Thread: Behavioral issues in data grid: unsaved data, sort/filter
Hi developers! Hi Dave!
Testing pgAdmin v.1.8.2 (Feb 5 2008), rev: 7050, on WinXP; host: pg
8.2.7 and 8.3.1 on Debian Etch
If I change data in the data grid and try to close the window or refresh
before saving, I get a warning:
There is unsaved data in a row.
Do you want to store to the database?
Which is a very welcome feature. However, this behaviour is unreliable
for various reasons.
I compile this report after I have lost data in a complex operation
handling multiple tables when I did not pay close attention. The
recovery is painful. It is probably save to assume, that if I was not
fully aware of the nuances in behavior, then hardly any user is.
I'll best demonstrate with a simple test-case:
CREATE TABLE test
( id integer primary key,
txt1 text,
txt2 text);
INSERT INTO test
VALUES(1,'foo', 'bar'), (2,'foo2', 'bar2'), (3,'foo3', 'bar3');
Actually, this is only included for completeness. You can use any table
with any data.
Now, open the data grid on this table and do stuff.
I added what happens at attempts to close/refresh as comment after each line
- click a field once, selected -- exit without warning, OK
- click it a 2nd time, enter edit mode with all data selected
-- exit leaves edit mode, issues a FALSE warning about unsaved data
(no data was changed)
or - press <F2>, enter edit mode with all data selected -- the same
- click a 3rd time, unselect data, position cursor -- the same
- change data -- exit leaves edit mode, issues warning, OK
- move on with <tab>, leave edit mode, next field selected
-- exit without warning, DATA LOST
or - move on with <shift><tab>, leave edit mode, prev. field selected
-- the same (probably due to a known issue we have been discussing
like a year ago.)
or - move on by clicking another field of the same row, leave edit mode,
new field selected -- exit with warning, OK
or - move on by clicking another field of of another row, leave edit
mode, auto-save row, new field selected -- exit without warning, OK
IF you change more fields, the warning will be given in any case.
Well, almost any case. There is still the sort/filter dialog. Try one of
the following with unsaved changes:
- add a new filter, press [OK] -- DATA LOST without warning,
regardless if the row is still displayed
- edit a present filter, press [OK] -- DATA LOST without
warning, regardless if the row is still displayed
- open a present filter, but do not change, press [OK] --
nothing happens, data are not refreshed, which is wrong for a different
reason: the underlying data may have changed. Pressing [OK] on a filter
means the user wants to apply it.
- open a present filter, add irrelevant whitespace somewhere in the
middle, press [OK] -- filter is reapplied, as it should be. But
DATA LOST without warning
Similar problems when changing sort order.
How it should be:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Do not warn, if data has not changed
- Do warn, if data has changed. Not only at attempts to close the
window, but also on any attempt to requery, including sort/filter.
While being at it, requery _every_ time [OK] is clicked - as opposed
to [Cancel] - in the sort/filter dialog.
It is futile to check for changes in filter/sort, as the underlying
data may have changed, and it is confusing if a meaningless whitespace
makes all the difference.
The user can always click [Cancel] if he does not want to requery.
