Forum OpenACS Development: new vers of acs_object__name(object_id)

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION acs_object__name(
   name__object_id integer
) RETURNS varchar AS $$
DECLARE
  object_name            varchar;  
  v_object_id            integer;
  obj_type               record;  
  obj                    record;      
  match_array text[];
  pkg_key text;
  msg_key text;
BEGIN
  -- Find the name function for this object, which is stored in the
  -- name_method column of acs_object_types. Starting with this
  -- object's actual type, traverse the type hierarchy upwards until
  -- a non-null name_method value is found.
  --
  -- select name_method
  --  from acs_object_types
  -- start with object_type = (select object_type
  --                             from acs_objects o
  --                            where o.object_id = name__object_id)
  -- connect by object_type = prior supertype

  select title into object_name
  from acs_objects
  where object_id = name__object_id;

  if (object_name is not null) then
    select regexp_matches(object_name, '^#([^.]*)\.([^.]*)#$') into match_array;

    if NOT FOUND then
      return object_name;
    else
      pkg_key := match_array[1];
      msg_key := match_array[2];

      select
        message into object_name
      from
        lang_messages
      where
        package_key = pkg_key
       and
        message_key = msg_key;

      if FOUND then
        if object_name is not NULL and object_name <> '' then
          return object_name;
        end if;
      end if;
    end if;
  end if;

  for obj_type
  in select o2.name_method
        from acs_object_types o1, acs_object_types o2
       where o1.object_type = (select object_type
                                 from acs_objects o
                                where o.object_id = name__object_id)
         and o1.tree_sortkey between o2.tree_sortkey and tree_right(o2.tree_sortkey)
    order by o2.tree_sortkey desc
  loop
   if obj_type.name_method != '' and obj_type.name_method is NOT null then

    -- Execute the first name_method we find (since we're traversing
    -- up the type hierarchy from the object's exact type) using
    -- Native Dynamic SQL, to ascertain the name of this object.
    --
    --execute 'select ' || object_type.name_method || '(:1) from dual'

    for obj in execute 'select ' || obj_type.name_method || '(' || name__object_id || ')::varchar as object_name' loop
        object_name := obj.object_name;
        exit;
    end loop;

    exit;
   end if;
  end loop;

  return object_name;
  
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql stable strict;

jim,

where have you found this version of acs_object__name()? AFIKT, it is not in any of the recent versions of OpenACS. The part with the regular expressions looks strange to me. The current version can be viewed the easiest on [1]

-g

[1] https://github.com/openacs/openacs-core/blob/master/packages/acs-kernel/sql/postgresql/acs-objects-create.sql#L1010

If you want justification for at least trying it, I'll contend that my addition isn't all that intrusive... the only way it "wakes up" is if acs_objects.title is non blank, and only then if the title follows the form "<span>#</span>pkg_key.msg_key#".

If the query after that finds there IS something in the message, that text is used as the object name, so I'm letting the original developer finish his work... or not, and either way, aca_object__name() (well, my version) tries a little harder to come up with a nonblank object name. If someone changes group__new() so that it puts the group name in the lang_messages table, my code will use that name.

The only way acs_object__name() can lose now, is if there does not exist a name method for the object type (or for any supertypes), or the name method itself returns blank.

-Jim

Gustaf,

This is a bug report with a suggested fix. The bug is, acs_object__name() returns a string from acs_objecs.title that looks like (pound sign)acs-translations.group_title_2702(pound sign), which gets looked up. The value it returns (from the table lang_messages) is blank, so that's what the old version of acs_object__name() returns. The "Recently..." comment refers to that change, which may not be complete.

To shed light on the problem, try this:

• Create an application_group,
• Find its object_id,
• In psql, run: select title from acs_objects where object_id = theGroupId;
• Still in psql, run: select acs_object__name(theGroupID);
• Still psql, run select message from lang_messages where psckage_key = 'acs-translations' and message_key = 'group_title_(theGroupID)';
• You should notice that the result of this query is either blank or null, and is why blank is displayed when group names are displayed.

My intent for my change to acs_object__name() is to fix the blank-group-name problem and be sufficiently nonintrusive so that (1) I'm avoiding interfering with the developer who started this change, and (2) acs_object__name() should work whether he completes his work or not.

-Jim

Gustaf,

You're right, the titles look good, and, those groups have been around on openacs.org ro maybe 10 or 20 years.

What do you find on a group created today or so?

-Jim

sorry for delay... I have some results to show you, but first do you happen to know the &#...; for #?

-Jim

Hi, here are the results...

using this query:

        select 
            o.object_type, 
            o.creation_date::date, 
            o.title
        from 
            acs_objects o,
            lang_messages m,
            (select object_id, regexp_matches(title, '#([^.#]*).([^.#]*)#') as matcha from acs_objects) r
        where 
            o.object_id = r.object_id
          and
            r.matcha[1] = m.package_key
          and
            r.matcha[2] = m.message_key
          and
            (m.message is null or m.message = '')
        order by 
            o.title;

I get:

    object_type    | creation_date |                title                
-------------------+---------------+-------------------------------------
 application_group | 2014-02-05    | #acs-translations.group_title_1727#
 application_group | 2014-02-23    | #acs-translations.group_title_1958#
 application_group | 2014-12-22    | #acs-translations.group_title_2702#
(3 rows)

without the \ char at the start of the title field.

As far as intent for posting, yes, this is a bug report (with suggested fix), and I'm also totally willing to discuss this way potentially other ways to solve it.

-Jim

actually, there is a bug in application_group::delete, the group can't be deleted via the api due to a fk violation. i will fix this soon.

The bug in application_group::delete is fixed in the oacs-5-8-branch since jan 2.
Not sure, i understand "&#...; for #".