Project Version Picker Should Indicate Inactive Versions

[msymons]

Current Behavior

When viewing a project, one can switch to a different version of the project using a dropdown picker. The list of available versions does not indicate which are active and which are inactive

Proposed Behavior

The list of versions displayed in the version picker dropdown should indicate when a version is inactive. Perhaps by using strikethrough?

Checklist

• I have read and understand the contributing guidelines
• I have checked the existing issues for whether this enhancement was already requested

[nscuro]

Note, the API will need to be updated to include the active field.

The code for querying the version information displayed in this dropdown is here: https://github.com/DependencyTrack/dependency-track/blob/06e6eba67e67fa173a7b1ea46b46515962e61b13/src/main/java/org/dependencytrack/persistence/ProjectQueryManager.java#L1209-L1215

[aravindparappil46]

Hi folks,
I started working on this and wanted to discuss two possible options:

Option 1 - Warning Icon

Option 2 - Strikethrough

I'm leaning towards Option 1, since

• We do not have to introduce a new UX pattern in the app (the strikethrough) since the ⚠️ icon currently exists in the Components page
• We could use the same icon at a project level, for addressing Project Pages Should Have Clearer Indication that they are Inactive #843

Eager to know your thoughts!

[nscuro]

@aravindparappil46 I think using ⚠️ might be confusing on first look, since we also use that to point out outdated versions. Also, a project being inactive is not something that requires attention, it's more of a BAU thing if that makes sense.

Perhaps using a "muted" text style would make sense, indicating that those items are less important than the rest. We could further sort the version list such that inactive versions are grouped towards the bottom of the dropdown.

Another option - note that I haven't looked at how the dropdown is currently implemented - could be to use b-dropdown-group to provide a clear separation between active and inactive versions: https://bootstrap-vue.org/docs/components/dropdown#b-dropdown-group

[aravindparappil46]

That makes sense, @nscuro . Thanks!

I really liked the last option of adding a group for inactive versions, so went with that in the PR #862 (can make changes, of course).

Here is how it looks:

[mieliespoor]

Would it be a manual action then to set the version inactive? In other words, it would be a deliberate decision to set a version inactive, and if you don't, you will have multiple versions active?

[msymons]

@mieliespoor

Would it be a manual action then to set the version inactive?

Yes. In the UI, this is set via the dialog displayed when clicking the "View Details" button for a project. Flagging a project as inactive is a great way to ensure that it does not "pollute" the portfolio metrics.

The justification for why a project version might be flagged as inactive rather than simply being deleted will depend on your processes/preferences. But note that incoming regulation in Europe will mandate that such data be retained for 10 years AFTER a product is EOL. Thus, the use of "inactive" in DT will most likely increase in the future.