GSOC-2023: Improving the OpenMRS Developer Experience: Updating the SDK Final Evaluation

November 02, 2023

Project Summery

• Project Title: Improving the OpenMRS Developer Experience: Updating the SDK Final Evaluation
• Primary mentor: Daniel Kayiwa
• Contributor: Wikum Weerakutti
• Project Link: Wiki Page Link

Overview

The primary objective of this project was to advance the OpenMRS SDK to meet the evolving requirements of OpenMRS development. The project primarily aimed to simplify developers' tasks by introducing support for OpenMRS 3 and enhancing the overall functionality of the SDK.

Objectives

• Enabling users to set up OpenMRS 3 with the SDK.
• Spin-off a version of the SDK to support OpenMRS 1.x releases based on Java 7: COMPLETED
• Revamp the SDK to take advantage of Java 8 features
  • Use lambda expressions: PR CREATED
  • Use the Streams API: PR CREATED
  • Use the new Date and Time API: COMPLETED
  • Use the Optional class: PR CREATED
• Upgrade the SDK to use a recent version of Maven as the core: COMPLETED
• Improve the documentation system for all plugins: COMPLETED
• Improve the build-distro and setup commands by allowing per-version customizations: PR CREATED

Additionally, I've been actively involved in the following tasks:

• Optimizing SDK Cache Management.
• Implementing quality-of-life improvements.
• Resolving bug issues, and more.

Contributions

• JIRA issues
• Pull Requests

Weekly Blog Posts

1. Community Bonding Period
2. Coding Week 01
3. Coding Week 02
4. Coding Week 03
5. Coding Week 04
6. Coding Week 05
7. Coding Week 06
8. Coding Week 07
9. Coding Week 08
10. Coding Week 09
11. Coding Week 10
12. Coding Week 11
13. Coding Week 12
14. Coding Week 13
15. Coding Week 14-16
16. Coding Week 17

Resources

• Project proposal
• Mid-term evaluation update video
• OpenMRS GSOC showcase presentation
• Final video presentation

Future Works

To further enhance the OpenMRS Developer Experience, I am actively working on incorporating Java 17 support for OpenMRS. This improvement is particularly valuable for newcomers who are already utilizing Java 17, making their onboarding process smoother and more efficient.

Thoughts on GSoC

My journey during GSOC with OpenMRS has been incredibly enriching. This experience has allowed me to not only advance my technical abilities but has also been an opportunity for personal growth.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my mentors, Daniel Kayiwa, Ian Bacher, and Joshua Nsereko. Their unwavering support and guidance were instrumental in my success.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to every member of the OpenMRS community for their outstanding contributions and dedication.

Thank you all for this incredible journey!