# Template Picker

## Objective

Let people start from a proven structure instead of a blank screen.

A gallery of curated, versioned starting points that can be previewed and then applied to create a new record.

## Before You Begin

This feature is being added to an application that already exists and already
works. Do not scaffold a new project, and do not assume a blank slate.

Inspect the codebase first and establish:

- The existing application structure and where code of this kind already lives.
- The framework and version in use.
- The existing design system — colours, spacing, typography, and component conventions.
- Existing UI components you can reuse instead of writing new ones.
- The existing database structure, if this feature needs to persist anything.
- The existing authentication and authorization system, if this feature is user-scoped.
- Dependencies already installed, so you don't add a library that duplicates one.
- The existing test setup and conventions.

Only start writing code once you understand the above. If the application
already implements part of this feature, extend it rather than replacing it.

## Implementation Instructions

1. Treat templates as curated and versioned content, separate from user records. Record which template and which version produced each object so support can trace it later.
2. Show only templates compatible with the object type being created and with the user's plan. Locked templates may be visible as an upgrade prompt, but must not be applicable.
3. Show a real preview of what applying it will create — the sections, fields, and items — before anything is written.
4. Applying a template to an object that already has content must never overwrite silently. Offer merge or a new object, or refuse.
5. Publishing a new template version must not retroactively change objects created from an earlier one.
6. Copying an existing user record is owned by Duplicate Record, and seeding demo content is owned by Sample Data. Do not implement either here — link to them instead.

## UI and UX Requirements

Match the application's existing design system exactly. Reuse its components,
spacing, and typography. This feature should look like it was always there.

## Responsive Requirements

Works on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Touch targets are large enough to hit on a
phone, and nothing overflows horizontally at 320px.

## Accessibility Requirements

- Fully keyboard navigable.
- Correct semantic elements and ARIA roles.
- Visible focus states.
- Meets WCAG AA contrast.
- Dynamic changes are announced to screen readers.
- Respects prefers-reduced-motion.

## Edge Cases

- A template referencing a field or integration the workspace does not have must degrade gracefully or be marked unavailable, not applied broken.
- A user's plan can be downgraded after a template was applied; the created object must keep working.
- A retired template must remain readable for objects already using it.
- Applying a large template must be atomic and show progress if it is slow.
- Templates with localised content need a language rule; do not silently apply English into a non-English workspace.
- An empty gallery — no compatible templates — needs its own state with a path to starting blank.

## Testing

Exercise the feature end to end in the running application. Cover every edge case
above, then run the existing test suite and confirm nothing regressed.

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Only templates compatible with the object type and plan can be applied.
- [ ] A preview shows the created structure before anything is written.
- [ ] Every created object records the template id and version used.
- [ ] New template versions do not alter existing objects.
- [ ] Applying to an object with existing content never overwrites without consent.
- [ ] Unavailable or retired templates are handled explicitly rather than failing.
- [ ] The feature matches the existing design system.
- [ ] No existing functionality is broken.

## Adaptation Rules

- Match the existing design system. Do not introduce a new colour palette,
  spacing scale, or component library.
- Reuse existing components and utilities wherever they fit.
- Follow the naming, file layout, and code style already present.
- Do not upgrade, replace, or remove existing dependencies to make this
  feature fit. Adapt the feature to the app, not the app to the feature.
- Do not break existing functionality. If a change is genuinely required in
  existing code, make the smallest one that works and say so.
- If something in these instructions conflicts with how the application is
  built, follow the application and explain the deviation.

## Final Verification

Before you report the work as done:

1. Re-read the acceptance criteria above and check each one against what you
   actually built.
2. Run the application and exercise the feature end to end.
3. Run the existing test suite and confirm you have broken nothing.
4. Check the feature on mobile, tablet, and desktop widths.
5. Check keyboard navigation and focus handling.
6. Summarize what changed: files added, files modified, and anything you
   deliberately did differently because of how this application is built.

If any acceptance criterion is unmet, fix it before reporting completion.