[DEPR]: Support for footer replacement via npm installing forked footers

[brian-smith-tcril]

RFC Start Date

2024-08-20

Target Plan Accepted Date

2024-09-03

Target Transition Unblocked Date

2024-09-03

Earliest Breaking Changes Unblocked Date

2024-09-03

Earliest Open edX Named Release Without This Functionality

Ulmo - 2025-06

Rationale

Before the creation of frontend-plugin-framework the only officially supported (and technically viable) method for using a custom footer in MFEs was to fork the frontend-component-footer repository and install the forked footer using npm.

In the Redwood release support was added for footer replacement using frontend-plugin-framework/the FooterSlot component.

When building out that support we were required to make architectural decisions to continue to support the forking method of footer replacement. The initial idea was to have frontend-component-footer provide the FooterSlot component. The implementation of this on the MFE side broke existing fork-based footer replacement, as MFEs expected frontend-component-footer to provide a FooterSlot component that forked versions did not provide. This was reverted (MFE side, frontend-component-footer side) and the FooterSlot component is now provided by frontend-slot-footer.

Removal

Footer replacement by npm installing a forked footer will no longer be supported.

This means that the Footer component (and the use of the Footer component in consuming MFEs) will no longer be an officially supported (implicit) API.

It will still be possible to replace the footer via npm install, but changes to frontend-component-footer and/or consuming MFEs that break existing forked footers but do not break the ability to replace the footer using frontend-plugin-framework and the FooterSlot component will not be reverted.

Replacement

Official support for footer replacement using frontend-plugin-framework and the FooterSlot component.

Deprecation

No response

Migration

No response

Additional Info

No response

Task List

No response

[feanil]

@brian-smith-tcril is this done now?

[brian-smith-tcril]

@feanil this is nearly complete.
✅ The FooterSlot component now exists in frontend-component-footer
✅ MFEs now import the FooterSlot component from frontend-component-footer

The last thing to do is archive the frontend-slot-footer repo. Which means:

• Update the README to say the repo/package is deprecated and explain the slot is now available from frontend-component-footer directly
• Publish to NPM so the README update shows up there
• Move the repo to openedx-unsupported and archive.