Fix: Optimize UI layout for Web Search preferences

[TimeTriggerx]

User description

Closes #14556

The "Search Engine URL Templates" table in Preferences > Web Search was consuming excessive vertical space due to a VBox.vgrow="ALWAYS" constraint on the TableView, creating a large empty gap in the UI.

Changes:

• Replaced the heavy TableView control with a lightweight VBox container.
• Removed the "Press return to commit" label as it is no longer needed for standard text fields.

Screenshots

Before:

After (Fix):

Mandatory checks

• I own the copyright of the code submitted and I license it under the MIT license
• I manually tested my changes in running JabRef (always required)
• [/] I added JUnit tests for changes (if applicable)
• I added screenshots in the PR description (if change is visible to the user)
• [/] I described the change in CHANGELOG.md in a way that is understandable for the average user (minor change).
• [/] I checked the user documentation: Is the information available and up to date? If not, I created an issue at https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/issues or, even better, I submitted a pull request updating file(s) in https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/tree/main/en.

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PR Type

Bug fix, Enhancement

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Description

• Replace TableView with dynamic VBox layout for search engines

• Remove excessive vertical space in Web Search preferences UI

• Simplify search engine display with label and text field

• Remove obsolete localization keys and "Press return" hint

---

Diagram Walkthrough

flowchart LR
  A["TableView with vgrow=ALWAYS"] -- "Replace with" --> B["Dynamic VBox layout"]
  C["TableColumn controls"] -- "Simplify to" --> D["Label + TextField nodes"]
  E["Localization keys"] -- "Remove" --> F["Cleaner properties file"]
  B --> G["Compact UI without gaps"]
  D --> G
  F --> G

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File Walkthrough

	Relevant files
Enhancement	WebSearchTab.java Replace TableView with dynamic VBox layout                              jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.java Removed TableView and TableColumn imports and FXML bindings Replaced table initialization with dynamic VBox-based layout using InvalidationListener Added new createSearchEngineNode() method to build HBox containers with name label and URL text field Simplified search engine rendering by mapping model items to UI nodes +30/-15  WebSearchTab.fxml Simplify FXML layout with VBox replacement                              jabgui/src/main/resources/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.fxml Removed TableView and TableColumn XML imports Replaced entire TableView control with simple VBox container Removed "Press return to commit" instructional label Removed table column definitions and resize policy configuration +1/-22
Documentation	JabRef_en.properties Remove obsolete localization keys                                                jablib/src/main/resources/l10n/JabRef_en.properties Removed localization keys "Search Engine" and "URL Template" Kept "Search Engine URL Templates" section header key +0/-2

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PR Compliance Guide 🔍

Below is a summary of compliance checks for this PR:

Security Compliance
🟢	No security concerns identified No security vulnerabilities detected by AI analysis. Human verification advised for critical code.
Ticket Compliance
⚪	🎫 No ticket provided Create ticket/issue
Codebase Duplication Compliance
⚪	Codebase context is not defined Follow the guide to enable codebase context checks.
Custom Compliance
🟢	Generic: Comprehensive Audit Trails Objective: To create a detailed and reliable record of critical system actions for security analysis and compliance. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Meaningful Naming and Self-Documenting Code Objective: Ensure all identifiers clearly express their purpose and intent, making code self-documenting Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Robust Error Handling and Edge Case Management Objective: Ensure comprehensive error handling that provides meaningful context and graceful degradation Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Error Handling Objective: To prevent the leakage of sensitive system information through error messages while providing sufficient detail for internal debugging. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Logging Practices Objective: To ensure logs are useful for debugging and auditing without exposing sensitive information like PII, PHI, or cardholder data. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
⚪	Generic: Security-First Input Validation and Data Handling Objective: Ensure all data inputs are validated, sanitized, and handled securely to prevent vulnerabilities Status: Missing Input Validation: The urlField TextField at line 187 binds directly to item.urlTemplateProperty() without visible validation or sanitization of URL input. Referred Code urlField.textProperty().bindBidirectional(item.urlTemplateProperty()); HBox.setHgrow(urlField, Priority.ALWAYS); // Grow to fill space Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
Update

