[DEPR]: Legacy ("V1") Content Libraries

[connorhaugh]

Please first read the parent DEPR ticket, [DEPR]: All Legacy Studio Frontends.

Proposal Date

2025-02-19

Target Ticket Acceptance Date

2025-03-05

Earliest Open edX Named Release Without This Functionality

Provisional migration path available to admins by mid-April 2025 (Teak).

All Legacy library frontends, including the ability to view or edit Legacy Library content removed as early as 2025-09-08 (Ulmo). Official migration path will be available to course authors, using an MFE frontend page.

Removal of legacy library backend support as early as 2026-02-08 (Verawood). Migration path will be enforced if not already executed during Ulmo.

Rationale

Starting in Sumac, the new Libraries (Beta) feature became available, with its frontend entirely implemented in the Authoring MFE. In Teak, Libraries (Beta) will have achieved parity with Legacy Libraries, and also added many features beyond what Legacy offered. In Ulmo, the new Libraries feature will be improved even further. You can track the progress of the project on the Libraries Overhaul board.

In addition to the legacy frontend issues mentioned in the parent DEPR ticket, maintaining both Legacy Libraries and Libraries (Beta) adds maintenance burden and complexity for developers, and it causes confusion and duplicated work for Studio users.

Removal

1. The legacy library authoring pages (HTML,CSS,JS):
   https://github.com/openedx/edx-platform/blob/master/cms/templates/library.html
2. The parts of the contenstore which support V1 libraries:

3. edx-platform/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/library.py

   Line 4 in 489e239

   multiple courses.

4. The parts of the randomized content libraries xblock which support
5. v1. https://github.com/openedx/edx-platform/blob/489e23983ffe0ff3c40674fa4c1505d029370bd6/xmodule/library_content_block.py
6. The parts of split mongo modulestore which support the storing of libraries.
7. studio_post_duplicate Remove studio_post_duplicate XBlock hook method #35192

Replacement

"Libraries (Beta)", a.k.a "New Libraries", formerly known as "V2 Content Libraries", soon to be known simply as "Libraries"

Deprecation

We will show deprecation warnings in the Legacy Libraries UX. We will ensure that the above information makes it into the Teak and Ulmo release notes.

Migration

By Teak, we will make a provisional migration path from Legacy to Libraries (Beta) available, most likely via Django admin.

By Ulmo, the Legacy Library interface will be removed, and replaced with an MFE UI for migration Legacy Libraries into new Libraries.

By Verawood, the migration will be mandatory.

When the migration instructions are ready for each release, we will publicize them here and in the release notes.

Additional Info

N/A

[kdmccormick]

I assigned Connor and I since we're working on wrapping up the replacement (V2 content libraries). V1 library support will likely continue through Quince and then be removed either in time for Redwood or S. Not sure yet who will be doing the removal.

[dianakhuang]

@kdmccormick are you still committed to owning this DEPR ticket for near future? If you aren't, we can move it back into 'Proposed' until you (and/or Connor) are ready to pick it back up again.

[kdmccormick]

Yep, I'm still OK owning this.

The new direction of the Libraries project is that there will be a period of cross-compatibility between V1 and V2 libraries rather than an in-place V1->V2 migration. V1 library support won't be removed until Teak at the earliest. I don't have enough solid details to formally communicate that right now, so I'll move this back to Proposed and re-communicate at some point.

[kdmccormick]

As of Oct 2024, the roadmap is now:

• In Sumac: V2 Libraries will be available as "Libraries (Beta)". V1 Libraries are renamed to "Legacy Libraries".
• In Teak: V2 Libraries should be fully available as just "Libraries". We will prompt operators to migrate their remaining V1 Libraries to V2 Libraries.
• In U: V1 Libraries will be removed.

[kdmccormick]

Communicated via: https://discuss.openedx.org/t/deprecation-removal-all-legacy-studio-frontends/15049

[pdpinch]

Sorry, is that the right link? The post is about legacy front-ends, not libraries.

[kdmccormick]

Because it includes the removal of the legacy library editing frontend in favor of the new library editing experience, I had lumped this Legacy Libraries DEPR into the broader All Legacy Studio Frontends DEPR.

But, to your point, this DEPR also includes the migration of library content, so perhaps it deserves its own separate announcement on the forums. Thanks for highlighting that. I'll do that shortly.