Enhance OpenMRS SDK to support Dockerized Module-Based Distribution Builds

[ruhanga (Nathan Ruhanga)]

@mseaton

Before we dive it though, it would be good to clearly lay out what problem we are trying to solve so that we can best identify the specific features that we should add to the SDK. It might be that it is best to develop a few small, independent features that can be composed together, each of which is independently useful.

Indeed, @mseaton — the intention behind this feature is to complement and carry forward the efforts initiated by @corneliouzbett, specifically:

@corneliouzbett

• Utilizing docker to build and develop openmrs modules.

@mseaton

… another obvious use case would be If one deploys a module or a distribution into an existing SDK instance, the SDK should be able to check whether all of that module’s / distribution’s dependencies are present, and if they are not, should prompt the user to add what is needed, iterating over each missing dependency and presenting the user with a list of compatible versions of each that they could install.

Absolutely — your suggestion to have the SDK automatically detect and resolve missing dependencies when deploying a module or distribution is spot-on.

From the perspective of implementers and testers, this would be really valuable. It would help assess the dependency safety of a module or distribution before runtime issues arise.

While this extends beyond the original motivation, it’s a highly complementary enhancement. It can easily be scoped as part of the broader effort to improve the SDK’s module/dependency handling — involving interactive prompts or automated resolution where feasible.