react-instantsearch release 🔙🔛🔝🔜

[vvo]

Here are the necessary things to fix before we can claim a release. Put your name next to one you wanna do. Create an issue if necessary, otherwise just do it.

API

We are getting there, nothing much left.

• connectHitsPerPage must provide isRefined in items data
• connectHitsPerPage must disallow configuring with only numbers (HitsPerPage items=[10,20,30]). We should always force using the object form. For consistency and single way to do one thing.
• (Marie) rename InstantsSearch prop state to searchState
• Finish new awesome highlighting refactoring(highlight): refactor highlighting into a widget and connector #1645 @bobylito
• release last beta version, update website @vvo
• Tune CSS API, add default font, style highlight Default style: no default style for Highlight or Hits #1683
• Add specific Algolia user agent to distinguish instantsearch.js and react-instantsearch (see https://github.com/algolia/instantsearch.js/blob/f4c52d1716255f5721e4d6b6fb03995914651b33/src/lib/InstantSearch.js#L76)

Website

• Implement landing design Implement landing page design in the website #1606 @LukyVj
• ensure marketing tags are set
• add docsearch @mthuret
• headers highlighting seems again broken on left nav in getting started

Docs

Docs must be 100% accurate, clear and to the point. We have some areas to fix.

• add docsearch
• Left sidebar is behaving badly Left navigation sidebar is not behaving well #1671
• Ensure react-instantsearch website always link to the v2 branch as for viewing code
• Ensure relative links are always working when website deployed to production (/instantsearch.js/react) Fix all broken links in the documentation #1639 @vvo
• Ensure we inject and use the version of react-instantsearch react-instantsearch-theme-algolia in the website so that links to specific versions are always up to date (like the CSS file) Update styling guide to automatically inline current theme version to download #1641
• (Marie) Ensure places we speak about "Component(s)" in the documentation are relevant. Otherwise it should be Widget (i.e. NO SearchBox component, YES SearchBox widget). Only <InstantSearch> can be called a component. Widgets are connected components.
• (Marie) getProvidedProps(props, state, search, meta) should always be getProvidedProps(props, searchState, searchResults, metadata). We need to be very precise about what we talk. Both code and documentation should always refer to searchState instead of InstantSearch state or state. It should be less confusing for users to always have a clear name to use.
• Ensure every connector has a precise documentation, in particular on currentRefinement and refine descriptions. We sometime have vague descriptions or erroneous ones, we need to be precise. (example: connectSearchBox). If we have a refine method, we need to explain how to call it, what are the argument. Maybe we could just add one example per connector (very very simple one), and put it at the top. One simple example speaks a lot more for connectors maybe than the vague props.
• Read, re-read every documentation as if you were a new user. Start from getting started, do it, read the guide, follow it, read API descriptions. This takes time but will be worth it.
• Everywhere we speak about an actual token to be used in JSX (Like the "InstantSearch component"), we should write it as JSX, like the "<InstantSearch> component". For ease of reading.
• @vvo Ask a native english speaker to proof read the documentation once last beta is released
• Actually release the non beta version, right before we go live

Right after release:

• Announce react-instantsearch on instantsearch.js main README (develop branch)
  Link to the website, link to the code, top of the file. GOAL: be transparent
• Put a banner (need a banner, cc @sebnvzt) on instantsearch.js website
• Put a banner on Algolia.com website, or at least find a place where mentioning react-instantsearch makes sense and helps users

[vvo]

Locking this, we are using it as a single point of entry for any work related on react-instantsearch. You can still open discussion here or privately.

[vvo]

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