[OOTB-addons] Review of Uploader-Plus - Input required

[Paolo Predonzani]

Hi Axel,
Thanks for reviewing uploader-plus and for highlighting points that can be
improved.
As Angel says, clean separation between core and extension is difficult.
There are very few extension points in the standard uploader's code, so my
only option in many cases has been to "override, copy and modify" the
existing methods. This means the code is subject to regressions and, as new
versions of Alfresco are released, things are going to be more difficult.

Some ideas on which I'd like your opinion:
Currently uploader-plus has one code base that covers all 4.2.x and 5.0.x
versions. When 5.0.x came out I struggled a bit but managed to stay
compatible with both. The solution is not pretty, some methods are
overridden for one version, others for the other version.
If this approach becomes too hard, I can split the code base in two: one
branch just for 4.2.x and one just for 5.0.x.
Or I could create two sets of files and use version detection to chose
which one to use, i.e.
if (alfresco.version >= 5) { use these set of overrides} else { use this
other set of overrides }
What do you think?

The other question is compatibility within a primary version. 5.0.a, 5.0.b,
5.0.c had differences, but should I attempt to stay compatible with all? Or
new features and improvements of the plugin should address only the latest
version? After all, if some user is happy to use an old minor version of
Alfresco, he should be happy to use an old minor version of the plugin too.
Hmmm, maybe. What's your experience?

The last point is community vs enterprise. Since the "override, copy and
modify" approach has the word "copy" in it, I suspect there is a problem
with licensing if Alfresco enterprise has a bug fix not released in
Alfresco community.

Regards

Paolo
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