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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 | +### ✨ Fluent Theme Overhaul |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +**Goal:** Expand and refine Fluent UI styling across all components. |
| 51 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5258](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5258) and others |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +- Introduced "Copilot" variant and transcript-wide theming. |
| 54 | +- Improved accessibility, visual consistency, and component modularity. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +### 🧱 Decorator System for Activity Styling |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +**Goal:** Enable pluggable, dynamic visual enhancements per activity. |
| 59 | +**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) |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +- Introduced `WebChatDecorator` and `ActivityDecorator`. |
| 62 | +- Supports animated borders and style options with minimal code changes. |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +--- |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +## 🗣️ Voice & Accessibility |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +### 🎙️ Speech Recognition Enhancements |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +**Goal:** Improve real-world usability of voice input. |
| 71 | +**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) |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +- Support for initial silence timeout and continuous barge-in mode. |
| 74 | +- Makes Azure Speech more responsive and accessible. |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +### 🔊 Centralized Live Region Announcements |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +**Goal:** Improve screen reader support via centralized ARIA updates. |
| 79 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5251](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5251) |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +- Added `usePushToLiveRegion` hook. |
| 82 | +- Enables consistent and predictable accessibility behavior. |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +--- |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +## 🧪 Advanced & Experimental |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +### 🧩 Shadow DOM Support |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +**Goal:** Enable safe embedding of Web Chat in custom element trees. |
| 91 | +**By:** [@OEvgeny](https://github.com/OEvgeny) in [PR #5196](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5196) |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +- Added `stylesRoot`, `ThemeProvider.styles`, and nonce support. |
| 94 | +- Ensures style encapsulation and isolation in Web Component environments. |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +### 🧮 TeX/MathML Markdown Support |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +**Goal:** Support use cases requiring math rendering. |
| 99 | +**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) |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +- Integrated `katex` via `micromark-extension-math`. |
| 102 | +- Supports `\[ \]`, `\( \)`, and `$$ $$` syntax. |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | +--- |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +## 🚀 Performance & Developer Experience |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +### 🧠 Memoization & Hook Optimizations |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +**Goal:** Reduce rerenders and memory footprint. |
| 111 | +**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) |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +- Rewrote key hooks (`useActivityWithRenderer`, `useMemoized`) for efficiency. |
| 114 | +- Prevents excessive renders in large conversations. |
| 115 | + |
| 116 | +### 🧪 `valibot` Props Validation |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +**Goal:** Modernize runtime prop validation for performance and clarity. |
| 119 | +**By:** [@compulim](https://github.com/compulim) in [PR #5476](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/5476) |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +- Introduced `valibot` to improve schema-based prop safety. |
| 122 | +- Reduces runtime errors and simplifies validation logic. |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +--- |
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