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This document relates to the so called "STK3 " initiative, which has evolved more into "Lower the Entry Barrier" initiative, codenamed "Ramp".
Most of the documents are in Google Drive.
Here I will go into more detail about some of the concepts. These will probably be broken into individual documents.
Config by File
What if configuration for templates and dialogs could be done in a file instead of in the adminCentral configuration tree?
This comes out of thinking of ways to treat resources and templates more equivelently, ie in a standard way. And then realizing that developers like working with files and have a lot of familiarity with tools and workflows there.
Why does one prefer to work on resources and templates as files (in an ide or nice text editor) rather then in adminCentral? Most of these things would apply to configuration as well.
| On files | In adminCentral | |
|---|---|---|
Clean syntax (Not JCR “system view”)
Applied dynamically. Either:
Not saved to repository (Does config tree show file contents?)
Re-applied to repository every time.
Active loader - system loads files automatically on change.
Exports clean syntax
Working on configtree in AdminCentral, Either:
Auto export config files on change.
You are seeing what is in files - and your edits are immediately written to the files.
Broad implications
you can’t overwrite configuration anymore - you always have to extend it.
no module version handlers.
Questions
- Are file changes saved to repository?
Suggestion
Any config in a file is loaded to repository at mag startup - completely overwriting the root node of the file and all children.
Analyzing implications of ConfigByFile
Concepts which will be implemented in 5.4 have become children of page Concepts 5.4
Concepts to cover:
- Inplace editing of Templates & Resources: Access filesystem
- Better Javascript handling.
- ConfigTree improvements. Extends insight. Template Extender tool.
- Enable frontend developers to create apps & fields with templates.
References
http://wiki.magnolia-cms.com/download/attachments/42270723/stk-remarks-vpro.pdf
Inplace editing of Templates & Resources: Access filesystem
What if nothing was stored in repository?: Not templates or resources?
- Templates and resources do not get stored in repository.
- Admincentral apps load the files from filesystem for display.
- inplace editing - edits the files directly. (In exploded War)
Note: That does not work for JARS, the files cannot be written to.
ConfigByFile - Autowrite to File on ConfigTree edits.
If writes to the configTree were automatically written back to the ConfigFile - that would solve problem of loosing changes made in adminCentral.
But how would the system know to which file to write?
And how would it know when to write given the likely situation that some configuration is defined by File, but some is loaded from Bootstraps?
...
See the entire running configuration.
Search the running configuration.
Access it from anywhere by website.
Easy to find.
Could provide dialog/wizards.
Could provide help.
Could provide "extends insight" - tooling to understand extends.
Could be linked to from other apps, like Page Editor.
...
Have multiple files (views) open.
Copy & paste
Same familiar work processes as templates & files
...
Overview
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