Creating page links for databases does not always allow creating pages

[Micheal Planck]

I have a database with a Page Link field set to Fixed (create page under this one).

I start typing the name of the page I want to create: "Truck Hire."

While I am typing "Truck Hir" everything is fine; the first option in the drop down menu is "Create this page."

Once I type "Truck Hire," the algorithm decides that any of a dozen other pages are a more likely fit for what I want (for instance, "Haul Truck Cesium Data"), AND I CAN NO LONGER CREATE A PAGE. The option to create a page is gone, replaced by random links that may or may not include the letters t, r, u, c, or k.

If I keep typing to "Truck Hired," the option to create a page magically reappears.

How is this not idiocy of the highest level? Who designed a dropdown box that lets algorithmic suggests overwrite the direct input of the user?

How is it literally every single interaction with Confluence fails at random times? I can't even reliably enter a page name.

[Cyrille Martin · Accepted solution]

Hi @Micheal Planck 

Yes it is a strange behavior. 

My assumption is that a page "Truck Hire" may exist with some view restriction on it. And then will not allow you to create a second one with the same name in the same space.

Regards,

[Micheal Planck]

The page did exist; I deleted it. It knows its deleted because it can't show it to me. But it can't let me create it, because it thinks it exists. Schrodinger's page!

Still doesn't explain it, though. Why can't I see Create and just have it fail when I try, like it already does when you try to create a page that already exists?

EDIT: Yes, that is the answer. Today I can create "Truck Hire", but not "Truck Hired" which I just five minutes ago deleted. The exact sequence is this:

1. Create a page with the page link.
2. Delete the page from the left-hand navigation pane without actually going to the page.
3. Delete the link.
4. Try to create a new link.
5. Failure!

If you refresh the database page after deleting the old page, or just go to the old page to delete it (which forces a refresh), the problem does not appear.

Here's the thing, though: the old page does not appear in the popup box. So there are two passes at the suggestions; the first pass asks the algorithm for all likely suggestions, including the old "Truck Hire" page and thus removes the Create option; but when it goes to show the popup-box it stops and checks the links for validity, realizes one of them is not a real page anymore, and removes it from the list.

This is classic Atlassian programming. 1) Add a cool auto-suggest. 2) Somebody complains that they can try to create pages that already exist, so remove the create from the auto-suggest when the page name exists. 3) Somebody complains they can link to pages that have names but don't exist, so remove them from the auto-suggest. 4) Never, not even once, think about how the code changes you are making now affect anything that came before, and do exactly as much testing as you can fit into a 37-second time slot.