Calendar block redefines DM core generic tokens — namespace drift risk

[chubes4]

Problem

data-machine-events defines its own copies of generic tokens that DM core already publishes. Both systems work today because each plugin owns both definition and consumption of its tokens internally — but the values can drift silently when DM core changes its defaults.

Evidence

DM core publishes (--datamachine-*, no hyphen) in data-machine/inc/Core/Admin/assets/css/root.css:

• --datamachine-text-primary: #333
• --datamachine-border-radius: 4px
• --datamachine-bg-light: #f9f9f9

data-machine-events redefines (--data-machine-*, with hyphen) in data-machine-events/inc/Blocks/root.css:

• --data-machine-text-primary: #111827
• --data-machine-border-radius: 8px
• --data-machine-background-light: #f8fafc

Same concepts, different names, different values. The calendar block consumes its local versions throughout — see e.g. inc/Blocks/Calendar/style.css (193 usages).

Why this matters

If DM core decides to change --datamachine-border-radius from 4px to 6px, every consumer except this plugin picks it up via cascade. The calendar block keeps rendering with 8px because it consumes its own non-aligned token.

In practice: invisible drift that only surfaces when someone tries to "skin everything DM-related" with a single set of overrides.

Recommended cleanup

Two-namespace split:

1. Generic tokens consumed from DM core — drop the local redefinitions. Use var(--datamachine-text-primary) directly. The plugin shrinks; cascade follows DM core / theme bridge.

2. Calendar-specific tokens kept as a distinct namespace — --data-machine-day-monday-rgba, --data-machine-grid-cell-width, --data-machine-taxonomy-badge-background etc. genuinely belong to this plugin. Rename to a clearer namespace to reduce visual confusion with DM core: --datamachine-events-* or short prefix --dme-*.

After cleanup:

• Generic concerns inherit from DM core via cascade
• Calendar-specific concerns live in their own clearly-named namespace
• No silent drift between plugins

Audit numbers

Run from extrachill.com:

data-machine: 92 --datamachine- usages, 0 --data-machine-
data-machine-events: 0 --datamachine- usages, 403 --data-machine-
data-machine-frontend-chat: 59 --datamachine- usages, 0 --data-machine-

frontend-chat already does the right thing (consumes DM core tokens directly). data-machine-events is the only outlier.

Scope

Pure CSS work. No PHP / no template changes. Plugin behavior unchanged after cleanup; just better aligned with the rest of the DM stack.

Discovered while

Building OG card generation in extrachill-multisite#9, reviewing how DM-consumer plugins theme themselves.