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🟡 - Partial Compliant
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PR Code Suggestions ✨

Explore these optional code suggestions:

Category	Suggestion	Impact
Possible issue	Prevent memory leak with weak listener To prevent a potential memory leak, wrap the searchEngineListener in a WeakInvalidationListener before adding it to viewModel.getSearchEngines(). This allows the WebSearchTab to be garbage collected properly. jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.java [81-91] // Bind search engine list to the UI container InvalidationListener searchEngineListener = _ -> searchEngineContainer .getChildren() .setAll(viewModel.getSearchEngines() .stream() .map(this::createSearchEngineNode) .toList()); // Initialize the list and add listener for future updates searchEngineListener.invalidated(null); -viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener(searchEngineListener); +viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener(new javafx.beans.WeakInvalidationListener(searchEngineListener)); Apply / Chat Suggestion importance[1-10]: 9 __ Why: This suggestion correctly identifies a potential memory leak caused by a long-lived view model holding a strong reference to a listener in a shorter-lived UI component. Using a WeakInvalidationListener is the standard and correct way to prevent this in JavaFX, making this a critical fix for application stability.	High
Learned best practice	Extract lambda to method reference Replace the lambda expression with a method reference for better readability and conciseness. Extract the logic into a separate method and use a method reference. jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.java [82-87] -InvalidationListener searchEngineListener = _ -> searchEngineContainer +InvalidationListener searchEngineListener = _ -> updateSearchEngineContainer(); + +private void updateSearchEngineContainer() { + searchEngineContainer .getChildren() .setAll(viewModel.getSearchEngines() .stream() .map(this::createSearchEngineNode) .toList()); +} [To ensure code accuracy, apply this suggestion manually] Suggestion importance[1-10]: 6 __ Why: Relevant best practice - Use method references instead of lambda expressions when the lambda only calls a single method with the same parameters	Low
Update

[koppor]

• No screenshot before
• Headings are lost (which is IMHO OK, BUT ADAPT THE LOCALIZATON AS THE TEST SAYS - **why is there no reaction on the the failing test since 12 hours?)

[TimeTriggerx]

Apologies for the delay @koppor ! I missed the notification earlier. Now fault is mended and order restored.

[qodo-free-for-open-source-projects]

PR Compliance Guide 🔍

Below is a summary of compliance checks for this PR:

Security Compliance
🟢	No security concerns identified No security vulnerabilities detected by AI analysis. Human verification advised for critical code.
Ticket Compliance
⚪	🎫 No ticket provided Create ticket/issue
Codebase Duplication Compliance
⚪	Codebase context is not defined Follow the guide to enable codebase context checks.
Custom Compliance
🟢	Generic: Comprehensive Audit Trails Objective: To create a detailed and reliable record of critical system actions for security analysis and compliance. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Meaningful Naming and Self-Documenting Code Objective: Ensure all identifiers clearly express their purpose and intent, making code self-documenting Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Robust Error Handling and Edge Case Management Objective: Ensure comprehensive error handling that provides meaningful context and graceful degradation Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Error Handling Objective: To prevent the leakage of sensitive system information through error messages while providing sufficient detail for internal debugging. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Logging Practices Objective: To ensure logs are useful for debugging and auditing without exposing sensitive information like PII, PHI, or cardholder data. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Security-First Input Validation and Data Handling Objective: Ensure all data inputs are validated, sanitized, and handled securely to prevent vulnerabilities Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Compliance status legend

🟢 - Fully Compliant
🟡 - Partial Compliant
🔴 - Not Compliant
⚪ - Requires Further Human Verification
🏷️ - Compliance label

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PR Code Suggestions ✨

Explore these optional code suggestions:

