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+# Reference-Data Scannability + Parity — Design
+
+**Date:** 2026-06-08
+**Status:** Approved (brainstorming) — ready for implementation planning.
+**Issue:** #50 (scoped: scannability + parity; layout/edit-modality unification + API-backed counts are follow-ups).
+
+## Context
+
+The three reference-data screens (vocabularies, authorities, fields) render lists in API
+**creation order** with **no client sort and no filter** — finding "Bronze" in a 200-term vocabulary
+is effectively impossible. Read-mode rows show **only the label**; `external_uri` (the point of
+authority control — distinguishing two "Mercury"s) is visible only in edit mode (`term-row.tsx`,
+`authority-row.tsx`). There are **no counts** anywhere. And there are small parity/validation gaps:
+authority **create** has no `external_uri` field (hardcoded `null`) though edit does; vocab **rename**
+lacks the empty-guard the create form has; URI inputs have no `type="url"`/placeholder.
+
+This milestone fixes the daily-pain "can't find / can't disambiguate" problems + the parity gaps,
+**without** changing layout/edit modality (a separate redesign) and **without** backend changes.
+
+**Facts:** `labelText(labels, lang)` exists (`lib/labels.ts`). No `Intl.Collator` anywhere. List
+shapes: term/authority = `{ id, labels, external_uri?: string|null }` (authority also `kind`);
+vocabulary = `{ id, key }` (no labels); field-definition = `{ key, labels, data_type, group?, required, … }`.
+No count field on any view (so per-vocab term counts + per-kind authority counts need backend →
+deferred; **field-group counts are client-side** and in scope). `Badge`/`Input` exist. Mutations:
+`useCreateAuthority` accepts `external_uri` but the page passes `null`; `useRenameVocabulary` has no
+empty-guard; `useAddTerm`/`useUpdateTerm`/`useUpdateAuthority` already accept `external_uri`.
+
+### Decisions (from brainstorming)
+1. Sort every list by label/key with a locale-aware `Intl.Collator`; add a client-side filter `Input`.
+2. Show `external_uri` (linkified, muted) in term/authority read rows; field-group count `Badge`s.
+3. Close the parity/validation gaps (authority-create URI, rename empty-guard, `type="url"` + placeholder).
+
+## Components
+
+### `web/src/lib/sort.ts` (new)
+- A memoized collator per lang: `Intl.Collator(lang, { sensitivity: "base", numeric: true })` (cache in a `Map<string, Intl.Collator>`).
+- `export function byLabel(lang: string)` → `(a: { labels: LabelView[] }, b) => number` comparing `labelText(a.labels, lang)` vs `labelText(b.labels, lang)` via the collator.
+- `export function byKey(lang: string)` → `(a: { key: string }, b) => number` comparing `a.key` vs `b.key`.
+- (Comparators take the minimal structural type so they work for terms/authorities/fields/vocabs.)
+
+### `web/src/components/external-uri-link.tsx` (new)
+A tiny shared read-mode link: `function ExternalUriLink({ uri }: { uri: string })` →
+`<a href={uri} target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="block truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground">{uri}</a>`. Used in term-row + authority-row read mode (render only when `external_uri` is truthy).
+
+### i18n (en + sv parity)
+- `common.filter` = "Filter…" / "Filtrera…"
+- `common.noMatches` = "No matches" / "Inga träffar"
+- `labels.uriPlaceholder` = "https://…" (same in both)
+
+### Per-screen changes
+
+**Vocabularies**
+- `vocabulary-list.tsx`: a filter `<Input>` (placeholder `common.filter`) above the list; filter vocabularies by `key` (case-insensitive `includes`) then **sort by `byKey(lang)`**; if filtered-empty but data exists, show muted `common.noMatches`. Add the **rename empty-guard**: `if (!draftKey.trim()) return;` before the rename mutate.
+- `vocabulary-terms.tsx`: a filter `<Input>` above the terms list; filter terms by `labelText` then **sort by `byLabel(lang)`**; filtered-empty → `common.noMatches`. The add-term `external_uri` `<Input>` gets `type="url"` + `placeholder={t("labels.uriPlaceholder")}`.
