fix(designer-ui): Fix dictionary serialization with compound token expressions

[takyyon]

Commit Type

• feature - New functionality
• fix - Bug fix
• refactor - Code restructuring without behavior change
• perf - Performance improvement
• docs - Documentation update
• test - Test-related changes
• chore - Maintenance/tooling

Risk Level

• Low - Minor changes, limited scope
• Medium - Moderate changes, some user impact
• High - Major changes, significant user/system impact

What & Why

Problem

When using dictionary parameters (like SQL's setColumns) with compound token expressions (e.g., @{variables('year')}-@{variables('month')}-@{variables('date')}), the UI serializes the value incorrectly as a JSON string instead of a proper JSON object.

Expected output:

"setColumns": {
  "DATE": "@{variables('year')}-@{variables('month')}-@{variables('date')}"
}

Actual (broken) output:

"setColumns": "{\n \"DATE\" : @{variables('year')}-@{variables('month')}-@{variables('date')}\n}"

The entire dictionary is serialized as a string literal instead of a JSON object, causing runtime failures.

Root Cause

The convertValueType function in keyvalueitem.ts determines whether values should be quoted in JSON. When a value contains tokens (containsTokenSegments returns true), the function returns the original type (e.g., any) instead of string. This causes insertQutationForStringType to not add quotes around compound expressions like @{var1}-@{var2}.

Without quotes, the generated JSON is invalid because compound expressions with embedded tokens cannot be valid JSON values on their own.

Fix Options Analyzed

Option 1: Fix in parameterValueToJSONString (Not chosen)

• Location: libs/designer/src/lib/core/utils/parameters/helper.ts
• Approach: Modify the serialization step to detect compound expressions and wrap them in quotes
• Pros: Single point of fix at serialization layer
• Cons:
  • The existing logic for adding quotes around tokens is flawed (checks immediate neighbors, not JSON context)
  • Would require significant changes to understand JSON structural context
  • Fixing at serialization means the intermediate representation is still wrong

Option 2: Fix in convertKeyValueItemToSegments / convertValueType (Chosen)

• Location: libs/designer-ui/src/lib/editor/base/utils/keyvalueitem.ts
• Approach: When value contains tokens mixed with other content (compound expressions), treat as string type
• Pros:
  • Fixes at the source where ValueSegments are created
  • Clean separation of concerns - the function that determines type correctly identifies string types
  • Minimal, targeted change (3 lines + comment)
  • Consistent with existing pattern of type conversion
• Cons: None significant

Option 3: Fix in getJSONValueFromString (Not chosen)

• Location: libs/designer/src/lib/core/utils/parameters/helper.ts
• Approach: Implement custom JSON parsing that understands expression tokens
• Pros: Would handle edge cases in parsing
• Cons:
  • Complex implementation requiring custom JSON parser
  • Fragile - would need to handle all expression formats
  • Treating symptoms rather than root cause
  • JSON.parse() correctly rejects invalid JSON; the problem is we're generating invalid JSON

Solution

Added a check in convertValueType: if a value contains tokens mixed with other content (i.e., compound expressions like @{var1}-@{var2}), treat it as a string type. This ensures insertQutationForStringType adds the necessary quotes around compound expressions to produce valid JSON.

// If value contains tokens mixed with other content (compound expressions like "@{var1}-@{var2}"),
// treat as string to produce valid JSON. Compound expressions must be quoted strings in JSON.
if (containsTokenSegments(value) && value.length > 1) {
  return constants.SWAGGER.TYPE.STRING;
}

Impact of Change

• Users: Dictionary parameters with compound token expressions will serialize correctly
• Developers: None - this is a transparent fix
• System: Workflows using SQL Insert Row (and other dictionary operations) with compound expressions will now work correctly

Test Plan

• Unit tests added/updated
• E2E tests added/updated
• Manual testing completed
• Tested in: Local (unit tests)

Contributors

Screenshots/Videos

[github-actions]

🤖 AI PR Validation Report

PR Review Results

Thank you for your submission! Here's detailed feedback on your PR title and body compliance:

✅ PR Title

• Current: fix(designer-ui): Fix dictionary serialization with compound token expressions
• Issue: None — title is clear, follows conventional commit style, and describes the change and scope.
• Recommendation: No change needed.