Category	Suggestion	Impact
General	Refactor UI update logic for clarity Refactor the UI update logic by extracting it from the InvalidationListener into a separate, clearly-named method. This improves readability by avoiding the unconventional listener.invalidated(null) call for initialization. jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.java [81-91] -// Bind search engine list to the UI container -InvalidationListener searchEngineListener = _ -> searchEngineContainer - .getChildren() - .setAll(viewModel.getSearchEngines() - .stream() - .map(this::createSearchEngineNode) - .toList()); +// Create and bind the search engine list to the UI +viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener((InvalidationListener) _ -> updateSearchEngineList()); +updateSearchEngineList(); -// Initialize the list and add listener for future updates -searchEngineListener.invalidated(null); -viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener(searchEngineListener); - Apply / Chat Suggestion importance[1-10]: 6 __ Why: The suggestion correctly identifies that calling invalidated(null) is an unconventional use of a listener. Extracting the logic into a named method improves code clarity and maintainability, making the developer's intent more explicit.	Low
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[calixtus]

A vertical gap usually 10 should be visible between controls

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PR Compliance Guide 🔍

Below is a summary of compliance checks for this PR:

Security Compliance
🟢	No security concerns identified No security vulnerabilities detected by AI analysis. Human verification advised for critical code.
Ticket Compliance
⚪	🎫 No ticket provided Create ticket/issue
Codebase Duplication Compliance
⚪	Codebase context is not defined Follow the guide to enable codebase context checks.
Custom Compliance
🟢	Generic: Comprehensive Audit Trails Objective: To create a detailed and reliable record of critical system actions for security analysis and compliance. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Meaningful Naming and Self-Documenting Code Objective: Ensure all identifiers clearly express their purpose and intent, making code self-documenting Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Robust Error Handling and Edge Case Management Objective: Ensure comprehensive error handling that provides meaningful context and graceful degradation Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Error Handling Objective: To prevent the leakage of sensitive system information through error messages while providing sufficient detail for internal debugging. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
	Generic: Secure Logging Practices Objective: To ensure logs are useful for debugging and auditing without exposing sensitive information like PII, PHI, or cardholder data. Status: Passed Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules
⚪	Generic: Security-First Input Validation and Data Handling Objective: Ensure all data inputs are validated, sanitized, and handled securely to prevent vulnerabilities Status: Missing URL validation: The TextField for URL template is bound bidirectionally without visible input validation or sanitization in the displayed code Referred Code TextField urlField = new TextField(); urlField.textProperty().bindBidirectional(item.urlTemplateProperty()); HBox.setHgrow(urlField, Priority.ALWAYS); // Grow to fill space Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Compliance status legend

🟢 - Fully Compliant
🟡 - Partial Compliant
🔴 - Not Compliant
⚪ - Requires Further Human Verification
🏷️ - Compliance label

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PR Code Suggestions ✨

Explore these optional code suggestions:

Category	Suggestion	Impact
General	Refactor UI update logic for clarity Refactor the UI update logic to use a Runnable for better clarity. This involves defining the update logic in a Runnable, calling it directly for the initial setup, and then using it within the listener for subsequent updates. jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/websearch/WebSearchTab.java [81-91] -// Bind search engine list to the UI container -InvalidationListener searchEngineListener = _ -> searchEngineContainer +// Define the update logic +Runnable updateSearchEnginesView = () -> searchEngineContainer .getChildren() .setAll(viewModel.getSearchEngines() .stream() .map(this::createSearchEngineNode) .toList()); -// Initialize the list and add listener for future updates -searchEngineListener.invalidated(null); -viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener(searchEngineListener); +// Initial population +updateSearchEnginesView.run(); +// Add listener for future updates +viewModel.getSearchEngines().addListener(obs -> updateSearchEnginesView.run()); + Apply / Chat Suggestion importance[1-10]: 5 __ Why: The suggestion correctly identifies an unconventional use of invalidated(null) to trigger an action and proposes a clearer, more standard pattern using a Runnable, which improves code readability and maintainability.	Low
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