mapbox / mapbox/mapbox-gl-js

Port Render* split and immutability from native

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GL native → GL JS refactoring :building_construction:
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description

We should replace the current smart `setStyle` implementation in gl-js with one more similar to native, based on a split between:

* immutable, pure style-spec domain objects, independent of rendering, and
* parallel `Render*` objects that handle rendering-specific concerns and can update themselves by diffing prior and new immutable objects

This approach eliminates the complex state tracking needed to track "pending" changes (`Style#_updatedLayers`, `_updatedSymbolOrder`, `_updatedSources`, etc.).

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by tracing the current smart setStyle implementation in gl-js, including Style#_updatedLayers, _updatedSymbolOrder, and _updatedSources, then compare it with the native approach referenced in the issue. Done means replacing the pending-change state tracking with immutable style-spec objects and parallel Render* objects that update by diffing old and new objects.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Refactor
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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