Swapping existing Umbraco Dropdown List with Data List?

[mistyn8]

I tried to replace an existing umb core dropdown with contentment datalist/dropdown assuming that the value stored in the database would just be the set value, but then got errors in the dtge about type conversions..

Is there an easy way to update from the umb core dropdown to datalist/dropdown without having to revisit all the content?

[leekelleher]

Hi @mistyn8 👋

From what I recall the Umbraco dropdown uses the Prevalue option's ID as the value - but I'm unsure how you'd go able finding out what that value is - it's usually an int (well maybe as a string). I think they might be stored in the umbracoDataType database table.

This has got me thinking whether we could have an "Umbraco DataType Prevalues" data-source for Data List? e.g. keep the old (Umbraco core) dropdown DataType, and use that as the source to populate the new Data List? Reasons for doing that could be to swap out the list-editor, or as a stepping stone for further manipulation (as in, in code, etc). (Just an idea 💡)

[leekelleher]

Quick follow up. I tried it with DTGE - I had the Clean Starter Kit installed, that already had a Grid configured, so quickly added DTGE.

I performed the same test, (as above), and it worked okay for me.

I'm curious where you were getting the errors. Wondering whether it's a frontend/ModelsBuilder/ValueConverter issue?

re: ModelsBuilder, I checked the object-type of Umbraco's Dropdown editor, which is a string... and the "User-defined List" data-source is also a string, so should be compatible. I guess if a different data-source was used, (as in one with a different object-type), then that may cause issues with ModelsBuilder, but should be able to re-generate the models and rebuild the NuCache db files? 🤔

[mistyn8]

Thank you so much for spending your precious time on this.

I just tried this again in v9.. I think I missed a step, in that I didn't appreciate I had to retouch the dtge doctype to get the changed datatype reflected... I'd assumed that the only linkage was to the datatype guid from the doc type.

But visiting the doctype still showed the datatype as umbraco.dropdown.flexible, though clicking to edit it went to the replaced contentment.datalist and the subsequent save then updated it.
In fact just a save the doctype reflected the change. (did you have to do this in u8?)

Here's the error in case you were interested, if you don't go and save the doctype with the swapped out datatype

Received an error from the server
An error occurred
Unable to cast object of type 'System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[System.String,System.Object]' to type 'Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DropDownFlexibleConfiguration'.

Exception Details
System.InvalidCastException, System.Private.CoreLib, Version=5.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=7cec85d7bea7798e: Unable to cast object of type 'System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[System.String,System.Object]' to type 'Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DropDownFlexibleConfiguration'.
Stacktrace
at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.ConfigurationEditor`1.ToConfigurationEditor(Object configuration)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Models.Mapping.ContentPropertyDisplayMapper.Map(IProperty originalProp, ContentPropertyDisplay dest, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TTarget](Object source, Type sourceType, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TSource,TTarget](TSource source, MapperContext context)
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.SelectIPartitionIterator`2.ToList()
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Models.Mapping.TabsAndPropertiesMapper`1.Map(TSource source, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Mapping.ContentMapDefinition.Map(IContent source, ContentVariantDisplay target, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TTarget](Object source, Type sourceType, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TTarget](Object source, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.MapperContext.Map[TTarget](Object source)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Models.Mapping.ContentVariantMapper.Map(IContent source, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Mapping.ContentMapDefinition.Map(IContent source, ContentItemDisplay target, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TTarget](Object source, Type sourceType, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Mapping.UmbracoMapper.Map[TTarget](Object source, MapperContext context)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Controllers.ContentController.MapToDisplay(IContent content, Action`1 contextOptions)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Controllers.ContentController.MapToDisplay(IContent content)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Controllers.ContentController.GetEmptyInner(IContentType contentType, Int32 parentId)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Web.BackOffice.Controllers.ContentController.GetEmpty(String contentTypeAlias, Int32 parentId)
   at lambda_method3759(Closure , Object , Object[] )
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ActionMethodExecutor.SyncObjectResultExecutor.Execute(IActionResultTypeMapper mapper, ObjectMethodExecutor executor, Object controller, Object[] arguments)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodAsync()
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.Next(State& next, Scope& scope, Object& state, Boolean& isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeNextActionFilterAsync()
--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.Rethrow(ActionExecutedContextSealed context)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.Next(State& next, Scope& scope, Object& state, Boolean& isCompleted)
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeInnerFilterAsync()
--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure.ResourceInvoker.<InvokeNextExceptionFilterAsync>g__Awaited|25_0(ResourceInvoker invoker, Task lastTask, State next, Scope scope, Object state, Boolean isCompleted)

[leekelleher]

re: In fact just a save the doctype reflected the change. (did you have to do this in u8?)

I didn't catch this, because I changed the DataType from the DocType itself. As opposed to changing the underlying DataType for the property itself.

To be honest, I often still do that... but I recall hitting a similar issue as what you have here - the DocType has (somehow) cached the property's previous DataType configuration. So yeah, a DocType re-save is required.

Anyway, this been good (for me) to prove that the Umbraco Dropdown editor can be hot-swappable with the Data List editor. 😎

[mistyn8]

Bit annoying to have to touch multiple doctypes though.. might raise an issue.

Is it worth starting a petition to have it not only hot-swappable but integrated into the core, I really don't understand why a key/value pair construct (dropdown list/ radio/ checkbox) is singular value since v8. Though I do remember something from Shanon about how hard it was to support/hack in v7 for the prevaule funct. ;-)

[leekelleher]

Yeah, there's a data integrity concern, e.g. if a value is changed then the selected option in the dropdown us lost, but then that was when the options were stored in the prevalues db table.

As for lobbying Umbraco core to support/introduce such a feature, sure - go for it. Although, it's not something I'm personally pursuing (since I have Contentment Data List), and I'm not rushing to have my package's features acquired by core; been-there-done-that. 🤗