860623 - provide a bug cloning feature over XML-RPC

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Bugzilla :: WebService, enhancement)

Description

[Martin]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:16.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/16.0
Build ID: 20121026114414

Steps to reproduce:

[RFE] Please, provide a bug cloning feature over XML-RPC.

Comment 1

[Frédéric Buclin]

This doesn't really makes sense, IMO. For instance, you couldn't duplicate the bug alias, if there is one in the bug you want to clone, and there are probably some other fields you want to edit before creating the cloned bug. You can already do something similar with Bug.get() followed by Bug.create(). Doesn't it fit your needs?

Comment 2

[Martin]

(In reply to Frédéric Buclin from comment #1)
> This doesn't really makes sense, IMO. For instance, you couldn't duplicate
> the bug alias, if there is one in the bug you want to clone, and there are
> probably some other fields you want to edit before creating the cloned bug.

That's right the rationale for this RFE. The requested feature would follow 
the behaviour of the already existing web ui feature filling all the additional
fields automatically.

> You can already do something similar with Bug.get() followed by
> Bug.create(). Doesn't it fit your needs?

Sure, but then we have two places where almost identical feature will be implemented:
One (already existing) in bugzilla web ui and second in my script. That's not clean 
and duplicates maintenance efforts.

I just want to access already existing feature over XML-RPC which is very helpful
when dealing with lots of bugs with user scripts.

Comment 3

[Peter Schiffer]

Frédéric,

any updates on this feature? Are you considering implementing it?

Thanks,

peter

Comment 4

[Peter Schiffer]

ping

Comment 5

[:glob ✱]

the clone behaviour in the UI just loads selected fields from the cloned bug, and pre-fills those fields in the enter-bug form.  the user must then edit the bug where appropriate and submit the form.

in other words, cloning isn't a single step action that can be performed by an API call; it's a convenience provided by the UI and doesn't it doesn't make sense for this to be a new API method.

Comment 6

[Peter Schiffer]

OK. So for example, how do I edit "Clone Of" field, when I have no permission to edit it, or how do I copy the groups I have no permissions for to the new bug? The changes user must insert when cloning bug can be provided by input parameters to API call - this can be solved by one API method which returns newly created bug ID, or am I missing something?

Sense behind this request is clear - why should we maintain and regularly update cloning feature in downstream library when this can be provided by upstream API...

Comment 7

[Frédéric Buclin]

(In reply to Peter Schiffer from comment #6)
> OK. So for example, how do I edit "Clone Of" field, when I have no
> permission to edit it, or how do I copy the groups I have no permissions for
> to the new bug?

If you have no permissions to do it, we are not going to implement a feature which allows you to work around these restrictions.

Comment 8

[Peter Schiffer]

This is not about working around the restrictions - I can skip that fields (what I'm already doing). What I meant when I wrote that is, that currently I'm not able to clone the bug with API in the same way as I can do it in GUI, with the _same_ permissions. You provided solution (get + create the bug), which does not work. That is all.

Comment 9

[Frédéric Buclin]

(In reply to Peter Schiffer from comment #8)
> GUI, with the _same_ permissions.

I'm lost. Which permissions are you talking about??

Comment 10

[Peter Schiffer]

Sorry - user permissions (or privileges?). When I clone the bug in GUI with my account, "Clone of" field is filled. But I can't set it with the same account via API.

Comment 11

[Frédéric Buclin]

(In reply to Peter Schiffer from comment #10)
> Sorry - user permissions (or privileges?). When I clone the bug in GUI with
> my account, "Clone of" field is filled.

No idea what this "Clone of" field is (it's not part of the core code of Bugzilla). But if Bug.get followed by Bug.create doesn't let you set some fields, then this really means that you are not allowed to set these fields based on your user privileges, and bug cloning shouldn't prefill them for you either. Maybe you should ask someone else to clone the bug for you (someone with more privileges).