Project Structure & Organization

Comprehensive guide for organizing TachUI projects as they scale from small prototypes to large enterprise applications.

🎯 Organization Principles

Scalability First

Structure your project to grow gracefully from a few components to hundreds, supporting multiple developers and complex business domains.

Clear Boundaries

Establish clear separation between:

Shared code vs feature-specific code
Business logic vs presentation logic
Configuration vs implementation
Tests vs source code

Developer Experience

Optimize for:

Easy navigation - find files quickly
Consistent patterns - predictable locations
Minimal cognitive load - clear naming and structure
Team collaboration - avoid conflicts and confusion

📂 Project Structures by Size

Small Projects (1-10 Components)

When to use: MVPs, prototypes, personal projects, simple tools

my-small-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/          # All components in one place
│   │   ├── TaskItem.js
│   │   ├── TaskList.js
│   │   ├── AddTaskForm.js
│   │   └── TaskStats.js
│   ├── utils/               # Helper functions
│   │   ├── storage.js
│   │   ├── validation.js
│   │   └── api.js
│   ├── styles/              # Global styles
│   │   ├── main.css
│   │   └── components.css
│   ├── libs/tachui/         # TachUI framework
│   └── main.js              # App entry point
├── public/                  # Static assets
├── vite.config.js          # Build configuration
└── package.json            # Dependencies

Key characteristics:

✅ Flat structure - easy to navigate
✅ Single responsibility - one file per component
✅ Minimal overhead - no complex organization
✅ Quick setup - get started immediately

Medium Projects (10-50 Components)

When to use: Production apps, team projects, complex features

my-medium-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── common/              # Reusable UI components
│   │   │   ├── Button/
│   │   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   │   ├── Button.css
│   │   │   │   └── Button.test.js
│   │   │   ├── Modal/
│   │   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   │   ├── Modal.css
│   │   │   │   └── ModalProvider.js
│   │   │   ├── Form/
│   │   │   │   ├── Input.js
│   │   │   │   ├── TextArea.js
│   │   │   │   └── Select.js
│   │   │   └── index.js         # Export all common components
│   │   ├── layout/              # Layout components
│   │   │   ├── Header/
│   │   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   │   ├── Header.css
│   │   │   │   └── Navigation.js
│   │   │   ├── Sidebar/
│   │   │   ├── Footer/
│   │   │   └── AppLayout.js
│   │   └── feature/             # Feature-specific components
│   │       ├── tasks/
│   │       │   ├── TaskItem.js
│   │       │   ├── TaskList.js
│   │       │   ├── AddTaskForm.js
│   │       │   ├── TaskFilters.js
│   │       │   └── TaskStats.js
│   │       ├── user/
│   │       │   ├── UserProfile.js
│   │       │   ├── UserSettings.js
│   │       │   ├── UserAvatar.js
│   │       │   └── UserCard.js
│   │       └── dashboard/
│   │           ├── StatCards.js
│   │           ├── ActivityFeed.js
│   │           ├── QuickActions.js
│   │           └── RecentActivity.js
│   ├── stores/                  # State management
│   │   ├── taskStore.js
│   │   ├── userStore.js
│   │   ├── appStore.js
│   │   └── index.js             # Store composition
│   ├── services/                # External integrations
│   │   ├── api/
│   │   │   ├── tasks.js
│   │   │   ├── users.js
│   │   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   │   └── index.js
│   │   ├── storage.js
│   │   ├── notifications.js
│   │   └── analytics.js
│   ├── utils/                   # Helper functions
│   │   ├── formatters.js
│   │   ├── validators.js
│   │   ├── constants.js
│   │   ├── helpers.js
│   │   └── dateUtils.js
│   ├── hooks/                   # Custom TachUI hooks
│   │   ├── useLocalStorage.js
│   │   ├── useDebounce.js
│   │   ├── useApi.js
│   │   └── useMediaQuery.js
│   ├── styles/                  # Styling system
│   │   ├── globals.css          # Global styles
│   │   ├── variables.css        # CSS custom properties
│   │   ├── components.css       # Component styles
│   │   ├── utilities.css        # Utility classes
│   │   └── themes.css           # Theme definitions
│   ├── assets/                  # Static assets
│   │   ├── images/
│   │   │   ├── logos/
│   │   │   ├── icons/
│   │   │   └── backgrounds/
│   │   ├── fonts/
│   │   └── data/                # Static data files
│   ├── types/                   # TypeScript definitions
│   │   ├── api.ts
│   │   ├── components.ts
│   │   ├── store.ts
│   │   └── global.d.ts
│   ├── libs/tachui/
│   └── main.js
├── public/
├── tests/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── stores/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── integration/
├── docs/                        # Project documentation
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── CONTRIBUTING.md
│   └── DEPLOYMENT.md
└── scripts/                     # Build/deployment scripts
    ├── build.js
    └── deploy.js

