Confusion with saving edit of query name

AI-generated summary

Moin encountered confusion while trying to rename a Data Explorer query. After clicking the pencil icon to edit the name and description, they struggled to locate the “Save changes and run” button—especially in complex queries where it was hidden without scrolling. They mistakenly believed the x next to the name field saved changes, but it didn’t; edits were lost after reload. Eventually, they saved the name by making a minor query change and using the “save changes” button, which they hadn’t realized also applied to metadata. Moin suggests adding a dedicated save button at the top for name and description edits, similar to how topic titles and categories can be edited independently of the main post. The current workflow is unintuitive and lacks clear affordances for saving metadata without running the query.

I tried to rename one of my data explorer queries and had difficulties saving my changes.

First, I clicked the pencil to edit the name. Side note: It’s not that obvious that this is also the way to edit the description.

Then I changed the name (and the description).


However, I was unsure what to click next. In the screenshot above, you can find the “Save changes and run” button at the bottom. Why isn’t it possible to save the new name without running the query?

Furthermore, the query I tried to rename was more complex. So that button wasn’t visible without scrolling. All I actually saw was:

After some confusion, I tried the x which appeared next to the name field. I expected it to dismiss my changes, but it did not. So I assumed my changes were saved. However, after a reload, I noticed they were not. So I made all the edits again. But I still did not find the “save and run” button. Instead, I made a minor change to the query and used the “save changes” button, which for me seemed connected to the input field above. By accident I noticed that this also saved the new name.

Maybe a button at the top to save edits to the name and description would be a helpful addition. Something similar to how you can edit the title and category of a topic without editing the first post.

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