Ensure Visibility of Non-Required Metadata Blocks on Dataset Creation

[Saixel]

Background

In our ongoing work to refine the Dataverse UX for dataset metadata entry, we've encountered behavioral inconsistencies within the Geospatial Metadata section, particularly with the visibility of the Geographic Unit field during the dataset creation process.

Issue

We have identified that the Geospatial Metadata block is not displayed when creating a new dataset unless fields within it are marked as 'required'. This leads to critical geographic metadata often being omitted in the initial dataset entry, with the block only appearing during the metadata editing phase.

Update: Through further discussion and technical investigation, it was determined that the visibility of metadata blocks such as Geospatial Metadata during dataset creation is controlled by displayoncreate settings within the system configuration. Unlike the Computational Workflow Metadata block, which is visible upon dataset creation due to certain fields having displayoncreate set to true, the Geospatial Metadata block does not display because none of its fields are set to display on creation.

Revised Feature Request

We seek to revise the metadata blocks to enhance user experience and ensure data completeness from the outset:

• Adjust the displayoncreate setting to allow the Geospatial Metadata block to appear during the initial dataset creation process, even when no fields within it are marked as 'required'.
• Explore the possibility of making displayoncreate overridable at the Dataverse collection level, enabling more granular control and customization.

Justification

Ensuring the visibility and accuracy of geographic metadata is critical for the proper use and discoverability of datasets within Dataverse. The proposed changes are aimed at capturing complete and precise geographic details from the point of dataset creation, adhering to best data curation practices.

Revised Implementation Considerations

• Investigate why certain metadata blocks like Computational Workflow Metadata are displayed during dataset creation, despite having no required fields, and apply these findings to the Geospatial Metadata block.
• Evaluate and possibly extend the functionality of the displayoncreate attribute to be modifiable at the collection level, similar to how 'required' fields are currently managed.
• Consult the recently discussed enhancements in related GitHub and Slack conversations to inform development and ensure alignment with broader system improvements.

Additional Context

This request emerges from user feedback and direct discussions with the CAFE project team. It is part of a series of enhancements aimed at customizing Dataverse for specialized use by the CAFE project. These modifications will facilitate a smoother, more intuitive metadata entry process, accurately reflecting the geographic scope of the data.

[pdurbin]

Note to self: check why the computational block is showing up on create but not geospatial. Neither have required fields. This is when creating a dataset under https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/CAFE

Update: from Slack, @sekmiller figured out what's going on: The display on create is set to true on "workflowType" "workflowCodeRepository" "workflowDocumentation" in computationalworkflow.tsv.

[pdurbin]

There's a related conversation at https://dataverse.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/379673-dev/topic/Bug.20when.20I.20edit.20a.20field.20in.20the.20General.20Information.2C.20when.20the

[scolapasta]

We sized this as a 33 with the scope being:
• add APIs to be able to override the datsetfieldtype displayoncreate values at a dv collection level (as we do with required, for example)
• modify JSF UI to use this value, if set.
• evaluate SPA to see if its current API use to get these values for the datsetfieldtypes is already sufficient or needs to call a new API (which would be added here); if so, create new issue for SPA calling this API

[Saixel]

Following up on the recent discussions and insights, I've updated the Issue to focus solely on the visibility of non-required metadata blocks during dataset creation, specifically addressing the behavior of the Geospatial Metadata block in the CAFE collection.

I've also separated out the structural integration of the "Geographic Unit" field into the "Geographic Coverage" block into a new Issue to deal with these topics distinctly and allow for more focused discussions and solutions.

[pdurbin]

Related:

• Feature Request/Idea: Classify metadata fields as mandatory, recommended, and optional #6885 dataverse-frontend#475

[Saixel]

Update on implementation progress: We have completed the implementation to allow users to configure the displayOnCreate setting for metadata fields when creating or editing a collection. This works similarly to the required setting, giving collection administrators more control over which metadata fields appear when a dataset is created.

This functionality addresses the core issue described here. However, the UI implementation is still in progress, so we will create a separate issue specifically for integrating this feature into the Dataverse UI.

A pull request with the backend implementation will be created and linked to this issue shortly.