Building a Plugin-Ready Framework: A Step-by-Step Transformation

By Mike Levin

Accelerating AI Development for a New Era of Innovation

Make today an awesome one. Port your two apps. Free up tomorrow for whatever and Monday for intense client work and showing the system. AI must be an accelerator, not an impedance. The advantages it provides must work in your favor, and I must dig-in with a clear path and forge ahead on work at a pace and quality level I never have before in my life. This is top-of-my-game mid-50s kind of stuff. Bake in the wisdom of the ages, and having banged out countless little generalized systems like this over the years. This time, the language is the framework.

A Few Words on WHY This Article

This article outlines my process of transforming my system into a plugin-ready framework. The primary objective is to create a modular design that simplifies updates and enhances overall functionality. In documenting these steps, I aim to hold myself accountable for the decisions I make and the progress I achieve. This approach allows me to reflect on the challenges encountered and the solutions implemented throughout the transformation. Additionally, I intend to leverage AI as a tool to help identify the best path forward, ensuring that my system remains scalable and maintainable. By sharing this journey, I hope to clarify my thought process and provide a useful reference for future improvements.

A Framework for Interoperability in Tech Stacks

Me to Claude: Create a Mermaid diagram that makes the point that the language is the framework, based on this article. It’s also a mermaid diagram about the layers of a tech stack. Put generic metal at the bottom, be it laptop, desktop, server, Mac, Linux or Windows. Nix Flakes is the mechanism to make sure that a git repo hosted on git can be pulled down and nix develop on any system to fulfill the portability dream of Unix. And so Nix Linux is an interoperable layer above the hardware. On that, we have Python. It’s the same exact Python executable across all hardware, which means the same pip installs and the same deterministic pinned dependencies.

Simplifying Complexity in Building Web Applications with Python

On top of Python is Uvicorn, Starlette and FastHTML to create apps. So there are quite a few native OS installs and pip installs necessary to glue it together into a platform where your apps can almost be entirely single filename.py files at the tip of the layers diagram. Such a file can be the complete app. It will of course have many files as dependencies, but as far as the user-facing API, massive complexity is simplified down that your dedicated Pythonista can reclaim the power of the Web. Please provide me the Mermaid Diagram with a tech stack lean to it, albeit maybe a little bit anti-pattern.

Claude… (GPT 4o couldn’t reasonably do it)

I doubt anyone is following along, but if you are, or perhaps for posterity, here’s the GitHub git-hash starting point

Introduction

Transitioning to a plugin-ready framework allows for:

• Ease of Updates: Isolate and update modules without affecting the entire system.
• Modular Design: Add or remove features seamlessly.
• Collaborative Development: Enable multiple developers to work on different plugins simultaneously.

Transformation Process Overview

Below is a visual flowchart illustrating the steps I took to make my system plugin-ready:

Detailed Steps

1. Identify Common Patterns

I began by analyzing the existing codebase to pinpoint repetitive patterns and shared functionalities across different components.

• Common CRUD Operations: Noticed similar create, read, update, and delete methods.
• Route Registrations: Found repetitive route definitions for each app.
• Rendering Logic: Identified similar rendering functions for different components.

2. Abstract Base Functionality

To eliminate redundancy, I decided to abstract the shared functionalities into a base class.

3. Create BaseApp Class

I developed a BaseApp class encapsulating common methods:

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, schema):
        self.name = name
        self.schema = schema
        self.table = MiniDataAPI(self.name.upper(), self.schema)
        self.register_routes()

    def register_routes(self):
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)

    # Define common CRUD methods...

4. Refactor Existing Apps

I refactored existing apps like TodoApp and ProfileApp to inherit from BaseApp, reducing code duplication:

class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('todo', {
            "id": int,
            "title": str,
            "done": bool,
            "priority": int,
            "profile_id": int,
            "pk": "id"
        })

    def render_item(self, todo):
        # Custom rendering logic

5. Implement Dynamic Registration

To streamline the integration of new apps, I implemented dynamic route registration:

apps = [TodoApp(), ProfileApp()]

for app_instance in apps:
    app_instance.register_routes()

6. Develop New Plugins

With the framework in place, I started developing new plugins by subclassing BaseApp, making the process straightforward:

class NotesApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('notes', {
            "id": int,
            "content": str,
            "timestamp": str,
            "pk": "id"
        })

    def render_item(self, note):
        # Custom rendering for notes

7. Test and Iterate

Testing each component individually ensured that:

• Plugins operated independently without conflicts.
• The base class handled all common functionalities effectively.
• New plugins could be added without modifying existing code.

8. Deploy Enhanced System

After thorough testing, I deployed the updated system, now capable of easily incorporating new plugins and updates.

Benefits Realized

• Modularity: Each app/plugin is isolated, making the system more organized.
• Scalability: New features can be added with minimal effort.
• Maintainability: Bugs can be fixed within individual plugins without side effects.
• Developer Efficiency: Accelerated development due to the reusable BaseApp class.

Conclusion

Reshaping my system to be plugin-ready significantly improved its flexibility and efficiency. By abstracting common patterns and implementing dynamic registration, I created a robust framework that supports easy integration of new features.

Next Steps

• Porting Jupyter Notebooks: Integrate notebook code by creating apps that execute notebook cells within the framework.
• Enhanced User Interaction: Utilize PicoCSS and HTMX for a responsive single-page application experience.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly refactor and optimize the base classes and plugins.

By documenting this transformation, I aim to assist others in enhancing their systems. Feel free to reach out with questions or share your own experiences in making systems plugin-ready.

Analysis and Suggestions for Simplifying App Integration

After reviewing your code, it’s clear that you’re aiming for a flexible and extensible framework where new “apps” can be easily plugged in, leveraging the simplicity of single-file Python scripts and the interactivity provided by HTMX. You’ve already established a structure with MENU_ITEMS, dynamic routes, and container components.