+- `term-row.tsx`: read mode renders `<ExternalUriLink uri={term.external_uri} />` under the label when present; the edit-mode `external_uri` `<Input>` gets `type="url"` + the placeholder.
+
+**Authorities**
+- `authorities-page.tsx`: a filter `<Input>` above the list; filter by `labelText` then **sort by `byLabel(lang)`**; filtered-empty → `common.noMatches`. The **create form gains an `external_uri` `<Input>`** (`type="url"`, placeholder) mirroring the edit row, stored in a `useState`, sent via `useCreateAuthority` (replace the hardcoded `external_uri: null`).
+- `authority-row.tsx`: read mode renders `<ExternalUriLink uri={authority.external_uri} />` under the label when present; edit `external_uri` `<Input>` gets `type="url"` + placeholder.
+
+**Fields**
+- `field-list.tsx`: a filter `<Input>` above the list; filter by `labelText`/`key`; **sort groups alphabetically with "Other"/ungrouped last, and sort fields within each group by `byLabel(lang)`**; each group header shows a `<Badge variant="secondary">{count}</Badge>` (count of fields in that group, after filtering); filtered-empty → `common.noMatches`.
+
+## Data flow
+Loaded list → client filter (by label/key substring) → collator sort → render. `external_uri` read
+from the existing view field. Field-group counts from the grouped array length. No new queries.
+
+## Error handling / edges
+- Filter is case-insensitive substring on the localized label (or key). Empty filter = show all.
+- Collator memoized per lang; lang from `i18n.language` (sv/en) as elsewhere.
+- `ExternalUriLink` only renders for truthy `external_uri`; `rel="noopener noreferrer"` + `target="_blank"`.
+- `type="url"` gives the browser's basic URL hint (not strict validation — full validation is a follow-up); it must not block submitting an empty optional URI (the field stays optional → send `null`/omit when blank, exactly as today).
+- Sorting must not mutate the query cache array — sort a copy (`[...list].sort(...)`).
+- Field group ordering: a stable rule (named groups A–Z by collator, then the ungrouped "Other" bucket last).
+
+## Testing
+- **`sort.test.ts`** (unit): `byLabel`/`byKey` order case-insensitively + locale-aware (e.g. "ä" sorts sensibly in sv; "bronze" before "Iron").
+- **Vocabularies** (`vocabularies.test.tsx`): vocabularies render sorted by key; typing in the filter narrows the list; rename with an empty key does not fire the mutation.
+- **Authorities** (`authorities.test.tsx`): list sorted by label; filter narrows; the create form has an `external_uri` field and a created authority posts the entered URI; a read row shows the `external_uri` link.
+- **Vocabulary terms / term-row:** terms sorted by label; a term read row shows its `external_uri` link.
+- **Fields** (`fields.test.tsx`): fields sorted within group; a group header shows a count badge; filter narrows. Keep the existing create/reveal-picker assertions green.
+- Gate: `typecheck`/`lint`/`test`/`build`/`check:size`/`check:colors`; en/sv parity (3 new keys); no codename; no new dependency.
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+1. Every reference list is sorted by label (terms/authorities/fields) or key (vocabularies) via a
+   locale-aware `Intl.Collator`, and has a client-side filter `Input` (with a `common.noMatches`
+   empty state).
+2. `external_uri` is shown (linkified, muted, truncated) in term + authority read rows when present.
+3. Field-group headers show a count `Badge`.
+4. Parity/validation gaps closed: authority **create** has an `external_uri` field and sends it; vocab
+   **rename** has an empty-guard; all `external_uri` inputs use `type="url"` + a placeholder.
+5. `typecheck`/`lint`/`test`/`build`/`check:colors` green; `check:size` reported; en/sv parity; no
+   codename; no new dependency; no layout/edit-modality change; no backend change.
+
+## Out of scope → follow-ups
+- The layout + edit-modality **unification** (authorities → two-pane pane-edit; vocab-rename/term/
+  authority → pane-edit; one create location) — a separate redesign.
+- **API-backed counts**: per-vocabulary term counts and per-kind authority-tab counts (need view/count
+  fields or endpoints).
+- Strict URL validation (beyond `type="url"`); linkifying `external_uri` elsewhere (e.g. object detail).