Key characteristics:

✅ Feature grouping - related code together
✅ Shared components - reusable UI library
✅ Clear separation - business vs presentation logic
✅ Testing structure - mirrors source organization

Large Projects (50+ Components)

When to use: Enterprise applications, multiple teams, complex business domains

my-large-app/
├── src/
│   ├── app/                     # Application core
│   │   ├── App.js               # Root component
│   │   ├── router.js            # Route configuration
│   │   ├── providers.js         # Context providers
│   │   ├── constants.js         # App-wide constants
│   │   ├── config.js            # Environment configuration
│   │   └── middleware.js        # Global middleware
│   ├── shared/                  # Shared across all domains
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── ui/              # Basic UI primitives
│   │   │   │   ├── Button/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Button.css
│   │   │   │   │   ├── Button.test.js
│   │   │   │   │   ├── variants.js
│   │   │   │   │   └── README.md
│   │   │   │   ├── Input/
│   │   │   │   ├── Modal/
│   │   │   │   ├── Card/
│   │   │   │   ├── Table/
│   │   │   │   └── index.js
│   │   │   ├── layout/          # Layout components
│   │   │   │   ├── AppLayout/
│   │   │   │   ├── PageLayout/
│   │   │   │   ├── SectionLayout/
│   │   │   │   ├── GridLayout/
│   │   │   │   └── FlexLayout/
│   │   │   ├── navigation/      # Navigation components
│   │   │   │   ├── Navbar/
│   │   │   │   ├── Sidebar/
│   │   │   │   ├── Breadcrumbs/
│   │   │   │   ├── Pagination/
│   │   │   │   └── Tabs/
│   │   │   ├── feedback/        # User feedback
│   │   │   │   ├── Toast/
│   │   │   │   ├── Loading/
│   │   │   │   ├── ErrorBoundary/
│   │   │   │   ├── ConfirmDialog/
│   │   │   │   └── ProgressBar/
│   │   │   └── forms/           # Form components
│   │   │       ├── FormField/
│   │   │       ├── FormGroup/
│   │   │       ├── ValidationMessage/
│   │   │       └── FormProvider/
│   │   ├── hooks/               # Reusable hooks
│   │   │   ├── data/            # Data fetching hooks
│   │   │   │   ├── useApi.js
│   │   │   │   ├── useQuery.js
│   │   │   │   └── useMutation.js
│   │   │   ├── ui/              # UI interaction hooks
│   │   │   │   ├── useMediaQuery.js
│   │   │   │   ├── useClickOutside.js
│   │   │   │   └── useKeyboard.js
│   │   │   ├── state/           # State management hooks
│   │   │   │   ├── useLocalStorage.js
│   │   │   │   ├── useSessionStorage.js
│   │   │   │   └── useDebounce.js
│   │   │   └── utils/           # Utility hooks
│   │   │       ├── useAsync.js
│   │   │       ├── useToggle.js
│   │   │       └── useCounter.js
│   │   ├── utils/               # Utility functions
│   │   │   ├── api/
│   │   │   │   ├── client.js
│   │   │   │   ├── interceptors.js
│   │   │   │   └── endpoints.js
│   │   │   ├── data/
│   │   │   │   ├── formatters.js
│   │   │   │   ├── validators.js
│   │   │   │   ├── transformers.js
│   │   │   │   └── normalizers.js
│   │   │   ├── dom/
│   │   │   │   ├── events.js
│   │   │   │   ├── scroll.js
│   │   │   │   └── focus.js
│   │   │   ├── storage/
│   │   │   │   ├── localStorage.js
│   │   │   │   ├── sessionStorage.js
│   │   │   │   └── indexedDB.js
│   │   │   ├── constants.js
│   │   │   ├── helpers.js
│   │   │   └── math.js
│   │   ├── types/               # Shared TypeScript types
│   │   │   ├── api.ts
│   │   │   ├── common.ts
│   │   │   ├── components.ts
│   │   │   ├── events.ts
│   │   │   └── utilities.ts
│   │   ├── styles/              # Global design system
│   │   │   ├── foundations/
│   │   │   │   ├── colors.css
│   │   │   │   ├── typography.css
│   │   │   │   ├── spacing.css
│   │   │   │   ├── shadows.css
│   │   │   │   └── breakpoints.css
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── buttons.css
│   │   │   │   ├── forms.css
│   │   │   │   ├── navigation.css
│   │   │   │   └── feedback.css
│   │   │   ├── utilities/
│   │   │   │   ├── layout.css
│   │   │   │   ├── text.css
│   │   │   │   ├── spacing.css
│   │   │   │   └── visibility.css
│   │   │   ├── themes/
│   │   │   │   ├── light.css
│   │   │   │   ├── dark.css
│   │   │   │   └── high-contrast.css
│   │   │   ├── globals.css
│   │   │   └── index.css
│   │   └── assets/              # Shared static assets
│   │       ├── images/
│   │       ├── icons/
│   │       ├── fonts/
│   │       └── data/
│   ├── domains/                 # Business domains
│   │   ├── authentication/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── LoginForm/
│   │   │   │   ├── SignupForm/
│   │   │   │   ├── ForgotPassword/
