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184 changes: 184 additions & 0 deletions packages/@react-spectrum/s2/stories/prose.mdx
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{/* Copyright 2026 Adobe. All rights reserved.
This file is licensed to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy
of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under
the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS
OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language
governing permissions and limitations under the License. */}

# An Example Article to Test Prose Styles

*Published March 12, 2026 · 8 min read*

When teams outgrow a handful of shared CSS variables, they usually need something stronger: a **design token pipeline** that turns brand decisions into typed, versioned values every component can consume. This article walks through how one product team migrated from scattered hex codes to a single source of truth—and what they learned along the way.

A token pipeline is not just a JSON file in a repo. It is the contract between design and engineering: names, scales, semantic aliases, and the build steps that keep documentation, Figma libraries, and runtime themes in sync.

---

## Why tokens matter

Hard-coded values drift. A button might use `#0265DC` in one package and `#1473E6` in another. Tokens replace that ambiguity with **stable names** like `color-accent-default` that map to platform-specific outputs.

Good token systems share a few traits:

- **Semantic naming** — components reference intent, not raw values
- **Layered aliases** — global palette → semantic roles → component tokens
- **Automated distribution** — one change propagates to CSS, Swift, and Android

> "We stopped debating hex codes in pull requests once tokens became the only thing components were allowed to import."
> — *Maya Chen, Design Systems Lead*

### From palette to semantics

Start with a **global palette**: neutrals, brand hues, and status colors at fixed steps (`gray-100` through `gray-900`). Semantic tokens then *alias* those steps to roles such as `text-primary` or `border-focus`.

#### Example alias chain

A focus ring might resolve like this:

1. `focus-ring-color` → `color-blue-800`
2. `color-blue-800` → `#0265DC`
3. Runtime theme overrides remap aliases without touching component code

##### Naming conventions

Keep names **lowercase**, **kebab-case**, and **role-oriented**. Avoid embedding the literal value in the name—`blue-600` is fine for palette steps; `primary-button-background` is better for semantics.

###### Edge cases

Even `h6`-level detail deserves a home: document when a token is *deprecated* versus *removed*, and link to the migration guide in the same PR that flips the alias.

---

## Planning the migration

Before touching production components, the team audited every color, spacing, and typography value in the codebase. They grouped findings into three buckets:

1. **Direct replacements** — values that already matched the new palette
2. **Near matches** — values within one step on the scale
3. **One-offs** — legacy colors that needed designer sign-off

Nested decisions often appear in the same list:

1. Choose a token format (DTCG JSON was the winner)
- Validate against the [Design Tokens Community Group spec](https://design-tokens.github.io/community-group/format/)
- Add JSON Schema in CI so bad exports fail fast
2. Pick build tooling
- [Style Dictionary](https://amzn.github.io/style-dictionary/) for multi-platform output
- Custom transforms for Spectrum-style macro keys
3. Roll out by package
- Start with primitives (`Button`, `Link`)
- Expand to form controls, then layout

### Pre-migration checklist

- [x] Inventory existing CSS variables and hard-coded literals
- [x] Align Figma variables with token names
- [ ] Enable lint rules blocking raw color literals in new code
- [ ] Publish a changelog entry for breaking alias renames

---

## Implementation notes

The build script reads `tokens.json`, resolves aliases, and emits platform files. A minimal Node entry point looks like this:

```js
import StyleDictionary from 'style-dictionary';

StyleDictionary.extend({
source: ['tokens/**/*.json'],
platforms: {
css: {
transformGroup: 'css',
buildPath: 'dist/css/',
files: [{destination: 'variables.css', format: 'css/variables'}]
},
js: {
transformGroup: 'js',
buildPath: 'dist/js/',
files: [{destination: 'tokens.js', format: 'javascript/es6'}]
}
}
}).buildAllPlatforms();
```

Run it after every token change:

```bash
yarn build:tokens && yarn test:tokens
```

Run this from the project root after every token change, or trigger your configured build task with <kbd>⌘ Enter</kbd>.

Components then import semantic values instead of literals:

```tsx
import {style} from '../style/spectrum-theme' with {type: 'macro'};

export function PrimaryButton() {
return (
<button
className={style({
backgroundColor: 'accent-default',
color: 'text-on-accent',
padding: 'size-100 size-200'
})}>
Save
</button>
);
}
```

Inline code appears everywhere in real docs: set `backgroundColor: 'accent-default'` in macros, grep for `#0265DC`, or wrap paths like `tokens/color/semantic.json` in backticks inside list items and headings alike.

