[Bug]: The GUI for Metadata folders has several issues

[gmitter-ef]

Apache Hop version?

2.12.0

Java version?

OpenJDK 17

Operating system

Windows

What happened?

In the Metadata GUI / view, there is the possibility to create folders, e.g. inside "Relational Database Connection". Trying to use them revealed several issues:

• the dialog for creating a folder has a strange label (colon adn double quote in the end)

• right click on "Relational Database Connection" ==> create folder with "New Folder" ==> double click on (empty) folder ==> Error
  ** "Unable to find element 'test' in the metadata"
  ** the folder vanishes

• create connection with "New" ==> right click (either on folder, or on "Relational Database Connection)==> "New" ==> (empty) folder gets deleted / disappears

• no possibility to drag a element (e.g. a connection) into a (empty) folder!!!

• manually adapting the virtualPath in the metadata JSON works (e.g.: "virtualPath": "/test/")
  ** when the connections are then finally stored in folder (after manipulating the virtual path): the issues are then not present anymore on this folder, seems to be an issue only for empty folders
  ** however, in the GUI I find no option to populate empty folders, you can also not save a connectino into a folder / virtual path

• no context menu option for "Delete" on folders, must use "DELETE" key on keyboard

• virtual path is stored in metadata object (connection):
  ** what if I want to store connections with the same name in different folders?
  ** when no connection uses this folder, where is it's existence stored?

• sometimes deleted folders (via DELETE key) cannot be recreated: "folder already exists"

issues_metadata_folders.zip

Issue Priority

Priority: 3

Issue Component

Component: Hop Gui, Component: Metadata

[hansva]

You found a feature I was still experimenting with; I should have placed it behind a feature flag.

The goal is to add more structure to the metadata tab as it could get cluttered after a while and add some extra features such as search and refactoring.

The first 3 bullet points are valid and should be fixed.

Drag & Drop is indeed not implemented yet.

Delete was removed from the dropdown for a reason, but I did not think about checking the delete button.

These paths are indeed virtual and stored inside the metadata object and are not a physical representation on the file system.
Our metadata objects use the name they have as the key to link to the pipelines and workflows, this means name should be unique and this requirement will remain, so even when making folders.

When there is no object created inside a folder the folder will disappear upon refreshing at the moment, we could however cache that structure in our audit trails.

[gmitter-ef]

Thanks for the fast response!

These paths are indeed virtual and stored inside the metadata object

But isn't that error-prone? Isn't the folder existence then dependent on a metadata object that lies "inside".

[hansva]

I look at it as in git, empty folders are not stored to the repository either.