# RFC: HLCRF Compositor **Status:** Implemented **Created:** 2026-01-15 **Authors:** Host UK Engineering --- ## Abstract The HLCRF Compositor is a hierarchical layout system where each composite contains up to five regions—Header, Left, Content, Right, and Footer. Composites nest infinitely: any region can contain another composite, which can contain another, and so on. The core innovation is **inline sub-structure declaration**: a single string like `H[LC]C[HCF]F` declares the entire nested hierarchy. No configuration files, no database schema, no separate definitions—parse the string and you have the complete structure. Just as Markdown made document formatting a human-readable string, HLCRF makes layout structure a portable, self-describing data type that can be stored, transmitted, validated, and rendered anywhere. Path-based element IDs (`L-H-0`, `C-F-C-2`) encode the full hierarchy, eliminating database lookups to resolve structure. The system supports responsive breakpoints, block-based content, and shortcode integration. --- ## Motivation Traditional layout systems require separate templates for each layout variation. A page with a left sidebar needs one template; without it, another. Add responsive behaviour, and the combinations multiply quickly. The HLCRF Compositor addresses this through: 1. **Data-driven layouts** — A single compositor handles all layout permutations via variant strings 2. **Nested composition** — Layouts can contain other layouts, with automatic path tracking for unique identification 3. **Responsive design** — Breakpoint-aware rendering collapses regions appropriately for different devices 4. **Block-based content** — Content populates regions as discrete blocks, enabling conditional display and reordering The approach treats layout as data rather than markup, allowing the same content to adapt to different structural requirements without template duplication. --- ## Terminology ### HLCRF **H**ierarchical **L**ayer **C**ompositing **R**ender **F**rame. The acronym also serves as a mnemonic for the five possible regions: | Letter | Region | Semantic element | Purpose | |--------|--------|------------------|---------| | **H** | Header | `
` | Top navigation, branding | | **L** | Left | `