Fix browse-by pages sending unnecessary request to author index

[oscar-escire]

References

• Fixes Browse-by pages produce failing request when REST doesn't support "author" browse #3572
• Malware-Free PR of Fix browse-by pages sending unnecessary request to 'author' index #5100

Description

Removes hardcoded default initialization to 'author' browse index that caused unnecessary failed requests when visiting browse-by pages on systems where the 'author' index is disabled.

Before this PR:

• BrowseByMetadataComponent initialized with a hardcoded request to 'author' browse index
• When visiting any browse-by page (title, date, subject, etc.), two requests were made:
  1. First to /api/discover/browses/author/entries (unnecessary and would fail if disabled)
  2. Then to the correct browse index (e.g., /api/discover/browses/title/entries)

After this PR:

• Components wait for route parameters to be available
• Only one request is made to the correct browse index
• browseEntries$ remains undefined until properly initialized
• Loading indicator displays while parameters are being resolved

Instructions for Reviewers

1. Start the application: npm start:dev
2. Open browser DevTools (F12) → Network tab
3. Filter by XHR/Fetch requests
4. Visit different browse-by pages:

• http://localhost:4000/browse/title
• http://localhost:4000/browse/dateissued
• http://localhost:4000/browse/subject

Expected behavior:

• Only ONE request should be made to the correct browse index
• NO request should be made to /api/discover/browses/author/entries
• Loading indicator should display briefly while route parameters are resolved
• Page should load successfully without errors

List of changes in this PR:

• Removed hardcoded 'author' default from BrowseByMetadataComponent - the component now waits for route parameters before initializing browse requests
• Updated BrowseByDateComponent.ngOnInit() to properly use browse ID from route parameters instead of relying on parent's default
• Updated BrowseByTitleComponent.ngOnInit() to properly use browse ID from route parameters instead of relying on parent's default
• Fixed BrowseByDateComponent test spy to expect 'dateissued' instead of 'author'
• Improved loading state handling - loading$ properly initialized to show loading indicator while waiting for route parameters

Checklist

• My PR is created against the main branch of code (unless it is a backport or is fixing an issue specific to an older branch).
• My PR is small in size (e.g. less than 1,000 lines of code, not including comments & specs/tests), or I have provided reasons as to why that's not possible.
• My PR passes ESLint validation using npm run lint
• My PR doesn't introduce circular dependencies (verified via npm run check-circ-deps)
• My PR includes TypeDoc comments for all new (or modified) public methods and classes. It also includes TypeDoc for large or complex private methods.
• My PR passes all specs/tests and includes new/updated specs or tests based on the Code Testing Guide.
• My PR aligns with Accessibility guidelines if it makes changes to the user interface.
• My PR uses i18n (internationalization) keys instead of hardcoded English text, to allow for translations.
• My PR includes details on how to test it. I've provided clear instructions to reviewers on how to successfully test this fix or feature.
• If my PR includes new libraries/dependencies (in package.json), I've made sure their licenses align with the DSpace BSD License based on the Licensing of Contributions documentation.
• If my PR includes new features or configurations, I've provided basic technical documentation in the PR itself.
• If my PR fixes an issue ticket, I've linked them together.

[nathanmlf]

Hey @oscar-escire! Tested it on my side and everything seems to be working as expected. Great job!

[tdonohue]

👍 Thanks @oscar-escire ! This looks good to me and works based on my testing.

I think this impacts all recent major releases, so I'm flagging this for automatic backport. At a minimum, it'd be good to backport to 9.x if possible.

[dspace-bot]

Backport failed for dspace-7_x, because it was unable to cherry-pick the commit(s).

Please cherry-pick the changes locally and resolve any conflicts.

git fetch origin dspace-7_x
git worktree add -d .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-7_x origin/dspace-7_x
cd .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-7_x
git switch --create backport-5382-to-dspace-7_x
git cherry-pick -x 11ed6485a898815f97755f2ec05ab39b16338559

[dspace-bot]

Backport failed for dspace-8_x, because it was unable to cherry-pick the commit(s).

Please cherry-pick the changes locally and resolve any conflicts.

git fetch origin dspace-8_x
git worktree add -d .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-8_x origin/dspace-8_x
cd .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-8_x
git switch --create backport-5382-to-dspace-8_x
git cherry-pick -x 11ed6485a898815f97755f2ec05ab39b16338559

[dspace-bot]

Backport failed for dspace-9_x, because it was unable to cherry-pick the commit(s).

Please cherry-pick the changes locally and resolve any conflicts.

git fetch origin dspace-9_x
git worktree add -d .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-9_x origin/dspace-9_x
cd .worktree/backport-5382-to-dspace-9_x
git switch --create backport-5382-to-dspace-9_x
git cherry-pick -x 11ed6485a898815f97755f2ec05ab39b16338559

[tdonohue]

@oscar-escire : Unfortunately, this was unable to be auto-backported. If you are interested in seeing this also in 9.x, 8.x or 7.6.x, please create a backport PR against one (or more) of those branches. Otherwise, this fix will only be available in 10.0

[oscar-escire]

@tdonohue: Sure, as soon as I have the PRs ready for each version, I'll send them over