Document clearing user preferences #1177

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MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-05T21:30:41+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-05 21:30:41 +02:00

Originally created by @jnovinger on 9/29/2025

Change Type

Addition

Area

Best practices

Proposed Changes

Add documentation for the User Preferences page (/user/preferences/), specifically covering the "Table Configurations" section and how to clear table preferences when experiencing table display errors.

Users encountering FieldError or other table display issues due to saved column/sorting preferences have no documented way to resolve the problem (most recently in #20441). The workaround (clearing table preferences via the user profile) is only documented in GitHub issue comments (#13756, #18845), creating a documentation gap that forces users to search through closed issues.

Proposed Documentation Location

Possible Location: Add a new section to docs/features/customization.md

Add a "User Preferences" section after the "Bookmarks" section (around line 23), covering table configuration clearing and other user preference features.

Note: There may be more appropriate places for this documentation, such as:

A new docs/getting-started/using-netbox.md file for general UI usage patterns
docs/administration/ if considered more of an operational/troubleshooting topic
docs/best-practices/ if framed as best practices for managing user preferences

The customization.md location is suggested because it already covers user-facing customization features (tags, bookmarks, custom fields, custom links), but maintainers may identify a better fit.

Proposed Content

## User Preferences

Users can customize their NetBox experience through personal preferences accessible via their profile (username in top right → Preferences). These preferences are stored per-user and persist across sessions.

### Table Configurations

NetBox remembers your preferred column selections and sort orders for each table you configure. While this provides convenience, occasionally you may need to reset these preferences if encountering display errors or after NetBox upgrades that modify table structures.

#### Clearing Table Preferences

To clear saved preferences for one or more tables:

1. Click your username in the top right corner
2. Select "Preferences" from the dropdown
3. Scroll to the "Table Configurations" section
4. Check the boxes next to the tables you want to reset
5. Click "Submit" to clear the selected preferences

After clearing preferences, you can reconfigure the table using the "Configure" button on the table view.

### Other Preferences

Additional user preferences can be configured on this page, including:
- Pagination settings (items per page)
- Default data format (JSON or YAML)
- UI display options

Administrators can set default preferences for new users via the [`DEFAULT_USER_PREFERENCES`](../configuration/default-values.md#default_user_preferences) configuration parameter.

References

#13756: First documented instance of preference clearing workaround
#18845: Additional user-reported need for preference clearing
#20441: Table column rename that may require users to clear preferences
docs/configuration/default-values.md: Already mentions preferences page but doesn't explain clearing feature
docs/development/user-preferences.md: Documents preference structure for developers but not user-facing clearing process

*Originally created by @jnovinger on 9/29/2025* ### Change Type Addition ### Area Best practices ### Proposed Changes Add documentation for the User Preferences page (`/user/preferences/`), specifically covering the "Table Configurations" section and how to clear table preferences when experiencing table display errors. Users encountering `FieldError` or other table display issues due to saved column/sorting preferences have no documented way to resolve the problem (most recently in #20441). The workaround (clearing table preferences via the user profile) is only documented in GitHub issue comments (#13756, #18845), creating a documentation gap that forces users to search through closed issues. ### Proposed Documentation Location **Possible Location**: Add a new section to `docs/features/customization.md` Add a "User Preferences" section after the "Bookmarks" section (around line 23), covering table configuration clearing and other user preference features. **Note**: There may be more appropriate places for this documentation, such as: - A new `docs/getting-started/using-netbox.md` file for general UI usage patterns - `docs/administration/` if considered more of an operational/troubleshooting topic - `docs/best-practices/` if framed as best practices for managing user preferences The customization.md location is suggested because it already covers user-facing customization features (tags, bookmarks, custom fields, custom links), but maintainers may identify a better fit. ### Proposed Content ```markdown ## User Preferences Users can customize their NetBox experience through personal preferences accessible via their profile (username in top right → Preferences). These preferences are stored per-user and persist across sessions. ### Table Configurations NetBox remembers your preferred column selections and sort orders for each table you configure. While this provides convenience, occasionally you may need to reset these preferences if encountering display errors or after NetBox upgrades that modify table structures. #### Clearing Table Preferences To clear saved preferences for one or more tables: 1. Click your username in the top right corner 2. Select "Preferences" from the dropdown 3. Scroll to the "Table Configurations" section 4. Check the boxes next to the tables you want to reset 5. Click "Submit" to clear the selected preferences After clearing preferences, you can reconfigure the table using the "Configure" button on the table view. ### Other Preferences Additional user preferences can be configured on this page, including: - Pagination settings (items per page) - Default data format (JSON or YAML) - UI display options Administrators can set default preferences for new users via the [`DEFAULT_USER_PREFERENCES`](../configuration/default-values.md#default_user_preferences) configuration parameter. ``` ### References - #13756: First documented instance of preference clearing workaround - #18845: Additional user-reported need for preference clearing - #20441: Table column rename that may require users to clear preferences - `docs/configuration/default-values.md`: Already mentions preferences page but doesn't explain clearing feature - `docs/development/user-preferences.md`: Documents preference structure for developers but not user-facing clearing process

MrUnknownDE closed this issue

2026-04-05 21:30:41 +02:00

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Branches Tags

main

21455-sql-indexes-audit

21357-register-model-actions

feature

20924-plugin-ui-components

21766-improve-test-coverage-for-sortable-table-columns

21157-export-template-public-models

21025-pre-render-config-contexts

21364-swagger

feature-ip-prefix-link

20911-dropdown-3

fix_module_substitution

21160-filterset

20911-dropdown-2

20044-elevation-stuck-lightmode

7604-filter-modifiers-v3

20660-script-load

19724-graphql

14884-script

19720-macaddress-interface-generic-relation

fix-19669-api-image-download

7604-filter-modifiers

19275-fixes-interface-bulk-edit

fix-17794-get_field_value_return_list

11507-show-aggregate-and-rir-on-api

9583-add_column_specific_search_field_to_tables

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Reference: github/netbox#1177