[1/3] refactor: remove XModule JS from Django Pipeline

[kdmccormick]

Part of a series of PRs:

• Stop dynamically generating XModule JS #32481

The next one is:

• [2/3] build: include built-in XBlock JS directly rather than copying it #32480

Description & Supporting Information

module-js and module-descriptor-js are old JavaScript group indicators, left over from when we managed XModule assets via Django Pipeline. We would like to get rid of them in order to make it easier to build XModule JS without using Python.

There is one single usage of module-js in the entire platform (the rest have been replaced with Webpack references, which is the less-outdated way of managing XModule assets :). The lone module-js reference was added in 2013 [1] so that circuit diagrams would display in the course wiki. However, the ability to render circuits in the wiki was removed in 2015 [2], so it is safe to remove the reference.

There is also one single usage of module-descriptor-js. It's in the legacy bulk email editor, which hackily cribs from the old HtmlBlock editor. Fortunately, we are able to simply replace the Django Pipeline reference with the equivalent XModule JS Webpack bundle. (Note: The old email editor is currently still supported, but is currently being replaced by frontend-app-communications, so this hack will be gone eventually).

Finally, this commit also sneaks in one styling fix: it adds the HtmlBlockEditor CSS back to the aforementioned legacy bulk email page. The missing CSS was causing a read-only 1-line codemirror editor to appear below the HTML editor [3]. This bug was introduced during the original XModule SCSS decoupling [4], which removed builtin block CSS from the LMS-wide bundle, thus removing the HTML editor CSS from the bulk email page. We imagine that nobody noticed because the bug only exists in master (not Palm) and frontend-app-communications seems to be globally enabled on edx.org. As a simple fix, we add the new CSS link to the legacy bulk email page, and it renders fine again [5].

References:

1. 3fc59b3

2. Remove circuit djangoapp from LMS #10324

3. Before fix:
   

4. Decouple XModule styles from LMS/Studio styles #32018

5. After fix:
   

Part of: #32481

Testing

Here's how I tested:

Prereqs

• Tutor Nighly provisioned, demo course imported, and two users created (one admin, one not):

  tutor local launch
  tutor local do importdemocourse
  tutor local do createuser admin [email protected] --password admin --staff --superuser
  tutor local do createuser kyle [email protected] --password kyle

• Write a plugin to disable the new bulk email experience. Save this to "$(tutor plugins printroot)/legacybulkemail.py":

  from tutor import hooks
  hooks.Filters.ENV_PATCHES.add_item((
   "openedx-lms-common-settings",
      "FEATURES['ENABLE_NEW_BULK_EMAIL_EXPERIENCE'] = False"
  ), priority=90)  # low priority so that it overrides tutor-mfe's settings patch

• Build & run this branch, plus your plugin:

  tutor local stop
  tutor plugins enable legacybulkemail
  tutor config save --set EDX_PLATFORM_REPOSITORY=https://github.com/kdmccormick/edx-platform
  tutor config save --set EDX_PLATFORM_VERSION=kdmccormick/xmodule-js-pre-cleanup
  tutor images build openedx
  tutor local start -d
  

• Log out of LMS if you're logged in.

Set up a student to receive bulk email

• Go to account settings: http://apps.local.overhang.io/account.
• You will be prompted to log in -- use your non-admin credentials.
• If it isn't already, set the account's email to a real email address whose inbox you can access.
• Enroll in the demo course:http://local.overhang.io/courses/course-v1:edX+DemoX+Demo_Course.
• Log out.

Enable bulk email

• Log back in, this time with your admin creds.
• Go to "Bulk email flags" in the LMS admin panel: http://local.overhang.io/admin/bulk_email/bulkemailflag/
• Click "Add Bulk Email Flag"
• Check "Enabled" and un-check "Require course email auth". Save.
• Bulk email is now enabled globally.

Smoke test legacy bulk email

• Go to the demo course's email page on the instructor dashboard: http://local.overhang.io/courses/course-v1:edX+DemoX+Demo_Course/instructor#view-send_email
  • This should show you to a legacy LMS HTML editor, served from a URL like http://local.overhang.io/course/..... If it tries to send you to the "New Experience", then stop, something is wrong.
• In the legacy email editor, write a bulk email. Add some bold, italic, etc. Send it to All Learners.
• Check your real email inbox, and confirm that you received the message with the expected formatting.

Enable the course wiki:

• Go to the demo course's Pages & Resources settings in Studio: http://apps.local.overhang.io/course-authoring/course/course-v1:edX+DemoX+Demo_Course/pages-and-resources
• Click the gear in the wiki tile, toggle the wiki on, and Save.

Smoke-test the wiki, which no longer has unnecessary built-in XBlock JS:

• Go to the demo course's wiki: http://apps.local.overhang.io/course-authoring/course/course-v1:edX+DemoX+Demo_Course/pages-and-resources
• Add an article
• Edit a page
• Click around a bit more
• That's it!

[kdmccormick]

@andrey-canon Now that the Sass is simplified, I'm working to simplify the XModule JS. This PR is ready if you have the time to review.

[andrey-canon]

Hi @kdmccormick, I was testing the bulk email part and I couldn't replicate your results

This is what I got with master

vs your branch

I don't know if something is missing in the instructions or if that is an error

[feanil]

I was able to test this locally and everything looks like it works as expected:

[andrey-canon]

Hi @kdmccormick, I was testing the bulk email part and I couldn't replicate your results

This is what I got with master

vs your branch

I don't know if something is missing in the instructions or if that is an error

@kdmccormick my mistake since my volume didn't have the last xmodule changes, I ran the openedx-assets xmodule and openedx-assets common but I forgot to run openedx-assets webpack --env=prod, now it's working

[kdmccormick]

Nice, thanks guys.

Blocked on merging this currently due to some possible regressions from my last PR.

[edx-pipeline-bot]

2U Release Notice: This PR has been deployed to the edX staging environment in preparation for a release to production.

[edx-pipeline-bot]

2U Release Notice: This PR has been deployed to the edX production environment.

[edx-pipeline-bot]

2U Release Notice: This PR has been deployed to the edX production environment.