Add buttons to edit cables

[dreng]

NetBox version

v3.3.4

Feature type

Change to existing functionality

Proposed functionality

The device view provides tabs for interfaces, power ports etc. On every line we have a button to connect a cable or, if a cable is connected already, a button to disconnect the cable.

I've got a PR ready that adds a button to all kinds of connection overviews (console ports, power ports, front ports, interfaces etc.). It looks like this:

Use case

What I miss here is a button to go directly to the edit page of the cable including a redirect to the page we came from. Best thing you can do at the moment is to click the link in the "Cable" column (if not hidden), edit the cable and go back to the connections overview manually. This approach is kinda cumbersome.

Database changes

None

External dependencies

None

[jeremystretch]

There are quite a few buttons there as it is. What about merging several of the cable-relevant buttons under a dropdown (similar to the add/edit/changelog actions)? IMO it would make sense to list the trace cable, edit cable (new), and delete cable actions under a single button. There's also the toggle button to change the cable status, but that one probably needs to stay separate as it's a Javascript function.

[dreng]

I absolutely agree. At first I wanted to do it that way too, but I struggled a bit with choosing a suitable symbol. The symbol to change things would be the pencil, but there's another button with a pencil in this context already. A yellow dropdown menu with a cable icon could be a solution.

Another problem is that the "new" button is already a dropdown menu. It would certainly be irritating if there were an entry for "trace cable" underneath this button next to "interface", "font port", etc. Perhaps it would help to rename the entries. "interface" would then become "connect to interface". Is that roughly what you propose? Or should we just leave the trace button alone and consolidate only edit and delete?

[dreng]

Just to make the options clear that has been proposed:

First variant is to consolidate all of the buttons. This means that there is no trace button anymore at all if no cable is connected.

Second variant is to leave trace button where it is.

[sieuwe]

I would keep the trace as a separate button, we use that frequently on cables that are not attached to an interface on both sides.

[bluikko]

A bit off-topic but since we are discussing the buttons and their count, I wonder how frequently the "Mark planned" button is actually used - could it be moved to the drop-down that includes "Delete" and "Changelog"?

[dreng]

A bit off-topic ...

Well, yes. I would appreciate, if we could get the proposed topic done and discuss your proposal in a separate FR.

...but since we are discussing the buttons and their count, I wonder how frequently the "Mark planned" button is actually used - could it be moved to the drop-down that includes "Delete" and "Changelog"?

This button is not only a button. It is an indicator, showing the current status. Moving it to the drop-down would break this feature.

[bluikko]

This button is not only a button. It is an indicator, showing the current status. Moving it to the drop-down would break this feature.

The reason I raised is that it was mentioned there is clutter and many buttons already. So maybe there could've been a way to reduce that clutter. But as you say, it is not possible.
I do not think further discussion on the "Mark planned" button is then necessary and I don't see how the amount of buttons could be reduced. Trace should definitely stay as a button since it is one of the most used buttons IMO.

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[dreng]

@jeremystretch
Unfortunately, after my last reply, there was no more recourse.
I would like to kindly ask what is necessary to accept this feature request. Actually, all we need here is a decision on whether and which of the two proposed scenarios should be implemented. I can still offer to do the work.

[jeremystretch]

Second variant is to leave trace button where it is.

Seems like this is the preferable approach. @dreng I'll assign this to you.