nip37: truly optional kind:1 edits by use of a special tweak to the delete-and-recreate flow

37.md

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+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.