Template Deletion Fails Without Messaging When Template is in Use
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- Java
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Description
Description:
When attempting to delete a template that has been used to publish a dataset, the deletion silently fails. The frontend and backend both block deletion, but no user-facing message is displayed.
Steps to Reproduce:
Log in to Dataverse.
Create or use an existing template.
Create and publish a dataset using that template.
Return to the template page.
Attempt to delete the template used by the dataset.
Observed Behavior:
Deletion fails on both frontend and backend.
No message or warning is shown to the user.
Expected Behavior:
User should be informed that the template cannot be deleted because it is currently in use by one or more datasets.
A clear error or warning message should be displayed.
Logs / Evidence:
See attached server.log (reproduced on latest develop branch).
Environment: Internal
Branch: develop 6.7.1
Proposed Fix / Suggestion:
Add a check during template deletion to confirm whether the template is in use.
If in use, block deletion and display a clear message:
“This template cannot be deleted because it is being used by published datasets.”
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the deletion flow described in the issue on the develop branch, then inspect the frontend and backend template-deletion paths using the attached server.log as evidence. Confirm where deletion is blocked and how user-facing errors are handled. Done means an in-use template remains undeleted and the user sees a clear warning explaining why.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- java
- Domain
- backend, frontend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100