The flat approach to NPM is a game changer for us, and a Bower killer.

Timo? Had a lot of insight at the time, I'd like to see him be invoked in
this decision. Any thoughts Timo?

- Trevor

On Thursday, November 5, 2015, Jon Robson <[email protected]> wrote:

> It's been a year now, over 3-6 months. Volker can this be given a
> priority in the next frontend standards meeting. I think the lack of
> any standard is extremely damaging to the project.
>
> On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 4:21 PM, Bryan Davis <[email protected]
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 12:24 PM, Daniel Werner
> > <[email protected] <javascript:;>> wrote:
> >> Hey,
> >>
> >> I just wanted to check in about the status of enabling JavaScript
> package
> >> management usage in MediaWiki. I am basically talking about an
> equivalent
> >> for JS to what we have with Composer for PHP.
> >>
> >> Real-world example:
> >>   The "data-values/value-view" package[0] is defining
> >> "jquery.event.special.eachchange.js":
> >>     ValueView/lib/jquery.event/jquery.event.special.eachchange.js
> >>
> >>   Now, recently I needed the same functionality in one of my
> extensions, so
> >> I just copied it over. [1]
> >>
> >> I know that this is the worst way one could do this, but as far as I can
> >> see we don't have that much of a choice right now. Here are the
> alternative
> >> options I can see:
> >>
> >> Moving "jquery.event.special.eachchange.js" out of the
> >> "data-values/value-view" package into its own "WMDE/jquery-eachchange"
> >> package...
> >>
> >> 1. ... and using it in my extension via composer.
> >>   + pro: two or more extensions or other packages requiring this package
> >> will still result in having only one MW-wide installation..
> >>   - con: requires MW specific code which is actually not related to the
> >> MW-independent package to feed the resource loader.
> >>   - con: using Composer to manage pure JavaScript packages! Uuuh, ugly!
> >>
> >> 2. ... and having a build step in other packages using the package,
> pulling
> >> the "WMDE/jquery-eachchange" somewhere into the file structure of the
> >> packages/extensions using it.
> >>   + pro: don't need to abuse composer, we can use "npm", "Bower" or any
> >> other arbitrary JS package manager here.
> >>   - con: got to tell resource loader somehow... (didn't think so much
> about
> >> that yet)
> >>   - con: if more than one extensions or other packages require this
> package
> >> we still end up with the same code twice or more often in one MW
> >> installation.
> >>
> >> 3. Combining 1 and 2: Start with 2, using a JS package manager. Then
> going
> >> to 1, creating a composer package and pulling the
> "WMDE/jquery-eachchange"
> >> package in via some build script.
> >>   + pro: The two pros from 1 + 2
> >>   + pro: ^^
> >>   - con: still got to tell resource loader somehow...
> >>   - con: Overhead; We now create two packages where the Composer one is
> >> just a bridge to the MW-world, still polluting packagist.org. Still
> kind of
> >> ugly and more effort for publishing a package and therefore potentially
> >> scaring programmers away from doing so since they've got better things
> to
> >> do than doing work that could be automated.
> >>
> >> I have not seen Approach 2 and 3 yet. Though I could imagine that the
> >> VisualEditor team has used something like that.
> >> Approach 1 is the way the "data-values/value-view" package itself is
> being
> >> handled. And that package should actually be a MW independent pure JS
> >> package but right now it contains MW specific code and uses composer for
> >> distribution!
> >> There is still another option but that had to be properly implemented:
> >>
> >> 4. Choose one native JS package manager for now and go with it (add
> support
> >> for others later perhaps). Integrate it properly with MW (resource
> loader
> >> to begin with), document how to use it and finally distribute JS code
> >> coming from the MW world but useful for other projects in a way where it
> >> can actually be used in a non-MW context.
> >>
> >> This has already been bugging me when working on Wikidata. Now I'd like
> to
> >> reuse some of the code I have written there without spending hours and
> >> hours with option 3 because there should be support for option 4 rather
> >> sooner or later.
> >> So I am wondering; Does anyone have any thoughts, any alternatives
> perhaps
> >> or is there any roadmap on anything like the option 4 that I have shown?
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Daniel
> >>
> >> [0]: https://packagist.org/packages/data-values/value-view
> >> [1]:
> >>
> https://github.com/DanweDE/mediawiki-ext-UserBitcoinAddresses/blob/master/resources/vendor/jquery.event.special.eachchange.js
> >
> > Option 4 was discussed last October as part of the Librarization
> > project [0]. At the time the front end standards group wasn't ready to
> > pick a winner in the javascript packaging landscape. They did want to
> > revisit that in 3-6 months however so maybe it is time to find someone
> > to look into the various options and their pros and cons again?
> >
> > [0]: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T807
> > --
> > Bryan Davis              Wikimedia Foundation    <[email protected]
> <javascript:;>>
> > [[m:User:BDavis_(WMF)]]  Sr Software Engineer            Boise, ID USA
> > irc: bd808                                        v:415.839.6885 x6855
> >
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