Improve test coverage for sortable table columns #68

New Issue

MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-05T16:21:28+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-05 16:21:28 +02:00

Originally created by @pheus on 3/26/2026

Proposed Changes

Introduce a reusable test pattern for model-backed tables that verifies every declared orderable column can be rendered in both ascending and descending order without raising an exception.

As part of that work, add lightweight per-table smoke tests for the canonical model tables and a small coverage check to help ensure new tables are not added without this test coverage. The helper should focus on the querysets used by sortable list views (or allow an explicit queryset override where needed), so it exercises realistic ordering behavior without creating noise from bulk edit/delete confirmation views.

This should give us a consistent way to catch unsupported ordering on columns backed by generic foreign keys, complex accessors, calculated values, and annotated count columns.

Justification

We have now hit this class of problem more than once: a column is left orderable, the table renders normally at first, and the failure only shows up when that specific column is sorted. These regressions are easy to miss in manual testing and can also be triggered later by a saved table preference.

A shared test helper plus basic coverage enforcement would make this much easier to maintain across apps, reduce copy/paste regression tests, and give contributors a clearer pattern for declaring and validating sortable table columns. It also keeps targeted bugfix PRs small while giving us a dedicated place to improve table-ordering test coverage more broadly.

*Originally created by @pheus on 3/26/2026* ### Proposed Changes Introduce a reusable test pattern for model-backed tables that verifies every declared orderable column can be rendered in both ascending and descending order without raising an exception. As part of that work, add lightweight per-table smoke tests for the canonical model tables and a small coverage check to help ensure new tables are not added without this test coverage. The helper should focus on the querysets used by sortable list views (or allow an explicit queryset override where needed), so it exercises realistic ordering behavior without creating noise from bulk edit/delete confirmation views. This should give us a consistent way to catch unsupported ordering on columns backed by generic foreign keys, complex accessors, calculated values, and annotated count columns. ### Justification We have now hit this class of problem more than once: a column is left orderable, the table renders normally at first, and the failure only shows up when that specific column is sorted. These regressions are easy to miss in manual testing and can also be triggered later by a saved table preference. A shared test helper plus basic coverage enforcement would make this much easier to maintain across apps, reduce copy/paste regression tests, and give contributors a clearer pattern for declaring and validating sortable table columns. It also keeps targeted bugfix PRs small while giving us a dedicated place to improve table-ordering test coverage more broadly.

MrUnknownDE added the status: accepted status: accepted netbox type: housekeeping status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted status: accepted netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox labels 2026-04-05 16:21:28 +02:00

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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#68