To make it even easier and more convenient to plug in apps, and to facilitate porting Jupyter Notebooks into this framework, here are some suggestions:

1. Abstract Common Patterns with a Base App Class

Current Situation:

• Each app (like TODO and PROFILE) requires manual creation of routes, rendering functions, and CRUD operations.
• There’s duplication in the code when adding new apps.

Suggestion:

Create a BaseApp class that encapsulates common functionality. New apps can inherit from this class, reducing boilerplate code.

Implementation:

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, schema):
        self.name = name
        self.schema = schema
        self.table = self.setup_table()
        self.register_routes()

    def setup_table(self):
        # Initialize the table using MiniDataAPI
        table = MiniDataAPI(self.name.upper(), self.schema)
        return table

    def register_routes(self):
        # Register CRUD routes dynamically
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.list_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.add_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/toggle/', methods=['POST'])(self.toggle_item)

    def list_items(self, request):
        items = self.table()
        return self.render_list(items)

    def add_item(self, request):
        data = request.form()
        item = self.table.insert(data)
        return self.render_item(item)

    def update_item(self, item_id, **data):
        item = self.table[item_id]
        for key, value in data.items():
            setattr(item, key, value)
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

    def delete_item(self, item_id):
        self.table.delete(item_id)
        return ''

    def toggle_item(self, item_id):
        item = self.table[item_id]
        item.active = not item.active
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

    def render_list(self, items):
        # Generic rendering logic
        return Ul(*[self.render_item(item) for item in items], id=f'{self.name}-list')

    def render_item(self, item):
        # Should be overridden by subclasses if needed
        return Li(str(item))

# Then, for each new app, you can subclass BaseApp:
class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('todo', {
            "id": int,
            "title": str,
            "done": bool,
            "priority": int,
            "profile_id": int,
            "pk": "id"
        })

    def render_item(self, todo):
        # Custom rendering for todo items
        return render_todo(todo)

Benefits:

• Reduced Boilerplate: Common CRUD operations and route registrations are handled by the base class.
• Consistency: All apps follow the same structure, making the codebase easier to understand and maintain.
• Ease of Extension: New apps can be added by subclassing BaseApp and overriding methods as needed.

2. Dynamic App Registration

Current Situation:

• Routes for each app are manually added using app.add_route.

Suggestion:

Automate the route registration process by maintaining a list of app instances and iterating over them to register routes.

Implementation:

# Create instances of your apps
apps = [
    TodoApp(),
    ProfileApp(),
    # Add new app instances here
]

# Register routes for each app
for app_instance in apps:
    app_instance.register_routes()

Benefits:

• Scalability: Adding new apps doesn’t require changes to the routing logic.
• Automation: Routes are registered automatically based on app instances.

3. Use Decorators for CRUD Operations

Current Situation:

• CRUD routes are defined separately for each app, leading to repetition.

Suggestion:

Create a decorator that automatically adds CRUD routes to a class.

Implementation:

def crud_routes(app_name, schema):
    def decorator(cls):
        cls.table = MiniDataAPI(app_name.upper(), schema)
        cls.name = app_name
        cls.register_routes = BaseApp.register_routes.__get__(cls)
        cls.list_items = BaseApp.list_items.__get__(cls)
        cls.add_item = BaseApp.add_item.__get__(cls)
        cls.update_item = BaseApp.update_item.__get__(cls)
        cls.delete_item = BaseApp.delete_item.__get__(cls)
        cls.toggle_item = BaseApp.toggle_item.__get__(cls)
        return cls
    return decorator

@crud_routes('todo', {
    "id": int,
    "title": str,
    "done": bool,
    "priority": int,
    "profile_id": int,
    "pk": "id"
})
class TodoApp:
    def render_item(self, todo):
        return render_todo(todo)

Benefits:

• Minimal Code for New Apps: The decorator handles route and method assignments.
• Flexibility: Custom methods can still be defined or overridden in the class.

4. Simplify Rendering with Templates

Note from human: I’m totally not going to do this. Getting away from jinja2… wait, why should I list it when I can make Perplexity make a joke…

The Double Curly Braces: Guardians of Dynamic Web Development

Certainly! Here’s the original paragraph with double curly braces around each reference, neutralized for use with GitHub Pages and Liquid:

In the wild world of web development, where coders wrangle with syntax and semantics, you might encounter those {{curvaceous couples}}, those {{twin-tailed twisters}}, those {{double-dipped delimiters}}, those {{paired punctuation pals}}, those {{curly-cue containers}}, those {{brace-faced beauties}}, those {{mustache-like markers}}, those {{handlebar-esque holders}}, those {{bracket-y bookends}}, those {{squiggly syntax sentinels}}, those {{template-hugging twinsies}}, those {{interpolation initiators}}, those {{variable-embracing vices}}, those {{expression-enclosing eyebrows}}, those {{code-cuddling curlicues}}, those {{data-binding boomerangs}}, those {{logic-lassoing lassos}}, those {{placeholder-pinching pincers}}, or those {{value-vaulting vigilantes}} that we affectionately call {{double curly braces}}, which stand guard in our templates, ready to unleash the dynamic power of our carefully crafted code.

Human again: So you see, no mustaches. I’m using FastHTML so I don’t have to look at such HTML templating nonsense. PHP is so 90s. Let’s move onto Python function-names as semantic 1-to-1 mappings of HTML elements.

Current Situation:

• Rendering functions are manually defined for each app.

Suggestion:

Use template strings or a simple templating engine to define the HTML structure, reducing the need for manual HTML assembly.

