porting-tools-to-fluent

name	porting-tools-to-fluent
description	Guide for porting Babylon.js tools from legacy shared-ui-components to Fluent UI using MakeModularTool. Use when: port to fluent, migrate to fluent, fluent migration, porting tool UI.

Porting Babylon.js Tools to Fluent UI

Guide for porting Babylon.js tools (NME, NGE, NPE, NRGE, Playground, etc.) from the legacy shared-ui-components to Fluent UI using the MakeModularTool framework from shared-ui-components/modularTool/.

Reference implementation: packages/tools/viewer-configurator/ (fully ported).

---

Overview

A Fluent port replaces four layers:

1. Bootstrapping — from ad-hoc createRoot + <App /> to MakeModularTool (provides theming, settings, shell layout)
2. Layout — from hand-rolled split containers / panes to IShellService (central content, side panes, toolbars)
3. Components — from legacy shared-ui-components to shared-ui-components/fluent/ primitives and HOCs
4. Styling — from raw SCSS/CSS to makeStyles from @fluentui/react-components
5. Icons — from FontAwesome to @fluentui/react-icons

---

1. Dependencies

Add

// package.json devDependencies
"@fluentui/react-components": "^9.x", // for makeStyles, tokens, low-level Fluent components
"@fluentui/react-icons": "^2.x"       // for all icons

Note: @dev/shared-ui-components should already be a dependency. It contains both the Fluent primitives (fluent/) and the ModularTool framework (modularTool/). No dependency on @dev/inspector is needed.

Remove

"@fortawesome/fontawesome-svg-core": "...",
"@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons": "...",
"@fortawesome/free-regular-svg-icons": "...",
"@fortawesome/react-fontawesome": "...",
"sass": "...",
"sass-loader": "..."   // if no other SCSS remains

Vite config

Ensure the shared-ui-components alias is present:

commonDevViteConfiguration({
    aliases: {
        "shared-ui-components": path.resolve("../../dev/sharedUiComponents/src"),
        // ... other aliases as needed
    },
});

tsconfig.json

Ensure the shared-ui-components path mapping is present (no inspector mapping needed):

"paths": {
    "shared-ui-components/*": ["../../dev/sharedUiComponents/src/*"]
}

---

2. Bootstrapping with MakeModularTool

Replace the old entry point:

// BEFORE
const root = createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!);
root.render(<App />);

// AFTER
import { MakeModularTool } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/modularTool";
MakeModularTool({
    namespace: "MyToolName",
    containerElement: document.getElementById("root")!,
    serviceDefinitions: [
        /* your service definitions */
    ],
    toolbarMode: "compact", // "compact" for minimal toolbar, "full" for full toolbar
    showThemeSelector: true, // adds theme toggle to toolbar
    // Do NOT pass extensionFeeds to disable the extensions dialog
});

MakeModularTool automatically provides:

• FluentProvider + theme (light/dark)
• SettingsStore (persisted user preferences)
• ThemeService + optional ThemeSelectorService
• ShellService (layout: central content, side panes, toolbars)
• ToastProvider + IToastService for toast notifications (consume ToastServiceIdentity — do not roll your own container)
• IDialogService (consume DialogServiceIdentity) for modal alert/confirm dialogs — replaces ad-hoc MessageDialog

Cross-window / popup hosting

MakeModularTool derives targetDocument from containerElement.ownerDocument. If your tool's entry function (e.g. Show(options)) hosts the editor in a popup window, just pass the popup body as containerElement — Fluent/Griffel/Theme plumb cross-window automatically.

• For a fully-Fluent popup, use OpenPopupWindow from shared-ui-components/fluent/hoc/popupWindow.
• If part of your tool still ships traditional CSS/SCSS (e.g. shared-ui-components/nodeGraphSystem/'s graph canvas), keep the legacy CreatePopup from shared-ui-components/popupHelper — it copies stylesheets into the popup. Fluent and CreatePopup coexist fine.

