nips/37.md

NIP-37
======

Editable Short Notes
--------------------

`draft` `optional`

This NIP describes a flow for editing `kind:1` notes that is mostly backwards-compatible (as long as clients support [NIP-09](./09.md) properly).

The flow for editing a `kind:1` note consists of creating a new `kind:1` note to be published in its place, then issuing a `kind:5` delete request for the first, in both cases attaching special tags that denote the nature of the operation to clients that want to support a more rich edit flow.

## Example flow

Support `<bob>` publishes

```jsonc
{
  "id": "aaaaa",
  "kind": 1,
  "pubkey": "<bob>",
  "content": "ehllo"
}
```

And now, for whatever, reason, he wants to edit the note to say "hello", so his client will publish the following two events:

```jsonc
{
  "id": "bbbbbb",
  "kind": 1,
  "pubkey": "<bob>",
  "content": "hello",
  "tags": [
    ["s", "aaaaaa"] // this indicates the note that is being replaced
  ]
}

{
  "kind": 5,
  "pubkey": "<bob>",
  "tags": [
    ["e", "aaaaaa"], // this indicates the note that will be deleted in all non-upgraded clients
    ["edit", "bbbbbb"], // this indicates the notes that replaced the one just deleted
  ]
}
```

## Backwards-compatibility

For all non-upgraded clients, this operation will look like a normal delete-and-replace. Replies, likes and everything else sent to node `aaaaaa` will be lost, but the feed will be intact and fine, with no need for any custom handling or  complex replaceability.

## Progressive enhancement

Progressive enhancement may be applied, for example: when a user clicks to open note `bbbbbb` the client might try to query for `{"ids": ["aaaaaa"]}` upon seeing the `s` tag. And vice-versa, upon opening any other note a client might query for `{"#s": ["..."]}` to check if any edit is available. Both operations can enhance the focused note screen, but they don't have to be performed while loading a feed, and they remain strictly optional regardless.

## Full-blown upgrade

More complex clients that want to treat edits as pure edits and note as standalone notes may choose to hide any `kind:1` note that contains an `s` tag as a standalone entity, instead choosing to attach it to its "parent" that was edited. That must be combined with a refusal to _actually_ delete notes whenever the `kind:5` deletion request includes an `edit` tag. Such deletion request would then be only used as hints that an edit was performed, so it can be fetched and the note contents replaced in-place.