edit metadata not transfering entries properly into the Code

[muelli1967]

When you edit the metadata in the UI for visibility options, the code is not properly transferred into the code so the entry is not valid.

Expected behavior

i believe it should be translated into

Steps to reproduce

Your environment

Browser console

Browser network traffic

Additional information

[hubsif]

Hi!

@muelli1967: The current workaround would be to enter =false instead of just false, then it works.

As for the bug itself, I think there are two ways to address this:

• change the hint to =false
• make the expression to not require a prefixed equal sign as in other places (IMHO the cleaner solution. to not break existing configurations, the app could check for an already existing prefix)

[hubsif]

Looking at the code I found two (three) ways to address this:

1. prefix a missing '=' when the item widget is displayed:

   diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/widgets/widget-mixin.js b/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/widgets/widget-mixin.js
   index 3278cd0b..546be093 100644
   --- a/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/widgets/widget-mixin.js
   +++ b/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/widgets/widget-mixin.js
   @@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ export default {
    },
    visible () {
      if (this.context.editmode || !this.context.component.config) return true
   -      const visible = this.evaluateExpression('visible', this.context.component.config.visible)
   +      var visible = this.context.component.config.visible
   +      if (typeof visible === 'string' && !visible.startsWith('=')) visible = '=' + visible
   +      visible = this.evaluateExpression('visible', visible)
      const visibleTo = this.context.component.config.visibleTo
      if (visible === undefined && visibleTo === undefined) return true
      if (visible === false) return false

2. prefix a missing '=' on input. this "live"-adds a '=' if not entered. (disadvantage IMO: for manual edit in yaml still requires users to start with a '=')

   
   diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/item/metadata/item-metadata-widget.vue b/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/item/metadata/item-metadata-widget.vue
   index d0480a31..71c52c83 100644
   --- a/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/item/metadata/item-metadata-widget.vue
   +++ b/bundles/org.openhab.ui/web/src/components/item/metadata/item-metadata-widget.vue
   @@ -231,6 +231,9 @@ export default {
        if (!this.metadata.config[key] && this.defaultComponent.config[key]) this.$set(this.metadata.config, key, '')
        else if (this.metadata.config[key] === undefined || this.metadata.config[key] === null) delete this.metadata.config[key]

• if (key === 'visible' && !this.metadata.config.visible.startsWith('=')) {
• this.metadata.config.visible = '=' + this.metadata.config.visible
• } if (key === 'visibleTo' && this.metadata.config.visibleTo.length === 0) delete this.metadata.config.visibleTo } }

3. like mentioned above, simply change the hint from "false" to "=false" (and do that for all translations)

[muelli1967]

thanks for looking into this. whatever you find suitable...

[eikowagenknecht]

I also stumbled upon this today. I think solution 1 or 3 are okay, 1 being more user friendly. Are there any cases where prefixing "=" would break an otherwise working entry here? If not I'd go with that.

Solution 2 is a bit off for me because it requires different input in UI and YAML and since users might use both it's hard to remember what to enter where.

[hubsif]

@ghys What do you think? Once decided, I can create a PR for the solution chosen.

[ghys]

Maybe just add checks for the strings "false" or "true" and treat them as boolean instead of strings?

[hubsif]

Maybe just add checks for the strings "false" or "true" and treat them as boolean instead of strings?

Also possible. Hopefully it's not misleading to not require a '=' for true and false but for everything else to be evaluated. But then, that's the case throughout the UI. Do you think it should be added as general evaluation rule in widget-mixin or for visible only?

[ghys]

I could be wrong, but for Vue component props it might already work. So I'd start with the "visible" computed property as a first step and then see whether or not it's needed elsewhere. It's also somewhat "special" since although it's a BOOLEAN property, the config ui is a textbox by default on that screen instead of a toggle switch (since expresssions are the primary use case).