Updates
What's new
The site is in active development. This page summarizes recent changes for repeat visitors.
For current limitations, see Known issues.
August 2026
SSR, docs & notes polish
- Single Scripture block on /read (removed duplicate SEO fallback markup).
- Theme control SSR fallback (Theme: System) replaces loading placeholder.
- Help docs use Library navigation; Notes vs Reflect clarified in help and UI.
- Notes backup status line (count + last backup) with Export backup action.
- Known issues: feature stability table and accessibility remediation status labels.
- Home reading plan label: M'Cheyne plan · 4 readings today.
August 2026
Compact nav & maintainer name
- Header and mobile menu use Scripture · Study tools · Library · About · Help on every page.
- Maintainer credit standardized to Walter Vijayakumar on About, Help, and Known issues.
- Reader display labels clarified (reading theme, time-based colours, hide controls while scrolling).
August 2026
Help hub, reader fallback & build
- /help is now a concise task hub; full manual moved to /help/all.
- Visible server-rendered passage on /read until the interactive reader loads.
- Chapter virtualization waits for scroll (keeps verse order for crawlers longer).
- PWA workbox: lodash 4.17.x pin, large-asset excludes, sw.js emitted to build/client.
August 2026
Homepage, library badges & nav cleanup
- Calmer home hierarchy: passage field in first viewport, combined today section, study/library links.
- Library cards show resource-type badges (primary text, confessional, visualisation, etc.).
- Removed legacy Study/Explore header menus, full footer grid, and quietNav flag.
August 2026
Navigation, reader SSR & help sync
- Compact Scripture · Study tools · Library navigation on reader mobile menu.
- Server-rendered passage block on /read (verse-ssr-* ids) for crawlers and no-JS.
- Help Start here sequence aligned with /start; beta language and Library nav copy.
- Removed footer local-time clock from reader; known-issues added to smoke tests.
August 2026
Deploy & quality checks
- Render: auto-reuse bible.db on /var/data persistent disk (no dashboard env required).
- smoke:live script verifies production health, map verse samples, and single SSR on /read.
- CI smoke tests cover /map, /library, /changelog, and place-verse-samples.json.
- Single SSR verse block guard on /read (verse id duplicate markup regression check).
- Naming constants (The Word vs The Word Alone) in footer and source panels.
August 2026
Map data in deploy pipeline
- map:build downloads Open Bible geocoding data and emits verse samples on deploy.
- public/data map assets rebuild when MAP_DATA_CACHE_BUST changes.
August 2026
Accessibility & library metadata
- Bible map: searchable place index with book filters below the interactive map.
- Map place index includes sample KJV verse links from the geocoded dataset.
- Scarlet thread: full connection table and downloadable JSON.
- Reformation will-debate chart: argument index with every node and link.
- Source panels on library, theology, creeds, and reference texts.
- Mobile menu matches consolidated Library navigation on content pages.
August 2026
Reader context & site polish
- Passage-level orientation: reading time, genre, chapter outline, and contextual links in the reader.
- Unified slim footer and quieter home navigation across content pages.
- Single Scripture block on /read (removed duplicate SSR passage markup).
- Start here guide reordered for new readers; optional deeper exploration separated.
- Help copy cleaned for task-focused language.
August 2026
Reading-first IA
- Calmer home page with one primary path to Open the Bible.
- Library hub for creeds, theology, and reference works.
- Task-oriented Help routes (Quick start, Reader, Notes, Study tools, Trust).
- Known issues and source metadata on map and timeline.