---

## Token reference

The table below shows a trimmed set of semantic color tokens and their light-theme values. Dark theme swaps the alias targets, not the names components use.

<table><thead><tr><th>Token</th><th>Role</th><th>Light value</th><th>Used by</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>color-background-base</code></td><td>Page canvas</td><td><code>gray-50</code></td><td><code>Body</code>, layouts</td></tr><tr><td><code>color-text-primary</code></td><td>Default copy</td><td><code>gray-900</code></td><td><code>Text</code>, <code>Heading</code></td></tr><tr><td><code>color-accent-default</code></td><td>Primary actions</td><td><code>blue-800</code></td><td><code>Button</code>, <code>Link</code></td></tr><tr><td><code>color-border-focus</code></td><td>Focus ring</td><td><code>blue-800</code></td><td>All interactive controls</td></tr><tr><td><code>color-negative-default</code></td><td>Errors</td><td><code>red-700</code></td><td><code>FieldError</code>, <code>InlineAlert</code></td></tr></tbody></table>

For spacing, the team standardized on a **4 px grid**: `size-100` (4px), `size-200` (8px), `size-300` (12px), and so on. Typography tokens pair `font-size` with `line-height` so prose blocks like this paragraph stay readable at every breakpoint.

<figure>
<img src="https://picsum.photos/seed/design-tokens/960/480" alt="Design token pipeline diagram" />
<figcaption>Figure 1. Global palette values feed semantic aliases, which components consume through typed APIs.</figcaption>
</figure>

---

## Communication and rollout

Documentation is part of the pipeline. The team shipped:

- A **migration guide** linked from the monorepo README

The guide covers alias renames, codemods, and before/after examples for each package. Teams were asked to land migrations behind a feature flag when touching more than one semantic token at a time.

A short *What's changing* section at the top reduced support questions. Link to the changelog for each release so readers know which tokens moved in which version.
- Storybook stories that render swatches from live token output
- Office hours for product squads still on legacy variables

When announcing breaking renames, be explicit. <strike>`color-brand-primary`</strike> was retired in v3; use `color-accent-default` instead. Mix **bold**, *italic*, and ***bold italic*** emphasis sparingly so warnings stand out without shouting.

External references helped the team stay aligned:

- [Design Tokens Community Group format](https://design-tokens.github.io/community-group/format/)
- [Adobe Spectrum design tokens documentation](https://spectrum.adobe.com/page/design-tokens/)
- Internal RFC: *"Semantic color roles for Express mobile"*

---

## Closing thoughts

A token pipeline pays off when **designers edit values**, **build tools propagate them**, and **components never hard-code literals**. The upfront audit is tedious, but the alternative—endless hex drift across packages—is worse.

Start small: one palette file, one build target, one component migrated end to end. Measure success by the number of raw color literals left in `git grep`, not by how pretty the JSON looks on day one.

---

*Questions about this guide? Open a discussion in `#design-systems` or file an issue with the `tokens` label.*
30 changes: 30 additions & 0 deletions packages/@react-spectrum/s2/stories/prose.stories.tsx
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/*
* Copyright 2024 Adobe. All rights reserved.
* This file is licensed to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy
* of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under
* the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS
* OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language
* governing permissions and limitations under the License.
*/

import type {Meta} from '@storybook/react';
import {prose} from '../style/prose' with {type: 'macro'};
// @ts-ignore
import ProseExample from './prose.mdx';
import {style} from '../style/spectrum-theme' with {type: 'macro'};

const meta: Meta = {
tags: ['autodocs'],
title: 'Prose'
};

export default meta;

export const Example = () => (
<article className={`${prose()} ${style({maxWidth: 800, marginX: 'auto'})}`}>

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so if someone does one of these? Since prose already attaches font('body') to itself

<article className={`${mergeStyles(prose(), style({maxWidth: 800, marginX: 'auto'}))`}>
<article className={`${prose()} ${style({maxWidth: 800, marginX: 'auto', font: 'title'})}`}>

<ProseExample components={{CodeBlock: 'pre'}} />
</article>
);
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