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2025-08-14 Frontend Working Group Meeting: Impact of frontend-base DEPRs

2025-08-14 Frontend Working Group Meeting: Impact of frontend-base DEPRs

 Date, time, location

 Discussion topic(s)

  • Impact of frontend-base DEPRs: new client or merge to master?

🎥Recording

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

 Participants

  • Adolfo Brandes

  • Brian Smith

  • Diana Villalvazo Salas

  • Jacobo Dominguez

  • Javier Ontiveros

  • Jesse Stewart (WGU)

🤖 Summary

1. Progress on Frontend Base Deprecations

  • WGU contributors (Jacobo, Victor, Javier) have been leading conversion work:

    • Gradebook PR submitted by Javier.

    • Profile & Account underway (Jacobo & Victor).

    • Discussions conversion started.

  • Strategy: start with small MFEs, leaving Learning and Authoring for later.

  • Developers are iterating on the conversion guide, improving it as they go.

2. Design Tokens & Master Branch Targeting

  • Blocker: Conversions can’t target master because design tokens aren’t supported in Frontend Base yet.

  • Current stalemate:

    • Tests have changed in master, so MFE conversions can’t be finalized until targeting master is possible.

    • Interim proposal: bump to Paragon 23, accept limited styling support, and enable conversions from master.

  • Key missing functionality: runtime stylesheet loading (available in frontend platform/build, not yet in frontend base).

  • Plan: implement minimal support soon, then add full design token functionality.

3. Deprecations (DEPRs)

  • 8 identified so far (e.g., frontend plugin slots v1, third-party services).

  • Philosophy: every deprecation requires an available alternative by the next release.

  • Discussion on runtime configuration:

    • Current mechanism is weak and tied to site config/Django admin.

    • Options:

      • Continue limited runtime config.

      • Replace with JSON-based external configs (simpler, extensible, supports operator use cases).

    • Strong need to distinguish configuration vs. content (e.g., YouTube promo video = content; homepage course max = config).

4. Configuration & Operator Needs

  • Concerns raised:

    • Operators currently rely on runtime config to avoid rebuilds.

    • Removing it without replacement could frustrate users.

  • Suggestions:

    • Introduce JSON-based configs with fallback to legacy site config.

    • Possibly support a Tutor plugin to generate runtime JSON from legacy settings.

    • Longer-term: provide a web-based admin interface for operators with limited permissions.

5. Release Strategy: Master vs. New Client

  • Two options debated:

    1. Merge to Master

      • Pros: reduces duplication, faster adoption.

      • Cons: breaking changes affect all master users immediately, risk of instability.

    2. Create a New Client (separate branches/repo)

      • Pros: safer, allows early feedback/testing before full adoption.

      • Cons: requires syncing features across master and new client until merged.

  • Consensus in meeting: Favor starting with a new client for stability and feedback, then merge to master later.

6. Next Steps

  • Summit planned: to bring in more stakeholders (beyond developers) and discuss DEPRs and configuration strategy.

  • Spreadsheet/wiki: to document existing runtime configs, their legacy implementations, and proposed replacements.

  • Immediate tasks:

    • Adolfo to explore design token interim support.

    • Create a DEPR for runtime configuration.

    • Prepare materials for summit discussion.

✅ Overall: The group is making steady progress on MF conversions thanks to WGU contributions, but faces critical decisions around design tokens, runtime configuration, and release strategy. Consensus favors treating Frontend Base as a new client first, with a path to master once stability and operator needs are addressed.

 Action items

  • @Adolfo Brandes Investigate design token support for master targeting

  • (Unassigned) Compile runtime config use cases into a spreadsheet/wiki

  • @Adolfo Brandes Create DEPR ticket for runtime config

  • @Adolfo Brandes Announce and schedule summit (next week or following)

  • WGU team: continue MF conversions (Profile, Account, Discussions)

 Decisions

  1. Frontend Base path forward: Start as a new client → gather feedback → later merge to master.
  2. Configuration approach: Move toward JSON-based external config, possibly supported by Tutor plugins, rather than Django-admin-driven runtime config
  3. Design tokens support in frontend-base: Interim support (via Paragon 23 bump) to unblock conversions, full support to follow