[enhancement]: Remove Version-Information for GITHUB installations

[mcm1957]

No existing issues.

• There is no existing issue for my request.

Related problems

Just had (or still have) another discussion why version information is not updated at every change and adapter shows a misleading version info when installed from github. User is confised why he installes a new version from github but version info is still unchanged ...

OK - installing from github should be avoided, but durig testing it makes sense anyway.

So I would suggest: (see below)

Description

Please remove the version infomation at admin adapter page and replace it by the github icon and eventually followd by the short github sha value. The releaseinformation from io.package.json could be shown together with the full github sha as tooltip if this seems to be needed. The version info will still be visible at logfile anyway.

So this tile

should be replaced by

Note: The Github sha value is already available somewhre as it is shown at tooltiü og GitHub icon

Additional context

No response

[Apollon77]

Puhh ... really remove there? I am not sure if this makes too much sense because it will be more helkpful also for the dev and also for the user. The GitHub icon should be enough to state "hey it is Github ... but version was this

[mcm1957]

Yes I would really suggest to remove as users are stating from time to time that they update and the version does not change. One user replies with "but I also have x.y.z and it works for me" and so on. And I personally would prefer to really know that a user is using GH version than getting the info "using 1.2.3" while it is 1.2.3 but not the offical one.

I could only imagine thise alternatives - but not sure if this can be done due to place restrictions:

a) show 1.2.3#a034d9 - the version followed by the github SHA as a sort of automated build number.
b) show installation timestamp which is more human readable and in most cases can be mapped to a dedicated github sha too.

I do not think that dev and user really have a benefit by a version which is not really related to any concrete software level. But maybe this is my oppinion. I think even the dev would have more info if he knows that the user really has installed the latest version by checking the SHA. If the io-package version is shown as tooltip it would be easy to get it if really needed anyway.

One additional sideeffect:
User often state that they have version x.y.z installed. But in reality they have installed a Github only Adapter which has per definition no secured version. So any comparision to other users with working installations is not really possible.

Link to latest discussion at forum:
https://forum.iobroker.net/topic/67668/tibberlink-adapter/423 - not 100% related to versioning so relkvant comments must be extracted from general topic.

---

Last remark:
The github icon seems to be volatile and to vanish. I will check and create another issue if it can be reproduced.

[Apollon77]

Maybe leave version and add the hash in brackens in a line below it or such?

[mcm1957]

Maybe leave version and add the hash in brackens in a line below it or such?

Could be an option but not really sure as users simply ignore any additionl info and only say "using V1.2.3". When the hash is a part of the version theres a bigger change that it is used together with 1.2.3.

[mcm1957]

One more idea to be discussed:
Show the version with "strike through" and the hash besides or below. Maybe this would more clearly indicate that the version is not really valid but only a best known indication

[Horgul123]

I would still show the version from Github, show the Github icon AND show the Github SHR Code. They you know exactly which version is installed.

The "strike through" option sounds like a good compromise :)

Without the version information it's nearly impossible for most users to find out which version they are using.
Installation from Github is used not only by "expert testers", but also by users waiting for a new function or a bugfix. Some developers than tell "install the latest Github version and test again".

[mcm1957]

I would still show the version from Github, show the Github icon AND show the Github SHR Code. They you know exactly which version is installed.

The problem is that most users simply telle they have installed version 1.2.3 which is is at least partly incorrect as especially for new features and bugfixed the current (fixed, enhanced) github version always has the same version number as the last released version. Thats the reason for confusion.

The "strike through" option sounds like a good compromise :)

Without the version information it's nearly impossible for most users to find out which version they are using.

Well, the version number is in case of a github installation not a good indication whcih version is installed as the current modified code at github most likely has the same version number as the last released version.

Anyway - I agree that the complete information (version PLUS SHA) would be best. But how to educate users to provide this FULL information ? No real idea ...

[Horgul123]

Maybe show the version like

Installed Version: (Github icon) GH-1.2.3-abcde

So that it's really one string showing the version icncl. GH SHR? With the "GH-" at the beginning the version number looks more different. Maybe this could help that the user copy the complete version number....

But yes..... It will still be difficult to get the "real" version number/description is some (or many) cases....

[GermanBluefox]

The problem is, that the user does not upload information after the new GIT HUB version is installed. In this case, as long the user does not press the refresh button on adapter tab, no new information will be read from the disk, because for that the getInstalled command must be sent to host.
And the version is shown here already:

[mcm1957]

The problem is that 99% of user report they have installed Version 3.9.0. Which is INCORRECT or at least INCOMPLETE. A Github Install does not have a defined Version. In most cases the version of a Github Version is identical to the last released Version. User do not use the tooltip but simply report whats shown at screnn per default. So I would still suggest to show the github icon only and show Version + SHA ony as tooltip when hoovering over the github icon. This should be a big hint for users that they do not use a normal version.

[GermanBluefox]

I think, that to show older version is better than no one. This version is wrong only in a very short period of time: when User installed new version from GitHub and not yet uploaded or not refreshed the page.

[mcm1957]

No thats incorrect.
The problem is NOT related to upload at all.

The problem is that the release 1.0.0 is available at npm / repositories.

Dev continues to change code. This might last some days or even weeks. And within this time every installation from guithub also shows release 1.0.0 as the release is increments only during release cycle and at start of the first change. Github "versions" do not have a new version number in 99% of the cases.

So if a user reports a problem with 1.0.0 in most cases one thinks he refers to the official release. But there are several cases where the user has installed a github version and continues to name it 1.0.0. And there are many cases where during buf analyses the user installes from github and reports "Installation does not work, it still is 1.0.0 :-(

Hope this clearifies the problem a little bit more. Its not related to any upload.

And in my oppinion showing a version which is not (at leat 99%) related to a problem is worse than showing none. So I still would prefer to change the (when installing from github nonsense) Version to i.e. the version+Github SHA added (so that user reposrt 1.0.0-3aB5c) or some other solution which makes usesers report the correct info.