Regular maintenance tasks, component evolution, deprecation processes, and troubleshooting common issues.

Maintenance and Lifecycle

Overview

Component maintenance is an ongoing process that ensures components remain reliable, performant, and aligned with evolving requirements. This guide covers the complete lifecycle of components from initial release through eventual deprecation.

Living Components

Components are living entities that evolve with your application. Regular maintenance ensures they continue to meet user needs while maintaining quality standards.

Component Lifecycle Management

Component Lifecycle Phases

Components go through distinct phases during their lifetime:

Introduction (0-3 months)
- Initial release and adoption
- Rapid iteration based on feedback
- Documentation refinement
- Performance baseline establishment
Growth (3-12 months)
- Feature additions
- API stabilization
- Widespread adoption
- Pattern establishment
Maturity (12+ months)
- Stable API
- Optimization focus
- Minimal breaking changes
- Comprehensive documentation
Decline (When needed)
- Replacement planning
- Migration preparation
- Deprecation warnings
- Support reduction
Deprecation (3-6 month process)
- Official deprecation announcement
- Migration guide publication
- Limited maintenance
- Final removal

Evolution and Updates

Managing Component Changes

Types of Updates

Patch Updates (0.0.X)

Bug fixes
Performance improvements
Documentation updates
Dependency updates (non-breaking)

// Example: 1.2.3 → 1.2.4
{
  "version": "1.2.4",
  "changes": [
    "Fixed memory leak in animation cleanup",
    "Improved TypeScript definitions",
    "Updated accessibility labels"
  ]
}

Minor Updates (0.X.0)

New features (backward compatible)
New props or options
Deprecation warnings
Performance enhancements

// Example: 1.2.4 → 1.3.0
{
  "version": "1.3.0",
  "changes": [
    "Added 'size' prop with small/medium/large options",
    "Added loading state support",
    "Deprecated 'isLarge' prop (use size='large')",
    "30% render performance improvement"
  ]
}

Major Updates (X.0.0)

Breaking API changes
Architecture redesign
Technology migrations
Removed deprecated features

// Example: 1.3.0 → 2.0.0
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "breaking": [
    "Changed 'onPress' prop to 'onPress'",
    "Removed deprecated 'isLarge' prop",
    "New required prop 'accessibilityLabel'",
    "Migrated from class to function component"
  ]
}

Deprecation Process

Thoughtful Deprecation

Deprecation should be a careful, well-communicated process that gives teams adequate time to migrate while maintaining application stability.

Phase 1: Planning (Month -3)

Identify Deprecation Candidates

Components with better alternatives
Outdated patterns or technologies
Low usage or high maintenance burden
Security or performance concerns

Create Migration Strategy

## Deprecation Plan: OldComponent
 
**Reason**: Replaced by NewComponent with better performance
**Timeline**: 6 months (Jan 2024 - Jun 2024)
**Migration Path**: OldComponent → NewComponent
**Breaking Changes**: Minor API differences
**Team Impact**: ~50 usage instances across 10 features

Phase 2: Announcement (Month 0)

Add Deprecation Warnings

export const OldComponent = (props: OldComponentProps) => {
  useEffect(() => {
    if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
      console.warn(
        'OldComponent is deprecated and will be removed in v3.0.0.\n' +
        'Please migrate to NewComponent.\n' +
        'Migration guide: https://docs.example.com/migration/old-to-new'
      );
    }
  }, []);
  
  // Component implementation
};
 
/**
 * @deprecated Use NewComponent instead. Will be removed in v3.0.0.
 * @see https://docs.example.com/migration/old-to-new
 */
export interface OldComponentProps {
  // Props definition
}

Update Documentation

# OldComponent
 
> ⚠️ **Deprecated**: This component is deprecated and will be removed in v3.0.0.
> Please use [NewComponent](/docs/new-component) instead.
> See the [migration guide](/docs/migration/old-to-new) for details.

Phase 3: Migration Support (Months 1-3)

Provide Migration Tools

// Codemod for automated migration
// codemods/old-to-new-component.js
module.exports = function(fileInfo, api) {
  const j = api.jscodeshift;
  
  return j(fileInfo.source)
    .find(j.ImportDeclaration, {
      source: { value: '@/ui/OldComponent' }
    })
    .replaceWith(
      j.importDeclaration(
        [j.importDefaultSpecifier(j.identifier('NewComponent'))],
        j.literal('@/ui/NewComponent')
      )
    )
    .toSource();
};

Migration Guide

# Migration Guide: OldComponent to NewComponent
 
## API Changes
 
| OldComponent | NewComponent | Notes |
|--------------|--------------|-------|
| `type` | `variant` | Same values |
| `onTap` | `onPress` | Same signature |
| `large` | `size="large"` | Now uses size prop |
 