│   │   │   │   ├── ResetPassword/
│   │   │   │   └── AuthGuard/
│   │   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   │   ├── authStore.js
│   │   │   │   ├── userStore.js
│   │   │   │   └── sessionStore.js
│   │   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   │   ├── authApi.js
│   │   │   │   ├── tokenService.js
│   │   │   │   └── oauth.js
│   │   │   ├── utils/
│   │   │   │   ├── validation.js
│   │   │   │   ├── tokens.js
│   │   │   │   └── permissions.js
│   │   │   ├── types/
│   │   │   │   └── auth.ts
│   │   │   ├── constants.js
│   │   │   └── index.js
│   │   ├── tasks/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskList/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskItem/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskForm/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskFilters/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskStats/
│   │   │   │   ├── TaskComments/
│   │   │   │   └── TaskHistory/
│   │   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   │   ├── taskStore.js
│   │   │   │   ├── taskFilters.js
│   │   │   │   ├── taskCategories.js
│   │   │   │   └── taskSearch.js
│   │   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   │   ├── taskApi.js
│   │   │   │   ├── taskSync.js
│   │   │   │   └── taskExport.js
│   │   │   ├── utils/
│   │   │   │   ├── taskHelpers.js
│   │   │   │   ├── taskValidation.js
│   │   │   │   ├── taskFormatters.js
│   │   │   │   └── taskSorting.js
│   │   │   ├── types/
│   │   │   │   └── task.ts
│   │   │   ├── constants.js
│   │   │   └── index.js
│   │   ├── users/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── UserProfile/
│   │   │   │   ├── UserSettings/
│   │   │   │   ├── UserList/
│   │   │   │   ├── UserCard/
│   │   │   │   ├── UserAvatar/
│   │   │   │   └── UserSearch/
│   │   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   │   ├── userStore.js
│   │   │   │   ├── profileStore.js
│   │   │   │   └── preferencesStore.js
│   │   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   │   ├── userApi.js
│   │   │   │   ├── profileApi.js
│   │   │   │   └── avatarUpload.js
│   │   │   ├── utils/
│   │   │   │   ├── userValidation.js
│   │   │   │   ├── userFormatters.js
│   │   │   │   └── userHelpers.js
│   │   │   ├── types/
│   │   │   │   └── user.ts
│   │   │   └── index.js
│   │   ├── dashboard/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── DashboardLayout/
│   │   │   │   ├── StatCard/
│   │   │   │   ├── ChartWidget/
│   │   │   │   ├── ActivityFeed/
│   │   │   │   ├── QuickActions/
│   │   │   │   └── RecentItems/
│   │   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   │   ├── dashboardStore.js
│   │   │   │   ├── widgetStore.js
│   │   │   │   └── metricsStore.js
│   │   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   │   ├── analyticsApi.js
│   │   │   │   ├── metricsApi.js
│   │   │   │   └── exportService.js
│   │   │   └── utils/
│   │   │       ├── chartHelpers.js
│   │   │       ├── dataProcessing.js
│   │   │       └── formatters.js
│   │   └── reports/
│   │       ├── components/
│   │       ├── stores/
│   │       ├── services/
│   │       └── utils/
│   ├── pages/                   # Page-level route components
│   │   ├── HomePage/
│   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   ├── HomePage.css
│   │   │   └── sections/
│   │   │       ├── Hero.js
│   │   │       ├── Features.js
│   │   │       └── CTA.js
│   │   ├── TasksPage/
│   │   │   ├── index.js
│   │   │   ├── TasksPage.css
│   │   │   └── sections/
│   │   ├── ProfilePage/
│   │   ├── SettingsPage/
│   │   ├── DashboardPage/
│   │   └── NotFoundPage/
│   ├── libs/tachui/
│   └── main.js
├── public/                      # Static public assets
├── tests/                       # Test suites
│   ├── shared/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   ├── hooks/
│   │   └── utils/
│   ├── domains/
│   │   ├── authentication/
│   │   ├── tasks/
│   │   ├── users/
│   │   └── dashboard/
│   ├── pages/
│   ├── integration/
│   │   ├── api.test.js
│   │   ├── auth.test.js
│   │   └── workflows.test.js
│   ├── e2e/
│   │   ├── user-flows/
│   │   ├── critical-paths/
│   │   └── regression/
│   └── utils/
│       ├── testHelpers.js
│       ├── mockData.js
│       └── setupTests.js
├── docs/                        # Documentation
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── CONTRIBUTING.md
│   ├── DEPLOYMENT.md
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE.md
│   ├── api/
│   └── guides/
└── scripts/                     # Automation scripts
    ├── build/
    ├── deploy/
    ├── test/
    └── maintenance/

