new time field creation date - missing possibility to read other field names; missing backup of old information

[ilippert]

JabRef 5.3--2021-01-14--e66f5be
Linux 5.10.6-200.fc33.x86_64 amd64
Java 15.0.1
JavaFX 15.0.1+1

In the past I set a field timestamp to all entries. And this JabRef version simply deleted that information!
that's a loss for users who actually use the timestamp information. now I see a modificationdate field, but that simply tells me todays date, because I updated to this master version today.

[Siedlerchr]

Refs : #7334

[ilippert]

A brief consideration: if users seriously use the old timestamp information, then #7334 renders their timestamp information useless. That's a shame. So, this issue should be fixed definitively before the next release.

[ilippert]

I am now on JabRef 5.3--2021-02-05--93ad499
Linux 5.10.12-200.fc33.x86_64 amd64
Java 15.0.2
JavaFX 15.0.1+1

And I note that my entries miss both timestamp fields and modificationdate fields.

[ilippert]

Something goes wrong if data is lost without even informing or asking the user

[calixtus]

Idea: Convert the migration to a cleanup action. Ask the user on startup, if he want's to convert the timestamp, provide "do not ask me again" checkbox.

[koppor]

DevCall result

• Migration has an issue @DominikVoigt.
• It seems that the entry is migrated (some magic happens) --> we need to explain the migration proecure somewhere (or add a link here)
• If the migration decides to put the last-updated date information, this information is overwritten, because the entry is modified during the migration. The migration MUST NOT flag the entry as modified to keep the original timestamp. - The entry is NOT flagged as modified during migration, because the listener is added later

Update: Migration logic:

If the old "Update timestamp on modification" option is active, the timestamp will be migrated to the modification field. Otherwise, it will be migrated to the creationdate field.

[koppor]

Note on the issue: When the date could not be parsed, the current date is taken.

@ilippert Could you provide us an example of the date entry used in your case?

[ilippert]

I think the format was
timestamp = {2017-04-28},

[ilippert]

And I used
date-added = {2014-08-17 20:32:02 +0200}, date-modified = {2014-08-17 20:32:02 +0200},