refactor: move custom DB methods out of libAnki by david-allison · Pull Request #18676 · ankidroid/Anki-Android

david-allison · 2025-06-26T17:11:43Z

For us to remove the libAnki <-> AnkiDroid circular dependency

Would appreciate someone (@lukstbit / @Arthur-Milchior ?) going over the new class/package names, I'm not too happy, but don't know how you want to move forwards

I also feel these should be combined in a follow-on commit, but wanted a thought on placement/naming first

com.ichi2.anki.backend.AnkiDroidDB
com.ichi2.anki.backend.BackendDBUtils

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AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/backend/BackendDBUtils.kt

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/libanki/DB.kt

Arthur-Milchior

I tihnk the commit message stating that you want to remove circular dependency is too vague. What you really do is reducing the dependency of anki to libanki, if I get it right.

You may want to add # before the issue number so that it's clickable

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/backend/AnkiDroidDB.kt

Arthur-Milchior · 2025-06-26T21:47:09Z

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/backend/BackendDBUtils.kt

+ *  this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.ichi2.anki.backend


I think what may be really useful is to have a small README.md in the folder, to explain what we can expect to find in this folder, what is the logic used to decide what to put in it.

The code is right since it's, as far as I understand, only moved code. But if we try to improve the architecture, it may be nice to simultaneously explain in the code tree the architecture choice.

What would you want in the readme?

My ping was for your comments regarding the package/naming.

I needed to extract this functionality, but it didn't fit well within the current package structure of the app.

If I were to write the readme, it would explain that the classes here are primarily adapters, extensions and utilities for libanki and the Rust-based backend (rsdroid). Mainly:

To extend python-based signatures to make them more idiomatic kotlin

Combining business logic with libanki

To better document libanki/rsdroid

Combining Android dependencies with libanki/rsdroid

But: I don't know if you like the concept of this package, and whether we should split it further.

I don't really know what I'd want, because I didn't really understand what was there. And yes, the explanation you give seems fine.

I guess, if I get it right, something such as:

This folder contains part of the back-end that is Kotlin-specific. It adds various helper, allowing to access the rust-backend and libanki (a port of Anki's python as literal as possible) in a way that is Kotlin-like.

com.ichi2.anki.backend

This package makes the Anki backend (com.ichi2.libanki) more easily consumable by an Android app.
It does so by adding helper methods, extension methods, and functionality which depends on Android.

libanki is expected to match anki/pylib, with minimal Android dependencies and no Anki-Android
dependencies. As com.ichi2.anki.backend is in Anki-Android, these constraints do not apply.

Arthur-Milchior · 2025-06-26T21:57:08Z

I'm having trouble to really get an opinion, because I've no idea even what anki is supposed to be. There are so many things in it. I know libanki is a translation of upstream back-end folder, that one is easy to understand.
But libanki seems very back-end ish and it seems surprising to me to have a back-end in anki.

If there is a document/issue that state the ultimate goal according to you that would help.

In the meantime, as a way to separate libanki, I'm fine with this PR

lukstbit

LGTM, the issues below are not blocking more like notes.

Related to naming, I'm not able to come up with something better so they are fine from my point of view.

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/backend/BackendDBUtils.kt

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/backend/AnkiDroidDB.kt

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/libanki/DB.kt

david-allison · 2025-06-28T11:30:37Z

Thanks! This PR was a mix of 'later' and 'newer' commits from the libAnki split PR (and I think it's the last one before we start moving files)

The reviews here have been really useful to have a 'high level' view of where things move to, rather than the mechanical 'make things work'

AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionManager.kt

* BackendDBUtils.withAndroidFramework Removes a cyclic dependency: libAnki <-> AnkiDroid Issue 18015

In order for us to remove the Android dependency Issue 18015

For us to remove the libAnki <-> AnkiDroid circular dependency Issue 18015

review comments from https://redirect.github.com/ankidroid/Anki-Android/pull/18676/

`BackendDBUtils.withAndroidFramework` => `createDatabaseUsingAndroidFramework` `AnkiDroidDB.withRustBackend` => `createDatabaseUsingRustBackend`

BrayanDSO

Nothing blocking. LGTM

david-allison added the Needs Review label Jun 26, 2025

Arthur-Milchior reviewed Jun 26, 2025

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david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from 9722f85 to ea2e3f4 Compare June 27, 2025 17:45

lukstbit approved these changes Jun 28, 2025

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david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from 959dc5c to 036a68f Compare June 28, 2025 11:31

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AnkiDroid/src/main/java/com/ichi2/anki/CollectionManager.kt Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from 036a68f to 3545e88 Compare June 28, 2025 16:41

github-actions bot added the Has Conflicts label Jun 29, 2025

david-allison added 3 commits June 29, 2025 23:03

refactor: move custom DB methods out of libAnki

4df2337

* BackendDBUtils.withAndroidFramework Removes a cyclic dependency: libAnki <-> AnkiDroid Issue 18015

refactor(libanki): make 'DB' an interface

df81092

In order for us to remove the Android dependency Issue 18015

refactor(libanki): split AnkiDroidDB to AnkiDroid

841e9be

For us to remove the libAnki <-> AnkiDroid circular dependency Issue 18015

david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from 3545e88 to 622921f Compare June 29, 2025 22:04

david-allison removed the Has Conflicts label Jun 29, 2025

mikehardy requested a review from Arthur-Milchior June 30, 2025 15:25

refactor(libanki): remove AnkiDroidDB dependency

afd82aa

For us to remove the libAnki <-> AnkiDroid circular dependency Issue 18015

david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from 622921f to babbed3 Compare June 30, 2025 23:57

david-allison added Needs Author Reply Waiting for a reply from the original author and removed Needs reviewer reply Waiting for a reply from another reviewer labels Jul 2, 2025

david-allison added 2 commits July 2, 2025 23:10

docs: DB-related classes

5e97cc2

review comments from https://redirect.github.com/ankidroid/Anki-Android/pull/18676/

refactor: move BackendDBUtils to top level

7e5d285

`BackendDBUtils.withAndroidFramework` => `createDatabaseUsingAndroidFramework` `AnkiDroidDB.withRustBackend` => `createDatabaseUsingRustBackend`

david-allison force-pushed the libanki-db branch from babbed3 to 7e5d285 Compare July 2, 2025 22:10

david-allison added Needs reviewer reply Waiting for a reply from another reviewer and removed Needs Author Reply Waiting for a reply from the original author labels Jul 2, 2025

BrayanDSO approved these changes Jul 4, 2025

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BrayanDSO added Pending Merge Things with approval that are waiting future merge (e.g. targets a future release, CI wait, etc) and removed Needs Second Approval Has one approval, one more approval to merge Needs reviewer reply Waiting for a reply from another reviewer labels Jul 4, 2025

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Merged via the queue into ankidroid:main with commit ea1017f Jul 4, 2025
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github-actions bot added this to the 2.21 release milestone Jul 4, 2025

github-actions bot removed the Pending Merge Things with approval that are waiting future merge (e.g. targets a future release, CI wait, etc) label Jul 4, 2025

david-allison deleted the libanki-db branch July 14, 2025 01:37

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david-allison commented Jun 26, 2025 •

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`com.ichi2.anki.backend`

david-allison commented Jun 28, 2025 •

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