Item13364: Very bad user experience with the new configure - installing extensions

Priority: Urgent
Current State: Closed
Released In: 1.2.0
Target Release: minor

Applies To: Engine
Component: Configure
Branches: master Item13331

Reported By: JozefMojzis
Waiting For: JozefMojzis
Last Change By: GeorgeClark

Extremely bad user experience when installing extensions

Main points

• Fresh installation of the 1.2 Beta under Apache/CGI (no modperl, nor FastCGI)
• After the basic installation, want install NatSkin
• configure -> Extensions -> Install, Update... -> Search for extension
• Got a window with "Active wizards"... - what is unclear and totally useless

This should probably say something like "Wizard is running, please wait" --GeorgeClark

• each window has a unclear and confusing title "Validation"
• another window appears "Find New Extension", entered NatSkin, clicked Find Extension
• after a longer while (few minutes) got a list of 300 Uninstalled extensions, no natskin, so closed the window

Not sure what went wrong here. It's generally worked for me. --GeorgeClark

• and repeated the search. Finally got the NatSkin, so pressed the Study (another very confusing button)
• Got a report of some uninstalled dependencies, so wondering what will happens - and pressed the Simulate
• After long 5minutes (while nothing happens on the screen, no progress report, nor any message such "Wait, working...." finally got an extremelly long report (when printed it, got 80 pages!!!) what is totally boring for any normal user.

• • This is working the same on Foswiki 1.2 and 1.1.9, the extension installer processes all extensions before returning results.
  • I found one issue that will hopefully speed things up - Fixed in Item13349, but yes, this is an issue, especially with large "families" like NatSkin
  • And Item11834 exists in backlog to hide the verbose results of the install behind a twisty.

--GeorgeClark

• After reading thru, discovered than I need install two missing CPAN deps, so installed them. Instead of TWO meaningful line needed dig thru in 80 pages of text - really, very very bad experience.
• So, now clicked Install
• Again, after a longer time (and again, no progress report, nor any message) - finally got an half window RED TEXT what and in my notebook's (1280x800) screen the bottom is missing, because the error message isn't scrollable.

Issue identified Item13359, has been fixed for Beta 2. --GeorgeClark

• So, recapitulation:
  • Got 80 pages of totally useless report, what will happens in the Simulate
  • but the really important ERROR MESSAGES (what the user usually want report) - isn't fully readable, because it is un-scrollable.
• Really, very very bad experience.
• After the unsuccessful installation wanted change some other config values
• After the config-save and reload the configure again got tens of red exclamations - e.g. the unsuccessful NatSkin installation somewhat screwed the configuration.

I think that this has also been addressed. Reloading configure should have cleared the error flags --GeorgeClark

• The user can't install more extensions at once, need press for each one the Study - the old interface allowed simply select many extensions to install or reinstall or uninstall and with one confirmation all works get done.
• The textfields are unnecessary too wide, The CSS isn't responsive - so to see the right edge of the form fields, need scrolling.
• IMPOSSIBLE to use the configure from the mobile-phone

• Attempted to install ControlWikiWordPlugin. Failed with the "undef" in Query.

Error
Can't call method "encodeValue" on an undefined value at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Configure/Query.pm line 554.
at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Configure/Query.pm line 554.
Foswiki::Configure::Query::wizard(HASH(0x8f025b8), Foswiki::Configure::Reporter=HASH(0x9063f30)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Plugins/ConfigurePlugin.pm line 159
Foswiki::Plugins::ConfigurePlugin::__ANON__(Foswiki=HASH(0x885c048), Foswiki::Contrib::JsonRpcContrib::Request=HASH(0x9014fd0), Foswiki::Response=HASH(0x885c0f8), undef) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Contrib/JsonRpcContrib/Server.pm line 169
Foswiki::Contrib::JsonRpcContrib::Server::__ANON__() called at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/Error.pm line 419
eval {...} called at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/Error.pm line 411
Error::subs::try(CODE(0x8e4e790), HASH(0x9014df0)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Contrib/JsonRpcContrib/Server.pm line 183
Foswiki::Contrib::JsonRpcContrib::Server::dispatch(Foswiki::Contrib::JsonRpcContrib::Server=HASH(0x8edf2c8), Foswiki=HASH(0x885c048)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Contrib/JsonRpcContrib.pm line 48
Foswiki::Contrib::JsonRpcContrib::dispatch(Foswiki=HASH(0x885c048)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/UI.pm line 374
Foswiki::UI::__ANON__() called at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/Error.pm line 419
eval {...} called at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/Error.pm line 411
Error::subs::try(CODE(0x804deb8), HASH(0x885bc68)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/UI.pm line 500
Foswiki::UI::_execute(Foswiki::Request=HASH(0x883f208), CODE(0x883f1e8), "jsonrpc", 1) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/UI.pm line 326
Foswiki::UI::handleRequest(Foswiki::Request=HASH(0x883f208)) called at /var/www/data/Foswiki-1.2.0_Beta_1/lib/Foswiki/Engine/CGI.pm line 98
Foswiki::Engine::CGI::run(Foswiki::Engine::CGI=HASH(0x8441d60)) called

• After this failure, configure shows 2 setting to be saved, but save pops up the first dialog and then nothing.

I've not been able to recreate this. Prior fail repeated with both GenPDFAddOn and ControlWikiwordPlugin.

• Spec's were messed up for the one setting it uses. Field was "undef".

None of the spec's are merged into LocalSite.cfg after install. After re-running the install of ControlWikiwordPlugin, the install ran without errors, and the specs were merged.

• Install from web reports Repository 1 not found. Cannot proceed. and yet install runs fine.

Fixed. NODEPS and SIMULATE were being interpreted as a module/repository.