2024-07-18 Frontend Working Group Meeting Notes: Improving Plugin Configuration

 Date, time, location

• Date:Jul 18, 2024 at 15:00 UTC (timezone converter)

• Location: https://meet.google.com/cxz-yjwi-gvi

 Discussion topic(s)

Improving plugin configuration

🎥Recording

• Video: Frontend Working Group Meeting (2024-07-18 12:02 GMT-3)

• Chat: Frontend Working Group Meeting (2024-07-18 12:02 GMT-3) - Chat Transcript

• Transcript: Frontend Working Group Meeting (2024-07-18 12:02 GMT-3) - Transcript

 Participants

@Adolfo Brandes, @Andrés González, @Brayan Cerón, @Brian Smith, @David Joy, @Felipe Montoya, @Glib Glugovskiy, @Jason Wesson, Juan Carlos Iasenza, @Kyle McCormick, @Leonel Katsikaris, @Max Frank, @milad emami

🤖 Summary

1. Introduction and Context:

   • The meeting centered around improving the plugin configuration syntax/API following insights from a recent workshop.

2. Current Plugin Configuration:

   • Brian Smith presented the current state of the plugin configuration using config.js and highlighted its complexity.

   • Discussion on whether the existing setup with operations, widget IDs, priority, and types is necessary or if it can be simplified.

3. Proposal for Simplification:

   • Kyle McCormick proposed a more straightforward approach, eliminating the need for extensive operations in config.js.

   • The new proposal suggests using a single component function to handle slots and defaults, potentially simplifying the API for developers.

4. Feedback and Suggestions:

   • David Joy and others provided feedback, emphasizing the importance of making the configuration easy for both developers and operators.

   • Discussion on the implications of simplifying the configuration, especially concerning existing plugins and future flexibility.

5. Functional vs. Class-Based Approach:

   • The group debated between maintaining a functional approach versus sticking with the existing setup.

   • Concerns were raised about handling different plugin types and ensuring ease of use for non-developers.

6. Practical Considerations:

   • Felipe Montoya and others stressed the need for a practical, developer-friendly approach while considering future automation and admin interfaces.

   • The importance of proper documentation and intuitive naming for plugin slots was highlighted.

7. Future Direction:

   • Consensus on the need for a simplified configuration to reduce complexity and make it more accessible.

   • A potential move towards making plugins more self-contained, reducing the dependency on config.js.

Conclusion:
The meeting concluded with a plan to move forward with simplifying the plugin configuration while considering both immediate improvements and long-term goals for a more modular and user-friendly system.

 Action items

• @Adolfo Brandes will try to find somebody to push this forward. That somebody’s first task should be to write an ADR - or an update to an existing OEP - to formalize the proposal and ellicit feedback.

 Decisions