Hi, I'm trying here to explain with more tools the problems we had until now and the solution I did he past Friday.
Disclaimer: This solution doesn't intend to end in the current state, and we can evolve to get other shape more convenient for others in this project. I'm sure Alex or Harbs can add up to enhance what I did greatly as always do. So let's go: Until now we had this kind of relation between libraries : https://snag.gy/JqO2ZI.jpg In this schema. Basic is needed always to construct an Application. That causes that all applications will end aggregating the used styles of the CSS in basic and all the classes that are linked in that way plus the tree of dependent classes. Until now that wasn't a problem, since we didn't care of it. That extra size all applications incorporated was not in out target since we only had Basic to construct applications. A side case was MDL but as is a "wrapper" around an external library, again we didn't care too much about this. Now with the new Jewel UI set, we have another UI set that although is based in the work in Basic is a first citizen, so for example, a Button in Jewel extends UIBase and not basic Button like before. So changes in Button or in other Basic infrastructure classes not affect Jewel at all. So final/leaf components are dependent of UIBase (in Core) and not anything we have in Basic. The same happens with Jewel TextInput, Jewel Slider, and more. For example Jewel Slider is based on input range, while Basic Slider is build with two buttons. So even ISlider interfaces are different in Basic than in Jewel. So key point here: final implementations should not depend one from another since any changes in the code of the parent will affect the children. As you can see in the schema, we have various libraries that are top level, some of them are optional, and for this reason are separated in library units (Network, Binding, Collections, and more), but Core is not optional, must be in all Royale Applications. Basic until now although it was a concrete final implementation of an UI set, was in fact needed in all Royale Applications, and that cause that always its CSS and its classes was baked into the final App. Only if you don't use visual elements you'll get rid of basic need, but that in a front end app is very strange right? This design caused from the begging lots of problems that started to rise when I first started MDL library. We have styles and behaviours that was not required due to the presence of unwanted CSS and classes from Basic. So for this reason a key point is that we need to bake into final app the resources we really need to avoid unwanted content that is not required and only increases size and the presence of potential bugs and not wanted behaviors. With the refactor we get to the following graph <https://snag.gy/JqO2ZI.jpg>https://snag.gy/KW36yn.jpg Now in the final picture, we don't have the presence of all the things that comes with Basic when we create a Jewel application, the final developer don't need to be worried of any unwanted behavior that comes from Basic since Jewel no more requies it. But this is completely compatible with the older scenarios. People using Basic, will use it I the same way and get exactly the same. So this refactor doesn't break existing applications. Since I moved classes from Basic to Core to be as DRY as possible, but I changed from package (from "html" to "core") to improve organization, that change can make final applications need to update those namespace, like I had to do in all the examples we have. This is something that should not make a huge task more than a few minutes, but something normal when a refactor is done. There's few refactors that does not implies changes in final applications. This change of packages really is not needed, but I think is convenient to get a better organization. Now we have still core packages in Basic and html packages in Core, what makes things a bit messy and shows that still we need some API changes and cleaning. Normal since we are on 0.9.3 version. A special case is HTML, where is the only real code change I introduced (99% was only move code from Basic to Core to allow get rid of Basic). I changed NodeElementBase to extend UIBase, due to Harbs proposal. Then Yishay saw that it wasn't allowing nesting, so I changed again to extend Group. And to get this Group needs to be in Core. In other way HTML will depend on Basic and anytime we'll create a Jewel application that uses HTML, this library will bring Basic with all known problems (CSS and Classes not wanted). All this changes, make the build broke and show some deficiencies . Some HTML was linking Basic, Basic was a inherited dependency that was not declared in many examples pom. So now we have all poms fixed with the real dependencies, if the example uses Basic, it will have Basic, if not, it will be not present at all. Some others classes were copied "temporaly" to Jewel. For example MultilineLabel, was copied from Basic to Jewel. The final step is to remove that component since in Jewel I don't want a MultilineLabel, but a bead that makes Jewel Label to be multiline. So this that is not DRY in some days it will be since I'll be removing that temporal control. I only copied there to allow all examples build right. As many refactors things doesn't end at the beginning it then requires more steps to be done. The important thing was to left all the code building ok at that time, then start to use things in this new way for Jewel, since Basic is all the same Finaly all this changes, not only make the app developer not worried about how to not collide with Basic styles and functions, but makes Jewel Royale Applications 40% less sized than before. I think I cover all points, If I remember something I didn't tell you here, I'll be adding more email. At this point, you can see that technically is very important due to avoid unwanted code in final apps, unwanted behavior, reduce size, and avoid final developers to be confused by other similar structures present that they don't need (CTRL+SPACE will only throw one kind of Button now instead different implementations). As well the current refactor still makes posible to mix libraries if the developer wants to do it. He can add Basic dependency to a Jewel Application if the still needs something and want to pay all the extra size and behaviors of the basic linked code. Things that we can do to improve more this scenario: 1.- extract GroupBase functionality to Core so Group (in Basic) and NodeElementBase (in HTML) can compose t (this will improve DRY) 2.- I think we have a good organization regarding libraries now (Core - Network - Binding, and then UI Sets, Basic, MDL, Jewel,...) But maybe folks would be feel better with other organization. For me the only thing I need is that whatever solution we want doesn't force people to link Basic as if it was a Core library since it's not, is only a final implementation of controls and components) 3.- I think if we find more Core functionality in Basic we could pass it to Core, I think we still have Core things in Basic. As is normal since I suppose people made things to make it work, but maybe is time now to "clean the house" a bit after all this time and see where things should go. The fact that we have core package in Basic and html package in Core is a clue that things are not still in right positions. We must separate *needed* things from *architectural* things. For me *needed* is : 1) not need Basic dependency since Jewel really doesn't need it!, and don't want users to link things that only generate problems linking styles and classes that make final developers to fight with fonts, or colors, that they don't know how are appearing and why. And don't want extra classes linked that could bring errors very difficult to find and solve. And finaly, don't want extra size in apps since that extra size comes with only undesirable effects in the final application. just that Some of the points I expose are not needed, but would enhance the quality of the code and people trying to use it. Now we have still a bit messy set of packages. We can move things so all people here would have things set up as they want. Some of you can propose other ways to get to the same, but I'm afraid that in essence it will be mostly the same. But I'm totally open to bring more ideas and to change things, since I'm sure my solution is not 100% infallible, and there's many ways to do things. My proposal is that since I solved many structural things in how projects and examples build, fixing poms that where not having Basic declared and more things that were arising during the refactor, I think is better to make the refactors other will propose from the actual point. And that would be more easy to follow. Hope that now all is more clear thanks to new explanation and graphs and that you consider that we really have real problems to solve and that now are solved, although maybe not in the best way but in a valid way and that I'm open to change things while taking into account that we at least maintain the same improvements I get with this changes. Thanks in advance. -- Carlos Rovira http://about.me/carlosrovira