Key characteristics:

✅ Domain separation - clear business boundaries
✅ Shared design system - consistent UI components
✅ Scalable architecture - supports multiple teams
✅ Comprehensive testing - unit, integration, e2e

🏗️ Architecture Patterns

Container/Presenter Pattern

Separate business logic from presentation logic:

javascript

// Container: Handles data and business logic
export function TaskListContainer() {
  const tasks = taskStore.tasks
  const loading = taskStore.loading
  
  const handleAddTask = (task) => {
    taskStore.addTask(task)
  }
  
  return TaskListPresenter({
    tasks: tasks(),
    loading: loading(),
    onAddTask: handleAddTask
  })
}

// Presenter: Pure presentation logic
export function TaskListPresenter({ tasks, loading, onAddTask }) {
  if (loading) return '<div class="loading">Loading...</div>'
  
  return `
    <div class="task-list">
      ${tasks.map(task => TaskItem({ task })).join('')}
    </div>
  `
}

Composition Pattern

Build complex components from smaller ones:

javascript

export function TaskCard({ task, onUpdate, onDelete }) {
  return Card({
    children: [
      TaskHeader({ task }),
      TaskContent({ task }),
      TaskActions({ task, onUpdate, onDelete })
    ],
    className: `task-card task-card--${task.priority}`
  })
}