---

3. Service Architecture

Each tool should define its own services that populate the shell. A service is a ServiceDefinition<Produces, Consumes> with:

• friendlyName — human-readable name for debugging
• produces — array of service identity symbols this service provides
• consumes — array of service identity symbols this service depends on
• factory(…consumedServices) — returns an object satisfying the produced contracts + optional IDisposable

Defining a service identity and contract

export const MyServiceIdentity = Symbol("MyService");

export interface IMyService extends IService<typeof MyServiceIdentity> {
    readonly someData: SomeType | undefined;
    readonly onStateChanged: IReadonlyObservable<void>;
}

Service factory pattern

export const MyServiceDefinition: ServiceDefinition<[IMyService], [IShellService]> = {
    friendlyName: "My Service",
    produces: [MyServiceIdentity],
    consumes: [ShellServiceIdentity],
    factory: (shellService) => {
        const onStateChanged = new Observable<void>();
        let someData: SomeType | undefined;

        // Register shell content
        const registration = shellService.addCentralContent({
            key: "MyContent",
            component: () => <MyComponent />,
        });

        return {
            get someData() {
                return someData;
            },
            onStateChanged,
            dispose: () => {
                onStateChanged.clear();
                registration.dispose();
            },
        } satisfies IMyService & IDisposable;
    },
};

Shell service APIs

• shellService.addCentralContent({ key, component }) — main content area
• shellService.addSidePane({ key, title, icon, horizontalLocation, verticalLocation, teachingMoment, content }) — side pane
• shellService.addToolbarItem({ key, horizontalLocation, verticalLocation, teachingMoment, component }) — toolbar button

All return IDisposable — clean up in your service's dispose().

Reactive state with useObservableState

Use the useObservableState hook from shared-ui-components/modularTool/ to subscribe to service state in React components:

import { useObservableState } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/hooks/observableHooks";

const myData = useObservableState(
    () => myService.someData, // getter
    myService.onStateChanged // observable to subscribe to
);

---

4. Component Mapping

Legacy → Fluent shared component mapping

Legacy Component	Fluent Replacement	Import Path
LineContainerComponent	AccordionSection	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/accordion
Side pane container	Accordion (or ExtensibleAccordion)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/accordion
CheckBoxLineComponent	Switch (primitive) or SwitchPropertyLine (with label)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/switch or .../hoc/propertyLines/switchPropertyLine
SliderLineComponent	SyncedSliderInput (primitive) or SyncedSliderPropertyLine (with label)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/syncedSlider or .../hoc/propertyLines/syncedSliderPropertyLine
OptionsLine	Dropdown (primitive) or StringDropdownPropertyLine (with label)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/dropdown or .../hoc/propertyLines/dropdownPropertyLine
ButtonLineComponent	Button (primitive)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/button
TextInputLineComponent (single-line)	TextInput (primitive) or TextInputPropertyLine (with label)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/textInput or .../hoc/propertyLines/inputPropertyLine
TextInputLineComponent (multiline)	Fluent Textarea + slot props	@fluentui/react-components
MessageLineComponent	MessageBar	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/messageBar
Color4LineComponent	ColorPickerPopup (primitive) or Color4PropertyLine (with label)	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/colorPicker or .../hoc/propertyLines/colorPropertyLine
LockObject	Not needed (Fluent property lines don't use it)	—
FontAwesomeIconButton	Button with icon prop	shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/button
SplitContainer / Splitter	Shell service layout (side panes)	Handled by MakeModularTool

When to use PropertyLine vs primitives

• PropertyLine — Use when a row has a label. Renders InfoLabel + child content in a standardized layout with hover border. Import from shared-ui-components/fluent/hoc/propertyLines/propertyLine.
• LineContainer — Use for rows without a label. Simple wrapper with hover border. Same import path.
• Primitives directly — Use when you need custom layout, e.g. button groups or compound rows.

Composing controls within PropertyLine

PropertyLine constrains its children via an internal childWrapper div with overflow: hidden and whiteSpace: nowrap. For multi-element children, wrap them in a flex container:

const useStyles = makeStyles({
    propertyContent: {
        display: "flex",
        flexDirection: "row",
        alignItems: "center",
        gap: tokens.spacingHorizontalS,
        width: "100%",
    },
    fillControl: { flex: 1, minWidth: 0 },
    buttonGroup: { display: "flex", flexDirection: "row", alignItems: "center" },
});

// Example: TextInput + action buttons
<PropertyLine label="Model URL">
    <div className={classes.propertyContent}>
        <div className={classes.fillControl}>
            <TextInput value={url} onChange={setUrl} className={classes.fullWidth} />
        </div>
        <div className={classes.buttonGroup}>
            <Button icon={ArrowUploadRegular} onClick={onUpload} />
            <Button icon={ArrowResetRegular} onClick={onReset} />
        </div>
    </div>
</PropertyLine>;

---

5. Icons

Replace all FontAwesome icons with @fluentui/react-icons. For general icon conventions (unsized variants, fontSize sizing), see fluent.instructions.md.

