LAYER_10_NAVIGATION

Navigation Layer Skill

Layer Number: 10 Specification: Metadata Model Spec v0.7.0 Purpose: Defines multi-modal navigation flows, routes, guards, and transitions between views.

Layer Overview

The Navigation Layer captures navigation and routing:

• ROUTES - URL paths to views
• GUARDS - Authorization checks before navigation
• FLOWS - Multi-step navigation flows
• TRANSITIONS - Navigation between routes
• REDIRECTS - Conditional redirects
• CONTEXT - Navigation context variables
• TRACKING - Analytics and process tracking

This layer uses Multi-Modal Navigation supporting web, mobile, voice, and other modalities.

Central Entity: The Route (URL path to view) is the core modeling unit.

Entity Types

Core Navigation Entities (10 entities)

When to Use This Skill

Activate when the user:

• Mentions "navigation", "routing", "routes", "flows"
• Wants to define URL paths or route guards
• Asks about multi-step flows or navigation transitions
• Needs to model navigation between screens
• Wants to link navigation to UX views or business processes

Cross-Layer Relationships

Outgoing (Navigation → Other Layers):

• view-ref → UX Layer (which view does this route show?)
• business.realizes-process → Business Layer (what process does this flow realize?)
• security.required-roles → Security Layer (authorization requirements)
• apm.flow-metrics → APM Layer (navigation analytics)

Incoming (Other Layers → Navigation):

• UX Layer → Navigation (views reference routes)
• Business Layer → Navigation (processes trigger flows)

Design Best Practices

1. Guards - Add navigation guards for protected routes
2. Context - Pass necessary context between routes
3. Analytics - Track navigation flows for insights
4. Error handling - Define fallback routes for errors
5. Deep linking - Support deep linking for all routes
6. SEO - Consider SEO requirements for public routes
7. Performance - Lazy-load routes when appropriate

Common Commands

# Add route
dr add navigation route --name "User Profile Route" --property path=/profile/:id

# Add navigation guard
dr add navigation navigation-guard --name "Auth Guard"

# Add navigation flow
dr add navigation navigation-flow --name "Checkout Flow"

# List routes
dr list navigation route

# Validate navigation layer
dr validate --layer navigation

# Export navigation map
dr export --layer navigation --format mermaid

Example: Protected Profile Route

id: navigation.route.user-profile
name: "User Profile Route"
type: route
properties:
  path: /profile/:userId
  view-ref: ux.view.user-profile
  guards:
    - navigation.guard.authentication
    - navigation.guard.profile-ownership
  parameters:
    - name: userId
      type: string
      format: uuid
      required: true
  meta:
    title: "User Profile"
    requiresAuth: true
    allowedRoles:
      - user
      - admin
  contextVariables:
    - name: currentUserId
      source: auth.user.id
  dataMapping:
    - source: route.params.userId
      target: view.data.userId
  security:
    required-roles:
      - security.role.authenticated-user
  business:
    realizes-process: business.process.profile-management
  apm:
    flow-metrics:
      - apm.metric.profile-view-count
      - apm.metric.profile-load-time

Example: Multi-Step Checkout Flow

id: navigation.flow.checkout
name: "Checkout Flow"
type: navigation-flow
properties:
  steps:
    - id: cart-review
      route: /checkout/cart
      view: ux.view.cart-review
      onNext: validate-cart
    - id: shipping-address
      route: /checkout/shipping
      view: ux.view.shipping-form
      onNext: validate-address
    - id: payment
      route: /checkout/payment
      view: ux.view.payment-form
      onNext: validate-payment
    - id: confirmation
      route: /checkout/confirm
      view: ux.view.order-confirmation
      final: true
  transitions:
    - from: cart-review
      to: shipping-address
      trigger: next-button
      guard: cart-not-empty
    - from: shipping-address
      to: payment
      trigger: next-button
      guard: valid-address
    - from: payment
      to: confirmation
      trigger: submit
      guard: payment-successful
  context:
    - cartId
    - selectedAddress
    - paymentMethod
  analytics:
    trackStepCompletion: true
    trackAbandonmentRate: true
  business:
    realizes-process: business.process.checkout

Pitfalls to Avoid

• ❌ Missing authentication guards on protected routes
• ❌ Not validating route parameters
• ❌ Complex flows without clear step definitions
• ❌ Not tracking navigation analytics
• ❌ Missing cross-layer links to UX views
• ❌ No error/fallback routes defined