Implementation:

from string import Template

def render_template(template_str, context):
    template = Template(template_str)
    return template.substitute(context)

# Define a generic item template
item_template = """
<li id="${item_id}">
    <input type="checkbox" ${checked} hx-post="/${app_name}/toggle/${item_id}" hx-target="#${item_id}" hx-swap="outerHTML">
    ${item_content}
    <a href="#" hx-delete="/${app_name}/delete/${item_id}" hx-target="#${item_id}" hx-swap="outerHTML">🗑</a>
</li>
"""

# In your app class
def render_item(self, item):
    context = {
        'item_id': f'{self.name}-{item.id}',
        'checked': 'checked' if item.done else '',
        'app_name': self.name,
        'item_content': item.title  # Customize as needed
    }
    return render_template(item_template, context)

Benefits:

• Consistency in Rendering: All items follow a standard template.
• Easier Customization: Templates can be modified without changing the rendering logic.

Human: Nope

5. Control UI Widths with CSS

Current Situation:

• Long text in menus or data displays can cause layout issues.

Suggestion:

Implement CSS classes with max-width and overflow properties to handle text that is too wide.

Implementation:

Note from human again: While I will control those pesky element widths with CSS, I am unlikely to do it with an externalized css file. Let’s mix it inline all the frig over the place, if nothing else than to piss a lot of people off and keep our FastHTML app truly one filename.py.

/* In your CSS file or Style tag */
.menu-item, .data-item {
    max-width: 200px; /* Adjust as needed */
    overflow: hidden;
    text-overflow: ellipsis;
    white-space: nowrap;
}

Apply these classes to your HTML elements:

# In your rendering functions
def render_menu_item(title, link):
    return A(
        title,
        href=link,
        cls="menu-item",
        style="..."  # Existing styles
    )

Benefits:

• Responsive Design: Text that exceeds the maximum width is gracefully truncated.
• Improved User Experience: Prevents layout breaking due to long text.

6. Facilitate Porting of Jupyter Notebooks

Current Situation:

• No direct support for integrating Jupyter Notebooks.

Suggestion:

Integrate Jupyter Notebook content by converting notebooks to HTML or executing them within your app.

Implementation:

• Option A: Use nbconvert to Convert Notebooks to HTML

  import nbformat
  from nbconvert import HTMLExporter
  
  def render_notebook(notebook_path):
      with open(notebook_path) as f:
          nb = nbformat.read(f, as_version=4)
      html_exporter = HTMLExporter()
      (body, resources) = html_exporter.from_notebook_node(nb)
      return body  # Return as part of your HTML response
  

• Option B: Use nbclient to Execute Notebooks

  from nbclient import NotebookClient
  
  def execute_notebook(notebook_path):
      with open(notebook_path) as f:
          nb = nbformat.read(f, as_version=4)
      client = NotebookClient(nb)
      client.execute()
      # Then convert to HTML as before
  

• Option C: Use Voila to Serve Notebooks as Apps

  • Voila can render notebooks as standalone web applications.
  • You can proxy requests to Voila from your app or integrate Voila into your application stack.

Benefits:

• Leverage Existing Work: Use code and visualizations already created in notebooks.
• Interactive Content: Notebooks can include interactive widgets and outputs.

7. Improve Menu and Content Layout

Current Situation:

• The menu and content layout may become cluttered with more apps or longer names.

Suggestion:

Adopt a responsive CSS framework or grid system to handle complex layouts.

Implementation:

• Use CSS Grid or Flexbox:

  .nav-container {
      display: flex;
      flex-wrap: wrap;
      justify-content: space-between;
  }
  
  .menu-item {
      flex: 1 1 auto;
      text-align: center;
  }
  

• Integrate a CSS Framework like Tailwind CSS or Bootstrap:

  • These frameworks offer pre-defined classes and components that handle responsiveness and layout.
  • They can help maintain a consistent look and feel.

Benefits:

• Better Responsiveness: The UI adjusts to different screen sizes and content lengths.
• Professional Appearance: Leverage tested design patterns from popular frameworks.

8. Simplify Route Handling with URL Parameters

Current Situation:

• The get function handles multiple paths and conditions, which can become complex.

Suggestion:

Use URL parameters to handle different apps with a single route function.

Implementation:

@rt('/{app_name}')
def get_app(request, app_name):
    if app_name not in MENU_ITEMS:
        return custom_404_handler(request, None)
    app_instance = app_dict.get(app_name)
    if app_instance:
        return app_instance.list_items(request)
    else:
        return custom_404_handler(request, None)

• Maintain a dictionary app_dict mapping app names to instances.

Benefits:

• Cleaner Code: Reduces the number of route functions and simplifies logic.
• Dynamic Handling: Easily extend to new apps without modifying the route definitions.

Final Thoughts

By abstracting common functionalities and using dynamic registration and rendering, you can significantly simplify the process of adding new apps to your framework. Leveraging CSS for layout control and integrating Jupyter Notebooks can enhance the usability and flexibility of your application.

These changes should make your framework more modular, maintainable, and accessible to developers, including those who are new to Python. It will also make it easier to port and integrate Jupyter Notebooks, providing a seamless experience similar to what you’d expect in a Jupyter environment but within your web app.

Example of Adding a New App with the Proposed Changes

class NotesApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('notes', {
            "id": int,
            "content": str,
            "timestamp": str,
            "pk": "id"
        })

    def render_item(self, note):
        return Li(
            Div(
                P(note.content),
                Small(note.timestamp),
                A('🗑', hx_delete=f'/notes/delete/{note.id}', hx_target=f'#notes-{note.id}', hx_swap='outerHTML')
            ),
            id=f'notes-{note.id}'
        )

# Instantiate and register the app
notes_app = NotesApp()
apps.append(notes_app)
notes_app.register_routes()

Adding to MENU_ITEMS:

MENU_ITEMS.append('notes')

By following these suggestions, you should find it easier to add new apps and maintain your codebase, while also providing a better experience for both developers and users.

