Refactor Rails Views into Reusable Components Using Rails Partials

[loftwah]

Our Rails application has grown, and we've identified several UI elements and functionalities that are repeated across different views. To improve maintainability, consistency, and development efficiency, we need to refactor these elements into reusable components using Rails partials and helper methods.

Tasks:

1. Identify Potential Components:

   • Review all views to identify repeating UI elements and functionalities
   • Prioritize components based on frequency of use and complexity

2. Create a Component Structure:

   • Set up a components directory under app/views to house our reusable partials
   • Organize components into subdirectories based on their purpose (e.g., core, ui, layout)

3. Implement Core Components:

   • User profile partial
   • Link list partial
   • Achievement list partial
   • Event list partial
   • Analytics dashboard partial

4. Implement UI Components:

   • Button partial with various styles
   • Form input partials (text, date, checkbox, etc.)
   • Modal partial
   • Card partial
   • Avatar partial
   • Badge partial

5. Create Layout Components:

   • Header partial
   • Footer partial
   • Sidebar partial
   • Page layout partial

6. Implement Feature-specific Components:

   • Link editor partial
   • Achievement editor partial
   • Event editor partial
   • Analytics chart partial

7. Develop Utility Components:

   • Loading spinner partial
   • Error message partial
   • Tooltip partial
   • Pagination partial

8. Create Helper Methods:

   • Implement helper methods to encapsulate logic for components
   • Ensure helpers are organized and easy to understand

9. Refactor Existing Views:

   • Update all views to use the new component partials
   • Ensure consistent naming and data flow between components

10. Implement Testing:

    • Write unit tests for helper methods
    • Create integration tests for components in context

11. Performance Optimization:

    • Implement caching for partials where appropriate
    • Optimize partial rendering

12. Documentation:

    • Create comprehensive documentation for each component
    • Include usage examples and parameter descriptions

13. Accessibility:

    • Ensure all components meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
    • Implement proper ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation

Example component structure:

app/
  views/
    components/
      core/
        _user_profile.html.erb
        _link_list.html.erb
        _achievement_list.html.erb
        _event_list.html.erb
        _analytics_dashboard.html.erb
      ui/
        _button.html.erb
        _input_field.html.erb
        _modal.html.erb
        _card.html.erb
        _avatar.html.erb
        _badge.html.erb
      layout/
        _header.html.erb
        _footer.html.erb
        _sidebar.html.erb
        _page_layout.html.erb
      feature/
        _link_editor.html.erb
        _achievement_editor.html.erb
        _event_editor.html.erb
        _analytics_chart.html.erb
      utility/
        _loading_spinner.html.erb
        _error_message.html.erb
        _tooltip.html.erb
        _pagination.html.erb
  helpers/
    component_helper.rb

This refactoring will significantly improve our development process, make our codebase more maintainable, and ensure a consistent user experience across the application.