Last week we kicked off Part 2 of Future-Proofing the backoffice: Define the backoffice extension API. A project where we want to define how it will be to extend the Umbraco CMS backoffice in the future. If you haven’t heard about the project, you can get all the details in this blog post.
At the same time, we also announced the making of a new community team - The Backoffice Community Team. The team will run a little differently than the other community teams. The team will, during Part 2, when defining the extension API, function as a sounding/advisory board (about six months). When entering Part 3: Rebuild Backoffice, the team will change focus into code contributions/review, similar to the Unicore team. At that time, the volunteers are free to leave, and we will open up for new applications again if needed.
In this blog post, we will focus on the first 6 months of the community team and how you can help define the new extension API.
At Umbraco, we are great at building a CMS, and as part of the community, you are fantastic at using and implementing it. To make sure the next version of the backoffice becomes a success, we need to combine our knowledge.
Therefore we are looking for a team of 3-5 community volunteers who have experience with extending the backoffice, have a big passion for what is possible in the browser, and want to dedicate some of their time to regularly evaluate the ideas and prototypes for the new extension API. The project will run as an iterative process where we will try out different approaches and then test the validity with the backoffice team. We expect the team to meet up 1-2 times a month on a virtual meeting for a couple of hours. If more regular updates are needed it will be agreed on by the team.
The team will also help with examples and use cases that can help improve the new API. The project ends with an RFC describing the new extension API. The backoffice team will review the RFC before it goes out and help ensure:
As part of the Backoffice community team, you will help make sure the backoffice is properly extendable.
To ensure an enjoyable and pleasant flight Umbraco HQ has selected me, Mads Rasmussen, as the community team steward. I have been around and part of Umbraco HQ for the past many years. I am a frontend developer with a focus on editor and developer experience in Umbraco products. I have been part of making many of the current features in the backoffice, which gives me a great understanding of the current backoffice extension API.
As the steward, I will be:
You have come this far. Hopefully, that means you think the Backoffice Community Team sounds exciting or maybe you know someone who will.
We are looking for a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. If you can say yes to one or more of the following we’d be excited to get an application from you:
Overall the most important criteria are that you are passionate about Umbraco and up for making the new extension API as friendly as possible.
What is expected of the team members?
As mentioned earlier there will be 1-2 meetings per month. During these we’ll discuss the progress on mapping out the current extension API and review prototypes and plans for a new API. So, providing feedback, insights from past experience and inspiration for the future is the most important task for the team at this stage of the project. Each meeting will last 1-2 hours, depending on the topics and we’ll schedule the next meeting at the end of the session. There will be opportunities to get more involved later on and you might also have ideas for contributions to the project but as a rule of thumb, we only expect the team members to commit to participating in the meetings.
Let us know if you’re interested in becoming part of the Backoffice Team by filling out the online application. It will include a little background information about you and your motivation for joining the team. The application closes April 27th, 2021 (at 4 pm CEST).
The team will be invited to a virtual kick-off when the team selection has been announced.
If you have any questions about the team feel free to reach out to community@umbraco.com. I’m very excited to see this new team take shape.
Today we are officially starting the second part of Future-proofing Umbraco’s backoffice which is all about the backoffice extension API (package developers, this one might be very interesting for you!). Learn more about this next step, how we plan to execute it, and how you can get involved.