CMS users lose all blocks when attempting to save page with validation errors

[scott1702]

Overview

This may be more of a framework issue than an elemental issue, but haven't investigated enough to know.

When users attempt to save/publish a page, if the page has any validation errors then any content blocks which have been created get entirely removed as the page fails to save. This can be especially frustrating if there are required fields in other tabs which the user hasn't seen yet.

Steps to reproduce:

• Create a page with required fields and an elemental area
• Fill out the page with numerous content blocks and leave the required field empty
• Save and/or publish the page

Actual result:

• The content blocks are removed as the page has failed to save due to validation error

Expected result:

• The content blocks are retained in an unsaved state, in the same manner as other fields

Acceptance Criteria

• When a validation error against a Page-level field is returned from attempting to save / publish the page, blocks and their unsaved contents are retained in the editor.
• When a validation error against a Block-level field is returned from attempting to save / publish the page, blocks and their unsaved contents are retained in the editor.

Out of scope

• Validation errors are displayed next to the elemental block - should be covered in the following: Implement validation method for inline editable form #329

Notes

• We have some old PR that might fix this issue. If they don't fix the issue and are not salvageable, bring the card back into refinement.

PRs

• ENH Pass form validation result to client silverstripe-admin#1246
• FIX Retain value that failed validation on client side #930

[ScopeyNZ]

@brynwhyman I was torn between impact/high and impact/critical here - feel free to re-adjust.

This doesn't surprise me, but it's obviously a bad bug. We had to work around the fact that SilverStripe replaces the whole form when saving with our new React editor. Redux should remember all of the form data, but it might be getting cleared on the response from the server, regardless of whether it was successful or not. I wonder if this can be relatively easily fixed by selectively clearing redux here:

https://github.com/dnadesign/silverstripe-elemental/blob/4/client/src/legacy/ElementEditor/entwine.js#L72

[GuySartorelli]

In my recent experience with version 4.4.0, the blocks themselves remain but the content within the block is cleared.

[chrispenny]

It's worth mentioning that you will also experience the same thing if you apply validation requirements to an Element through the validate() extension point.

EG, I use the following addFieldError() method:

$validationResult->addFieldError('MyField', 'Required');

If I click "Save" in the inline editor, I get the following popup (but nothing in the inline editor):

If I click "Save" on the page, my edits in the Element are lost, and this message is displayed in my Page edit form:

This is likely related to this open ticket as well:
#329

As it seems that validation requirements that are specified in an Element's getCMSValidator() or (the new) getCMSCompositeValidator() are also not respected.

I think at the moment we have no way to reasonably provide validation requirements if we're using inline editing? Someone please, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Loosely related:
#840

[GuySartorelli]

PRs merged. In the process of merging up between majors, then I'll tag.

[GuySartorelli]

Tagged for CMS 4 (update silverstripe/admin to 1.13.2 and dnadesign/silverstripe-elemental to 4.13.1)
CMS 5.0 ran into an error after merge-up so that will need to be handled separately.

In any case, this card can now be closed, as the work directly related to it is complete.

[GuySartorelli]

This has now also been tagged for CMS 5 - update silvertripe/admin to 2.0.1 and dnadesign/silverstripe-elemental to 5.0.1