fix: use MFE-aware URL instead of legacy when generating block URL

[efortish]

Description

When using the Notes feature in a course with the Learning MFE enabled, clicking on a note from the Notes tab redirected users to the last visited unit rather than to the unit containing the note. This happened because the Notes component was generating URLs using the legacy format without considering whether the Learning MFE was active.

Objective

Fix the EdxNotes feature to properly navigate to note locations when the Learning MFE is enabled, ensuring that when a user clicks on a note from the Notes tab, they are directed to the correct unit containing that note rather than to the last visited unit.

Technical Approach

The issue was identified in the get_block_context function within helpers.py. This function was using a hardcoded approach to generate URLs for vertical blocks, which always produced URLs in the legacy format:

elif block.category == 'vertical':
    section = block.get_parent()
    chapter = section.get_parent()
    # Position starts from 1, that's why we add 1.
    position = get_index(str(block.location), section.children) + 1
    block_dict['url'] = reverse('courseware_position', kwargs={
        'course_id': str(course.id),
        'chapter': chapter.url_name,
        'section': section.url_name,
        'position': position,
    })

The solution was to replace the legacy URL generation logic with a call to the existing get_courseware_url function from url_helpers.py. This function already handles proper URL generation based on whether the Learning MFE is active or not:

elif block.category == 'vertical':
    # Use the MFE-aware URL generator instead of always using the legacy URL format
    block_dict['url'] = get_courseware_url(block.location)

Achievements

• Correct navigation to notes: Users can now click on notes in the Notes tab and be taken directly to the unit containing the note, regardless of whether they're using the legacy or MFE experience.

• Consistent user experience: The navigation behavior is now consistent between the legacy view and Learning MFE, providing a seamless experience for users.

• Proper URL generation: The Notes component now generates URLs that are compatible with both legacy and MFE views by leveraging the platform's existing URL generation infrastructure.

Testing cases

2025-04-14.23-38-31.mp4

Related Issues

[TC_LEARNER_39] Notes tab linking not working

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[mariajgrimaldi]

Thank you for the contribution! I see this issue fixes the access of the notes from the course tab, where now it redirects to the correct unit. Now, I think previously this also redirected to the corresponding component with the annotation within the unit which is also broken right now. Can you help me confirm this? If this is the case, I think it'd be a good idea to open a follow up PR to also fix this issue. Let me know what you think!

[efortish]

Thank you for the contribution! I see this issue fixes the access of the notes from the course tab, where now it redirects to the correct unit. Now, I think previously this also redirected to the corresponding component with the annotation within the unit which is also broken right now. Can you help me confirm this? If this is the case, I think it'd be a good idea to open a follow up PR to also fix this issue. Let me know what you think!

Hello @mariajgrimaldi , thank you so much for the review, Can you please explain to me what are you referring with Now, I think previously this also redirected to the corresponding component with the annotation within the unit which is also broken right now