[xwiki-dev] [Proposal] New SVN directory structure to accommodate the different applications we have

[Sergiu Dumitriu]

I'm a bit tired right now, so I can't decide which one makes more
sense. However, I have my own questions :)

1) How about the decision to move skins in a distinct place?
2) Where in the structure are the trunk/branches/tags defined?
3) Why are the xarlets inside the platform?

I'll be back with more when I'll be awake.

On 6/12/07, Vincent Massol <vincent at massol.net> wrote:
> Hi Stephane,
>
> Thanks a lot for your comments. See below.
>
> On Jun 12, 2007, at 9:56 PM, Stéphane Laurière wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> > Hi Vincent,
> >
> > Sounds good to update the SVN structure for addressing the growing
> > complexity :-)
> >
> > Here are below some questions and suggestions.
> >
> > Vincent Massol wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >> Note: This email supercedes all my other proposals on the SVN
> >> directory structure.
> >> The rationale for this mail is that we're starting to have lots of
> >> applications built on top of the xwiki platform: XWiki Enterprise
> >> (default wiki), XEM, Watch, Curriki, Chronopolys, etc. We need to
> >> accomodate them in our directory structure.
> >> Top level structure
> >> ===============
> >> /svnroot/xwiki/
> >>   |_ xwiki-platform/
> >>   |_ xwiki-applications/
> >>     |_ xwiki-enterprise/
> >>     |_ xwiki-enterprise-manager/
> >>     |_ xwiki-watch/
> >>     |_ curriki/
> >>     |_ chronopolys/
> >>   |_ xwiki-extensions/
> >>     |_ xwiki-eclipse/
> >>     |_ xwiki-concerto/
> >>   |_ sandbox/
> >> where:
> >> * xwiki-platform is the xwiki platform on which all the
> >> applications are built.
> >> * xwiki-applications are applications that extend the platform
> >> with: skins, xwiki pages (XAR), plugins
> >> * xwiki-enterprise is the name of our previously known "default
> >> wiki" application.
> >> * xwiki-extensions are any other extensions of xwiki not fitting
> >> in xwiki-applications. For example the XWiki Eclipse integration,
> >> etc. I've put concerto there but I'm not sure what it'll look like.
> >> Definition of xwiki-platform
> >> =====================
> >> /svnroot/xwiki/xwiki-platform/
> >>   |_ tools/
> >>   |_ core/ (JAR)
> >>   |_ plugins/ (JARs)
> >>   |_ skins/ (ZIPs)
> >>     |_ dodo/
> >>     |_ finch/
> >>     |_ albatross/
> >>   |_ web/ (WARs)
> >>     |_ gwt/
> >>     |_ standard/
> >>   |_ xarlets (XARs)
> >>     |_ selenium/
> >>     |_ blog/
> >>     |_ calendar/
> >>     |_ ...
> >> where:
> >> * tools/ contains tools used to build the platform and xwiki
> >> applications
> >
> > If they are used both by the platform and the applications,
> > shouldn't we
> > put the "tools" folder at the root level (/svnroot/xwiki/tools/)?
>
> The xwiki-applications all depend on the platform. I was viewing the
> platform as providing the core infrastructure be it at runtime or at
> build time.
>
> > Regarding the xarlets: why should they be considered as part of the
> > platform? They build upon the platform, but they are rather extensions
> > of the platform than part of it, aren't they?
>
> They are reusable xarlets and as such, like plugins or component
> jars, they can be reused by the xwiki applications.
>
> Maybe our differences of view is that you view the platform as only
> JARs whereas I view the platform as providing all the pieces required
> by applications to be built upon (build tools, components, UI pieces,
> etc). Application are end products for me.
>
> > I have also this question: should we really distinguish in the
> > structure
> > between the concepts of plugins, xarlets and xwiki-applications?
>
> They are different right now. In the future, hopefully everything
> will be a component.
>
> > They
> > have a different nature indeed, but won't splitting them into
> > different
> > folders make the life of developers more complex? If I write a
> > BlogTrackBackPlugin that does some specific stuff with blogs, where
> > will
> > I put it in the repository? It should probably go to the "blog
> > xarlet",
> > which then contains xwiki-documents + Java classes. Isn't it likely
> > that
> > our xarlets, or at least some of them will evolve to full-fledged
> > "applications" that will use all the XWiki concepts? Along the same
> > lines, won't we have plugins that will have their xwiki-documents?
>
> Stephane I think you're jumping ahead about 6 months to 1 year... ;)
> This is indeed what we want but we're far from there and the
> structure I'm proposing is for now with the ability to evolve to
> something else in the future. Right now it means these blogging
> features will be split between xwiki-platform/plugins/blog and xwiki-
