Bug: Changing column 'name' in Bulk Edit creates a new duplicate column

[ayush-shah]

🐞 Problem Description

Currently, when a user edits a column's technical name via the Bulk Edit feature, the system does not update the existing column. Instead, it creates a new column with the new name, leaving the original column untouched.

This leads to:

• Duplicate Columns: Users attempting to "rename" a column inadvertently create a duplicate.
• Orphaned Data: The original columns remain, and as noted in the discussion, there is no UI option to delete them.
• User Confusion: This behavior is misleading and has been flagged as a significant issue by users who expect to be editing the existing entity.

💡 Proposed Solution

To resolve this and align with user expectations, we should modify the Bulk Edit functionality for columns.

1. Restrict name Editing: For existing columns, users should not be allowed to edit the technical name field via the Bulk Edit UI. This field should be read-only or hidden.
2. Enable displayName Editing: Users should only be allowed to edit the displayName for existing columns. This is the intended "rename" action for display purposes.
3. Handle New Column Creation: The ability to add new columns via Bulk Edit should be preserved. Per the design discussion:
   • When a user adds a new column, the single name they provide should be used to populate both the technical name and the displayName.
   • After creation, any subsequent edits via Bulk Edit will only modify the displayName, preserving the technical name as the identifier.

This solution mirrors the existing logic for editing Table properties (where only displayName is editable) and prevents accidental data duplication.

✅ Acceptance Criteria

• WHEN a user selects existing columns for Bulk Edit:
  • THEN the technical name field is not editable.
  • AND the displayName field is editable.
• WHEN a user edits and saves the displayName of existing columns:
  • THEN the existing columns are updated.
  • AND no new columns are created.
• WHEN a user adds a new row/column during a Bulk Edit session:
  • THEN they provide a single name.
  • AND a new column is created where name and displayName are both set to the provided name.

[ayush-shah]

Team is proceeding with the following updates to the Bulk Edit/Import UI to resolve this:

1. Locking Technical Names: The "Column Name" (Technical Name) field will be greyed out/locked in the UI. This will prevent users from accidentally renaming them and triggering the duplication.

2. Display Names: Users will continue to have full ability to update "Display Names."

3. Adding New Columns: If a new column is required, we will ensure there is a distinct "Add Row" option to handle that creation explicitly.

[wallfacers]

@ayush-shah Is there a plan to support the ability to delete field columns under tables?

[ayush-shah]

@wallfacers not sure if i understand it correctly, what is your usecase and why do you want to delete the column?