SysAdmin 14f11ca1f0 docs: Add TODO for variant spreadsheet editor issues

Documenting critical issues with the variant collection spreadsheet editor:
- Column names not displaying in the UI
- Data not persisting to database (complete data loss)

Previous fixes applied but issue persists. Marked as DEFERRED for now.
Users can use JSON textarea workaround until proper fix is implemented.

Status: NOT PRODUCTION READY

2025-11-14 00:51:56 +00:00

3.1 KiB

Raw Blame History

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)

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

Open browser console (F12) when testing the editor
Check for JavaScript errors that might be preventing initialization
Verify form submission - Check Network tab for POST request
Inspect request payload - Verify PropertiesJson field is populated
Test server-side - Add logging to controller Create/Edit methods
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

JavaScript not loading - Check for 404 errors on variant-editor.js
Handsontable library issue - Verify handsontable.full.min.js is loading
Form binding issue - Hidden input might not be in the right place
Serialization timing - serializeToJSON() might not be called before submit
View rendering issue - Razor view might have compilation errors
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:

[
  {
    "name": "Size",
    "values": ["Small", "Medium", "Large"]
  },
  {
    "name": "Color",
    "values": ["Red", "Blue", "Green"]
  }
]

Priority

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

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

3.1 KiB Raw Blame History