CSS under control

Certainly! To control widths effectively in your application, we can apply CSS styling directly within the relevant sections of your code. Below, I’ll illustrate how to implement these techniques on a case-by-case basis throughout your program, focusing on menu items, todo items, and profile items.

1. Control Menu Widths

In your create_nav_menu function, apply the CSS class to manage the width of menu items.

Updated Code:

def create_nav_menu():
    logger.debug("Creating navigation menu.")
    
    # Your existing nav_items initialization...

    # Update menu item rendering
    for item in MENU_ITEMS:
        is_selected = item == db.get("last_app_choice")
        item_style = (
            "background-color: var(--pico-primary-background); " if is_selected else ""
        )
        nav_items.append(
            Li(
                A(
                    format_endpoint_name(item),
                    href=f"/{item}",
                    cls="dropdown-item menu-item",  # Add class for CSS control
                    style=f"width: 150px; {NOWRAP_STYLE} {item_style}"  # Set fixed width with nowrap
                ),
                style="display: block;"
            )
        )

    # Complete the nav_items and return...

2. Control Widths in Todo Items

In your render_todo function, add CSS to ensure todo items do not exceed a certain width.

Updated Code:

def render_todo(todo):
    tid = f'todo-{todo.id}'  # Unique ID for the todo item
    checkbox = Input(
        type="checkbox",
        name="english" if todo.done else None,
        checked=todo.done,
        hx_post=f"/{TODO}/toggle/{todo.id}",
        hx_swap="outerHTML",
        hx_target=f"#{tid}",
    )

    # Create the delete button (trash can)
    delete = A(
        '🗑',
        hx_delete=f'/{TODO}/delete/{todo.id}',
        hx_swap='outerHTML',
        hx_target=f"#{tid}",
        style="cursor: pointer; display: inline;",
        cls="delete-icon"
    )

    # Title link with fixed width
    title_link = A(
        todo.title,
        href="#",
        cls="todo-title",
        style="text-decoration: none; color: inherit; width: 120px; display: inline-block; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;",  # Controlled width
        onclick=(
            "let updateForm = this.nextElementSibling; "
            "let checkbox = this.parentNode.querySelector('input[type=checkbox]'); "
            "let deleteIcon = this.parentNode.querySelector('.delete-icon'); "
            "if (updateForm.style.visibility === 'hidden' || updateForm.style.visibility === '') { "
            "    updateForm.style.visibility = 'visible'; "
            "    updateForm.style.height = 'auto'; "
            "    checkbox.style.display = 'none'; "
            "    deleteIcon.style.display = 'none'; "
            "    this.remove(); "
            "    const inputField = document.getElementById('todo_title_" + str(todo.id) + "'); "
            "    inputField.focus(); "
            "    inputField.setSelectionRange(inputField.value.length, inputField.value.length); "
            "} else { "
            "    updateForm.style.visibility = 'hidden'; "
            "    updateForm.style.height = '0'; "
            "    checkbox.style.display = 'inline'; "
            "    deleteIcon.style.display = 'inline'; "
            "    this.style.visibility = 'visible'; "
            "}"
        )
    )

    # Create the update form
    update_form = Form(
        Div(
            Input(
                type="text",
                id=f"todo_title_{todo.id}",
                value=todo.title,
                name="todo_title",
                style="flex: 1; padding-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px;"
            ),
            style="display: flex; align-items: center;"
        ),
        Input(
            type="hidden",
            name="todo_id",
            value=todo.id
        ),
        style="visibility: hidden; height: 0; overflow: hidden;",
        hx_post=f"/{TODO}/update/{todo.id}",
        hx_target=f"#{tid}",
        hx_swap="outerHTML",
    )

    return Li(
        delete,
        checkbox,
        title_link,
        update_form,
        id=tid,
        cls='done' if todo.done else '',
        style="list-style-type: none; max-width: 200px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;",  # Control max width
        data_id=todo.id,
        data_priority=todo.priority
    )

3. Control Widths in Profile Items

In the render_profile function, ensure the profile item names also have controlled widths.

Updated Code:

def render_profile(profile):
    todo_count = count_records_with_xtra(todos, 'profile_id', profile.id)

    delete_icon_visibility = 'inline' if todo_count == 0 else 'none'

    delete_icon = A(
        '🗑',
        hx_delete=f"/{PROFILE}/delete/{profile.id}",
        hx_target=f'#profile-{profile.id}',
        hx_swap='outerHTML',
        style=f"cursor: pointer; display: {delete_icon_visibility};",
        cls="delete-icon"
    )

    active_checkbox = Input(
        type="checkbox",
        name="active" if profile.active else None,
        checked=profile.active,
        hx_post=f"/{PROFILE}/toggle/{profile.id}",
        hx_target=f'#profile-{profile.id}',
        hx_swap="outerHTML",
        style="margin-right: 5px;"
    )

    title_link = A(
        f"{profile.name[:50]}..." if len(profile.name) > 50 else f"{profile.name}",
        href="#",
        hx_trigger="click",
        cls="profile-link",
        style="text-decoration: underline; color: var(--primary); max-width: 150px; display: inline-block; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;",  # Controlled width
        onmouseover="this.style.opacity='1';",
        onmouseout="this.style.opacity='0.8';",
        onclick=(
            "let li = this.closest('li'); "
            "let updateForm = document.getElementById('update-form-" + str(profile.id) + "'); "
            "let otherElements = li.querySelectorAll('.profile-link, .todo-count, .delete-icon, input[type=\"checkbox\"], .contact-info'); "
            "if (updateForm.style.display === 'none' || updateForm.style.display === '') { "
            "    updateForm.style.display = 'block'; "
            "    otherElements.forEach(el => el.style.display = 'none'); "
            "} else { "
            "    updateForm.style.display = 'none'; "
            "    otherElements.forEach(el => el.style.display = ''); "
            "}"
        )
    )

    # Contact info rendering...
    # Complete the return statement as needed

4. CSS Class for Consistency

To maintain consistency across your app, define a CSS class for these styles and apply it throughout your components.

