GSoC Journey: Week 11 of Coding Period

Hello folks,

Myself Senthil Athiban, a final year undergraduate student at Madras Institute of Technology. This blog represents a continuous series documenting my journey through GSoC. If you haven’t already read my previous blogs, I encourage you to check out my previous blogs here. I have been selected as a GSoC student at OpenMRS for the Validation Rule Builder for the Form Builder project. My primary mentor is Dennis Kigen, and my backup mentor is Hadijah Kyampeire.

📅 Week 11: August 05 — August 10

Tasks to be Completed:

• Review Changes & Bug Fixes: Identify and fix bugs through manual testing, and implement changes based on mentor feedback.
• Code Refactoring: Refactor the validation rule builder by adding descriptive comments to handler and utility functions.

Tasks Completed:

• ✅ Review Changes: Implemented adjustments based on mentor feedback.
• ✅ Code Refactoring: Added descriptive comments to utility and handler functions, making it easier for new contributorsto understand the workflow of the validation rule builder and refactored the handler functions, test cases and avoided some common mistakes in React.

Lessons Learned:

I discovered that revisiting code after a month can be surprisingly time-consuming. This experience reinforced the value of writing clear, descriptive functions that not only serve their purpose but also make the code more accessible for future reference and for new contributors. Taking the time to document my thought process within the code has proven invaluable, as it not only aids in debugging but also helps in ensuring the continuity of the project, even when team members change or when I need to revisit the work after a period of time. This process also highlighted the importance of maintaining a clean and organized codebase, where every function and utility is clearly defined, making it easier for others to pick up and build upon my work without unnecessary delays or confusion.

To further clarify the workflow, I created a dedicated block diagram that visually represents the entire process of the validation rule builder UI.

About Me

I’m Senthil Athiban, a final-year undergraduate student from India. By day, I play with VS Code by building new projects, and by night, I contribute to projects on GitHub. My journey is driven by a passion for software development and a curiosity to explore new technologies.

🔗 Connect with Me

• GitHub: senthil-athiban
• LinkedIn: Senthil Athiban M
• Twitter: @senthil_k8s