Provider Pattern

Share state and logic across components:

javascript

// Store provider
export function TaskProvider({ children }) {
  const taskStore = createTaskStore()
  
  return ContextProvider({
    context: TaskContext,
    value: taskStore,
    children
  })
}

// Hook for consuming context
export function useTaskStore() {
  return useContext(TaskContext)
}

📝 Naming Conventions

Files and Directories

bash

# Files: kebab-case
task-item.js
user-profile.js
api-client.js

# Component directories: PascalCase
TaskItem/
UserProfile/
ApiClient/

# Utility files: camelCase
taskHelpers.js
userValidation.js
apiUtils.js

# Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
API_ENDPOINTS.js
ERROR_MESSAGES.js

Code Elements

javascript

// Components: PascalCase
export function TaskItem({ task }) { ... }
export function UserProfile({ user }) { ... }

// Store creators: camelCase with 'create' prefix
export function createTaskStore() { ... }
export function createUserStore() { ... }

// Utility functions: camelCase
export function formatTaskDate(date) { ... }
export function validateUser(user) { ... }

// Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
export const API_BASE_URL = 'https://api.example.com'
export const MAX_RETRY_ATTEMPTS = 3

🔗 Import Organization

Path Mapping

javascript

// vite.config.js
export default defineConfig({
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': resolve(__dirname, 'src'),
      '@/shared': resolve(__dirname, 'src/shared'),
      '@/domains': resolve(__dirname, 'src/domains'),
      '@/pages': resolve(__dirname, 'src/pages'),
      '@tachui/core': './src/libs/tachui/index.js'
    }
  }
})

Import Order

javascript

// 1. External libraries
import { createSignal, createComputed } from '@tachui/core'

// 2. Shared utilities and components  
import { Button, Card, Modal } from '@/shared/components/ui'
import { formatDate, validateEmail } from '@/shared/utils'

// 3. Domain-specific imports
import { taskStore } from '@/domains/tasks'
import { userStore } from '@/domains/users'

// 4. Relative imports (same feature/domain)
import { TaskItem } from './TaskItem'
import { TaskActions } from './TaskActions'

// 5. Styles (last)
import './TaskList.css'

🧪 Testing Structure

Mirror your source code structure in tests:

tests/
├── shared/
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── Button.test.js
│   │   ├── Modal.test.js
│   │   └── Card.test.js
│   ├── hooks/
│   │   ├── useApi.test.js
│   │   └── useLocalStorage.test.js
│   └── utils/
│       ├── formatters.test.js
│       └── validators.test.js
├── domains/
│   ├── tasks/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── TaskItem.test.js
│   │   │   └── TaskList.test.js
│   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   └── taskStore.test.js
│   │   └── services/
│   │       └── taskApi.test.js
│   └── users/
├── pages/
│   ├── HomePage.test.js
│   └── TasksPage.test.js
├── integration/
│   ├── auth-flow.test.js
│   └── task-management.test.js
└── utils/
    ├── testHelpers.js
    ├── mockData.js
    └── setupTests.js

⚙️ Configuration Management

Environment-Based Config

javascript

// src/app/config.js
const configs = {
  development: {
    apiUrl: 'http://localhost:3001',
    debug: true,
    logLevel: 'debug',
    enableDevTools: true
  },
  
  staging: {
    apiUrl: 'https://api-staging.myapp.com',
    debug: true,
    logLevel: 'info',
    enableDevTools: false
  },
  
  production: {
    apiUrl: 'https://api.myapp.com',
    debug: false,
    logLevel: 'error',
    enableDevTools: false
  }
}

const env = import.meta.env.MODE || 'development'
export const config = configs[env]

// Feature flags
export const features = {
  newTaskUI: import.meta.env.VITE_FEATURE_NEW_TASK_UI === 'true',
  advancedFilters: import.meta.env.VITE_FEATURE_ADVANCED_FILTERS === 'true'
}

Domain Configuration

javascript

// src/domains/tasks/config.js
export const taskConfig = {
  maxTasks: 1000,
  defaultCategory: 'personal',
  priorities: ['low', 'medium', 'high'],
  statuses: ['pending', 'in-progress', 'completed'],
  autoSaveDelay: 1000
}

