Project Structure

Issue: #7852
Pull Request: #7829

The project consists of two distinct applications. To improve maintainability and streamline development, we propose a modular structure using Gradle. This structure is designed to enable clear separation of concerns, facilitate scalable growth, and ensure efficient dependency management. It consists of various module types such as app, app-common, feature, core, and library modules, promoting enhanced modular reusability.

Decision

To achieve the goals outlined in the context, we have decided to adopt the following modular structure:

App Modules:
- app-thunderbird and app-k9mail are the modules for the two applications, Thunderbird for Android and K-9 Mail respectively. These modules will contain app-specific implementations, configurations, resources, and startup logic. They should solely depend on the app-common module for shared functionalities and may selectively integrate feature and core to setup app-specific needs.
App Common Module:
- app-common: Acts as the central hub for shared code between both applications. This module serves as the primary “glue” that binds various feature modules together, providing a seamless integration point. While it can depend on library modules for additional functionalities, its main purpose is to orchestrate the interactions among the feature and core modules, ensuring similar functionality across both applications. This module should be kept lean to avoid unnecessary dependencies and ensure it remains focused on shared functionality.
Feature Modules:
- feature:*: These are independent feature modules, that encapsulate distinct user-facing features. They are designed to be reusable and can be integrated into any application module as needed. They maintain dependencies on core modules and may interact with other feature or library modules.
Core Module:
- core:*: The core modules contain essential utilities and base classes used across the entire project. These modules are grouped by their functionality (e.g., networking, database management, theming, common utilities). This segmentation allows for cleaner dependency management and specialization within foundational aspects.
Library Modules:
- library:* These modules are for specific implementations that might be used across various features or applications. They could be third-party integrations or complex utilities and eventually shared across multiple projects.

graph TD
    subgraph APP[App]
        APP_K9["`
            **:app-k9mail**
            K-9 Mail
        `"]
        APP_TB["`
            **:app-thunderbird**
            Thunderbird for Android
        `"]
    end

    subgraph COMMON[App Common]
        APP_COMMON["`
            **:app-common**
            Integration Code
        `"]
    end

    subgraph FEATURE[Feature]
        FEATURE1[Feature 1]
        FEATURE2[Feature 2]
    end

    subgraph CORE[Core]
        CORE1[Core 1]
        CORE2[Core 2]
    end

    subgraph LIBRARY[Library]
        LIB1[Library 1]
        LIB2[Library 2]
    end

    APP --> |depends on| COMMON
    COMMON --> |integrates| FEATURE
    FEATURE --> |uses| CORE
    FEATURE --> |uses| LIBRARY

    classDef module fill:yellow
    classDef app fill:azure
    classDef app_common fill:#ddd
    class APP_K9 app
    class APP_TB app
    class APP_COMMON app_common

Legacy Modules

Modules that are still required for the project to function, but don’t follow the new project structure.

These modules should not be used for new development.

The goal is to migrate the functionality of these modules to the new structure over time. By placing them under the legacy module, we can easily identify and manage them.

graph TD
    subgraph APP[App]
        APP_K9["`
            **:app-k9mail**
            K-9 Mail
        `"]
        APP_TB["`
            **:app-thunderbird**
            Thunderbird for Android
        `"]
    end

    subgraph COMMON[App Common]
        APP_COMMON["`
            **:app-common**
            Integration Code
        `"]
    end

    subgraph FEATURE[Feature]
        FEATURE1[Feature 1]
        FEATURE2[Feature 2]
        FEATURE3[Feature from Legacy]
    end

    subgraph CORE[Core]
        CORE1[Core 1]
        CORE2[Core 2]
        CORE3[Core from Legacy]
    end

    subgraph LIBRARY[Library]
        LIB1[Library 1]
        LIB2[Library 2]
    end

    APP --> |depends on| COMMON
    COMMON --> |integrates| FEATURE
    FEATURE --> |uses| CORE
    FEATURE --> |uses| LIBRARY

    subgraph LEGACY[Legacy]
        LEG[Legacy Code]
    end

    COMMON -.-> |integrates| LEGACY
    LEG -.-> |migrate to| FEATURE3
    LEG -.-> |migrate to| CORE3

    classDef module fill:yellow
    classDef app fill:azure
    classDef app_common fill:#ddd
    classDef legacy fill:#F99
    class APP_K9 app
    class APP_TB app
    class APP_COMMON app_common
    class LEGACY legacy

Consequences

Positive Consequences

Improved modularity facilitates easier code maintenance and scaling.
Clear separation of concerns reduces dependencies and potential conflicts between modules.
Enhanced reusability of the feature, core and library modules across different parts of the application or even in different projects.

Negative Consequences

Initial complexity in setting up and managing multiple modules may increase the learning curve and setup time for new developers.
Over-modularization can lead to excessive abstraction, potentially impacting runtime performance and complicating the debugging process.
Legacy modules may require additional effort to migrate to the new structure, potentially causing delays in the adoption of the new architecture.

Thunderbird for Android - Developer Documentation