Theming Overhaul Discussion, Bootstrap Bump and integrating Bootswatch

[Oval17]

What All I have done till now :
1 -> (Very Imp) : Did local setup and tested current flow of our app and Different Features.
2 -> Understood the flow of our Bootstrap 2 Site
cc : @willgearty @kkbrum
We can discuss regarding this feature upgrade here in detial.

[Oval17]

Part one of our flow -> Admin selects the theme

Followed by the following steps as control reaches in codebase :
ThemeController.load_theme()
↓
Collect LESS/SCSS files → Inject custom variables → lessc/sass → theme_compiled.css
↓

Config stored in DB Tags: current_theme_name, current_theme_params, theme_template_control, etc.

[Oval17]

Certainly there are several parts of infra that will be needed to be updated here, and we have to emphasis on UI/UX part as well.
Kindly give inputs as required..
As per the points mentioned for this project.

[willgearty]

Yes, this is a major change in the current theming infrastructure. The good thing is that we never need to support more than one version of Bootstrap. However, we do need to ensure that the infrastructure remains backwards compatible to the existing DB tags that you've identified (in other words, when we migrate a production site to the new codebase, the tags should still work). I think the general path forward would like something like this:

1. migrate Bootstrap 2 -> 3
2. migrate Bootstrap 3 -> 4 (this requires a switch from LESS to SCSS as you've noted)
3. migrate Bootstrap 4 -> 5
4. improve Bootstrap usage
5. incorporate bootswatch to provide default palettes, etc for themes

We shouldn't do all of this at once. In fact, each of the above steps would probably be one (or more) separate pull request(s).

[willgearty]

@Oval17 moving this here to keep it separate from the discussion about GSoC logistics.

As first part of plan Phase 1 — Finalize SCSS infrastructure which I have (already ~70% done) and then testing it benchmarking it so that our further work is easy

I didn't think Bootstrap implemented SCSS until Bootstrap 4? I think the first step of this project should be migrating from Bootstrap 2 to Bootstrap 3, which should keep our LESS infrastructure.

also would like to discuss how we plan on UI/UX do we have designs or do you want me to prototype them as well.

I don't think this project would necessarily involve major UI/UX changes (outside of updating the existing Bootstrap usage). However, stretch goals could certainly involve redesigning parts of the website, e.g., certain pages, our general form appearance, themes (droplets is currently the priority), etc.

[Oval17]

Yes you are correct Bootstrap SCSS was implemented from BS 4 onwards , I was going through official doc...
cause ultimately our plan is 5.3 (was prepping on my end for that) rest I guess 2->3 would be the fair first step..

So whats the plan for this

we can do this
migrate Bootstrap 2 -> 3
migrate Bootstrap 3 -> 4 (this requires a switch from LESS to SCSS as you've noted)
migrate Bootstrap 4 -> 5
improve Bootstrap usage

and every step we can benchmark what are the shortcomings and then move to next step that seems good idea @willgearty

Regarding UI/UX as this is a very long project , just on side will see for few design principles.

[willgearty]

Yes, that's the plan I envision. Let me know if you have any other ideas or questions.

[Arnav1709]

@willgearty @Oval17, I’m also interested in working on this migration. Since it’s a multi-step process (BS2 -> BS3 -> BS4 -> BS5), it makes sense to split the work for better efficiency.

@Oval17, do you want to continue focusing on the DB tag mapping and variable injection logic you’ve already started, while I handle the template/class updates for the Bootstrap 2 to 3 transition?

Once we agree on the split, we can coordinate the first PR to ensure we maintain the backwards compatibility @willgearty mentioned.

[Oval17]

Hi @arnav, This is a GSoC project, I dont think we can split work for GSoC,
But you can feel free to work on this separately and put your finding here in this for discussions , inputs decisions on UI/UX and flows, rest you can visit ideas list for GSoC see there are about 4-5 projects from which you can pick something I dont think still anyone's working on them.
But you are to free to work , just we cannot split it.
Said that, now moving to project @willgearty
Yes will slowly propose the plan.
One of the Major part of the plan would be rigorous testing and checking out all the corner edge cases.

As first part of plan Phase 1 — Finalize SCSS infrastructure which I have (already ~70% done) and then testing it benchmarking it so that our further work is easy
also would like to discuss how we plan on UI/UX do we have designs or do you want me to prototype them as well.
cc : @kkbrum
Thanks

[Arnav1709]

@willgearty Is it normal to start working on GSoC ideas at this stage? Can i also start working on GSoC ideas and propose my solution?

[Oval17]

Yes this time is for that only, where we discuss and propose solution to projects, implement designs, so that we can code in coding period.

[willgearty]

My understanding (this is my first time doing GSoC) is that this phase is mostly for coming up with proposals and doing minor contributions to the project (to demonstrate interest), not doing major coding projects. I'm happy to discuss any of the projects on the ideas list (or other projects) here on our discussions platform or via email (gsoc-mentors-2026@learningu.org). Proposals are due in late March, after which we will send our preferences to Google for the summer internships. Our preferences will be largely based on the proposals, not the volume of pull requests submitted before applying.

[Oval17]

Yes , we can continue on our discussions, projects should be done in coding period..
Do let me know on design decisions I can come up with some prototypes if you want that.

[Rahul-R79]

@Oval17 @Arnav1709
Please note that this is a GSoC project. If you’re interested in working on it, kindly prepare a proposal and submit it starting in March. There’s no need to actively work on the project before GSoC officially begins.

For now, you can go through the codebase and plan your approach accordingly. Working on tasks before the program starts isn’t considered a good practice. Also, we currently have a limited number of team members for reviews, and at the moment, most of the review work is being handled by @willgearty. Please allow him sufficient time to review everything.

Meanwhile, focus on preparation and understanding the project well.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and willingness to contribute—keep the motivation going, and all the best!

[Oval17]

Hi @Rahul-R79 Please this tab is only for discussion for this project and plans , logistics can be discussed somewhere else.....

[Oval17]

Regarding Project planning and discussion its considered really good practice by GSoC to discuss what are the expectation from a particular project this 3-4 weeks are given to us for this specific purpose only , will request you to kindly go through GSoC doc..
We are only discussing proposal and plans , no one is completing or doing this project, said this please logistics related discussion we should keep seperately.

[willgearty]

@Oval17 please be respectful of other contributors (Rule #1 of our Contributor Rules). This is a public discussion thread, and other contributors are more than welcome to ask questions here. If you'd like to discuss your proposal privately, you can email the mentors at gsoc-mentors-2026@learningu.org.

@Rahul-R79 if you have more GSoC logistics comments/questions, please feel free to post them in #4140. Further, please refrain from policing others' proposals. We are all just here to make this project better 😄.

And yes, if you are planning to work on one of our major GSoC project ideas, please do refrain from doing major work on that project before the actual internship. We appreciate your interest in our organization and are grateful for your contributions, but we also want to make sure the projects are still viable for whoever ends up getting selected for the internship.

[Oval17]

Apologies, wasn't being disrespectful in anyway, if it looked that way, I am really sorry for that..
Thanks for creating separate thread.

[codehashira99]

Hello, i did not find any relevant slack or discord channel for learning unlimited! Do we have to discuss about the issues/approach here only ?

[Oval17]

Yes all the discussion will be happening here in discussions tab only.