Bulk editing issue with ACF custom fields

  • Resolved marcelluss

    (@marcelluss)


    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hello David,
    First of all, thank you for your great plugin!

    I have been dealing with this matter for about 2 weeks now and read all the documentation and the questions in the support forum, but I am not able to find a solution. 😊

    In the website I am working on, I have created a few custom fields with Advanced Custom Felds plugin: select, toggles, dates,…

    I created the correspondent custom fields in this way:

    1. Settings/Media Library Assistant “Custom Fields” tab.
    2. “Add New Custom Field Rule” section on the left-hand side of the page.
    3. Selected the name of the correspondent custom field I want to add in the “Name” dropdown.
    4. Data Source dropdown set to “None (select a value)” default.
    5. Left the Meta/Template text box empty.
    6. Checked the “MLA Column” box.
    7. Checked the “Quick Edit” box.
    8. Checked the “Bulk Edit” box.
    9. Left the default values in the remaining controls.
    10. Clicked “Add Rule” to create the new rule.

    All the custom fields are now displayed in the columns of the Media Library Assistant (under Media), but when bulk editing the attachments, the new custom fields are displayed only as text field areas, even if the original custom fields created with ACF were dropdown menu or toggles. This is kind of an issue because it is difficult to edit the custom fields if they are normal text field. I’ll try to explain with a couple of examples.

    When the custom field is a toggle, the issue is that when bulk editing I can set in the text box area of the ACF toggle field 1 for saying that the toggle is ON, and 0 for saying that the toggle is OFF. This can work, but if I select a few images and some have the toggle switched ON and the others the toggle switched OFF, and I put in the text field 1 or 0, the change is not taken into consideration. The images that had the toggle switched ON or OFF remain the same.

    When the custom field is a select, a dropdown menu, the issue is that when bulk editing I need to write the exact label of the select otherwise the system save the attachments, but the select is not filled correctly. This is very complex, because some of the labels are composed by a few words and it is very easy to make a mistake.

    All this to ask you the following question: is there a way to make the custom fields created with ACF plugin available in the bulk editing area of the attachments with the same look and feel of the original custom fields, instead of the look and feel of a text box area? If in ACF a field is a toggle or a dropdown menu, also in the bulk editing area they should be toggle and dropdown menu.

    I hope that the above is clear and I can provide you some screenshots.

    Many thanks and have a good day,
    Marcello

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Plugin Author David Lingren

    (@dglingren)

    4 years, 3 months ago

    Thanks for your question and for the details you provided on your application and ACF use. Here is an earlier topic along similar lines:

    displaying ACF values in front end

    The “MLA Advanced Custom Fields Example” plugin mentioned in the earlier topic adds support for some ACF field types. It has evolved on a case-by-case basis in response to topics in this forum. The current MLA version includes version 1.07 of the example plugin that supports ACF Select fields and has a Settings screen with a General tab to add/edit the settings and a Documentation tab to explain everything.

    If you have occasion to use the example plugin I’d be interested in your experience. I will investigate the feasibility and work required to enhance the example plugin to more completely address your needs. Thanks for your patience, your understanding and your interest in MLA.

    Plugin Author David Lingren

    (@dglingren)

    4 years, 3 months ago

    Thanks for your patience in awaiting progress on this topic. I have finally had a moment to investigate further.

    You wrote:

    When the custom field is a toggle, the issue is that when bulk editing I can set in the text box area of the ACF toggle field 1 for saying that the toggle is ON, and 0 for saying that the toggle is OFF. This can work, but if I select a few images and some have the toggle switched ON and the others the toggle switched OFF, and I put in the text field 1 or 0, the change is not taken into consideration. The images that had the toggle switched ON or OFF remain the same.

    By “toggle” I assume you mean an ACF “True / False” field type. I have reproduced the failure to update the field from the Media/Assistant Bulk Edit area. I will work on fixing this MLA defect.

    You wrote “When the custom field is a select, a dropdown menu, the issue is that when bulk editing I need to write the exact label of the select…“. That’s true. By default, the value and the label of each choice is the same. ACF allows you to enter a simple label for a complex value, and the example plugin then lets you use the simple label in place of the complex value. That may or may not help your application.

    The “MLA Advanced Custom Fields Example” plugin makes some improvements in handling the text values stored for ACF fields, but it does not change the text boxes in the Quick and Bulk Edit areas to the more complex HTML elements such as check boxes, dropdown menus and date pickers. I have looked at the work required for such enhancements in the past and concluded that it is more than I can commit to for the foreseeable future.

    If there are specific changes I can make to improve support for ACF Choice field types or other types I am happy to consider them. I will contact the ACF developer and see if there’s a path to more support but I cannot promise any results. Thanks for your understanding.

    Thread Starter marcelluss

    (@marcelluss)

    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hello David,

    Many thanks for your investigation, it is now clear.

    Have a good day,
    Marcello

    Plugin Author David Lingren

    (@dglingren)

    4 years, 3 months ago

    Thanks for your update and your understanding of MLA’s limitations in handling ACF fields. As promised, I have fixed the MLA defect that prevented proper Bulk Edit Area updating of the “toggle” (True/False) fields.

    I have uploaded a new MLA Development Version dated 20220228 that corrects the defect. You can find step-by-step instructions for using the Development Version in this earlier topic:

    PHP Warning on media upload with Polylang

    Once the Development Version is installed you can re-test the ability to update toggle fields in the Bulk Edit area.

    This fix will be part of my next MLA version, but in the interim it would be great if you could install the Development Version and let me know if it works for you. Thanks for alerting me to this MLA defect.

    Thread Starter marcelluss

    (@marcelluss)

    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hello David,

    I have installed the MLA Development Version dated 20220228 and I confirm that the issue with the True/False field is now fixed: I can edit multiple images as many times as I want and the edits always work.

    Many thanks,
    Marcello

    Plugin Author David Lingren

    (@dglingren)

    3 years, 11 months ago

    I have released MLA version 3.00, which contains the fixes required for this topic.

    I am marking this topic resolved, but please update it if you have any problems or further questions regarding MLA’s support for bulk editing ACF fields. Thanks for inspiring this MLA improvement.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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