// src/domains/tasks/constants.js
export const TASK_EVENTS = {
  CREATED: 'task:created',
  UPDATED: 'task:updated',
  DELETED: 'task:deleted',
  COMPLETED: 'task:completed'
}

🎯 Best Practices

✅ Do's

Start simple - begin with flat structure, refactor as you grow
Group by feature - keep related code together
Use consistent naming - establish patterns and stick to them
Separate concerns - business logic vs presentation
Create reusable components - build your design system
Mirror test structure - tests should follow source organization
Document architecture decisions - help future developers
Use absolute imports - cleaner, more maintainable code

❌ Don'ts

Don't over-organize early - avoid premature abstraction
Don't nest too deeply - keep it under 4 levels when possible
Don't mix concerns - separate data, logic, and presentation
Don't duplicate code - extract to shared utilities
Don't ignore naming consistency - establish conventions
Don't skip documentation - explain complex decisions
Don't forget about performance - lazy load large components
Don't neglect testing - test structure should grow with code

🚀 Migration Strategies

From Small to Medium

Create feature directories - group related components
Extract shared components - build reusable UI library
Organize stores - separate by domain or feature
Add testing structure - mirror source organization
Introduce path mapping - cleaner imports

From Medium to Large

Identify domains - group by business functionality
Create shared design system - consistent UI components
Implement provider patterns - better state management
Add comprehensive testing - unit, integration, e2e
Document architecture - help team understanding

📊 Measuring Success

Code Quality Metrics

Low coupling - modules don't depend on each other's internals
High cohesion - related functionality grouped together
Clear interfaces - well-defined APIs between modules
Consistent patterns - similar problems solved similarly

Developer Experience Metrics

Time to find code - how quickly can developers locate files?
Time to add features - how easy is it to extend functionality?
Onboarding time - how quickly can new developers contribute?
Code review efficiency - how easy is it to review changes?

Maintenance Metrics

Refactoring ease - how hard is it to restructure code?
Bug isolation - how quickly can issues be located?
Testing coverage - how comprehensive are your tests?
Documentation quality - how well is the codebase explained?

Good project organization is an investment in your application's future. Start simple, but be prepared to evolve your structure as your TachUI project grows and your team expands.

Project Structure & Organization ​

🎯 Organization Principles ​

Scalability First ​

Clear Boundaries ​

Developer Experience ​

📂 Project Structures by Size ​

Small Projects (1-10 Components) ​

Medium Projects (10-50 Components) ​

Large Projects (50+ Components) ​

🏗️ Architecture Patterns ​

Container/Presenter Pattern ​

Composition Pattern ​

Provider Pattern ​

📝 Naming Conventions ​

Files and Directories ​

Code Elements ​

🔗 Import Organization ​

Path Mapping ​

Import Order ​

🧪 Testing Structure ​

⚙️ Configuration Management ​

Environment-Based Config ​

Domain Configuration ​

🎯 Best Practices ​

✅ Do's ​

❌ Don'ts ​

🚀 Migration Strategies ​

From Small to Medium ​

From Medium to Large ​

📊 Measuring Success ​

Code Quality Metrics ​

Developer Experience Metrics ​

Maintenance Metrics ​

Project Structure & Organization

🎯 Organization Principles

Scalability First

Clear Boundaries

Developer Experience

📂 Project Structures by Size

Small Projects (1-10 Components)

Medium Projects (10-50 Components)

Large Projects (50+ Components)

🏗️ Architecture Patterns

Container/Presenter Pattern

Composition Pattern

Provider Pattern

📝 Naming Conventions

Files and Directories

Code Elements

🔗 Import Organization

Path Mapping

Import Order

🧪 Testing Structure

⚙️ Configuration Management

Environment-Based Config

Domain Configuration

🎯 Best Practices

✅ Do's

❌ Don'ts

🚀 Migration Strategies

From Small to Medium

From Medium to Large

📊 Measuring Success

Code Quality Metrics

Developer Experience Metrics

Maintenance Metrics