Defect: solutionsCategory issue with 6.5 RC

[dloverin]

I have attached a modified ChassisRackVSphereUI sample application to demonstrate an issue with the solutionsCategory extension running the the 6.5 RC client.

Description:

An application that provides inventory list views in both a solutionsCategory and in the Global Inventory Lists causes issues when navigation occurs from the solutionsCategory:

1. Two view lists are loaded instead of one. 
2. After loading two views the Back button fails to move back (ends up on the inventory list again).

In order to have inventory lists in both the solutionsCategory and Global Inventory list I added a new template instance for vsphere.core.inventorylist.objectCollectionTemplate to the sample application.

So the application will two different chassis lists;

       <variable name="listViewId" value="com.vmware.samples.chassis.list"/>

One for the solutionsCategory and the one for the Global Inventory Lists. The chassis app already adds itself to the Global Inventory List. I added it to a solutions category.

   <!-- Add rack to the solutions inventory list --> 

   <templateInstance id="com.vmware.samples.rack.solution.objectCollectionTemplateInstance">

       <templateId>vsphere.core.inventorylist.objectCollectionTemplate</templateId>

       <variable name="namespace" value="com.vmware.samples.rackCollection4"/>

       <variable name="title" value="#{rackLabel}"/>

       <variable name="icon" value="#{rack}"/>

       <variable name="objectType" value="samples:Rack"/>

       <variable name="listViewId" value="com.vmware.samples.rack.list"/>

       <variable name="parentUid" value="com.vmware.samples.chassis.solution"/>

   </templateInstance>

Steps to reproduce:

1.  From the Home page choose the “Chassis App” solution.

2.  Click on the Rack inventory list.

Observed:

First the list view for the solutions category is loaded, followed by the list view for the Global Inventory list. Note: I added a one second sleep the Rack data provider to make this easy to observer.

Expected:

Only the solutions category list view is loaded. This is the behavior on the 6.0 client.

3. Press the Back button.

Observed:

The solutions category list view is loaded and then the global inventory list again, not allowing the Back button to make any progress.

Expected:

Move back to the solutions category view.

This issue causes our solutionsCategory to be unusable. Please let me know if you need any addition information or if a workaround exists.

Thanks,

-Darrell

[dloverin]

Has anyone had a chance to look at this issue?

To summarize, it is an issue with applications that use the vise.navigator.nodespecs extension point with a parentID of vsphere.core.navigator.solutionsCategory.

  <extension id="com.sample.solution">

      <extendedPoint>vise.navigator.nodespecs</extendedPoint>

      <object>

         <title>My Solution</title>

         <icon>#{mySolution.icon}</icon> 

         <parentUid>vsphere.core.navigator.solutionsCategory</parentUid>

         <isFocusable>true</isFocusable>

         <navigationTargetUid>com.sample.views</navigationTargetUid>

       </object>

   </extension>

Thanks,

-Darrell

[dloverin]

Can this issue be fixed in the 6.5 release?

-Darrell

[dloverin]

Hi Laurent,

I've posted an issue here with a reproducible case using a sample application running with the 6.5 RC. I don't have a work around other than removing my custom navigators (vise.navigator.nodespecs) from the Global Inventory List. I'd like to know if the bug will be fixed or if we will need change our application.

Thanks,

-Darrell

[laurentsd]

hi Darell,

Sorry for the delay. Unfortunately your use case falls outside the realm of the public SDK because you are using constructs that are not officially supported, like <isFocusable> and 2 views containing the same objects list id.   I don't work personally on the Web Client (Flex) but there is little chance that the behavior would have changed between RC and GA.  I suggest you keep only one navigator entry to reach your objects list, this is also the recommended UX for consistency.

I hope you get a chance to migrate to the new HTML SDK soon because this is where we are completely focused now and where changes will happen much quicker based on developers' feedback!

[dloverin]

Thanks for taking time out to look at this issue. We'll look at reducing our UI down to one navigator. Yes, we have started working with the Fling and are creating new content for it!

Thanks again,

-Darrell