Add bulk import for Contact Assignments

[stavr666]

NetBox version

v3.4.1

Feature type

New functionality

Proposed functionality

Add bulk import functionality for Contact Assignments.

Use case

We use contacts to describe the following entities:

• Physical server owner;
• Virtual server users (from business-PoV);
• Financially responsible unit (for any type of assets);
• On-site and competence-related engineers;
• External support/contractors;
• Maintenance notifications targets (this one currently in json file on Git, but transition in process).

Often it turns out, that some contacts changes over time or server usage scenarios changed. So, bunch of assignments must be updated.
For some reason, there is no way to do it in UI, only by API.

Database changes

No response

External dependencies

No response

[jeremystretch]

Add UI-way (user-friendly) to bulk-add and bulk-update for Contact Assignments.

Please provide more detail in your proposal. What is the specific workflow you envision? What new UI controls, if any, will be needed to accomplish this?

[stavr666]

What is the specific workflow you envision? What new UI controls, if any, will be needed to accomplish this?

Dunno how your code build (or if it's actually hard to make), but from user's perspective result must look pretty similar to Interfaces panel in Devices/VMs, in Tenant Section.

We already have Contact Assignment in api, just add it's representation in GUI. As result, all already working in GUI flows with bulk change/remove/update for interfaces must work similar for Assigned Contacts, with (almost) same "object" field, bunch of filters (by role, by group, by priority) and ability to change or upload list of updated/new assignments. ID of assignment as key, object not changeable. Contact, role, group and priority updatable.

[MalfuncEddie]

my 2 cents:

1. Add a contact-assignments view where (table with filter tab such as devices/vm's) this allows you to filter (eg: filter on Object Type,object role or priority). just like device/vms table/filter view you can "edit selected/delete selected"

2. Add to every object that could have contact (dcim.vms ....) at the table/filter view option by either a button "add contact on selected " or changing the "edit selected" form to add a contact assignment to all selected objects. -> I currently use a custom script with a filter that assigns a contact to the object (inspiration from the contact migration script)

I think point 1 should be fairly easy (will try (If I find some time)) to look into it.

[jdavidson2021]

Would it be possible to extend the field import list on the racks, devices, virtual machine, and tenant imports to include contact_name, contact_group, contact_role, & contact_priority as optional fields (similar to tenant assignments on devices/racks)? This would allow for the contact assignments to be created or updated via import since we can now update objects via import.

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[stavr666]

Looks like #11584 added working assignment view to 3.5.0. Export also seems fine.

@jeremystretch any chance, someone will work on adding import/update functionality to this view in nearby future?

P.S. Add button not working on demo, it's internal bug or global?

[abhi1693]

That page should not have a add button. That's a bug in the code

[jeremystretch]

This has been open for months without any real implementation proposed. @stavr666 would you like to revise your proposal above with sufficient detail, or should we close this out?

[stavr666]

without any real implementation proposed

I'm sorry, missed the point, that my FR not readable (does not involved in other projects as much, as with Netbox, you improving really fast).

I see realization of Import (with Update) UI similar to how it works with Cables.

While Importing, we must have:

• Object Type - required
• Object - required
• Contact - required
• Role - optional if update, required if create new
• Priority - optional
• ID - optional, indicating update logic

[jdavidson2021]

I didn't get a reply to my previous comment. Is this possible?

Would it be possible to extend the field import list on the racks, devices, virtual machine, and tenant imports to include contact_name, contact_group, contact_role, & contact_priority as optional fields (similar to tenant assignments on devices/racks)? This would allow for the contact assignments to be created or updated via import since we can now update objects via import.

Also, the Add button on Contact Assignments on the Demo gives you the following error:

/tenancy/contact-assignments/add/
The requested page does not exist.

[jdavidson2021]

I didn't get a reply to my previous comment. Is this possible?

Would it be possible to extend the field import list on the racks, devices, virtual machine, and tenant imports to include contact_name, contact_group, contact_role, & contact_priority as optional fields (similar to tenant assignments on devices/racks)? This would allow for the contact assignments to be created or updated via import since we can now update objects via import.

Also, the Add button on Contact Assignments on the Demo gives you the following error:

/tenancy/contact-assignments/add/ The requested page does not exist.

Should I open a feature request for these additions or is there a better way to update contacts?