v2: What's next?

[tleunen]

I'm reopening a new ticket to discuss about v2.

Even if I started rewriting some of the component to not depend on the Javascript provided by the MDL team, I don't believe it's the right way to go. For sure, it will give us more flexibility, but if we do that it will always take some time to update our code to match theirs, especially when they create new components.

For that reason, I think it will still be best to write simple component which will use their JS and CSS code.

The only thing I want to improve also here is the customization. Currently, because the need of our layout patch, it's very hard to customize the components without rebuilding an entire css file. So before they release their v2, lets check everything work with their v2 otherwise we might want them to change a few things to make it work properly with React.

Let me know what you think here. They already made a few components with their v2 structure, so lets see how we can use that.

[xdvarpunen]

Link to milestone 2.0 https://github.com/tleunen/react-mdl/milestones/2.0

[tleunen]

The MDL should provide each component as a standalone module, so we should be able to leverage that in our implementation. Unfortunately, they currently have no plan to release anything, even a pre-alpha version so we can't really know how it will be done.

[traviskaufman]

Hey @tleunen! Just wanted to chime in regarding MDL's path forward for v2.

Customization and 3rd-party framework integration are specific items that we're looking to improve with v2. We want v2 components to be as un-opinionated and easily integrate-able as possible, to make wrapping them in a framework like React feel elegant and idiomatic. Not only will we no longer be rendering DOM ourselves, but we'll be providing foundational classes for each component that are meant specifically to be integrated into UI frameworks for the web platform. The idea is that the framework can initialize / teardown the foundational class using its own lifecycle, as well as pass it an adapter which tells it how to interact with the host DOM implementation.

We actually built out an example checkbox in React using our new v2 architecture. While this architecture is still in flux, we'd love for you to try out our v2 components once we hit alpha and let us know what the experience of building react-mdl around them might be like. In the meantime, if you have any other questions / concerns about v2 feel free to drop us a line. 😄

[tleunen]

Thanks @traviskaufman for the update. I'm following the v2 very closely and I can't wait to get my hands on this alpha to see how we can use the new components inside react-mdl :) From what I already saw for the already created v2 components, it will be a lot easier. Especially for the css. I'll check if we can start trying to use them even before the alpha (by getting the sources and compiling them on the fly for example) to see what are the problems we could encounter once you hit alpha.

[idancali]

Hey @traviskaufman just wanted to chime in quickly and update this topic. We're going to start putting together an official roadmap for react-mdl v2 and that means we're probably going to have to pick your brain at some point about mdl v2. The foundation/adapter concept seems like a good step forward but I would love to check in with you as we progress with our v2 and make sure we're making the best use of the foundations you provide. More on this later, I just wanted to update this topic for now.

[traviskaufman]

Hey @idancali ,

That's awesome to hear! It'll be great to get some early feedback on how our model is working out for framework development. We're in the process of gearing up for an initial alpha release of our packages to npm and will keep you updated as to when they're published.

Since you're going to be building an MDLv2 library integration, I recommend you read our docs explaining our architecture, which provides an in-depth look at components, adapters, and foundations along with how to integrate foundations into a framework. We actually use react as our primary example framework in those docs, so it should hopefully feel familiar to you.

I'm always on our gitter so feel free to ping me in there if you have questions or run into trouble. Also, please file issues when running into trouble and we'll be sure to address them.

[idancali]

Hi @traviskaufman,

Looking forward to the alpha release. I've read through pretty much all of your v2 documentation. I see where you're going with v2. I'm sure questions will come up as I go through the React implementation but for now I am working on setting the foundation right for the project. More on that later.

I've joined your gitter room so see you there.

[HriBB]

@idancali let us know when you have something to show

[traviskaufman]

@idancali glad it's making sense. I'll keep you updated on any significant changes and/or things to be aware of as we move through our launch phases, and definitely let me know if you run into any issues, or something architecturally isn't working out for you.

[sgomes]

Hey folks! Small update: as you've probably seen by now, we've rebranded MDL v2 into Material Components for the web. Other than the name change, both in project and in code (sorry about that!), everything should be the same. It should also make life significantly easier for you now that we're on npm :)

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, and thanks for all the great work on react-mdl so far!

[idancali]

Hey @sgomes really great work! Looking forward to seeing this all come together. I will most likely need to get back to you with some questions at some point. Great work, talk to you soon.