Overview of the Suggestion
When users view an older version of a dataset through the Versions tab, the dataset page updates to show that selected version. However, the Export Metadata button still exports metadata for the latest published version.
This appears to be current/documented Dataverse behaviour, since metadata exports are generated and cached during publication and replaced when a new version is published. However, from a user perspective, the UI can be misleading: when the page context is version-specific, users may reasonably expect the Export Metadata action to apply to the version they are currently viewing.
This suggestion is to clarify this behaviour in the UI and/or support version-specific metadata export in the future.
What kind of user is the suggestion intended for?
Curator, Depositor, Guest, API User
What inspired this idea?
A repository administrator @kenlhlui reported that when switching to an older dataset version through the Versions tab, the page content updates to the selected version, but the Export Metadata button continues to export metadata from the latest published version.
Example export URL:
https://demo.dataverse.org/api/datasets/export?exporter=dataverse_json&persistentId=doi%3A10.70122/FK2/5F9GIL
A user might expect the export URL to follow the selected version, for example:
https://demo.dataverse.org/api/datasets/export?exporter=dataverse_json&persistentId=doi%3A10.70122/FK2/5F9GIL&version=1.0
However, requesting a non-latest published version currently returns:
{"status":"ERROR","message":"Non-draft version requested (1.0) but for published versions only the latest (:latest-published) is supported."}
The current behaviour may be technically expected, but the UI does not make this clear when users are viewing an older version.
What existing behavior do you want changed?
Currently, the Export Metadata button always exports metadata for the latest published version, even when the user is viewing an older dataset version.
The suggested change is to make this behaviour clearer in the UI. For example:
- Add a tooltip, note, or warning indicating that metadata exports contain the latest published version only.
- Rename or clarify the button/action when viewing older versions, for example: “Export Metadata for Latest Published Version.”
- Disable or visually distinguish the export action on older version pages if version-specific export is not supported.
Any brand new behavior do you want to add to Dataverse?
Ideally, Dataverse could support exporting metadata for the dataset version currently being viewed, if technically feasible.
For example, when a user is viewing version 1.0, the Export Metadata action would export metadata for version 1.0 rather than the latest published version.
If version-specific metadata export is not currently feasible because exports are cached at publication time, then a UI clarification would still be helpful to avoid user confusion.
Any open or closed issues related to this suggestion?
Are you thinking about creating a pull request for this issue?
No, not currently.
Overview of the Suggestion
When users view an older version of a dataset through the Versions tab, the dataset page updates to show that selected version. However, the Export Metadata button still exports metadata for the latest published version.
This appears to be current/documented Dataverse behaviour, since metadata exports are generated and cached during publication and replaced when a new version is published. However, from a user perspective, the UI can be misleading: when the page context is version-specific, users may reasonably expect the Export Metadata action to apply to the version they are currently viewing.
This suggestion is to clarify this behaviour in the UI and/or support version-specific metadata export in the future.
What kind of user is the suggestion intended for?
Curator, Depositor, Guest, API User
What inspired this idea?
A repository administrator @kenlhlui reported that when switching to an older dataset version through the Versions tab, the page content updates to the selected version, but the Export Metadata button continues to export metadata from the latest published version.
Example export URL:
https://demo.dataverse.org/api/datasets/export?exporter=dataverse_json&persistentId=doi%3A10.70122/FK2/5F9GILA user might expect the export URL to follow the selected version, for example:
https://demo.dataverse.org/api/datasets/export?exporter=dataverse_json&persistentId=doi%3A10.70122/FK2/5F9GIL&version=1.0However, requesting a non-latest published version currently returns:
{"status":"ERROR","message":"Non-draft version requested (1.0) but for published versions only the latest (:latest-published) is supported."}The current behaviour may be technically expected, but the UI does not make this clear when users are viewing an older version.
What existing behavior do you want changed?
Currently, the Export Metadata button always exports metadata for the latest published version, even when the user is viewing an older dataset version.
The suggested change is to make this behaviour clearer in the UI. For example:
Any brand new behavior do you want to add to Dataverse?
Ideally, Dataverse could support exporting metadata for the dataset version currently being viewed, if technically feasible.
For example, when a user is viewing version 1.0, the Export Metadata action would export metadata for version 1.0 rather than the latest published version.
If version-specific metadata export is not currently feasible because exports are cached at publication time, then a UI clarification would still be helpful to avoid user confusion.
Any open or closed issues related to this suggestion?
Are you thinking about creating a pull request for this issue?
No, not currently.