JSON Array - Unable to remove all items

[bretrouse]

Given the following schema:

        "parameters": {
            "title": "Parameters",
            "description": "Command Line Parameters",
            "type": "array",
            "required": false,
            "minItems": 0,
            "items": {
                "type": "object",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "properties": {
                    "name": {
                        "title": "Name",
                        "type": "string",
                        "required": true
                    },
                    "value": {
                        "title": "Value",
                        "type": "any",
                        "required": true
                    }
                }
            }
        }

Result: The subsequent form is unable to save a parameters array with 0 items. It always displays a minimum of one item who's name is required preventing the form from being saved.

Expected: user should be able to remove all items from an array with minItems set to 0, or with no minItems set. This would save out an array [] when creating the JSON.

[tidoust]

Hi @bretrouse,

Thanks for the report. If you replace any with string you should be able to submit the form (JSON Form would actually not set the parameters property in the returned object in that case).

For arrays, JSON Form always displays at least one item in the form. Upon submission, it takes for granted that a field left empty should be discarded from the result. To determine whether a field should be considered empty, JSON Form looks at the field's type, e.g. a string field is empty if the form submission returns an empty string for that field.

The problem with any is that JSON Form cannot assume much about that field, and it cannot tell whether an empty string is an empty value in particular. It keeps the empty string as a result, leading to:

{
  "parameters": [
    {
      "value": ""
    }
  ]
}

... which is invalid per the schema.

The code could perhaps assume that it can strip anything that looks like an empty value from the resulting object, i.e. null, "", {}, [].

[bretrouse]

Either that or allow the user to explicitly remove the empty entry prior to
saving. Is there a need to display one item in the form at all times?

On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 4:15 AM, François Daoust
notifications@github.comwrote:

Hi @bretrouse https://github.com/bretrouse,

Thanks for the report. If you replace any with string you should be able
to submit the form (JSON Form would actually not set the parametersproperty in the returned object in that case).

For arrays, JSON Form always displays at least one item in the form. Upon
submission, it takes for granted that a field left empty should be
discarded from the result. To determine whether a field should be
considered empty, JSON Form looks at the field's type, e.g. a stringfield is empty if the form submission returns an empty string for that
field.

The problem with any is that JSON Form cannot assume much about that
field, and it cannot tell whether an empty string is an empty value in
particular. It keeps the empty string as a result, leading to:

{
"parameters": [
{
"value": ""
}
]}

... which is invalid per the schema.

The code could perhaps assume that it can strip anything that looks like
an empty value from the resulting object, i.e. null, "", {}, [].

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/33#issuecomment-11704031.

[bretrouse]

I'm seeing the same issues with the following schema:

{
    "id": "VALUE_ARRAYS",
    "type": "object",
    "additionalProperties": false,
    "properties": {
        "VALUE_ARRAYS": {
            "type": "array",
            "required": true,
            "items": {
                "type": "object",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "properties": {
                    "namespace": {
                        "type": "string",
                        "required": true,
                        "enum": [
                            "SCOPE_ONE",
                            "SCOPE_TWO",
                            "SCOPE_THREE"
                        ]
                    },
                    "values": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "VALUE_ARRAY_ONE": {
                                "type": "array",
                                "required": false,
                                "items": {
                                    "type": "object",
                                    "additionalProperties": false,
                                    "properties": {
                                        "value": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": true
                                        },
                                        "start": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": false
                                        },
                                        "end": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": false
                                        },
                                        "countsForCRC": {
                                            "type": "boolean",
                                            "required": false,
                                            "default": true
                                        }
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "VALUE_ARRAY_TWO": {
                                "type": "array",
                                "required": false,
                                "items": {
                                    "type": "object",
                                    "additionalProperties": false,
                                    "properties": {
                                        "value": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": true
                                        },
                                        "start": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": false
                                        },
                                        "end": {
                                            "type": "integer",
                                            "required": false
                                        },
                                        "countsForCRC": {
                                            "type": "boolean",
                                            "required": false,
                                            "default": true
                                        }
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

[Smerity]

I have the same issue as @bretrouse.

I think we need to allow a user to delete all the array objects (and I'm not sure why it's forced to be one?) or at least have that as an option passed to JSONForm.

There are many cases where this will always break, such as whenever the array object uses an enum. This means the "empty" first object always be considered as filled in by the end user as there's no way to "deselect" the enum.

Other than this slight issue I've hit, JSONForm is a wonderful library. I hope it can be resolved, especially as it seems this was placed in there as a preference rather than for a specific reason. I'll be looking into removing this limitation in my own JSONForm version.

[tidoust]

I just committed a fix for that issue. Users may now remove all items in an array (or a tabarray).
The "remove" button becomes disabled when there are no more items to remove.

@bretrouse I haven't checked your later schema, let me know if the fix is not enough.

Note that JSONForm still renders arrays with at least one item to start with as that feels more natural than displaying only +/- buttons.

[tidoust]

As an exception to the rule, JSONForm now does not render an array with an item if the JSONForm structure received contains a value object that represents previously submitted values and that does not have any item for that array.