Disable auto numbering scheme for UI components?

[cameo69]

Hi, is it possible to disable the recently added feature that automatically numbers and adds names to newly added nodes?
I know the auto numbering was requested in the forum (Auto numbering scheme for UI components), but especially for the debug node I find it really annoying.

Before the change the debug node showed the field/object that was logged by the debug node, but now it is always "debug <#>".

It goes like this by default:

I would like for it to be by default:

Is there a setting that I did not see?

[sdrshnptl]

Hi @cameo69
You can rename debug node any time and that will display new name.

[cameo69]

Thank you, I know, but I would like to have it filled like in the past without changing it.

The information what is shown by the debug (e.g. msg.payload) is way more informative than "debug #", because I know it is a debug node.
If I decide to give it a specific name, to identify its output in the debug view, than that is helpful, but even in the debug view, having "debug #" instead of the nodeID is not helpful.

[knolleary]

@cameo69

in the debug view, having "debug #" instead of the nodeID is not helpful.

Can you expand on why you think that?

The consensus at the time this feature was proposed and adopted was that having only the node id in the debug view meant you could not, at a glance, identify which node it came from. This is because the node id is not shown in the workspace, so you either have to just learn which id is which, or search through your flows each time. In either case, clicking on the id/name will take you straight to the node.

Having a more human accessible default name makes it easier to distinguish between the nodes at a glance.

But of course there is a trade-off here - you don't get the msg.payload default label without editing the node and deleting its default name. From a usability point of view, having a screen full of nodes with identical labels is less helpful than nodes with unique names.

[cameo69]

I understand your rational, but at least for me, I am fiddling with the flow when using the debug nodes and then it seems more helpful to have what field is output in plain sight.

Hence, if I add a new debug node my first step is opening it and deleting the name.
If I find that the debug node gives a specific output, maybe not that often, I rename it anyway to something meaningful.

At least for me the the helpfulness of the name is:
specific name shown in debug log > seeing field in editor (e.g. msg.filename) > "debug #"

I think "debug #" is not that much more helpful than the ID.
See yourself:

vs.

[knolleary]

I disagree. You show two screenshots of debug messages, one labelled with ids, one with names. That missing the point of the benefit the unique names has.

If you had included the workspace in the screenshots, then we could see that the screenshot with just node ids listed has no visible relation to the nodes in the workspace, but the ones with names does.

[cameo69]

Fair enough, let me expand the example.

For me clearly the 1st is more helpful:

vs.

produce outputs:
(And I can see that the 2nd is better, but only by a small margin.)

vs.

flow:

[{"id":"6d746ffa6e9f1c1d","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":730,"y":1880,"wires":[]},{"id":"25759b900a3caf1f","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"modifydate","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":740,"y":1920,"wires":[]},{"id":"342f516a11a2103f","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":730,"y":1960,"wires":[]},{"id":"1f9bec53bc576420","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"funny_TS","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":740,"y":2000,"wires":[]},{"id":"328e65b03fbe1389","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":730,"y":2040,"wires":[]},{"id":"e986433204587439","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload.ts1","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":750,"y":2080,"wires":[]},{"id":"cbd2278c4237dee8","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload.ts2","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":750,"y":2120,"wires":[]},{"id":"09e4bba46538d40b","type":"inject","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"1","payload":"","payloadType":"date","x":250,"y":1880,"wires":[["56e0588e52911236","ab56b00d4dae9488","88b01224d2a2bb22","ca2e33b21094244b"]]},{"id":"56e0588e52911236","type":"change","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"payload","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":510,"y":1880,"wires":[["6d746ffa6e9f1c1d"]]},{"id":"ab56b00d4dae9488","type":"change","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"modifydate","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"},{"t":"set","p":"payload","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":510,"y":1940,"wires":[["25759b900a3caf1f","342f516a11a2103f"]]},{"id":"88b01224d2a2bb22","type":"change","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"funny_TS","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":500,"y":2000,"wires":[["1f9bec53bc576420"]]},{"id":"ca2e33b21094244b","type":"change","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"payload","pt":"msg","to":"{\"ts1\":0}","tot":"json"},{"t":"set","p":"payload.ts1","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"},{"t":"set","p":"payload.ts2","pt":"msg","to":"","tot":"date"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":510,"y":2080,"wires":[["328e65b03fbe1389","e986433204587439","cbd2278c4237dee8"]]},{"id":"aec0c99f50838246","type":"debug","z":"1ca0617cfc39c447","name":"debug 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[knolleary]

As I said, there is a trade off here and it isn't going to satisfy everyone.

The community consensus was that it was more useful to give the nodes unique names, as you most often quickly add a bunch of debug nodes to view msg.payload (without having to do any configuring of the node) and having lots of nodes labelled msg.payload is not helpful.

Once you get into editing what the node is configured to disable, clearing/changing the default name is part of that task.

I do acknowledge your original request wasn't to revert the behaviour, rather to have an option to disable it. I was interested to dig a bit more into your perspective on it - wasn't my intention to get into a debate.

We can certainly take your feedback onboard and consider how such an option might be made available. The behaviour isn't specific to the Debug node - any node could adopt this behaviour. So then it because a matter of should this be configurable for individual nodes, or all nodes etc.

[jbudd]

Perhaps a better default naming scheme (for the OP) would be

payload n, payload.ts2 n or for the complete msg msg n

ie the name of the object displayed rather than "Debug", which is fairly clearly conveyed by the green colour.

[cameo69]

@knolleary

We can certainly take your feedback onboard and consider how such an option might be made available. The behaviour isn't specific to the Debug node - any node could adopt this behaviour. So then it because a matter of should this be configurable for individual nodes, or all nodes etc.

Wonderful, this is all I am asking for.
Certainly I do not want you to rollback; I can see the advantage of the numbering as well.

A general option or even per node type, would be nice.

[dceejay]

late to the party... one possible option would be to set the hover message on the input port to show the configured property by default - but can be overwritten. eg like we do for the output pins of the exec node

[cameo69]

Hmm, might be helpful to some but for me it does not make much difference to the status quo.
Hovering takes time and you have to move the mouse there...

[dceejay]

it has to be quicker than opening and then closing the node to check how you configured it (if you didn't rename it in the first place). but ok, was only a thought.