## Before
```tsx
<OldComponent
  type="primary"
  onTap={handleTap}
  large
/>

After

<NewComponent
  variant="primary"
  onPress={handleTap}
  size="large"
/>

</Step>

<Step>
#### Phase 4: Limited Support (Months 4-5)

**Maintenance Mode**
- Critical security fixes only
- No new features
- No non-critical bug fixes
- Increased warning visibility

```typescript
// Increase warning prominence
export const OldComponent = (props: OldComponentProps) => {
  useEffect(() => {
    console.error(
      '🚨 OldComponent is deprecated and will be removed next month!\n' +
      'Please migrate to NewComponent immediately.\n' +
      'Migration guide: https://docs.example.com/migration/old-to-new'
    );
  }, []);
};

Phase 5: Removal (Month 6)

Final Steps

Remove component code
Update all exports
Clean up documentation
Archive migration guide
Final announcement

# Remove component files
rm -rf ui/deprecated/OldComponent
 
# Update exports
# Remove from ui/index.ts
 
# Update package version
npm version major
 
# Tag removal
git tag -a v3.0.0 -m "Remove deprecated OldComponent"

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Development Issues

Design Token Issues

Issue: Component Not Using Design Tokens

Symptoms:

Hardcoded colors, spacing, or typography
Inconsistent styling across themes
Theme switching not working

Solution:

// ❌ Problem: Hardcoded values
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    backgroundColor: '#3b82f6',
    padding: 16,
    borderRadius: 8,
  },
  text: {
    fontSize: 16,
    color: '#ffffff',
  },
});
 
// ✅ Solution: Use design tokens
import { theme } from '@/core/shared/styles/theme';
 
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    backgroundColor: theme.colors.primary[500],
    padding: theme.spacing.md,
    borderRadius: theme.radii.md,
  },
  text: {
    fontSize: theme.typography.size.md,
    color: theme.colors.primary.contrast,
  },
});

Debugging Steps:

Search for hex colors: #[0-9a-fA-F]{3,6}
Search for pixel values: \d+px|\d+\s*,
Run theme compliance linter
Check theme provider setup

Testing Issues

Common Test Failures

Issue: Tests Break After Token Updates

// ❌ Problem: Hardcoded values in tests
expect(button.props.style.backgroundColor).toBe('#3b82f6');
 
// ✅ Solution: Use token references
import { theme } from '@/core/shared/styles/theme';
 
expect(button.props.style.backgroundColor).toBe(
  theme.colors.primary[500]
);

Issue: Async Test Failures

// ❌ Problem: Not waiting for async operations
it('loads data', () => {
  const { getByText } = render(<Component />);
  expect(getByText('Data loaded')).toBeTruthy();
});
 
// ✅ Solution: Wait for async operations
it('loads data', async () => {
  const { findByText } = render(<Component />);
  expect(await findByText('Data loaded')).toBeTruthy();
});

Issue: Flaky Tests

// ❌ Problem: Timing-dependent tests
it('shows tooltip', () => {
  const { getByText, getByTestId } = render(<Component />);
  fireEvent.press(getByTestId('trigger'));
  expect(getByText('Tooltip')).toBeTruthy();
});
 
// ✅ Solution: Wait for animations
it('shows tooltip', async () => {
  const { getByTestId, findByText } = render(<Component />);
  fireEvent.press(getByTestId('trigger'));
  
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(findByText('Tooltip')).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

Best Practices Summary

Maintenance Excellence

Great component maintenance combines proactive monitoring, thoughtful evolution, clear communication, and comprehensive testing to ensure long-term success.

(Do ✅) Maintenance Best Practices

Regular Reviews: Conduct weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews
Monitor Metrics: Track performance, quality, and usage metrics
Document Changes: Maintain comprehensive changelogs
Communicate Early: Announce deprecations well in advance
Provide Migration Paths: Always offer clear upgrade paths
Test Thoroughly: Maintain high test coverage
Listen to Feedback: Act on user and developer feedback
Plan Ahead: Consider long-term impact of changes
Automate Checks: Use CI/CD for quality gates
Version Properly: Follow semantic versioning strictly

Next Steps

After establishing maintenance processes:

Set up automated monitoring and alerts
Create component health dashboards
Schedule regular review meetings
Document team-specific processes
Train team on maintenance procedures

Component Development Workflow - Complete development process
Testing Strategies - Testing best practices
Component Deployment & Integration - Release processes
Post-Deployment Monitoring & Maintenance - Monitoring and maintenance
Component Patterns - Implementation patterns

Maintenance and Lifecycle

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