Reviving Praderas (Day 2) — Phase 1: fixing listing, search, and pagination (with an AI agent)

Published on 04/23/26 10:00:00
Desarrollo Web Productividad Inteligencia Artificial

Reviving Praderas (Day 2) — Phase 1: listing, search, pagination (with AI as copilot)

Yesterday we prepared the map. Today we executed Phase 1 from .agents: fix the listing template, unify search behavior, bring pagination back, and replace the old sidebar placeholder.

The thesis remains the same: an AI agent can execute effectively when the repository has clear context and priorities, then a human reviews and deploys.

What was broken (or weak)

In the blog listing, HTML leaked at the end of the document: script leftovers and even a second <!DOCTYPE in the rendered page source. That was not only ugly; it signaled a corrupted or truncated template.

At the same time, listing-page search was wired differently from other pages, and the old sidebar widget still carried placeholder tutorial copy.

What we shipped in Phase 1

  1. Rebuilt blog.twig with a clean document close.
  2. Unified search wiring and IDs (search_input / search_submit) through a shared partial so click and Enter both route to canonical search.
  3. Restored pagination on /blog, including Spanish labels and current-page status.
  4. Replaced the sidebar placeholder with a recent posts block (five newest entries under blog/).
  5. Centralized sidebar rendering in reusable sidebar.twig so base layout, posts, and listing do not silently diverge.

We also left pagination copy in config/config.yml documented for future direct use.

Recent-posts block and human feedback

This part matters because it showed a common pattern: an agent can close technical tasks and still miss subtle UX quality. The first version worked, but links looked too plain.

Human feedback triggered a second PR that refined markup and CSS so hierarchy, hover, and focus states felt intentional. The current status is honest: much better, not final-perfect, and good enough to keep momentum.

Why process documentation matters

Template and plugin changes in a flat-file site are easy to break in the next redesign if there is no trace for the next contributor (human or agent). That is why we updated .agents context with all Phase 1 decisions.

What is next

Phase 2 focuses on navigation and discovery: categories, related posts, breadcrumbs. Today set that stage: stable listing, reliable search, visible pagination, and a useful sidebar.