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django-micboarddjango-micboard

ADR-008: Remove Compat Shim Layer

Status: Implemented Date: 2026-05-20 Updated: 2026-07-14 Deciders: Project team

Context

micboard/manufacturers/ is a backward-compatibility shim layer. Its __init__.py (93 lines) dynamically mirrors micboard.integrations.* modules into sys.modules under the old micboard.manufacturers namespace.

The directory contains:

  • __init__.py — module loader that patches sys.modules
  • base.py (98 lines) — abstract base classes (BaseAPIClient, BasePlugin, ManufacturerPlugin)

The actual plugin implementations live in micboard/integrations/shure/ and micboard/integrations/sennheiser/. The shim exists so that legacy import paths like from micboard.manufacturers.shure import ... continue to work.

Maintaining this shim:

  • Creates confusion about the canonical import path.
  • Uses dynamic sys.modules manipulation, which is fragile and hard to debug.
  • Duplicates class definitions now owned by micboard/services/common/base/.
  • Adds a maintenance burden for zero functional value.

Decision

  1. Remove micboard/manufacturers/ entirely in a single PR.
  2. Update all import references from micboard.manufacturers.* to micboard.integrations.*.
  3. Use the canonical contracts in micboard/services/common/base/; do not create another shared hierarchy or compatibility export under micboard/integrations/.
  4. Remove all sys.modules patching logic from the shim __init__.py.

Consequences

  • Positive: One fewer layer of indirection. Manufacturer implementations live under integrations/, while shared contracts have one source of truth under services/common/base/. About 100 lines of dead code were removed.
  • Negative: Every file importing from micboard.manufacturers must be updated (estimate: 15-25 import sites). This must be coordinated to avoid breaking CI mid-migration.
  • Migration: Single PR. No deprecation window — the shim has existed long enough that any actively maintained code paths should already be migrated. Verify by grepping for micboard.manufacturers across the entire repo.

Compliance

  • CI will fail if any file imports from micboard.manufacturers.
  • Package initializers do not re-export plugin contracts or implementations.