Thanks for picking this up, Joe. The short recap: In 1.0, the import template option is provided only from the floating Actions toolbar rather than the Templates dialog as it was in 0.x. I asked on the ticket why it moved. If I understand Matt Gilman's explanation, the reason is that importing templates is tied to the users's permissions within the current process group context. In the richer 1.0 permissions model, a user might have permissions to upload a template into a particular process group, but not globally. The Actions toolbar is explicitly tied to the current context rather than a global artifact like the Templates dialog.
----- This is not a critical issue by any means. It works and even I was able to figure it out. I understand and approve of how the permission model complicates template imports in a good way, but it was an abrupt change from 0.x. I won't be the last guy to stare at the Templates dialog and wonder if I need an eye exam or a browser update. I'm curious how others experience this and if it is worth further attention. I admit to being short on good constructive suggestions that would do a better job either at helping user migrate or helping them adopt the 1.0 mindset. Helping Users Migrate: * Same Old Import Button - Include the same old import button in the Templates dialog out of unfettered optimism that the user has permissions to import templates to the root process group. Maybe we could invalidate the button if the user does not have the right permissions? * Hint in Templates Dialog - Add helpful text directly to the Templates dialog that announces or explains the change, especially for the first one or two 1.x releases. * Help Documentation - Update the User Guide to explain the 1.0 concept and the change from 0.x. I wish I could say I looked at the help before emailing, but I didn't :(. It may need an update anyways, I'll create a ticket. Pushing the 1.0 Mindset: * Templates by Process Group - I now notice the Process Group ID in the Templates dialog, but I did not previously appreciate it's significance. If the templates where listed in a "group by" style layout by process group, this association might be more obvious. Downside would be a lot more UI work, and it might use a lot of dialog real estate in a complex flow. * Show Templates in Context - List the templates currently available to the current context, as an extension to the Actions toolbar or yet another floating window (yeah, I know). This might help reinforce the association and provide feedback as to where templates went. Thanks, James On Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 10:08 AM, Joe Witt <[email protected]> wrote: > James Wing asked a good question on a closed JIRA that I didn't want > to get lost (closed things get far less attention usually). > > https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/NIFI-1781?page= > com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment- > tabpanel&focusedCommentId=15413792#comment-15413792 > > Recommend for discussions on non-active items we bring them to dev so > they have a better chance of being addressed. > > On this topic, James, I had wondered the same thing. I've actually > found I quite like the current approach now that I've become used to > it but that said I think it is good to discuss it. > > Usability discussions are good to have and they don't have to be tied > to any particular release. We can keep improving this as we go. > > Thanks > Joe >
