Research into the Student Digital Experience has demonstrated how the standard Bootstrap UI model provided by EdGEL can facilitate consistency in websites and services across the University. The same research also highlights how web standards must continually evolve in response to changing user expectations; EdGEL itself must therefore evolve. Maintaining consistency across the services and applications we develop will become costly unless it is possible to efficiently update those services and applications to adopt new releases of EdGEL.
Currently EdGEL is made available in one of two ways:
- by downloading a static zip file containing the most recent release from the EdGEL website;
- by referencing a Java package containing EdGEL in the IS Apps maven repository.
The first mechanism does not support efficient, automatic updates to applications using EdGEL. The second mechanism allows EdGEL to be included in a web application simply by adding a ‘dependency’ on the packaged EdGEL file. When a new release of EdGEL becomes available, a simple change to the version number referenced in the dependency is enough to update the web application. For Python, our other core development technology, there is no such automated, packaged EdGEL provision.
This project will refine and document the automatic EdGEL build for Java applications, and provide equivalent EdGEL features for Python applications. Deliverables include:
- refinements to the creation of the existing EdGEL Java package;
- a mechanism for Python applications to use a shared EdGEL package;
- documentation on how to use both EdGEL packages;
- a documented process to update EdGEL within Java & Python applications when a new version of EdGEL is released;
- at least one Python application making use of the EdGEL package;
- at least one update to the Python EdGEL package following initial release.
Making EdGEL available in an automated manner will ensure that services using EdGEL can minimise the cost of maintaining compliance with web standards as those standards change to meet the University’s evolving digital strategy.
Current project status
Report Date | RAG | Budget | Effort Completed | Effort to complete |
---|---|---|---|---|
October 2018 | BLUE | 0.0 days | 0.0 days | 0.0 |