Extension should be able to download and use new approved slur list from the uli-community server

[dennyabrain]

Prior Discussion : #237 (comment)

[dennyabrain]

When we first implemented persistence for local slur list, the only querying pattern was to get the entire list and save an entire list of strings. LocalStorage worked so far because we were dealing with only strings but now new feature requests have emerged that justifies looking for a better storage mechanism. Some that I can think of are :

1. Maintain uniqueness of slurs when combining slurs from multiple sources - hard coded list, user's local list, public list from uli community
2. @maanasb01 mentioned that we could allow users to enable/disable a certain slur if they don't find it problematic
3. Local Storage have size limits of 5 MB. Now the slur list could grow with community contributions. We could also consider cache slur metadata locally to decrease pings to our server. Both suggest looking at a different storage mechanism.
4. With large amount of data, one wants to filter and query it. String might not be the best datastructure for it.

I am proposing exploring IndexedDB, a browser API for storing data persistently. There are also libraries like Dexie.js that make it easy work with indexedDB. Lets start by evaluating the feasibility of using this as a solution.

[dennyabrain]

Goals for the Analysis

1. Is IndexedDB supported on all modern browers
2. Does IndexedDB provide constraints like unique
3. How do you query/filter data
4. Do extensions have access to IndexedDB
5. List down all functions your module will expose. I can think of add_slur, get_slur(label), update_status(label).

notes

1. compatible with all widely used browsers - https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/indexedDB#browser_compatibility

[aatmanvaidya]

• notes on updating indexedDB schmea - https://dexie.org/docs/Tutorial/Understanding-the-basics
• data inside indexedDB can be viewed like this - https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/storage/indexeddb