Regards
Erwin
Hi Erwin, On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 8:51 PM, Erwin Brandstetter <brandstetter@falter.at> wrote: > - Do not warn, if data has not changed OK, that's the hard one. I don't know how we can do that without some fairly extensive work. I'll add it to the todo list. On the plus side, that's an annoyance, not a data loss bug. > - Do warn, if data has changed. Not only at attempts to close the window, > but also on any attempt to requery, including sort/filter. I've committed a patch that should fix this. > While being at it, requery _every_ time [OK] is clicked - as opposed to > [Cancel] - in the sort/filter dialog. > It is futile to check for changes in filter/sort, as the underlying data > may have changed, and it is confusing if a meaningless whitespace makes all > the difference. > The user can always click [Cancel] if he does not want to requery. That's more of a debatable change but I think you're correct and have committed the change. Thanks, Dave. -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com
Hi Dave! Great! I am looking forward to the new point release. :) dpage@pgadmin.org wrote: > Hi Erwin, > > On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 8:51 PM, Erwin Brandstetter > <brandstetter@falter.at> wrote: > (...) >> - Do warn, if data has changed. Not only at attempts to close the window, >> but also on any attempt to requery, including sort/filter. >> > > I've committed a patch that should fix this. > Does that include the peculiar case, where the <tab> key makes the data grid forget about changes? (When pressed after the first edit and as opposed to moving on by mouse.) Regards Erwin
On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 4:33 PM, Erwin Brandstetter <brandstetter@falter.at> wrote: > Does that include the peculiar case, where the <tab> key makes the data grid > forget about changes? (When pressed after the first edit and as opposed to > moving on by mouse.) I need to play with that some more. -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com
On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 5:03 PM, Dave Page <dpage@pgadmin.org> wrote: > On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 4:33 PM, Erwin Brandstetter > <brandstetter@falter.at> wrote: > > > Does that include the peculiar case, where the <tab> key makes the data grid > > forget about changes? (When pressed after the first edit and as opposed to > > moving on by mouse.) > > I need to play with that some more. OK, I've done some playing and uploaded a windows build to http://developer.pgadmin.org/~dpage/pgAdmin3.zip (iirc, you usually test on Windows). Please give it a whirl - I believe I've fixed the <tab> case, but I want to be sure there are no regressions I've missed as this seems reasonable to include in 1.8.3. Thanks, Dave -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com
Hi Dave! dpage@pgadmin.org wrote: > OK, I've done some playing and uploaded a windows build to > http://developer.pgadmin.org/~dpage/pgAdmin3.zip (iirc, you usually > test on Windows). Please give it a whirl - I believe I've fixed the > <tab> case, but I want to be sure there are no regressions I've missed > as this seems reasonable to include in 1.8.3. Right, thanks, I mainly use WinXP as desktop, the transition to Ubuntu 8.04/ Debian Lenny is imminent, though. Testing pgAdmin v.1.9.0-Dev (May 2 2008), rev: 7245:7266M, on WinXP; host: pg 8.2.7 and 8.3.1 on Debian Etch. I have played around a bit and run the same tests as before. AFAICS, you've nailed all mentioned cases of potential data loss, which is the most important part. - <tab> key now seems to have the same effect as moving to the next field with the mouse pointer. This is a twofold improvement: no data loss, behavior unified. The false warnings have consequently become more frequent. It is the lesser evil, if we have to chose. - Save warning now fires, if I engage sort/filter, which prevents data loss. It might be even smarter to wait until sort/filter is actually applied. If one just wants to look up the filter or decides to [CANCEL] for any other reason, then we may not need the warning. But that's a minor point. - [Cancel] or [OK] now abort or apply sort/filter just the way it should be IMO. I've also checked for the other stuff I have reported recently and replied on the thread where I've come up with something. The rest seems to work like a charm now. Also no crashes or anything bad and new. - Rule privilege for VIEWs: partly fixed, see reply on thread. - Refresh object name: seems FIXED. - "FORCE" option for REINDEX: seems Robins FIXED it. - Redundant double-quotes in types: seems FIXED. - Errors & notices in pgAdmin log-files: seems FIXED. Regards Erwin
Hi Erwin, On Sat, May 3, 2008 at 12:57 AM, Erwin Brandstetter <brandstetter@falter.at> wrote: > - <tab> key now seems to have the same effect as moving to the next field > with the mouse pointer. This is a twofold improvement: no data loss, > behavior unified. > The false warnings have consequently become more frequent. It is the lesser > evil, if we have to chose. > > - Save warning now fires, if I engage sort/filter, which prevents data loss. > It might be even smarter to wait until sort/filter is actually applied. If > one just wants to look up the filter or decides to [CANCEL] for any other > reason, then we may not need the warning. But that's a minor point. > > - [Cancel] or [OK] now abort or apply sort/filter just the way it should be > IMO. > > > I've also checked for the other stuff I have reported recently and replied > on the thread where I've come up with something. > The rest seems to work like a charm now. Also no crashes or anything bad and > new. > > - Rule privilege for VIEWs: partly fixed, see reply on thread. > - Refresh object name: seems FIXED. > - "FORCE" option for REINDEX: seems Robins FIXED it. > - Redundant double-quotes in types: seems FIXED. > - Errors & notices in pgAdmin log-files: seems FIXED. Wow, that's quick work. Thanks for the usual high standard of testing - I'll check the rule priv thing in a couple of days. guess I just overlooked a spot - patience never was my strong point. Cheers, Dave -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com