Common FontAwesome → Fluent mappings:

FontAwesome	Fluent Icon
faQuestionCircle	QuestionCircleRegular
faBullseye	TargetRegular
faCamera	CameraRegular
faCheck	CheckmarkRegular
faCopy	CopyRegular
faGripVertical	ReOrderDotsVerticalRegular
faRotateLeft	ArrowResetRegular
faSave	SaveRegular
faSquarePlus	AddSquareRegular
faTrashCan	DeleteRegular
faUpload	ArrowUploadRegular
faChevronDown	ChevronDownRegular
faChevronUp	ChevronUpRegular
faGear / faCog	SettingsRegular
faEye	EyeRegular
faEyeSlash	EyeOffRegular
faPlus	AddRegular
faMinus	SubtractRegular
faPencil / faEdit	EditRegular
faClose / faTimes	DismissRegular
faSearch	SearchRegular
faLink	LinkRegular

Custom SVG icons

Use createFluentIcon for custom icons (e.g. Babylon logo):

import { createFluentIcon } from "@fluentui/react-icons";

export const MyIcon = createFluentIcon(
    "MyIcon",
    "1em", // width — "1em" sizes with font-size
    // Single string for complex SVG (supports fill colors):
    '<g transform="...">' + '<path fill="#e0684b" d="..."/>' + "</g>"
);

The default viewBox is 0 0 20 20. If your SVG source has a different viewBox, compute a transform to map the content bounds into 20×20 space:

1. Find the actual content bounding box (min/max of all coordinates)
2. Compute scale: min(20 / contentWidth, 20 / contentHeight)
3. Center: translate((20 - scaledWidth) / 2, (20 - scaledHeight) / 2)
4. Apply: translate(centerX, centerY) scale(s) translate(-minX, -minY)

---

6. Styling Migration (SCSS → makeStyles)

For general makeStyles, spacing tokens, and inline style rules, see fluent.instructions.md. This section covers migration-specific steps.

Rules

• Zero raw CSS/SCSS after the port. Delete all .scss files and scssDeclaration.d.ts.
• Only use inline style={} for truly dynamic values (e.g. drag-and-drop transforms).

Example

import { makeStyles, tokens } from "@fluentui/react-components";

const useStyles = makeStyles({
    root: {
        display: "flex",
        flexDirection: "column",
        height: "100%",
        overflow: "hidden",
    },
    header: {
        display: "flex",
        alignItems: "center",
        gap: tokens.spacingHorizontalS,
    },
});

const MyComponent = () => {
    const classes = useStyles();
    return <div className={classes.root}>...</div>;
};

ToolContext for consistent sizing

Wrap your tool's root content in a ToolContext.Provider with size: "medium" to ensure consistent control sizing:

import { ToolContext } from "shared-ui-components/fluent/hoc/fluentToolWrapper";

<ToolContext.Provider value={{ useFluent: true, disableCopy: false, toolName: "MyTool", size: "medium" }}>{/* tool content */}</ToolContext.Provider>;

---

7. Known Gotchas

className forwarding on shared primitives

Not all shared primitives forward className to the outermost DOM element. When a primitive does NOT forward className, wrap it in a <div>:

Primitive	Forwards className?	Workaround
Button	✅ Yes	—
Dropdown	✅ Yes	—
TextInput	✅ Yes (via mergeClasses)	—
SyncedSliderInput	❌ No	Wrap in <div className={...}>
ColorPickerPopup	❌ No	Wrap in <div className={...}>

TextInput width override

TextInput has a hardcoded width: 150px from Fluent's UniformWidthStyling. To make it fill available space:

1. Wrap in a <div> with flex: 1; minWidth: 0 (the fillControl pattern)
2. Pass className={classes.fullWidth} (with fullWidth: { width: "100%" }) to the TextInput — Griffel's deduplication ensures the external className wins over the internal 150px

