WIP

docs/skinning thoughts.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+== Skinning refactor ==
+
+matrix-react-sdk
+  - base images
+  - base CSS
+  - all the components needed to build a workable app (including the top layer)
+
+riot-web: the riot skin
+  - riot-specific classes (e.g. login header/footer)
+  - riot-specific themes
+    - light
+    - dark
+
+i.e. the only things which should go into riot-web are bits which apply vector-specific skinning
+specifically "Stuff that any other brand would not want to use. (e.g. riot logos, links, T&Cs)"
+ - Questions:
+   - Electron app?  (should probably be a separate repo in its own right?  but might as well go here for now)
+   - index.html & index.js?  (should be in matrix-react-sdk, given the SDK is useless without them?)
+
+ideally matrix-react-sdk itself should ship with a default skin which actually works built in.
+
+status skin (can go in the same app for now)
+  - has status theme
+    - which inherits from riot light theme
+    - how do we share graphics between skins?
+      - shove them into react-sdk, or...
+      - guess we do ../../vector/img 
+      - this means keeping the skin name in the images (unless /img is a shortcut to the right skin's images)
+
+out of scope:
+  - making the components more independent, so they can be used in isolation.
+  - that said, the bits which should probably be used by being embeded into a different app:
+    - login/reg
+    - RoomView + RoomSettings
+    - MessageComposer
+    - RoomList
+    - MemberList
+    - MemberInfo
+    - Voip UI
+    - UserSettings
+  - sharing different js-sdks between the different isolated modules
+
+other changes:
+  - how do we handle i18n?
+    - each skin should really be its own i18n project.  As long as all the commonality stuff is in matrix-react-sdk this shouldn't be too bad.
+  - ability to associate components with a given skin
+    - skins/vector/src <-- components
+    - skins/vector/css
+    - skins/vector/img
+    - skins/vector/fonts
+  - gather together themes (per skin) into a single place too
+    - skins/vector/themes/foo/css
+    - skins/vector/themes/foo/img
+    - skins/vector/themes/foo/fonts
+  - ideally riot-web would contain almost nothing but skins/vector directory. 
+  - ability to entirely replace CSS rather than override it for a given theme
+    - e.g. if we replace `Login.js` with `StatusLogin.js`, then we should similarly be able to replace `_Login.scss` with `_StatusLogin.scss`.
+
+random thoughts;
+   - should we be able to change the entire skin at runtime (more like wordpress) - to the extent of replacing entire components?
+     - might pose security issues if a theme can be swapped out to replace MatrixChat or other fundamental functionality at runtime
+   - if so, perhaps skins & themes should converge...
+
+-----------------
+
+Immediate plan for Status:
+ * Implement it as a theme for the riot skin
+ * Ideally move skins to a sensible level (possibly even including src?)