2024-10-24 Frontend Working Group Meeting Notes: frontend-base header

Owned by Adolfo Brandes
Last updated: Nov 07, 2024
2 min read

 Date, time, location

 Discussion topic(s)

New header in frontend-base

🎥Recording

Please be advised: Frontend Working Group meetings are recorded and transcribed.

 Participants

Adolfo Brandes, Brian Smith, David Joy, Fox Piacenti, Jason Wesson, Juan Carlos Iasenza, Leonel Katsikaris, Max Frank, Rabeeh T A

🤖 Summary

  1. Front End Base Initiative:

    • David Joy introduced "frontend-base," a single, unified library to replace various frontend components, including headers and footers. This initiative aims to improve configurability and usability across different platforms.

    • He demonstrated the new header and footer functionality, showcasing customizable, component-driven configurations for headers that replace previous complex implementations.

  2. Header Configurations:

    • The new headers, configured within a “site config” file, allow flexible and dynamic updates across modules, reducing the need for major code adjustments.

    • David highlighted that headers can now respond dynamically to module-specific requirements, such as different links for studio or learning environments.

  3. Footer Development:

    • David presented a prototype for a more versatile footer, inspired by popular layouts like those seen on edx.org, aiming for adaptable, structured link layouts and improved internationalization.

  4. Module Federation and App Configuration:

    • David introduced three ways to configure applications: internal apps, federated modules, and external apps, each with different deployment options to support modular, flexible builds across platforms.

    • Discussion covered the possibility of modules automatically providing default configurations for ease of integration and reducing the need for manual configuration.

  5. Plugin and Module Slot Configurations:

    • The team debated how plugins and modules should be organized for optimal flexibility and ease of configuration. They aimed to find a balance between granular configurability and simplicity.

    • Suggestions included creating helper functions and default configurations to streamline the configuration process for users unfamiliar with frontend development.

  6. Internationalization Improvements:

    • David shared updates on improving language selection for the platform. The new footer will use updated browser APIs to display language options based on actual translations configured in the system, removing the need for large external libraries.

Outcomes and Next Steps:

  • The group expressed overall approval for the proposed configurations and recommended further testing to explore complex use cases.

  • David will summarize the current work and gather additional feedback on Discourse.

  • The team acknowledged the importance of balancing configurability with usability and agreed to continue refining the system.

Closing Notes:

  • David highlighted that the updates would improve modularity, configurability, and user experience for developers and platform users alike. The team expressed enthusiasm about the new directions and potential code simplifications.

The meeting ended with positive feedback on the new frontend base approach and a commitment to further refine and document the configurations.

 Action items

 Decisions