---

✅ Commit Type

• Properly selected (fix).
• Only one type selected which is correct for this change.

---

✅ Risk Level

• Risk level in PR body: Medium.
• Label present: risk:medium.
• Assessment: The PR body and repository label match (risk:medium).

---

✅ What & Why

• Current: Detailed description present: Problem, Root Cause, Options analyzed, and chosen Solution with code snippet.
• Issue: None — explanation is thorough and includes root cause and rationale for chosen fix.
• Recommendation: No change needed.

---

✅ Impact of Change

• Impact sections are present and clear.
• Recommendation: Keep as-is.
  • Users: Dictionary parameters with compound token expressions will serialize correctly.
  • Developers: No API changes; transparent fix.
  • System: Workflows using dictionary operations (e.g., SQL Insert Row) will behave correctly with compound expressions.

---

✅ Test Plan

• Unit tests were claimed and a unit test file was added in the diff (libs/designer-ui/.../__test__/keyvalueitem.spec.ts).
• The tests exercise convertValueType and convertKeyValueItemToSegments and assert that compound expression values are quoted in generated JSON.
• E2E tests were not added (unchecked) — acceptable for this focused logic fix. If you believe a broader integration regression could occur, add an E2E or manual verification note.

---

⚠️ Contributors

• The Contributors section is empty.
• Recommendation: If others (PMs/designers/engineers) contributed, add them to the Contributors section or add a short acknowledgement. This is optional and won't block the PR.

---

✅ Screenshots/Videos

• Not applicable for this non-visual change — OK to be blank.

---

Summary Table

Section	Status	Recommendation
Title	✅	No change needed.
Commit Type	✅	No change needed.
Risk Level	✅	Label matches PR body, but see advised risk note below.
What & Why	✅	No change needed.
Impact of Change	✅	No change needed.
Test Plan	✅	Unit tests present and relevant.
Contributors	⚠️	Add acknowledgements if applicable.
Screenshots/Videos	✅	Not applicable.

---

Advised risk comparison and final notes

• Advised risk level (reviewer): low — reasoning: the code change is small and targeted (a short conditional in convertValueType), limited to designer-ui utils, and supported by unit tests that were added. The diff shows 2 files changed, focused logic change with unit tests added.
• PR-assigned risk level: medium (label risk:medium).
• Actionable suggestion: If your team agrees with this assessment, consider updating the PR label to risk:low. If there are broader concerns (backwards-compatibility with unexpected callers, cross-repo impacts), keep risk:medium and call out the areas of concern.

Final decision: This PR passes the PR title and body checks. Please consider adding contributor acknowledgements (if relevant) and optionally updating the risk label to risk:low if aligned with your team's risk policy. Thank you for the thorough description and for adding unit tests — this made review straightforward.

---

Last updated: Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:31:36 GMT

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR fixes a bug where dictionary parameters with compound token expressions (e.g., @{variables('year')}-@{variables('month')}-@{variables('date')}) were incorrectly serialized as string literals instead of proper JSON objects, causing runtime failures.

Changes:

• Modified convertValueType function to detect compound token expressions (multiple segments with tokens) and treat them as string type for proper JSON quoting
• Added comprehensive unit tests covering the fix and related edge cases

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File	Description
libs/designer-ui/src/lib/editor/base/utils/keyvalueitem.ts	Added 4-line check to treat compound expressions (tokens mixed with other content) as string type to ensure proper JSON serialization with quotes
libs/designer-ui/src/lib/editor/base/utils/__test__/keyvalueitem.spec.ts	New test file with comprehensive coverage testing convertValueType and convertKeyValueItemToSegments functions, validating the fix for compound expressions, single tokens, literals, and empty cases

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