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Implement mechanism for injecting settings and feature flags to WebIDE workflow

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Problem Statement

The WebIDE and Desktop environments have different way of setting feature flags and settings. We need to create abstraction for settings/FF that will be used by shared features in WebIDE and Desktop.

Vocabulary

  • WebIDE - browser VS Code started on the /-/ide/ route
  • Desktop - VS Code installed on your computer

Suggestions

Create graphql end points for IDE related settings, and feature flags

{
  currentUser {
    id
    username
    
    ide {
      codeSuggestionsEnabled
      userCodeSuggestionsEnabled
      groupCodeSuggestionsEnabled
      thirdPartyAIFeaturesEnabled
      featureFlags {
         ideCodeSuggestions
         ideFloatingToolbar
      }
    }
  }
}

The difference

Desktop Workflow uses two types of configuration:

  • settings.json - there are many properties in the settings.json that configure the behaviour of the Desktop Workflow some examples are:
    • gitlab.showStatusBarLinks - should we show the status bar icons?
    • gitlab.showPipelineUpdateNotifications - when pipeline finishes, should we show notification?
  • gitlab.featureFlags property in settings.json - when we release unfinished features, we hide them behind a feature flag. The featureFlags property contains an array of strings. We then check if the feature flag is enabled with:
    • if (getExtensionConfiguration().featureFlags?.includes(SECURITY_SCANS_FEATURE_FLAG))

The WebIDE now has two types of configuration:

  • settings.json - you can still change settings.json (the "file" is stored in browser local storage)
  • ClientOnlyConfig - this is configuration that WebIDE receives from Rails

Example: Code Suggestions

On Desktop, you can enable code suggestions with gitlab.aiAssistedCodeSuggestions.enabled property in settings.json.

In the WebIDE, we now set the default value for gitlab.aiAssistedCodeSuggestions.enabled in settings.json (see Option 2 here).

This however means that the user can override the value and enable code suggestions in WebIDE.

Solution

We need to design a "mindset" for the WebIDE. Desktop is simple, you have the VS Code running on your machine, and you configure it with one file.

But WebIDE will have to have a combination of

  • users changing settings.json (e.g. you want to change the default VS Code behaviour, you wouldn't want to configure this in your GitLab profile)

    {
  "workbench.statusBar.visible": true,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "extensions.ignoreRecommendations": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "explorer.confirmDragAndDrop": false,
  "prettier.singleQuote": true
}

  • users or instance admins changing features that are enabled for the extension (e.g. the code suggestions)

We should consider an option that API requests should drive these decisions about what features to enable/disable so we can keep the same behaviour on Desktop and in WebIDE.

Exit criteria

Requirements

  • Design a robust and scalable solution for injecting configuration settings and feature flags into the WebIDE.
  • Implement the unified approach for both browser and desktop versions of the WebIDE.
  • Ensure that the solution supports dynamic updates to configuration settings and feature flags without requiring a restart of the WebIDE.
  • Validate the functionality and effectiveness of the unified approach through comprehensive testing, including various scenarios and edge cases.
  • Document the usage and implementation details of the new approach in the WebIDE documentation.
  • Conduct a review and feedback session with the development team to gather insights and address any concerns or suggestions regarding the new approach.
  • Obtain approval from the relevant stakeholders, including the product owner or project manager, for the implemented solution.
  • Communicate the availability and benefits of the new approach to the wider development community.

Open items

This endpoint will give the raw choice for all IDEs, Feature flag will go into the ideSettings { featureFlags area. But I've added this in the issue as a discussion item.

Edited by 🤖 GitLab Bot 🤖