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Rachit Chawla
Rachit Chawla

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Reflecting on My Contribution to ChatCraft: Release 1.1

This week has been quite a journey filled with learning, teamwork, and overcoming challenges as I worked on enhancing ChatCraft for the upcoming Release 1.1. Here's a detailed look at what I've experienced and discovered along the way.

PR Details

  • Pull Request: #374
  • Description: Created a React-menu component and migrated the MessageBase menu to utilize this new component.
  • Lines of Code Changed:
    • Modified: 470 lines
    • Added: 520 new lines
  • Refactoring: Some files underwent refactoring to align with the new changes.

Getting Started with React-menu Components

My task was to create a new React-menu component wrapped in ChakraUI's theme and update the existing MessageBase menu to use this new component. While it sounded straightforward at first, I soon realized there was much to learn and figure out.

Learning Together with Amnish

One of the best parts of this experience was collaborating with Amnish, a skilled developer and a classmate of mine. I being pretty weak at CSS part wasn't able to figure out ChakraUI's themeing. Amnish was able to help me fix the CSS part. It was a great opportunity to grow and learn from each other. Collaborating on the same pull request came with its own set of challenges. We had to make sure our changes didn't conflict, so we made it a habit to regularly update our code from the 'react-menu' branch. This helped us avoid headaches and kept our work in sync.

Pull Request Feedbacks

  • The PR underwent extensive review and feedback iterations.
  • Initial feedback addressed hover highlighting, submenu handling, borders, and theming.
  • Subsequent adjustments involved dividing the menu into separate components for enhanced declarative usage.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on this experience, I've learned a few important lessons and more knowledge about React, CSS:

  • Teamwork Matters: Working closely with others can be incredibly rewarding and can help you grow faster.
  • Keep Git in Check: Regularly updating your code and managing branches properly can save a lot of time and headaches.
  • Embrace Challenges: Even when things get tough, facing challenges can lead to valuable learning opportunities.

Release 1.1

1.1 for ChatCraft was released this friday and I personally had 2 pull requests merged in this one.
For full change information : Click here

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to shape ChatCraft together!

Happy coding! πŸš€

Feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences!

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