> platform/xarlets/blog.
>
> Regarding the evolution, 2 possibilities:
> - the blogging features are components meant to be reused by
> applications. In this case they can go in the platform which will
> then offer blogging features for applications
> - the blogging features are not meant to be reusable and embedded in
> xwiki applications. They form a standalone blogging application and
> should be located in xwiki-applications.
>
> If I follow your direction, then everything is potentially an
> application and the platform becomes the core. I'm viewing the
> platform as core + reusable components and I differentiate between
> reusable components and end applications (products if you prefer). I
> wouldn't mind:
>
> xwiki/
>    |_ xwiki-core/
>    |_ xwiki-components/ (or whatever you want to call it)
>    |_ xwiki-applications/
>
> But my preference currently goes to what I proposed:
>
> xwiki/
>    |_ xwiki-platform/
>      |_ xwiki-core/
>      |_ xwiki-components/
>    |_ xwiki-applications
>
> > If this happens, we can of course let the xarlet become an application
> > and move it in the repository, but we may then consider putting
> > plugins
> > and xarlets in the xwiki-application folder, and distinguish
> > between the
> > following concepts not at the repository structure level but only
> > at the
> > deployment API and configuration levels:
> >
> > 1) application that contains only documents ("xarlet"): can be
> > installed
> > on any xwiki instance
> > 2) application that contains plugins and possibly other Java classes,
> > and possibly some xwiki documents (could be dubbed "xwiki
> > application",
> > "xwiki plugin" or "xwiki extension"?): can be installed on any xwiki
> > instance, but it requires a restart of the application server
> > 3) application that contains Java classes, xwiki documents and other
> > contents: need specific deployment. -> "xwiki product"?.
> >
> > What do you think?
>
> I've put 1) in xwiki-platform/ and 3) in xwiki-applications/. For 2),
> my proposal also puts them in 1) as they are reusable pieces.
>
> > Regarding the extensions you mention: I don't understand why we
> > wouldn't
> > consider xwiki-eclipse as part of the platform: how is it different
> > from
> > the /xwiki-platform/web/gwt?
>
> web/gwt is offering an API for developing applications. The IDE
> extension is a client/application using the XWiki API. It's not like
> we're offering an Eclipse API for people to build Eclipse
> applications that interact with XWiki.
>
> > Here 's a modified tree to summarize my suggestions:
> >
> > xwiki-platform
> > ==============
> > /svnroot/xwiki/xwiki-platform/
> > |_ core for now
> > |_ xwiki-model, xwiki-storage etc. in the future
> > |_ webapp
> > |_ gwt
> > |_ standard
> > |_ xwiki-platform-ui (the components below may be moved to the
> > component level in the future, i.e. would be at the same level as
> > xwiki-model etc.)
> > |_ eclipse-ui
> > |_ flex-ui
> > |_ xul-ui
> > |_ web-ui-standard
> > |_ templates
> > |_ skins
> > |_ gwt
>
> Re the UIs I'm fine but I think we should wait till we have more UIs
> before creating a deep structure. For now we only have web UIs which
> is why I put the web/ directory.
>
> > |_ plugins: only the platform core plugins: image, packaging,
> > fileupload, zipexplorer, but not: flickr, graphviz, ...
>
> Where would you put the flickr/ and graphviz/ plugins? I'd still put
> them in xwiki-platform as they are reusable for xwiki-applications.
>
> > xwiki-applications
> > ==================
> > /svnroot/xwiki/xwiki-applications/
> > |_ xwiki-blog
> > |_ wiki
>
> xwiki-blog is not an application. It's not runnable. It's a component
> that can be integrated into an application.
>
> For me the definition of an Application is:
> * A set of plugins
> * A set of components (JARs)
> * A set web pages (velocity templates, etc)
> * A set of xwiki documents in a database
> * All this inside a configured container
> * An application distribution is a zip/exe/tar.gz
>
> I'd agree with xwiki-blog as an application if we were delivering a
> standalone blogging application but that's not the purpose of the
> blog xarlet (it's meant to be used as a component by xwiki
> applications) as it exists as we're not making a product out of it
> (at least no yet).
>
> > |_ xwiki-calendar
> > |_ plugins/
> > |_ com.xpn.xwiki.plugins.CalendarPlugin
> > |_ wiki/
>
> Same as for the blog.
>
> > |_ xwiki-enterprise-manager
> > |_ wiki
> > |_ web
> > |_ distribution
> > |_ xwiki-watch
> > |_ xwiki-concerto
> >
>
> [snip]
>
> Thanks for this interesting POV! :)
>
> Let's see what Sergiu, Ludovic and the others say.
>
> Thanks
> -Vincent
>

Sergiu
-- 
http://purl.org/net/sergiu