Universal team management system launched

We've just shipped the most significant UX improvement in Moonlight's history - a completely unified team management system that works across every project type.

The problem we solved

Previously, managing teams looked different everywhere. Adding collaborators to a comic worked differently than adding them to a book or music album. Each section had its own interface, its own bugs, and its own quirks.

Developers had to maintain 9+ different implementations of essentially the same feature:

contributionsManager() for chapters
comicTeamManager() for comics
musicTeamManager() for music
animationTeamManager() for animations
Plus various inline search systems and modal implementations

The solution

One universal component

Every project type now uses the exact same team management interface. Whether you're editing a comic chapter, creating a music album, or managing an animation project, the experience is identical.

<!-- Usage is now consistent everywhere -->
<x-team-management.manager 
    project-type="chapter"
    :has-revenue="true"
    :coin-price="$chapter->coin_price"
    mode="edit"
/>

Smart revenue sharing

For projects that support monetization (chapters and animation frames), the system automatically handles revenue calculations with real-time validation:

Free content gets 0% distribution automatically
Paid content requires exactly 100% allocation
Real-time percentage and coin calculations
Automatic validation with clear error messages

Intelligent role management

Full integration with our TeamRole system means every team member gets proper permissions based on their assigned role. Project owners don't need roles - they have full access by default with a special "👑 Owner" designation.

Technical revolution

We've replaced 9 different team management implementations with a single universal system:

Architecture improvements

Service Layer: TeamManagementService handles all business logic
Universal Controller: UniversalTeamController manages all project types
Reusable Components: 5 Blade components providing consistent UX
Universal Routes: /team/{projectType}/{projectId} endpoints
Legacy Compatibility: All existing routes continue to work

Code consolidation

+2,832 lines added (new universal system)
-3,550 lines removed (old duplicate code)
Net result: -718 lines (more efficient system)
Zero duplication: Single source of truth for team management

User experience improvements

Enhanced search

Find team members with friendship and follower prioritization:

Your friends appear first
People you follow appear second
Everyone else appears last

Visual polish

Better input styling with proper grouping
Improved avatar handling with fallback support
Enhanced button placement (remove button next to username)
Consistent visual hierarchy across all controls
Fixed Polish character encoding throughout

Smart validation

Real-time feedback on revenue distribution
Automatic percentage calculations from coin inputs
Clear error messages when validation fails
Smart author handling (no unnecessary role assignments)

Revenue system unification

Before (inconsistent)

// Chapters used contributionsManager
coin_price + contributors array

// Animation used revenue_split JSON
{
  "selected_artist": 60,
  "project_owner": 25, 
  "platform_fee": 15
}

After (unified)

// All projects use consistent approach:
// CHAPTERS: coin_price + contribution_percentage per member
// ANIMATION: frame_price + contribution_percentage per member
// OTHER PROJECTS: role management only (no revenue)

TeamRole integration

Complete integration with yesterday's TeamRole system:

Every team member has a team_role_id (foreign key to TeamRole)
Roles are filtered by project_type automatically
Permissions inherit from the assigned TeamRole
Hierarchy levels control UI display order
Authors are exempt from role requirements (they own everything)

Developer benefits

Clean architecture

The new system follows senior-level design patterns:

Single Responsibility Principle: Each component has one job
DRY Principle: Zero code duplication
Service Layer Pattern: Business logic separated from controllers
Component-Based Design: Reusable UI components

Maintainability

One place to fix bugs (affects all project types)
One place to add features (benefits everyone)
Consistent validation and security across all projects
Unified testing approach

What this means for you

For creators

You now have fine-grained control over who can do what in your projects with a consistent interface everywhere. Setting up team collaboration is now intuitive and powerful.

For team members

You'll see the same familiar interface whether you're working on comics, books, music, or animations. No more learning different systems for different project types.

For developers

Clean APIs, consistent patterns, and zero duplication make extending team features straightforward and reliable.

Migration and compatibility

The system maintains full backward compatibility. All existing:

Team assignments continue to work
Permission structures remain intact
Route names are preserved
API endpoints function as before

Existing teams were automatically migrated to use the new unified system without any disruption.

Looking ahead

This unified foundation enables exciting future features:

Cross-project team collaboration
Advanced team analytics and insights
Sophisticated workflow management
Team performance tracking
Revenue optimization tools

The Universal Team Management System is live now across all Moonlight projects. Experience the streamlined workflow in your next project creation or team management session.

Ready to build better teams? Start collaborating with the new unified system today.

Universal Team Management System