The initial design for Add Table from File Import defined all the steps needed to import a file, preview its content, make adjustments and save it as a table within Mathesar. However, certain aspects of the upload process and status lack definition for implementation as reported on the issue #296 on Github. This spec looks to address those gaps in the design.
The user wants to add a table to an existing schema. From the data explorer view, they click on add table and choose the ‘Import from File’ method.
The first step to creating a table from file import is to upload a valid file. The user selects a locally stored file, and the upload process begins. Once the file is ready to be imported, the user clicks on the ‘Import’ action.
This action triggers a new state that persists while the file is being processed. Processing might take longer if the file contains many rows, as the resulting import will have gone through the type inference process.
Given that a file might take a long time to process, a user could navigate away to continue work on another table or view. They might also want to import an additional table. In this case, the user needs the following:
The user at any time can expand the file import component that shows active imports. Once expanded, they should be able to see all the files that are actively being processed.
By clicking on any of the files, the user can navigate back to the tab with the import in progress. From this view, a user might cancel the operation and go back to the previous step.
Global notifications are needed to help users keep track of ongoing operations and navigate back to the particular pages. The location of these notifications should be a permanent one that is always visible to users, especially in scenarios such as moving from one database or schema to another.
The content and layout of these notifications might change dynamically according to the number or type of operations. In a single operation, the notification might show specific details, such as the file’s name being imported. Once more operations of the same type are added, it might change to offer a total count rather than details.
When operations are of a distinct type, the design might reduce the notification to only showing the number of operations, and users will find the actual type information in the dropdown.
A single job in progress, such as importing a file, can be described with details such as job type and file name in the notification widget.
Various jobs of the same kind might run concurrently, in which case a total count replaces details such as file names. The user can find the file names under the expanded dropdown.
If the jobs in progress are of different types, the job type is replaced by the general term jobs rather than the job-specific verbs.
If some jobs are finished, but some are still in progress, the status indicator will show the status of those in progress only.
If all of the jobs are finished, the status indicator will change to indicate that all jobs are finished.
If any of the jobs running fails, the status indicator will change to indicate an error requiring attention.