award. 17 panels total. Most complex component.
Includes Rule 9.4212 trigger, compliance checklist, email log, payment tracking, and terminal status (Dismissed / Withdrawn Untimely) accessible from the case header at all times. Terminal status triggers a manual fee entry field.
7 pre-populated mailto templates: E1 Schedule Request (×4 variants: In-Person/Teleconference × No Agent/With Agent) · E2 Schedule Confirmation & Procedures · E3 Pre-Hearing (×2: In-Person/Teleconference). Plus Rule 9.4212 pre-filled certified letter.
Phase 1: mailto links (arbitrator's own email client). Phase 2: Claude API-generated email drafts.
14 triggers wired into Case Detail save events. Every status change auto-appends to statusHistory[]
with timestamp. Terminal statuses accessible at any stage.
No fee auto-logic anywhere. Fee amounts, deposit amounts, party responsible, and all financial fields are manual entry only — as communicated by the Comp.
Per-case communication log panel inside Case Detail Tab 1. Fields: date, type (Email/Phone/Mail/Certified Letter), contact person, contact role, summary, follow-up required flag. Saves to arbitrators/[id]/cases/[caseId]/communications/[commId]/
Reference library. Static content: fee schedule (reference only — no auto-calculation), dismissal workflow, Withdrawn Untimely guide, status workflow reference, Comp portal links. Arbitrator-editable docs stored in resources/[id]/
.
10 charts and stat cards plus payment aggregate view. All data sourced from Firebase case records. Arbitrator only — read only. Charts: Cases by Status (donut) · Cases by Month (bar) · Cases by County (bar) · Hearing Type Split (pie) · Verdict Outcomes (donut) · Payment Source Split (pie) · Revenue Summary (stat cards) · Average Values (stat cards) · Cases This Year · Payment Aggregate table.
Integration Phase
Run after all 10 components are individually production-ready.
- Confirm all component files are at their final versions
- Consolidate shared CSS (color vars, typography, table styles) into a shared stylesheet
- Consolidate shared JS (Firebase init, field toggle loader, color maps)
- Deploy Duda pages in order: Settings → Intake → Dashboard → Case Detail → Resources → Reports
- Test full end-to-end: create case → view in dashboard → open detail → update status → view in reports
- Test Rule 9.4212 flow end-to-end with a real case
- Test terminal status (Dismissed and Withdrawn Untimely) from different workflow stages
- Test AI image intake with 5+ real PTAS screenshots
- Test mailto templates — all 7 variants open correctly in email client
- Verify payment aggregate totals match manual calculation
- Check browser console — zero errors across all pages
- Test on mobile (400px) — all pages usable
- Update Firebase security rules for production (remove open test mode)
Versioning Rules
Update version in three places on every release: the <title>
tag, the visible page header, and the changelog comment block at the top of the file.
<!--
============================================================
TEXAS RBA - [COMPONENT NAME]
Version: v[X.X.X]
Last Updated: [Date]
============================================================
CHANGELOG:
v[X.X.X] - [Date] - [What changed]
v1.0.0 - 2026-02-22 - Initial build
DUDA RULES:
- addEventListener() only — no onclick=""
- !important on all CSS
- Never document.body.innerHTML =
- Hidden/visible div toggling for state changes
============================================================
-->