Behavior of <DoenetEditor> and its doenetML prop

[cqnykamp]

I'm trying to wrap my head around how the doenetML prop in <DoenetEditor> is supposed to be used. Is it supposed to be a controlled prop that the editor updates every time users type something? Or is it supposed to represent the initial doenetml when the page loads?

Context: I'm running into a bug where React triggers a new render on my page and that is causing the editor to reload. Not sure if the issue is caused by incorrect usage of doenetML prop on my part or by something in @doenet/doenetml-iframe.

[cqnykamp]

I was using a React useRef to store the latest doenetml, and then updating it manually.

const textEditorDoenetML = useRef(initial_doenetml_from_database);

<DoenetEditor
      doenetML={textEditorDoenetML.current}
      immediateDoenetmlChangeCallback={(newDoenetML: string) => {
        textEditorDoenetML.current = newDoenetML;
      }}
/>

The sequence I was running into was:

1. User types in editor
2. textEditorDoenetML.current changes in memory. React does not re-render because we're using a ref. Therefore the child DoenetEditor does not receive a new doenetML prop yet.
3. Unrelated state update happens, causing my page's React to rerender my component.
4. <DoenetEditor>'s doenetML prop suddenly sees the new textEditorDoenetML.current. IFrame re-render happens.

[siefkenj]

Is there some initialDonenetML field that can be used for an uncontrolled component?

I guess the weird model is that a doenet exercise is static, even though a user may move sliders and such, the source doesn't change. With the editor, that is still the case. It is just that the source code itself acts like a "slider". But this is not a great model to have if you're trying to make an editor...

[dqnykamp]

The DoenetML prop is really an initialDoenetML prop. If I remember right, it isn't a controlled component as that isn't the way the <CodeMirror> react component works.

I have also been bothered for quite a while that if you make changes to a document and then change its title, it reloads the <DoenetEditor> component. I was not successful in fixing that bug. I imagine this is the same bug.

If I remember correctly, the problem was due to the iframe -> standalone bridge. I couldn't figure out how to channel a change through that without making it reload the whole component.

[dqnykamp]

Fixing this alone would have been a bit beyond me. (I gave up on previous tries.) This time, working with Claude, we now have PR #1131. i hope it will fix the issue.