fix(view): drop top nav from welcome + error pages, debug footer is the only chrome#2406
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…he only chrome
The framework dev-mode chrome had two competing surfaces showing on the
welcome page (`/` after `wheels new`) and on error pages: a Wheels-branded
top nav with Info/Routes/API/Guides/Tests/Migrator/Packages/Plugins tabs
(via `_header.cfm` and `_header_simple.cfm`), and a fixed-position debug
bar at the bottom of every dev-mode page (via
`vendor/wheels/events/onrequestend/debug.cfm`). Both led to the same
internal admin pages, so they were redundant — and the top bar shifted
content while the debug bar (collapsible, fixed-bottom) is unobtrusive.
Pick one chrome: the debug footer. The footer's "Links" panel already
exposes every nav target the top bar offered (`wheelsInfo`, `wheelsRoutes`,
`wheelsApiDocs`, `wheelsGuides`, `testbox`, `wheelsMigrator`,
`wheelsPackageList`, `wheelsPlugins`), so removing the top nav loses no
functionality.
Changes:
- `_header_simple.cfm` (used by error pages via `EventMethods.cfc:101`):
drop the `<div class="ui pointing fluid eight item menu stackable">`
nav block. Keep doctype, head, dark-theme styles, body open, and the
content container div.
- `congratulations.cfm` (welcome page): switch from `_header.cfm` /
`_footer.cfm` (which include the rich top nav and a bunch of GUI
JavaScript the welcome page doesn't need) to the slimmed
`_header_simple.cfm` / `_footer_simple.cfm`. Same dark theme + CSS
variables the page already uses; no top nav.
The framework's own admin pages (`/wheels/info`, `/wheels/routes`, etc.)
still include the rich `_header.cfm` because navigating between admin
pages IS the point of those tools — the top nav is functional context
there. Only the welcome page and error pages get the slimmed treatment.
Visual baselines (`web/tests/visual-baselines/`) cover the static doc
sites only (api/blog/guides/landing/packages), not the framework's
runtime pages. So no visual-regression CI risk.
Tests: 3384 SQLite tests still pass (zero regressions). Manually verified
the welcome page renders without the top nav while preserving all
hero/CLI/guidance content.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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bpamiri
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May 5, 2026
The top navigation in _header.cfm duplicated links already provided by the debug bar emitted at onrequestend (System Info / Routes / API / Guides / Migrator / Packages / Plugins). Drop the nav include to eliminate the duplicate surface. Public.cfc handlers <cfinclude> their views directly without going through renderView, so request.wheels.showDebugInformation never flipped on /wheels/info, /wheels/routes, etc. — the bar wouldn't have appeared even after dropping the top nav. Opt into the bar from both _header.cfm and _header_simple.cfm so any view using either layout self-arms the debug footer. Extends the pattern from #2406 (welcome + error pages) to the rest of the dev-tools admin pages.
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Summary
Wheels' dev-mode chrome had two competing surfaces on the welcome page (`/` after `wheels new`) and on error pages:
Both led to the same set of internal admin pages, so they were redundant. Worse, the top bar shifted content while the debug bar (collapsible, fixed-bottom) is unobtrusive. Pick one — the debug footer.
The debug footer's "Links" panel already exposes every nav target the top bar offered (`wheelsInfo`, `wheelsRoutes`, `wheelsApiDocs`, `wheelsGuides`, `testbox`, `wheelsMigrator`, `wheelsPackageList`, `wheelsPlugins`), so removing the top nav loses no functionality.
Changes
`_header_simple.cfm` (used by error pages via `EventMethods.cfc:101`): drop the `<div class="ui pointing fluid eight item menu stackable">` nav block (lines 76–100, ~25 lines including all the SVG icons inline). Keep doctype, head, dark-theme styles, body open, and the content container div.
`congratulations.cfm` (welcome page): switch from `_header.cfm` / `_footer.cfm` (rich nav + GUI JavaScript the welcome page doesn't need) to the slimmed `_header_simple.cfm` / `_footer_simple.cfm`. Same dark theme + CSS variables the page already uses; no top nav.
What this PR doesn't change
Framework admin pages (`/wheels/info`, `/wheels/routes`, `/wheels/api`, `/wheels/guides`, `/wheels/migrator`, `/wheels/packages`, `/wheels/plugins`) still include the rich `_header.cfm`. Navigating between admin pages IS the point of those tools — the top nav is functional context there. Only the welcome page and error pages get the slimmed treatment.
The debug footer itself is unchanged. It's emitted from the user app's `Application.cfc` (template at `cli/lucli/templates/app/public/Application.cfc:245`) which calls `$includeAndOutput(template = "/wheels/events/onrequestend/debug.cfm")`. New apps generated by `wheels new` get this wiring automatically.
Verification
Test plan
🤖 Generated with Claude Code