Textarea slot styling

className on Fluent's Textarea applies to the outer wrapper span, not the inner <textarea> element. To style the actual textarea (e.g. monospace font, no-wrap):

<Textarea className={classes.outerStyles} textarea={{ className: classes.innerStyles }} />

Where:

outerStyles: { minHeight: "160px" },
innerStyles: { fontFamily: "monospace", whiteSpace: "pre", overflowX: "auto" },

HTML custom elements

React's className doesn't work on HTML custom elements (e.g. <babylon-viewer>). Use class= instead:

<babylon-viewer class={classes.myViewer} />

You'll need a JSX IntrinsicElements declaration with class?: string.

ButtonLine nesting

Do not nest ButtonLine inside PropertyLine — this creates a LineContainer inside PropertyLine resulting in double borders. Use the Button primitive directly instead.

Button groups

When multiple action buttons appear together (e.g. upload + reset), wrap them in a gapless flex row to avoid unwanted spacing between buttons:

buttonGroup: { display: "flex", flexDirection: "row", alignItems: "center" },

The gap should be between the left content (e.g. a text input) and the button group, not between individual buttons.

---

8. Import Paths

The ModularTool framework and Fluent components live in shared-ui-components:

// Service framework
import { MakeModularTool } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/modularTool";
import { type ServiceDefinition, type IService } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/modularity/serviceDefinition";
import { type WeaklyTypedServiceDefinition } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/modularity/serviceContainer";

// Shell service
import { type IShellService, ShellServiceIdentity } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/services/shellService";

// Hooks
import { useObservableState } from "shared-ui-components/modularTool/hooks/observableHooks";

// Fluent primitives and HOCs
import { Accordion, AccordionSection } from "shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/accordion";
import { Button } from "shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/button";
// ... etc.

No inspector/ imports are needed for tools — everything comes from shared-ui-components/.

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9. File Cleanup Checklist

After porting, delete:

• All .scss / .css files
• scssDeclaration.d.ts (SCSS module type declarations)
• FontAwesomeIconButton.tsx or similar FA wrapper components
• ExpandableMessageLineComponent.tsx or similar legacy message components
• Local observableHooks.ts (use shared-ui-components/modularTool/hooks/observableHooks instead)
• App.tsx / App.scss if the root component is replaced by shell service content

Verify

• The Vite app builds cleanly with the package build script
• No remaining imports of sass, scss, fontawesome, or legacy shared-ui-components
• All controls render correctly in both light and dark themes
• Dynamic functionality (drag-and-drop, modals, etc.) still works

---

10. Dropdown Options Pattern

The Fluent Dropdown uses DropdownOption<T> instead of the old IInspectableOptions:

import type { DropdownOption } from "shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/dropdown";

const options: DropdownOption<string>[] = [
    { key: "option1", text: "Option 1" },
    { key: "option2", text: "Option 2" },
];

<Dropdown options={options} value={currentValue} onChange={onValueChanged} />;

For satisfies clauses in const option arrays, use satisfies DropdownOption<string>[] instead of the old satisfies IInspectableOptions[].

---

Summary: Step-by-Step Porting Order

1. Update dependencies — add Fluent + inspector, remove FontAwesome + SCSS
2. Update Vite config — add any needed shared aliases
3. Update tsconfig — add inspector path mapping
4. Create services — define service identities, contracts, and factory functions
5. Rewrite entry point — replace createRoot with MakeModularTool
6. Port components — replace legacy components with Fluent equivalents, convert SCSS to makeStyles
7. Replace icons — swap FontAwesome for @fluentui/react-icons
8. Switch hooks — use useObservableState from shared-ui-components/modularTool/ instead of local hooks
9. Delete obsolete files — remove SCSS, FA wrappers, legacy components
10. Build & verify — ensure clean build and correct rendering in both themes

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11. Patterns for Large Editor Ports

Distilled from the Flow Graph Editor port (packages/tools/flowGraphEditor/). See its port-to-fluent.md for the full plan.

