API Services, Types, and Shared UI

The Explorer and the Configurator build on a small set of shared client code: the types of the REST contract, the services that call the server, and a few shared helpers and components. Read this page before you add a REST call or a shared helper to the client.

Shared types

src/main/webapp/app/feature-model/core/ holds one TypeScript file per area of the REST contract:

File	Types for
feature-model.types.ts	The model response, the tree, and validation requests and results
guided-workflow.types.ts	The served guided workflow
deployment-profile.types.ts	Profiles and availability
artifact-generation.types.ts	Export requests and publish responses
snapshot.types.ts	The legacy snapshot API

These interfaces mirror the server DTOs. When a DTO changes, update its interface in the same pull request.

The client keeps no copy of the model itself: no feature lists, rules, defaults, or workflow text. It always uses what the server sends. A change to the model or the workflow therefore reaches the client without a client change.

API services

Components never call HttpClient directly. api/feature-model.service.ts wraps every REST call except validation:

Method	Endpoint
loadFeatureModel	GET /api/feature-model
loadGuidedWorkflow	GET /api/feature-model/guided-workflow
loadWorkflowAvailability	GET /api/feature-model/profile-availability
downloadArtifacts	POST /api/feature-model/artifacts/download
downloadDeploymentPackage	POST /api/feature-model/deployment-package/download
publishDeploymentPackage	POST /api/feature-model/deployment-package/publish
loadDeploymentPackagePublishTarget	GET /api/feature-model/deployment-package/publish-target
loadSnapshots	GET /api/feature-model/snapshots

Each method returns the HTTP observable without catching errors, so the calling component decides how to show a failure. Downloads return a Blob, which the Configurator saves as a file.

validation/feature-model-validation.service.ts sends a selection to POST /api/feature-model/validate. The Configurator calls it after every change and numbers its requests, so that only the newest answer is shown.

Shared helpers and components

File	Purpose
core/feature-model-tree.utils.ts	Pure tree helpers: find, filter by search query, collect ids, and kind labels
configurator/shared/configurator-selection.utils.ts	Applies guided options to a selection and adds feature names to validation messages
configurator/shared/validation-issue-list.component.ts	Renders violations or warnings with their code, message, affected features, and fix

Keep helpers pure where you can. A pure function is easy to test and can be shared by both views.

Add a REST call

1. Add or extend the interfaces in core/ to match the server DTO.
2. Add a method to FeatureModelService that returns the HTTP observable.
3. Test it in feature-model.service.spec.ts with HttpTestingController, checking the method, the URL, and the body.

Test fixtures

core/feature-model.test-fixtures.ts builds realistic responses for tests: buildMvpFeatureModelResponse, buildGuidedWorkflowFixture, and buildWorkflowAvailabilityFixture. They accept overrides or options, so a test changes only what it needs.