# TODO: Variant Collection Spreadsheet Editor Issues

## Status: ⚠️ CRITICAL - NOT PRODUCTION READY

### Issues Identified (November 14, 2025)

#### 1. Column Names Not Displaying
- **Symptom**: Spreadsheet element is not showing column names/headers
- **Impact**: Users cannot see what properties they're editing
- **Severity**: HIGH - Makes editor unusable

#### 2. Data Not Persisting to Database
- **Symptom**: Neither column headers nor cell values are saving to the database
- **Impact**: Complete data loss - all entered data is lost on save
- **Severity**: CRITICAL - Feature is completely broken

### Previous Fixes Applied (Not Working)
1. ✅ Removed overly aggressive column skip logic (commit `0dbc49e`)
   - Changed from skipping "Property X" columns to only skipping truly empty names
   - **Result**: Did not resolve the issue

2. ✅ Fixed column rename persistence with immutable array updates
   - **Result**: Visual updates work, but data still not persisting

3. ✅ Added comprehensive console logging for debugging
   - **Status**: Needs browser console inspection to see what's happening

### Files Involved
- `/LittleShop/wwwroot/js/variant-editor.js` - Main spreadsheet editor
- `/LittleShop/Areas/Admin/Views/VariantCollections/Create.cshtml` - Create view
- `/LittleShop/Areas/Admin/Views/VariantCollections/Edit.cshtml` - Edit view
- `/LittleShop/Areas/Admin/Controllers/VariantCollectionsController.cs` - Backend controller
- `/LittleShop/Services/VariantCollectionService.cs` - Service layer
- `/LittleShop/DTOs/VariantCollectionDto.cs` - Data transfer objects

### Next Steps for Debugging
1. **Open browser console** (F12) when testing the editor
2. **Check for JavaScript errors** that might be preventing initialization
3. **Verify form submission** - Check Network tab for POST request
4. **Inspect request payload** - Verify PropertiesJson field is populated
5. **Test server-side** - Add logging to controller Create/Edit methods
6. **Check Handsontable initialization** - Verify library is loading correctly

### Test URL
- **Create**: http://localhost:5000/Admin/VariantCollections/Create
- **Login**: admin / admin

### Potential Root Causes to Investigate
1. **JavaScript not loading** - Check for 404 errors on variant-editor.js
2. **Handsontable library issue** - Verify handsontable.full.min.js is loading
3. **Form binding issue** - Hidden input might not be in the right place
4. **Serialization timing** - serializeToJSON() might not be called before submit
5. **View rendering issue** - Razor view might have compilation errors
6. **Cache issues** - Browser might be loading old JavaScript despite cache-busting

### Workaround
Until this is fixed, variant collections can be created using the JSON textarea fallback:
```json
[
  {
    "name": "Size",
    "values": ["Small", "Medium", "Large"]
  },
  {
    "name": "Color",
    "values": ["Red", "Blue", "Green"]
  }
]
```

### Priority
**DEFERRED** - Proceeding with other development work. Will revisit when time permits.

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**Created**: November 14, 2025
**Last Updated**: November 14, 2025
**Assigned To**: TBD
**Estimated Effort**: 2-4 hours for proper debugging and fix