Unlinked files Importer: Continue (fall-through) when individual files fail to be processed

[koobs]

Is your suggestion for improvement related to a problem? Please describe.

When a user is attempting to import a "not small" (>1) number of files and the import process is completely stopped due to a single or small number of errors, the followings impacts present themselves:

• The user is confused as to the state of the import, and library as a whole
• The user must elect to either delete the successfully processed items from the library and start again, or identify the respective filenames from the next Scan/Import cycle, and exclude them. The impact is compounded because:
  1. the Import scan default selects all folders/items by default, AND
  2. The main window can displays titles (not filenames), and the Import dialog displays filenames, so they are difficult to match
• While a traceback may be provided, it is difficult and time consuming to identify the respective source (file) of the error.
• The failure of individual items should not affect or impact the ability to process other items.

Given arbitrary file processing can result in very many failures (and/or exceptions), Import file processing should not be fatal in these cases, and instead fall-through (skip and continue processing), notifying the user of the issue and ideally retaining the debug information (details of the issue), so that users can continue to report them.

Describe the solution you'd like

• Change Import file processing to fall-through when unable to process a file, AND

Notify the user of files unable to be processed:

• Mark the file that fails to be processed in the Import dialog tree control (file child elements), OR
• Create an area in the Import dialog that can contain file processing information, that contains:
  • The full path of the filename with the issue, AND
  • The error message summary, AND
  • A traceback or details link or button to view the full traceback or log, OR
• Create a dedicated "Processing Import" dialog that creates an entry per item (which also facilitates a "visual progress mechanism, see: Importer: JabRef stops responding (hangs) during PDF Import #7205 "add a visual progress mechanism to the Import dialog")

Additional context

• Related Issues: PdfContentImporter: java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: String index out of range: 3 #7203 Additional Short DOI fatal exception cases: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: <string> is not a valid DOI/Short  #7127 (and im sure many more)

[Siedlerchr]

I am currently reworking the dialog and I thought about marking/showing a similar dialog as in the copy files dialog (Tools -> Copy linked files to folder)

[ThiloteE]

related discussion in the forum: https://discourse.jabref.org/t/unlinked-files-importer-fall-back-for-files-failed-to-be-processed/3066