CSS Class Example:

/* Add this to your CSS */
.controlled-width {
    max-width: 200px; /* Adjust width as needed */
    overflow: hidden;
    text-overflow: ellipsis;
    white-space: nowrap;
}

Then apply the class in your code:

# Example of applying the CSS class
Li(
    title_link,
    cls='controlled-width',
    style="list-style-type: none;"
)

Final Thoughts

By applying these updates, you should have better control over the widths of your menu items, todo items, and profile items, ensuring they remain visually appealing and functional without disrupting the layout of your application. This approach also improves the user experience by preventing text from overflowing or breaking the design.

Let’s get this porta-party started!

Ah, I see what you’re getting at. The TODO dictionary in your FastHTML configuration is used to define the schema for the todos table, and the todos object is an instance of a class (likely MiniDataAPI or similar) that interacts with this table. The refactor should ensure that the TodoApp class uses this configuration to manage its data.

Understanding the Refactor

1. Schema Definition: The TODO dictionary defines the schema for the todos table. This schema is used by the MiniDataAPI to interact with the database.

2. Data Insertion: The todos.insert() method uses this schema to insert data into the todos table. The TODO dictionary is used to ensure that the data being inserted matches the expected structure.

Integration with TodoApp

To integrate TodoApp with this setup, you need to ensure that TodoApp uses the todos object for its data operations. Here’s how you can achieve this:

1. Use the todos Object: Ensure that the TodoApp class uses the todos object for all CRUD operations. This means that the table attribute in BaseApp should be set to todos.

2. Refactor TodoApp Initialization: Modify the TodoApp class to use the todos object directly.

Example Refactor

Here’s how you might refactor the TodoApp class to use the todos object:

class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self):
        # Use the existing `todos` object for the table
        self.table = todos
        self.name = 'todo'
        self.schema = TODO
        self.register_routes()

    def render_item(self, todo):
        # Custom rendering logic for a todo item
        return {
            "id": todo.id,
            "title": todo.title,
            "done": todo.done,
            "priority": todo.priority,
            "profile_id": todo.profile_id
        }

Explanation

• Direct Use of todos: The TodoApp class directly uses the todos object, which is already configured with the TODO schema. This ensures that all data operations are consistent with the schema defined in the FastHTML configuration.

• Schema Consistency: By using the TODO dictionary, you ensure that the data structure is consistent across the application.

Testing

• Run Tests: After refactoring, run your test suite to ensure that the TodoApp functionality is working as expected.
• Manual Testing: Perform manual testing to verify that the TodoApp routes are accessible and that CRUD operations work correctly.

This approach ensures that the TodoApp is fully integrated with the FastHTML configuration, leveraging the existing schema and data management setup.

To parameterize the table name from the start and ensure collision avoidance, you can follow these explicit steps:

Step 1: Modify BaseApp to Accept a Table Name

Update the BaseApp class to accept a table name as a parameter. This will allow you to specify different table names for different instances, avoiding collisions.

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, schema, table_name=None):
        self.name = name
        self.schema = schema
        self.table_name = table_name or self.name.upper()
        self.table = MiniDataAPI(self.table_name, self.schema)
        self.register_routes()

    def register_routes(self):
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)

    # ... rest of the class remains unchanged ...

Step 2: Update TodoApp to Use the Parameterized Table Name

Modify the TodoApp class to pass the desired table name when initializing BaseApp.

class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table_name='TODO'):
        super().__init__(name='todo', schema=TODO, table_name=table_name)

    def render_item(self, todo):
        return {
            "id": todo.id,
            "title": todo.title,
            "done": todo.done,
            "priority": todo.priority,
            "profile_id": todo.profile_id
        }

Step 3: Instantiate TodoApp with a Custom Table Name

When you create an instance of TodoApp, specify the table name to avoid collisions.

# Create a TodoApp instance with a custom table name
todo_app_instance = TodoApp(table_name='CUSTOM_TODO')

Step 4: Ensure Compatibility with the Rest of Your Application

Make sure that the rest of your application is compatible with this change. This might involve updating any references to the todos table to use the new todo_app_instance.table.

Step 5: Update Tests to Reflect the Changes

Ensure that your test suite is updated to reflect these changes. You may need to adjust the tests to interact with the new TodoApp instance and its table.

def test_create_todo_with_custom_table(self):
    new_todo = {"title": "Test Todo Item"}
    response = requests.post(f"{self.base_url}/CUSTOM_TODO", data=new_todo)
    status = "Success" if response.status_code == 200 else "Failure"
    self.add_result(self.find_config_entry("test_create_todo"), status, "Created new todo with custom table")
    self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)

Summary

By following these steps, you ensure that each instance of BaseApp or its subclasses can have a unique table name, thus avoiding collisions. This approach provides flexibility and scalability, allowing you to create multiple instances of the same app with different configurations.

This rather massive step worked…

To integrate the fast_app convenience wrapper into your BaseApp and TodoApp classes, you can leverage the dynamic table creation and management provided by fast_app. This will simplify your code by removing the need for direct interaction with MiniDataAPI and instead using the database instances returned by fast_app.

Here’s how you can rework your classes to fit within these confines:

Step 1: Modify BaseApp to Use fast_app

Update the BaseApp class to accept a table instance directly, which will be provided by fast_app. This removes the need to manually create or manage tables within BaseApp.