Phased execution

For tools too large to port in one go (NME-class), use phases that each leave the build green:

1. Bootstrap & shell — add Fluent deps, create a GlobalState service, wrap the existing class component as a single addCentralContent passthrough, switch entry point to MakeModularTool.
2. Decompose layout — extract each pane into its own service that still wraps the legacy component. Delete SplitContainer/Splitter once the shell owns the layout.
3. Port surrounding components — rewrite each pane/dialog/toolbar to Fluent + makeStyles. One component at a time.
4. Port property panels — replace shared-ui-components/lines/* with Fluent property-line HOCs.
5. Cleanup — delete local sharedComponents/, all .scss, obsolete package.json devDeps; run lint/format/build/e2e.

MakeXService(options) factory pattern

When a service needs instance-specific inputs from the tool's entry function (e.g. Show(options)), export a factory rather than a static ServiceDefinition:

export function MakeGlobalStateService(options: IMyToolOptions, hostElement: HTMLElement): ServiceDefinition<[IGlobalStateService], []> {
    return {
        friendlyName: "Global State Service",
        produces: [GlobalStateServiceIdentity],
        factory: () => {
            const globalState = new GlobalState(options.scene);
            // wire options into globalState...
            return { globalState, dispose: () => { /* cleanup */ } };
        },
    };
}

// In Show(options):
MakeModularTool({
    serviceDefinitions: [MakeGlobalStateService(options, hostElement), CentralServiceDefinition, ...],
    /* ... */
});

Prefer this over a parentContainer for instance-scoped data.

Bridge services for legacy observables

When the existing codebase uses globalState.on*Observable to trigger UI (toasts, dialogs, etc.), don't rewrite all call sites. Add a small "bridge" service that consumes the framework service and forwards observable events:

export const ToastBridgeServiceDefinition: ServiceDefinition<[], [IGlobalStateService, IToastService]> = {
    friendlyName: "Toast Bridge Service",
    consumes: [GlobalStateServiceIdentity, ToastServiceIdentity],
    factory: (gs, toast) => {
        const observer = gs.globalState.onToastNotification.add((d) => toast.showToast(d.message, { intent: d.severity }));
        return { dispose: () => observer?.remove() };
    },
};

Same pattern works for DialogBridge → IDialogService, etc. Delete the legacy renderer (ToastContainerComponent, MessageDialog) once bridged.

ToolContext override per pane

Dense property panels often want size: "small" independent of the user's tool-wide setting. Override ToolContext inside the pane's content function (spread the parent first so other fields are inherited):

content: () => {
    const parent = useContext(ToolContext);
    const ctx = useMemo(() => ({ ...parent, size: "small" as const }), [parent]);
    return <ToolContext.Provider value={ctx}><PropertyTab .../></ToolContext.Provider>;
},

Toolbar hosts global actions

Convert global buttons (Help, How-to-use, documentation links) to shellService.addToolbarItem({ horizontalLocation: "right", verticalLocation: "bottom" }). Existing top-of-canvas control bars (play/pause/undo/redo) fit naturally in { horizontalLocation: "left", verticalLocation: "top" }, removing the need for a custom bar above the canvas.

Buttons typically just notify an existing globalState.on*Requested observable so the dialog overlay logic stays where it is.

Side panes — ExtensibleAccordion, title + icon

• Use ExtensibleAccordion (from shared-ui-components/modularTool/components/extensibleAccordion) for node lists and property tabs — gives filtering and pinning for free.
• Set title and icon on addSidePane so the shell renders the tool name/logo in the pane header (mirrors viewer-configurator/configuratorService.tsx). Use Fluent icons first; createFluentIcon only for Babylon-specific glyphs (logo, port markers).

FileUploadLine for file inputs

Replace local FileButtonLineComponent-style components with FileUploadLine from shared-ui-components/fluent/hoc/fileUploadLine. Its callback receives a FileList — read files[0] if you previously took a single File.

Shared Dialog primitive

Use Dialog from shared-ui-components/fluent/primitives/dialog (open + title + children + actions) for ad-hoc dialogs instead of composing FluentDialog + DialogSurface + DialogBody directly.

Keep GraphCanvasComponent out of scope

The shared shared-ui-components/nodeGraphSystem/ graph canvas is consumed by every node-graph editor and still ships SCSS. Don't try to port it during a tool-level Fluent migration — only port the surrounding shell, panes, dialogs, and property panels.