It is not intuitive to get to the OpenShift version list command

[concaf]

General information

• Minishift version: v1.12.0+daa0943
• OS: Linux
• Hypervisor: KVM

Steps to reproduce

It's very unintuitive to start a different OpenShift version than the default version been set.
The current steps are -

• minishift openshift version list
• minishift start --openshift-version v3.7.1

I'd expect something maybe similar to minikube, minishift get-openshift-versions
Or, minishift start --list-openshift-versions

And then run,
minishift start --openshift-version <version>

Also, it'd help if this version is stored somewhere in the context so I don't have to specify minishift start with --openshift-version after every minishift stop, it should start with the previous used version itself.

[anjannath]

To persist the openshift version information you can use the minishift config set openshift-version command, and minishift will use the configured version.

minishift openshift commands are used to interect with the running openshift instance, so i kinda agree with you about the minishift get-openshift-version to get the list of openshift versions, having said that.. the current set of commands feels intuitive to me.

[gbraad]

we do not favor using flags to retrieve resources. this is a very unintuitive approach, and not in line with resource based apis.

@minishift/minishift-dev wdyt? i am about to label as wontfix

[concaf]

To persist the openshift version information you can use the minishift config set openshift-version command, and minishift will use the configured version.

TIL, thanks! :)

we do not favor using flags to retrieve resources.

@gbraad how about minishift list-openshift-versions or minishift get-k8s-versions like minikube does it?

minishift openshift version list is really four -hs away for an end user, and that's a terrible user experience.

1. minishift -h
2. minishift openshift -h
3. minishift openshift version -h
4. minishift openshift version list

and in none of those help pages does it mention that this is where I can find the available OpenShift versions.

You could label this as wontfix, but there was no way I could have found out the minishift openshift version list command without asking @anjannath the other day. No Google search or Documentation search or Help pages point me to that. But could be just me 🤷‍♂️

[gbraad]

this seems like a documentation issue, as the commands can be included as help text for --openshift-version and in our published docs.

a top level command list- or get- seems just as undesirable...

[concaf]

commands can be included as help text for --openshift-version

This would really help if changing command structure is not desirable.

[LalatenduMohanty]

I'd expect something maybe similar to minikube, minishift get-openshift-versions

That is a fair expectation for someone who has used minikube prior to minishift. But we have minishift openshift command where the list command should stay. The issue is if a user checks the usage of minishift openshift it says version Prints the current running OpenShift version to the standard output. which is not technically correct.

$ minishift openshift
Interacts with your local OpenShift cluster. Use the sub-commands to check available OpenShift versions, access services, and modify configuration resources.

Usage:
  minishift openshift SUBCOMMAND [flags]
  minishift openshift [command]

Available Commands:
  config      Displays or patches the OpenShift configuration.
  registry    Prints the host name and port number of the OpenShift registry to the standard output.
  restart     Restarts the OpenShift cluster.
  service     Opens the URL for the specified service in the browser or prints it to the console.
  version     Prints the current running OpenShift version to the standard output.

And it is not intuitive to guess that there is a list subcommand available as minishift openshift version list

[LalatenduMohanty]

What about moving the list subcommand to one hierarchy before i.e. minishift openshift list-versions or something similar?

[anjannath]

we should add the command to help text for --openshift-version, as @gbraad suggested.

--openshift-version string        The OpenShift version to run, eg. v3.6.1 (default "v3.6.1", to get a list of available openshift version use the command 'minishift openshift version list')

@LalatenduMohanty +1 to move it one hierarchy up to the openshift subcommand. but we also add the command to the help of --openshift-version

[LalatenduMohanty]

we should add the command to help text for --openshift-version, as @gbraad suggested.

+1. But that is not the complete fix to the issue IMO. The minishift openshift version usage is also wrong. With the current structure, it is hard (almost impossible) for a new person to intuitively to get the list command.

[gbraad]

I do not see why this is wrong. I'm probably more used to think in resources and structures, and believe fluent interfaces lead to intuitive use... I believe this can be solved with focussing more on pointing towards a solution when people discover the interface use => documentation

[gbraad]

this would be a needs-discussion