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| 1 | +# 🎉 BotFramework Web Chat — Achievements |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +A curated list of major achievements by the Web Chat team. This document celebrates impactful changes, forward-looking designs, and key architectural wins. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +<!-- Template for future additions. Add new to the top of a corresponding section. |
| 6 | +
|
| 7 | +## 🏆 \[Achievement Title] |
| 8 | +
|
| 9 | +**Goal:** Briefly describe the purpose of the change. |
| 10 | +**By:** [@username](https://github.com/username) in [PR #XXXX](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/XXXX) |
| 11 | +
|
| 12 | +* Summary of what was done and why it mattered. |
| 13 | +
|
| 14 | +--> |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +--- |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +## 🧱 Architecture & Core Systems |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +### 🛠️ Migration to `micromark` |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +**Goal:** Replace `markdown-it` with a modern and extensible markdown parser. |
| 23 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5330](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5330) |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +- Switched to `micromark`, enabling MathML support and consistent parsing. |
| 26 | +- Foundation for better Markdown extensibility and performance. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +### 🧼 HTML Content Transformer Middleware |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +**Goal:** Move HTML sanitization into a dedicated middleware layer. |
| 31 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5338](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5338) |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +- Clean separation of concerns for Markdown rendering and sanitation. |
| 34 | +- Easier customization and more secure rendering. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### 🧩 Migration to npm Workspaces |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +**Goal:** Modernize monorepo tooling for better dependency and package management. |
| 39 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5301](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5301) |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +- Dropped Lerna in favor of native npm workspaces. |
| 42 | +- Improves build performance and developer experience. |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +--- |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +## 🎨 UI & Theming |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +### 🧾 Code Block Rendering & Highlighting System |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +**Goal:** Unify and polish code block rendering across Markdown and UI components. |
| 51 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny), [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5334](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5334), [#5335](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5335), [#5336](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5336), [#5389](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5389) |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +- Introduced syntax highlighting for markdown blocks using Shiki. |
| 54 | +- Added copy buttons to all rendered code blocks and dialogs. |
| 55 | +- Unified presentation of fenced blocks with accessibility and clipboard improvements. |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +### ✨ Fluent Theme Overhaul |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +**Goal:** Expand and refine Fluent UI styling across all components. |
| 60 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5258](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5258) and others |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +- Introduced "Copilot" variant and transcript-wide theming. |
| 63 | +- Improved accessibility, visual consistency, and component modularity. |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +### 🧱 Decorator System for Activity Styling |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +**Goal:** Enable pluggable, dynamic visual enhancements per activity. |
| 68 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5205](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5205), [#5312](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5312) |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +- Introduced `WebChatDecorator` and `ActivityDecorator`. |
| 71 | +- Supports animated borders and style options with minimal code changes. |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +### 🗂️ Starter Prompts |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +**Goal:** Enhance onboarding by offering users suggested starter prompts before interaction. |
| 76 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim), [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +- Experimental pre-chat messages added in [PR #5255](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5255) and [#5263](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5263) |
| 79 | +- Fluent blueprint implementation in [#5270](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5270), [#5276](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5276), [#5279](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5279), [#5284](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5284) |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +--- |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +## 🗣️ Voice & Accessibility |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +### 🎙️ Speech Recognition Enhancements |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +**Goal:** Improve real-world usability of voice input. |
| 88 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim), [@RushikeshGavali](https://github.com/RushikeshGavali) in [PR #5400](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5400), [#5426](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5426) |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +- Support for initial silence timeout and continuous barge-in mode. |
| 91 | +- Makes Azure Speech more responsive and accessible. |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +### 🔊 Centralized Live Region Announcements |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +**Goal:** Improve screen reader support via centralized ARIA updates. |
| 96 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5251](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5251) |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +- Added `usePushToLiveRegion` hook. |
| 99 | +- Enables consistent and predictable accessibility behavior. |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +--- |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +## 🧪 Advanced & Experimental |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +### 🧩 Shadow DOM Support |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +**Goal:** Enable safe embedding of Web Chat in custom element trees. |
| 108 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5196](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5196) |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +- Added `stylesRoot`, `ThemeProvider.styles`, and nonce support. |
| 111 | +- Ensures style encapsulation and isolation in Web Component environments. |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +### 🧮 TeX/MathML Markdown Support |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +**Goal:** Support use cases requiring math rendering. |
| 116 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim), [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5332](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5332), [#5381](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5381) |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +- Integrated `katex` via `micromark-extension-math`. |
| 119 | +- Supports `\\[ \\]`, `\\( \\)`, and `$$ $$` syntax. |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +--- |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +## 🚀 Performance & Developer Experience |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +### 🧠 Memoization & Hook Optimizations |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +**Goal:** Reduce rerenders and memory footprint. |
| 128 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny), [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) across [#5163](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5163), [#5183](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5183), [#5190](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5190) |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +- Rewrote key hooks (`useActivityWithRenderer`, `useMemoized`) for efficiency. |
| 131 | +- Prevents excessive renders in large conversations. |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +### 🧮 Multi-Dimensional Grouping Support |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +**Goal:** Improve activity grouping logic and performance. |
| 136 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5471](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5471) |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +- Added `styleOptions.groupActivitiesBy` and `useGroupActivitiesByName` hook. |
| 139 | +- Keeps existing `sender` + `status` behavior as default. |
| 140 | +- New hook preferred for performance. |
| 141 | +- Middleware can optionally compute groupings by name. |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +### 🧪 `valibot` Props Validation |
| 144 | + |
| 145 | +**Goal:** Modernize runtime prop validation for performance and clarity. |
| 146 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5476](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5476) |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +- Introduced `valibot` to improve schema-based prop safety. |
| 149 | +- Reduces runtime errors and simplifies validation logic. |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +--- |
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