Alfred 5 User Configuration: "Reset to Defaults" should only reset fields that have a default value

[Stefan Kleineikenscheidt]

Hi Alfred team,

 

when a user clicks, Reset to Defaults, all fields get reseted, even the ones that don't have a default value. This means that in the example below from the Confluence Quicksearch workflow URL, Email and API Token are getting deleted, even if a user only want to reset the default content-types for search.

 

In my opinion resetting to defaults makes sense, if a user can return to a state that makes everything work again. However, if a field is required, but has not default value, emptying it doesn't revert to a working state.

 

So my proposal: Reset only those fields that have a default value.

 

Hope that makes sense?!

 

Cheers,

-Stefan

[paulmoons]

If the default contains no entry, resetting to default returns the field to no entry. Surely that makes more sense than what you are proposing?

[Stefan Kleineikenscheidt]

Not sure if understand correctly what you mean by "default contains no entry"?

 

What I am proposing is a different handling depending on whether the default value is set to empty (reset to defaults → field should be emptied), or if it is defined not at all (field should be let as is).

[vitor]

@Stefan Kleineikenscheidt What @paulmoons is pointing out is that if the default value of a field is empty, then it makes sense that resetting to defaults makes it empty again instead of making it an exception.

 

On 9/8/2022 at 8:35 PM, Stefan Kleineikenscheidt said:

resetting to defaults makes sense, if a user can return to a state that makes everything work again.

It is impossible to know generically what that state is. Maybe it is precisely that mandatory API token field which is wrong and causing things to not function. You’re envisioning the “happy path”, but resetting is very much useful when you want to debug and make absolutely sure you’re back to the start. With your solution, helping users would become harder and more confusing.

[Stefan Kleineikenscheidt]

@vitor thanks for trying to clarify, but I think you don't fully understand what I mean. It's about the difference between an empty default value and an undefined default value. Let me I try to explain what I mean on more time (will be the last try):

 

As a workflow developer, I have two options:

1. I can define a default value (as empty or any other string)
   - OR -
2. I can not define a default value (ie. leave it unspecified).

What I am asking for is to reset to the default value only, if the default value is defined. Or vice versa: If I've not defined a default value, it should just not be reseted (after all there is no default value, isn't it?).

 

That way workflow developers could decide which fields should be handled in which way when users "Reset to Defaults".

 

 

PS: About your comment on support: An empty API token field will lead to an error message just as a wrong API token. Error cases like that need to be handled at runtime anyway, and should generate an understandable error message.

[vitor]

Yes, I understand what you’re asking for, as I’m confident @paulmoons did too, your first post was clear. The point stands that there are two different interpretations of resetting to defaults and the suggested one is the least common and the one which makes troubleshooting harder.

 

Resetting to defaults is a standard control, having it behave differently per workflow will be confusing precisely to the users who need it the most. The goal of resetting to defaults is getting a clean slate, which is not what the suggested approach would do.

 

Make no mistake, in no way am I saying your idea isn’t valuable or doesn’t make sense; it is and it does. All we’re discussing is if it would be an improvement over the current behaviour. It matters what most people think or want or benefit from when resetting to defaults. For such a rare operation which may be crucial in troubleshooting, doing a “true” reset makes sense.

 

Are you resetting defaults so often that this is has become a common hurdle? Note that your preferences will be in a prefs.plist inside the workflow’s directory, which you can leverage (i.e. delete specific keys) to get the result you seek.

[paulmoons]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:23 AM, vitor said:

Yes, I understand what you’re asking for, as I’m confident @paulmoons did too, your first post was clear.

 

This.

 

To make your idea workable, I think you would need a "reset to defaults" button that works as expected and then another "reset to almost defaults" setting. While I think this might work, it adds complexity and would be confusing as no other software tends to work this way.

 

🤷‍♂️