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, table):
        self.name = name
        self.table = table
        self.register_routes()

    def register_routes(self):
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)

    async def get_items(self, request):
        """Retrieve all items."""
        items = self.table()
        return [self.render_item(item) for item in items]

    async def create_item(self, **kwargs):
        """Create a new item."""
        item = self.table.insert(kwargs)
        return self.render_item(item)

    async def update_item(self, item_id: int, **kwargs):
        """Update an existing item."""
        item = self.table[item_id]
        for key, value in kwargs.items():
            setattr(item, key, value)
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

    async def delete_item(self, item_id: int):
        """Delete an item."""
        self.table.delete(item_id)
        return ''

    def render_item(self, item):
        """Render an item as needed. Override in subclasses."""
        return item

Step 2: Update TodoApp to Use the Table from fast_app

Modify the TodoApp class to accept the table instance from fast_app and pass it to BaseApp.

class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table):
        super().__init__(name='todo', table=table)

    def render_item(self, todo):
        return {
            "id": todo.id,
            "title": todo.title,
            "done": todo.done,
            "priority": todo.priority,
            "profile_id": todo.profile_id
        }

Step 3: Use fast_app to Create the Application and Tables

Use the fast_app function to create your application and tables, and then pass the table instances to your app classes.

# Define the schema for the TODO table
TODO = {
    "id": int,
    "title": str,
    "done": bool,
    "priority": int,
    "profile_id": int,
    "pk": "id"
}

# Create the FastHTML app and tables
app, rt, (todos, Todo) = fast_app(
    "data/data.db",
    TODO=TODO
)

# Instantiate the TodoApp with the todos table
todo_app = TodoApp(table=todos)

Summary

• BaseApp and TodoApp: These classes are now designed to accept a table instance directly, simplifying their initialization and removing the need for manual table management.
• fast_app: This function is used to create the application and tables, leveraging its convenience to dynamically create tables based on the provided schema.
• Integration: The TodoApp is instantiated with the table instance returned by fast_app, ensuring that it operates on the correct database table.

This approach leverages the power of fast_app to manage database tables, reducing complexity and making your application more maintainable.

Plugins Present but Not Active

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
#  ___       _ _   _       _         ____  _             _         ____            _                 
# |_ _|_ __ (_) |_(_) __ _| |_ ___  |  _ \| |_   _  __ _(_)_ __   / ___| _   _ ___| |_ ___ _ __ ___  
#  | || '_ \| | __| |/ _` | __/ _ \ | |_) | | | | |/ _` | | '_ \  \___ \| | | / __| __/ _ \ '_ ` _ \ 
#  | || | | | | |_| | (_| | ||  __/ |  __/| | |_| | (_| | | | | |  ___) | |_| \__ \ ||  __/ | | | | |
# |___|_| |_|_|\__|_|\__,_|\__\___| |_|   |_|\__,_|\__, |_|_| |_| |____/ \__, |___/\__\___|_| |_| |_|
#                                            figlet|___/                 |___/                       
# *******************************
# Take a deep breath and initiate plugin system
# *******************************

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, table):
        self.name = name
        self.table = table

    def register_routes(self, rt):
        """Register routes using the provided routing function."""
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)

    async def get_items(self, request):
        """Retrieve all items."""
        items = self.table()
        return [self.render_item(item) for item in items]

    async def create_item(self, **kwargs):
        """Create a new item."""
        item = self.table.insert(kwargs)
        return self.render_item(item)

    async def update_item(self, item_id: int, **kwargs):
        """Update an existing item."""
        item = self.table[item_id]
        for key, value in kwargs.items():
            setattr(item, key, value)
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

    async def delete_item(self, item_id: int):
        """Delete an item."""
        self.table.delete(item_id)
        return ''

    def render_item(self, item):
        """Render an item as needed. Override in subclasses."""
        return item


class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table):
        super().__init__(name='todo', table=table)

    def render_item(self, todo):
        return {
            "id": todo.id,
            "title": todo.title,
            "done": todo.done,
            "priority": todo.priority,
            "profile_id": todo.profile_id
        }


# Define and instantiate a ProfileApp class
class ProfileApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table):
        super().__init__(name='profile', table=table)

    def render_item(self, profile):
        return {
            "id": profile.id,
            "name": profile.name,
            "address": profile.address,
            "code": profile.code,
            "active": profile.active,
            "priority": profile.priority
        }

TODO = {
    "id": int,
    "title": str,
    "done": bool,
    "priority": int,
    "profile_id": int,
    "pk": "id"
}

PROFILE = {
    "id": int,
    "name": str,
    "address": str,
    "code": str,
    "active": bool,
    "priority": int,
    "pk": "id"
}

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
#  _____         _   _   _ _____ __  __ _     
# |  ___|_ _ ___| |_| | | |_   _|  \/  | |    
# | |_ / _` / __| __| |_| | | | | |\/| | |    
# |  _| (_| \__ \ |_|  _  | | | | |  | | |___ 
# |_|  \__,_|___/\__|_| |_| |_| |_|  |_|_____|figlet
#
# *******************************
# Configuring the FastHTML fastapp plugin Factory
# *******************************

# Unpack the returned tuple from fast_app (lots of explaining to do here)
app, rt, (store, Store), (todos, Todo), (profiles, Profile) = fast_app(
    "data/data.db",
    ws_hdr=True,
    live=True,
    hdrs=(
        SortableJSWithUpdate('.sortable', update_url=f'/{TASK}_sort'),
        Script(type='module')
    ),
    STORE={
        "key": str,
        "value": str,
        "pk": "key"
    },
    TODO=TODO,
    PROFILE=PROFILE,
)

# Instantiate the apps
todo_app = TodoApp(table='TODO')
profile_app = ProfileApp(table='PROFILE')

# Register routes using the rt object
todo_app.register_routes(rt)
profile_app.register_routes(rt)

Me: Alright. So enough with router path reporting. Now tell me why we went through that trouble of the plugin integration with the BaseApp and TodoApp and ProfileApp if we merely changed where the dict table definitions are. I am guessing that they somehow reduce code duplication in crud operations? And what else?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet via Cursor AI:

The integration of BaseApp, TodoApp, and ProfileApp with the plugin system serves several purposes, primarily aimed at reducing code duplication and enhancing modularity and maintainability. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits and reasons for this design:

1. Code Reusability and DRY Principle

• CRUD Operations: By defining common CRUD operations in a BaseApp class, you can avoid duplicating code across different application modules. This adheres to the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle, making your codebase cleaner and easier to maintain.
• Shared Logic: Any shared logic or utility functions can be placed in the BaseApp, allowing TodoApp and ProfileApp to inherit these functionalities without rewriting them.

