[New Feature]: Enhancing WSO2 MI Mediators

[SanojPunchihewa]

Description

The use of the Mediators in MI is burdensome for new users. This feature aims to simplify the UI/UX experience and make them intuitive for new users.

Describe your problem(s)

Most of the mediator's UIs contain product specific naming conventions which are incomprehensible for a new user. Furthermore, the user may need to provide different properties or configurations as well.

Describe your solution(s)

To overcome this issue, we need to simplify the UI schemas and make them intuitive while hiding unnecessary properties and configurations.

1. Review and analyse existing mediators and configurations
2. Improve the UI/UX of mediators while hiding unnecessary properties and configurations from the user
3. Design and develop the new Variable Mediator to allow users to store and manage values dynamically during mediation

Related issue(s) (optional)

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Suggested label(s) (optional)

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Suggested assignee(s) (optional)

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[SanojPunchihewa]

• Since this feature requires improvements for the MI runtime, VSCode UI plugin and the VSCode language server, as per the initial discussions we will be introducing new set of mediators which will be available on MI VSCode plugin according to the project runtime version the user defined when creating the integration project. ie for old projects, the already existing mediators can be used without any issue.

• The Log mediator will be improved to allow the user to configure a string template as the message.

[SanojPunchihewa]

• A new mediator was proposed encapsulating the clone and aggregate mediators, where the user can simply provide the configs to aggregate the results leading to a smooth user experience. Currently, the aggregate mediator will be invoked only if we have used a call mediator in our clone sequences, hence making it impossible to use it without a call mediator. I have omitted this limitation in the proposed mediator, where the user can simply use any mediator in the clone sequences. I have completed a PoC of this mediator and verified a simple use case as well.

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Had a discussion on the PoC and currently evaluating the feasibility of few other approaches
• Had a design review discussion to finalize the UIs for the selected mediators

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Developing and testing a new PoC for the clone and aggregate mediators as per the last discussion

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Tested the PoC for the clone and aggregate mediators and found that there is some discrepancy in tracing and currently looking into that
• Introduce a new Variable mediator, where the users can define variables and refer to them later in the sequence flow. Related PR Add new variable mediator wso2-synapse#2225

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Fixed the issues related to tracing and nested use cases in the proposed PoC
• Start work on designing the revamped UI schemas

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Improve log mediator to support string templating Improve log mediator to support string templating wso2-synapse#2230

[SanojPunchihewa]

• Had a code review for the new Scatter gather mediator
• Add new synapse expression support for the variable mediator via Add synapse expression support for variable mediator wso2-synapse#2233
• Add new synapse expression support for the filter mediator via Add synapse expression support for Filter mediator wso2-synapse#2234