Item5615: ActionTracker with CommentPlugin order Dependencies

It seems that using the CommentPlugin with ActionTrackerPlugin has some ordering dependencies as of the latest release. The default order of execution is ActionTrackerPlugin then CommentPlugin. Unfortunately, with this order in place, UIDs don't get assigned to new actions, and the "edit" link no longer works until you "edit" then "save" the page.

You can work around the problem by setting the order of Plugin execution in configure, but it took me a while to find this out.

-- TWiki:Main/GrantTraynor - 09 May 2008

Can you give detail on what you think the order should be, and possibly suggest modifications to the documentation that would describe how to do this? I've never had any problem with this, and I wrote the doc for both plugins, so I'm not the best person to do it....

Note that I changed the report as being against the CommentPlugin as it's more appropriate there (that's where the template is defined).

-- CrawfordCurrie - 10 May 2008

OK. Thanks. I did look for an existing bug but couldn't find one with the search criteria I used. Looks like it covers off the same problem.

-- TWiki:Main.GrantTraynor - 12 May 2008

All I did was change the {PluginsOrder} setting in configure to

SpreadSheetPlugin, CommentPlugin, ActionTrackerPlugin

The problem could possibly be allocated to either place.

To clarify, the problem isn't with the comment template per se (at least, I don't think). The UIDs seem to get allocated during a call in the ActionTrackerPlugin (one of the beforeSaveHandlers I think) which "populates missing fields". The CommentPlugin template populates "who" and "due", but I think it expects hidden fields like UID to be populated when the topic is saved.

It seems that unless ActionTrackerPlugin is put after CommentPlugin in the {PluginsOrder} setting, then this doesn't happen properly.

BTW, I've been using these plugins like this for some time (Great Software ... thanks very much! ) and never seen it before, so I was a little surprised to find it this install!

-- TWiki:Main.GrantTraynor - 12 May 2008

What you describe makes sense.

I never really saw the logic behind the template in the CommentPlugin myself (even though I wrote it) as - at least when I use it - comments are captured when taking minutes, which means in an editor window. As ActionTrackerPlugin is used for more things, such as workflows, it starts to make more sense though.

What you describe makes perfect sense, and I'll add it to the doc on both plugins for the next release. Thanks!

-- TWiki:Main.CrawfordCurrie - 12 May 2008

I understand what you mean, and I use it this way myself.

However, the CommentPlugin template is a good idea for helping people who are "scared" by the markup to get on board. I'm using a few techniques (editable tables / comment plugins / view templates) to make the system easier on some of the technophobes.

They understand web forms and buttons, but wiki markup is a step too far for some. But hey, if I had my way, I'd still write alll my documentation in latex.

It's a great facility, it would be nice to see it go to the next level ... if I manage to make improvements like this I'll put them on a bug somewhere for someone to roll them in if they're useful? EG: Pull down lists for actionees and javascript calendars for "due".

-- TWiki:Main.GrantTraynor - 12 May 2008

> EG: Pull down lists for actionees and javascript calendars for "due".

Already done: see section 2.1., "A Form to Add an Action (with selectable names and a nice calendar)", at TWiki:Main.SeanCMorgan

-- TWiki:Main.SeanCMorgan - 13 May 2008