2. Modularity

• Separation of Concerns: Each app (e.g., TodoApp, ProfileApp) can focus on its specific domain logic while inheriting common functionalities from BaseApp. This separation makes it easier to manage and extend each app independently.
• Plugin Architecture: By using a base class, you can easily integrate new plugins or features that apply to all apps by modifying the base class, rather than each individual app.

3. Scalability

• Adding New Features: If you need to add a new feature or modify existing behavior, you can do so in the BaseApp and have those changes automatically propagate to all derived classes.
• Extending Functionality: New apps can be created by simply extending BaseApp, allowing for rapid development and integration of new features.

4. Consistency

• Uniform Interface: By using a base class, you ensure that all derived apps have a consistent interface and behavior, reducing the likelihood of bugs and inconsistencies.
• Standardized Patterns: Common patterns and practices are enforced across all apps, making the codebase easier to understand and work with for new developers.

5. Ease of Maintenance

• Centralized Updates: Updates to shared logic or bug fixes can be made in one place (the BaseApp), reducing the effort required to maintain the codebase.
• Simplified Testing: With a centralized base class, you can write tests for common functionalities once and apply them across all derived apps.

Conclusion

The use of a base class like BaseApp in combination with specific implementations like TodoApp and ProfileApp is a common design pattern in software development. It provides a robust framework for building scalable, maintainable, and consistent applications, especially when dealing with similar operations across different domains. This approach not only reduces code duplication but also enhances the overall architecture of the application, making it easier to manage and extend over time.

Fast forward to end of day. I have the 2 “easy” crud actions ported, delete and toggle. Getting advice on the rest now.

1. Update the BaseApp Class to Include Insert, Update, and Sort Methods

Your BaseApp class should have generic methods for create_item, update_item, and sort_items. Here’s how you can define them:

class BaseApp:
    def __init__(self, name, table, toggle_field, sort_field):
        self.name = name
        self.table = table
        self.toggle_field = toggle_field  # Field to toggle
        self.sort_field = sort_field  # Field to sort on

    def register_routes(self, rt):
        """Register routes using the provided routing function."""
        rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
        rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/toggle/', methods=['POST'])(self.toggle_item)
        rt(f'/{self.name}/sort', methods=['POST'])(self.sort_items)

    async def get_items(self, request):
        """Retrieve all items."""
        items = self.table()
        return [self.render_item(item) for item in items]

    async def create_item(self, **kwargs):
        """Create a new item."""
        item = self.table.insert(kwargs)
        return self.render_item(item)

    async def update_item(self, item_id: int, **kwargs):
        """Update an existing item."""
        item = self.table[item_id]
        for key, value in kwargs.items():
            setattr(item, key, value)
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

    async def delete_item(self, item_id: int):
        """Delete an existing item."""
        # Existing delete logic...

    async def toggle_item(self, item_id: int):
        """Toggle a boolean field of an item."""
        # Existing toggle logic...

    async def sort_items(self, items: list):
        """Sort items based on the provided order."""
        try:
            for item_data in items:
                item = self.table[item_data['id']]
                setattr(item, self.sort_field, item_data['priority'])
                self.table.update(item)
            return "Items sorted successfully"
        except Exception as e:
            return f"Error sorting items: {str(e)}", 500

    def render_item(self, item):
        """Render an item. To be overridden in subclasses."""
        return item

2. Override create_item and update_item in Subclasses for Specific Logic

Since TodoApp and ProfileApp have specific requirements (like validation, setting default values, or interacting with the chatbot), you should override these methods in your subclasses.

For TodoApp

class TodoApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table):
        super().__init__(
            name='todo',
            table=table,
            toggle_field='done',
            sort_field='priority'
        )

    def render_item(self, todo):
        return render_todo(todo)

    async def create_item(self, **kwargs):
        title = kwargs.get('title', '').strip()
        if not title:
            await chatq("User tried to add an empty todo. Respond with a brief, sassy comment about their attempt.")
            return ''

        current_profile_id = db.get("last_profile_id")
        if not current_profile_id:
            default_profile = profiles()[0]
            current_profile_id = default_profile.id

        todo = {
            "title": title,
            "done": False,
            "priority": 0,
            "profile_id": current_profile_id,
        }
        inserted_todo = self.table.insert(todo)
        await chatq(f"New todo: '{title}'. Brief, sassy comment or advice.")
        return self.render_item(inserted_todo)

    async def update_item(self, item_id: int, **kwargs):
        todo_title = kwargs.get('todo_title', '').strip()
        if not todo_title:
            return "Title cannot be empty", 400

        item = self.table[item_id]
        item.title = todo_title
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

For ProfileApp

class ProfileApp(BaseApp):
    def __init__(self, table):
        super().__init__(
            name='profile',
            table=table,
            toggle_field='active',
            sort_field='priority'
        )

    def render_item(self, profile):
        return render_profile(profile)

    async def create_item(self, **kwargs):
        profile_name = kwargs.get('profile_name', '').strip()
        profile_address = kwargs.get('profile_address', '')
        profile_code = kwargs.get('profile_code', '')

        if not profile_name:
            await chatq("User tried to add an empty profile name. Respond with a brief, sassy comment about their attempt.")
            return ''

        max_priority = max((p.priority or 0 for p in self.table()), default=-1) + 1

        new_profile = {
            "name": profile_name,
            "address": profile_address,
            "code": profile_code,
            "active": True,
            "priority": max_priority,
        }
        inserted_profile = self.table.insert(new_profile)
        await chatq(f"New profile '{profile_name}' just joined the party!")
        return self.render_item(inserted_profile)

    async def update_item(self, item_id: int, **kwargs):
        name = kwargs.get('name', '').strip()
        address = kwargs.get('address', '')
        code = kwargs.get('code', '')

        if not name:
            return "Name cannot be empty", 400

        item = self.table[item_id]
        item.name = name
        item.address = address
        item.code = code
        updated_item = self.table.update(item)
        await chatq(f"Profile '{name}' was updated.")
        return self.render_item(updated_item)

3. Update UI Components to Use the New Endpoints

Your forms and JavaScript code need to point to the new endpoints provided by BaseApp.

