activeadmin-quill_editor/docs/session-summary.md

Session Summary - ActiveAdmin Quill Editor Modernization

Context

We analyzed replacing Trumbowyg with Quill for ActiveAdmin 4.x and Rails 8 compatibility. After evaluating SunEditor (too large at 450KB after removing source maps) and Quill.js (~200KB), we chose to modernize the existing activeadmin_quill_editor gem.

Important Discoveries

1. Existing Test App: The gem already has a full Rails test application at spec/dummy/ (not using Combustion)
2. Existing Tests: Comprehensive system tests already exist in spec/system/
3. Existing Formtastic Input: QuillEditorInput class already exists, just needs jQuery removal

Key Decisions Made

1. Use Quill.js instead of SunEditor

   • Quill: ~200KB minified
   • Clean delta-based architecture
   • No jQuery dependency for the core library
   • Existing gem foundation to build upon

2. Serve assets directly from vendor/assets

   • No NPM package needed initially
   • Propshaft automatically serves from vendor/assets and app/assets
   • Simple drop-in integration

3. Follow activeadmin_trumbowyg patterns

   • Combustion-based test app
   • Modern CI with matrix testing (Ruby 3.3/3.4, Rails 7.x/8.x)
   • Comprehensive GitHub Actions setup with caching
   • ESBuild for test app assets

Files Created

• /data/activeadmin-quill_editor/docs/activeadmin-4-propshaft-update.md - Complete migration guide
• /data/activeadmin-quill_editor/docs/session-summary.md - This summary

Next Steps

Immediate Tasks

1. Download Quill 2.x assets and place in vendor/assets
2. Create new JavaScript initializer without jQuery
3. Update Formtastic input class (already exists, just needs updates)
4. Update existing spec/dummy test app for Propshaft/Rails 8
5. Configure GitHub Actions CI/CD

Implementation Order

1. Asset Setup (vendor/assets structure)
2. JavaScript Modernization (remove jQuery)
3. Test App Updates (spec/dummy with Propshaft)
4. CI/CD Setup (GitHub Actions with matrix)
5. Documentation Update (README, examples)

Testing Strategy

• Use existing spec/dummy Rails app (no Combustion needed)
• Update existing system tests, add missing cases from trumbowyg
• Matrix test against Ruby 3.3/3.4
• Test Rails 7.x and 8.x with ActiveAdmin 4.x beta
• Consider adding Playwright for modern browser tests
• SimpleCov for coverage with SonarQube integration

Technical Notes

Propshaft Asset Serving

• Gems can provide assets in vendor/assets and app/assets
• Propshaft automatically includes these paths in load path
• No compilation needed for vendored assets
• Digest stamping handled automatically

JavaScript API Changes

Replace jQuery-based initialization:

// Old (jQuery)
$(document).ready(initQuillEditors);

// New (Vanilla)
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', initQuillEditors);
document.addEventListener('turbo:load', initQuillEditors);

Form Input Usage

f.input :content, as: :quill_editor, input_html: {
  data: {
    options: {
      theme: 'snow',
      modules: { toolbar: [...] }
    }
  }
}

Resources

• Quill.js 2.x: https://quilljs.com/
• Propshaft docs: https://github.com/rails/propshaft
• Reference gems:
  • /data/activeadmin_trumbowyg (modern CI/test setup)
  • /data/activeadmin-searchable_select (alternative patterns)

Contact for Questions

Review the comprehensive guide at activeadmin-4-propshaft-update.md for complete implementation details.