Manage local root paths from Main Settings

[Tilix4]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues and added correct labels.

Please describe the feature you have in mind and explain what the current shortcomings are?

Use case with current behavior and its issues

While SiteSync is disabled, the anatomy settings are handling the root paths for all users' computers, as a studio manager I can decide where everything is published or workfiles stored. Let's consider all machines work on a server if my studio grows too big and the server cannot handle the charge any more, I want to switch to a cache system, where users would be working and publishing locally, while their representations would be synced in background to a main server.
I enable SiteSync, configure to local and studio as default sites, and... everything breaks. Because of the requirement of Local roots overrides, which is by default some abstract path (see #50), no workfile cannot be retrieved any more. But I still want to keep local root paths consistent across all my users' machines, so I have to ask all 200 of them to open their ayon settings and set several values (one for each root value created) to Local roots overrides without any error, which is a big mess. As a studio manager I want to be able to manage local root paths from the studio settings (as it was behaving before I enabled SiteSync).
NB: The Local roots overrides setting is still useful in the case of home remote working users using their own machines but shouldn't be mandatory.

Things to keep in mind

When SiteSync is enabled, active and remote sites are set to studio by default because it expects all users were working on a studio-only configuration. This default setting prevents the breaking described above when active site is set to local. That is because all previously published representation will be marked as studio synced to ensure the system can resolve the paths accurately.

Proposal

• Main settings (currently known as Studio settings) would configure root paths for local site settings, this way a studio manager can effectively manage paths consistency in the whole pool of machines.
• Local roots overrides would be empty by default Default local roots overrides setting messes the studio roots configuration #50
• SiteSync would have a default site created called studio with roots filled from Project anatomy roots. Maybe this site roots could be not deletable.
  
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• Active and Remote Site would remain set to studio, this way it'll behave the same without breaking anything.

With this architecture, I could change active default site to local and then set project anatomy roots to a local path (e.g ~/_AYON/PRODUCT) to configure seamlessly a "cache" system for the whole studio.

Suggested implementation?

No response

Describe alternatives you've considered:

Asking to each user to set the Local roots overrides to each sites related to their account with the appropriate value by hand.

[kalisp]

Summoning @iLLiCiTiT @philippe-ynput

[iLLiCiTiT]

To be honest it sound like more a bug/unhandled cases. If user don't have filled site overrides for studio or local, then it should use what is set in Anatomy. We should not pre-create them, it would be hell to manage it.

If site is set to local or studio and user does not have it filled, then it should use what is filled in Anatomy, or @kalisp ?

Or I maybe didn't get what /where is the problem?

SiteSync would have a default site created called studio with roots filled from Project anatomy roots. Maybe this site roots could be not deletable.

Default value for studio is what is set in Anatomy. That's what studio is, unless you have set root overrides on a site.

[Tilix4]

We should not pre-create them, it would be hell to manage it.

I agree with this and this is unfortunately the current behaviour. Overrides are pre-filled with arbitrary value when it should remain empty.
My proposal is actually written like this because it didn't look like a bug but like a feature. If you consider it a bug I'm afraid you'll be facing issues with the way local and studio are currently considered, that's why I proposed this.
If you have a better solution which solves it all, I'd be glad!

[iLLiCiTiT]

I might misunderstood the use-case. As I'm re-reading it now I think it is not the same as what I thought. You want to force local site and pre-fill the local roots with anatomy values (or different values)?

I'm not much familiar with site sync, but it is meant that that local has to be enabled by artist in site settings and he has to fill the roots. If you want to "automate it" then it is not really a job of site sync to do so, it can be done using automation scripts (for example), but at this moment it is not wanted as core feature. Auto-prefilling these values is something that can cause more harm generally speaking. If you can/want to manage it automatically, you can 100% do it, but site sync probably should not be the addon doing it.

There is a backlog issue to manage site settings by admins, which is what you probably want to do, or would help you? But we don't have a client that would cover that feature.

[Tilix4]

but it is meant that that local has to be enabled by artist in site settings and he has to fill the roots

Do you mean that when I enable SiteSync in studio settings it is not enabled by default for all artists and each and everyone of them has to enable it by hand in their settings? If yes, this addon will be a real pain to manage and barely impossible to do so.

There is a backlog issue to manage site settings by admins

Could you please share it?

[iLLiCiTiT]

Do you mean that when I enable SiteSync in studio settings it is not enabled by default for all artists and each and everyone of them has to enable it by hand in their settings? If yes, this addon will be a real pain to manage and barely impossible to do so.

The goal of local site is that the user knows where his roots are -> thus he has to set it. From the request you have, it looks like you want to use it unintented way.

Could you please share it?

It is not public and is stale because there is no client request for it.

[Tilix4]

The goal of local site is that the user knows where his roots are -> thus he has to set it.

I understand that, but I've created an artist test profile and enabled SiteSync, in fact I don't have access to the override path while the profile is not manager... Therefore my point that activating the SiteSync breaks the actual behaviour stands. Furthermore, I maintain that an override is meant to be optional in case the situation requires it, which means we could want to configure the local path as a fallback value for everyone.

it looks like you want to use it unintented way

Maybe, but I'm basically bringing a new use case and proposing a solution which doesn't break the current behaviour and would add more flexibility. Are you open to consider it?

It is not public and is stale because there is no client request for it.

Okay, maybe I could be considered as a client regarding the fact I'm a regular user and actively contributing to the codebase?