Update Forms in Templates

For Todo Items:

# In your main content rendering function for Todos
header=Form(
    Group(
        Input(
            placeholder=f'Add new {TASK.capitalize()}',
            id='title',
            name='title',
            hx_swap_oob='true',
            autofocus=True,
        ),
        Button("Add", type="submit"),
    ),
    hx_post=f"/{TASK}",  # Points to '/todo'
    hx_swap="beforeend",
    hx_target="#todo-list",
)

For Profiles:

# In your profile list rendering function
footer=Form(
    Group(
        Input(placeholder=f"{CUSTOMER.capitalize()} Name", name="profile_name", id="profile-name-input"),
        Input(placeholder=ADDRESS_NAME, name="profile_address", id="profile-address-input"),
        Input(placeholder=CODE_NAME, name="profile_code", id="profile-code-input"),
        Button("Add", type="submit", id="add-profile-button"),
    ),
    hx_post=f"/{CUSTOMER}",  # Points to '/profile'
    hx_target="#profile-list",
    hx_swap="beforeend",
    hx_swap_oob="true",
)

Update JavaScript for Sorting

Modify your SortableJSWithUpdate function to dynamically determine the update_url based on the element’s data attributes.

def SortableJSWithUpdate(sel='.sortable', ghost_class='blue-background-class'):
    src = f"""
import {{Sortable}} from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/sortablejs/+esm';

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => {{
    {{ const el = document.querySelector('{sel}
    if (el) {{
        new Sortable(el, {{
            animation: 150,
            ghost_class: '{ghost_class}',
            onEnd: function (evt) {{
                let items = Array.from(el.children).map((item, index) => ({{
                    id: item.dataset.id,
                    priority: index
                }}));
                let updateUrl = `/${{el.dataset.name}}/sort`;  // Dynamic update URL
                htmx.ajax('POST', updateUrl, {{
                    target: el,
                    swap: 'none',
                    values: {{ items: JSON.stringify(items) }}
                }});
            }}
        }});
    }}
}});
"""
    return Script(src, type='module')

In your HTML where you define the sortable lists, add a data-name attribute:

# For Todos
Ul(*[render_todo(todo) for todo in todo_items],
   id='todo-list',
   cls='sortable',
   data_name='todo',  # Added data-name attribute
   style="padding-left: 0;"),

# For Profiles
Ul(*[render_profile(profile) for profile in ordered_profiles],
   id='profile-list',
   cls='sortable',
   data_name='profile',  # Added data-name attribute
   style="padding-left: 0;"),

4. Remove Old Route Functions

Since the BaseApp now handles Insert, Update, and Sort, you can remove the old route functions like add_profile, update_profile, post_todo, and update_todo.

5. Ensure Data Attributes in Rendered Items

When rendering your list items, make sure to include data-id and data-priority attributes, which are necessary for the sorting functionality.

def render_todo(todo):
    return Li(
        # ... your existing code ...
        id=f'todo-{todo.id}',
        cls='done' if todo.done else '',
        style="list-style-type: none;",
        data_id=todo.id,
        data_priority=todo.priority  # Necessary for sorting
    )

def render_profile(profile):
    return Li(
        # ... your existing code ...
        id=f'profile-{profile.id}',
        style="list-style-type: none;",
        data_id=profile.id,  # Necessary for sorting
        data_priority=profile.priority
    )

6. Test the Application

• Insert Functionality: Test adding new todos and profiles to ensure they are created and displayed correctly.
• Update Functionality: Test updating existing items to verify that changes are saved and reflected in the UI.
• Sort Functionality: Test dragging and dropping items to reorder them and confirm that the new order persists.

7. Handle Any Remaining Specific Logic

If there are any unique behaviors or additional validations in your original Insert, Update, or Sort functions, ensure they are incorporated into the overridden methods in your subclasses.

Example of Updated register_routes Method in BaseApp

def register_routes(self, rt):
    """Register routes using the provided routing function."""
    rt(f'/{self.name}')(self.get_items)
    rt(f'/{self.name}', methods=['POST'])(self.create_item)
    rt(f'/{self.name}/update/', methods=['POST'])(self.update_item)
    rt(f'/{self.name}/delete/', methods=['DELETE'])(self.delete_item)
    rt(f'/{self.name}/toggle/', methods=['POST'])(self.toggle_item)
    rt(f'/{self.name}/sort', methods=['POST'])(self.sort_items)

Finalize by Running and Testing Your Application

After making these changes, run your application and thoroughly test all functionalities to ensure everything works as expected. Pay special attention to:

• UI Interactions: Verify that buttons, forms, and drag-and-drop sorting work seamlessly.
• Data Persistence: Ensure that changes are saved to your database.
• Chatbot Interactions: Confirm that the chatbot responds appropriately to actions like adding or updating items.

By following these steps and incorporating the code examples provided, you should be able to successfully migrate the Insert, Update, and Sort methods into the BaseApp class, update your UI endpoints, and phase out the old non-OO configuration in favor of a cleaner, more maintainable codebase.