System Analysis · Authoring Factory · parrotwisdom.co.uk
The Authoring Factory
A legal case construction toolchain · Browser-native · Client-side only
"Time displacing lateral cognition is the hidden cost of legal order."
What It Is
This is a legal case construction factory — a browser-based, client-side toolchain for building the formal evidential architecture of a legal claim or litigation case. It runs entirely locally: no server, no uploads, no data leaving the machine.
It produces a suite of interconnected HTML artefacts that together constitute a structured, navigable, cross-referenced case file — the kind of document architecture that institutions rely upon, turned in the other direction.
Embedded in the chronology module: "C-3PO: Oh my goodness! Shut me down! Machines making machines?!" — a knowing remark on the factory's own logic.
The Module Stack
Five authoring modules, each producing one output artefact, all coordinated by a central shell.
01
Appendices Generator
appendices-generator-v1.2.html · chain-two.js
Takes free-text content, assigns auto-incremented IDs (Appendix A, B, C…). Produces a structured supporting document referenced by all other modules, and a companion full-text search instrument that enables keyword discovery across all appendix content with highlighted results and direct jump links.
Emits
appendices.html
append-search.html
02
Chronology Creator
chronology-generator-v1.7.2.html · chain-three.js
The core module. Two entry modes — Single (one event, one date, attached documents and references) and Compound (main date with multiple sub-events). Temporal constraint system: events cannot be reordered once committed. Surfaces contradictions and evidential gaps.
Emits
chronology.html
search.html
03
Claim Heads Generator
claim-heads-generator-v1.1.html · chain-four.js
For each head of claim: a narrative of how the chronology makes out the claim, linked to specific dates, probative evidence, and supporting appendices. The bridge between raw evidence and legal argument.
04
Claims Matrix Generator
claims-matrix-generator-v1.3.html · chain-five.js
A structured table: Claim ID, Head of Claim, Defendant(s), Core Facts & Evidence, Legal Basis (✅ exact / 🟡 partial against legislation), Status/Forum. The overview instrument — what you hand to a court or opponent showing the full claim landscape at a glance.
V
Validator
validator.html · chain-eight.js
Not an authoring module. A file path integrity checker. Loads a manifest of the actual assets directory, cross-references every document link in the chronology and claim heads indices against what physically exists on disk. Prevents dead links before the case file is used.
The Central Nervous System
system.js runs inside a parent frame and coordinates the entire stack. It does four things:
/* ── MESSAGE BUS ──────────────────────────────────────────────── */
Each module → postMessage() → system.js shell (every 5–10s)
↓
systemSnapshots { chronology, appendices, matrix, heads }
↓
┌────────────────────┼────────────────────┐
buildChronologyIndex buildMatrixIndex buildHeadsIndex
└────────────────────┼────────────────────┘
↓
validator (chain-eight.js)
reads indices → checks paths → report
/* ── PERSISTENCE ──────────────────────────────────────────────── */
saveSystemState() → JSON snapshot file → loadSystemState()
// portable, portable, portable
State aggregation pulls all four module streams into a single localStorage object. Index building automatically maps dates, claims, and document paths. Cross-module validation routing feeds the validator with live data. The whole state is portable — save, close, reopen, continue.
Output Artefacts
The factory produces a linked suite of six HTML files designed to work together as a coherent, cross-referenced case file.
📅
chronology.html
Temporal anchor. What happened and when.
🔍
search.html
Relational discovery across the full record.
📎
appendices.html
Supporting material, referenced by all.
🔎
append-search.html
Full-text keyword search across appendix content.
⚖️
claimheads.html
Legal argument layer. Evidence → claim.
📊
claims-matrix.html
Executive overview. The full claim landscape.
The chronology anchors everything temporally. The claim heads provide the legal argument layer. The matrix provides the executive summary. The appendices hold supporting material. Both search instruments — search.html and append-search.html — enable keyword discovery and relational navigation across the full record.
Summary Characterisation
This is a tool built for someone with a serious, complex case — likely against an institution — who needs to construct an evidential record that is internally consistent, temporally locked, legally structured, and impossible to casually dismantle.
It is designed for a sophisticated user working without institutional support, imposing professional-grade legal document architecture on their own material.
The factory automates the production of the very kind of ordered, formal artefact that institutions rely on — and turns it in the other direction.
"Tools for institutional accountability." — parrotwisdom.co.uk