Added Clear group option by ZiadAbdElFatah · Pull Request #15017 · JabRef/jabref

ZiadAbdElFatah · 2026-02-03T12:26:24Z

User description

Closes #15001

Added clear group option that lets user to clear the entries in Explicit Groups.

Steps to test

First open example library, then Go to group "Used", then Open context menu, now you can see clear group option.

Select clear group. Now the group is empty.

To double check that it works with Explicit Groups only go to any other group try to clear it.

It will stay the same.

Mandatory checks

I own the copyright of the code submitted and I license it under the MIT license
I manually tested my changes in running JabRef (always required)
[/] I added JUnit tests for changes (if applicable)
I added screenshots in the PR description (if change is visible to the user)
I described the change in CHANGELOG.md in a way that is understandable for the average user (if change is visible to the user)
I checked the user documentation: Is the information available and up to date? If not, I created an issue at https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/issues or, even better, I submitted a pull request updating file(s) in https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/tree/main/en.

PR Type

Enhancement

Description

Added "Clear group" context menu option for explicit groups
Removes all entries from explicit groups with single action
Option only appears for explicit groups, not other group types
Updated localization strings and changelog documentation

Diagram Walkthrough

flowchart LR
  A["User right-clicks group"] -- "context menu" --> B["Clear group option"]
  B -- "checks if explicit group" --> C["Remove all entries"]
  C -- "refresh view" --> D["Empty group"]

File Walkthrough

Relevant files

Enhancement

StandardActions.java `Add GROUP_ENTRIES_CLEAR standard action` jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/actions/StandardActions.java Added new `GROUP_ENTRIES_CLEAR` action enum with localized label Defines the "Clear group" action for use in context menus	+1/-0
GroupTreeView.java `Integrate clear group action into context menu` jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeView.java Added "Clear group" menu item to group context menu Added `GROUP_ENTRIES_CLEAR` case to visibility condition check Added `GROUP_ENTRIES_CLEAR` case to execute method to call `clearGroup()` Ensures option only visible for groups that can add entries	+6/-2
GroupTreeViewModel.java `Implement clearGroup method for explicit groups` jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeViewModel.java Implemented new `clearGroup()` method that clears explicit groups Checks if group is instance of `ExplicitGroup` before clearing Retrieves all entries in group and removes them Prevents clearing of non-explicit group types	+8/-0

Documentation

CHANGELOG.md `Document clear group feature in changelog` CHANGELOG.md Added entry documenting new clear groups feature References issue Add "Clear group" #15001 and links to documentation Describes feature as clearing groups with explicitly selected entries	+1/-0

Localization

JabRef_en.properties `Add English localization for clear group` jablib/src/main/resources/l10n/JabRef_en.properties Added English localization string for "Clear group" action Placed in appropriate location with other group-related strings	+1/-0

koppor · 2026-02-03T12:51:57Z

    }

+    public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) {
+        if (group.getGroupNode().getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup) {


Use instanceof pattern matching - see diff of #15013

Ok that was nice to know about instanceof pattern matching, it's my first time to know it.
but why is it important for this solution?

koppor · 2026-02-03T12:53:04Z


 Remove=Remove

+Remove\ subgroups=Remove subgroups


Why did you go pack to the state before #15005 ?

you can do git checkout upstream/main jablib/src/main/resources/l10n/JabRef_en.properties - and then add your key again.

Do not destroy work of others at merge conflict resoluiton.

Sorry for that it was by fault.

koppor · 2026-02-03T12:53:22Z

 - REST-API: Added the possibility to trigger the import dialog. [#14855](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/pull/14855)
 - REST-API: Allow import of supported formats via `POST http://localhost:23119/libraries/current/entries`. [#14896](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/pull/14896)
 - We added the ability to update bibliographic information based on the existing entry data. [#14185](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/14185)
+- We added Clear group option to easily clear explicits groups. [#15001](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/15001)


Suggested change

- We added Clear group option to easily clear explicits groups. [#15001](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/15001)

- We added an option to easily clear explicits groups. [#15001](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/15001)

You could have clicked on "Commit suggestion" - then GitHub would have just made a commit :)

Wow 😮
This is so cool.

koppor

Small nitpicks 😇

koppor · 2026-02-03T13:10:43Z


+    public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) {
+        if (group.getGroupNode().getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup explicitGroup) {
+            List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = group.getGroupNode().getEntriesInGroup(this.currentDatabase.get().getEntries());


group.getGroupNode() apprearing three times - extract variable please.

…java Co-authored-by: Oliver Kopp <kopp.dev@gmail.com>

Co-authored-by: Oliver Kopp <kopp.dev@gmail.com>

ZiadAbdElFatah · 2026-02-03T13:19:30Z

Small nitpicks 😇

Hope they will be the last ones 🫠

qodo-free-for-open-source-projects · 2026-02-03T13:38:35Z

PR Compliance Guide 🔍

Below is a summary of compliance checks for this PR:

Security Compliance

🟢

No security concerns identified

No security vulnerabilities detected by AI analysis. Human verification advised for critical code.

Ticket Compliance

🟡

🎫 #15001

🟢	Add a "Clear group" option in the context menu for groups
	The feature should only work for groups with "Explicit selection"
⚪	The option should appear below "remove selected entries from the group"
	The feature should make it easy to clear groups like "imported entries" that collect automatically imported entries

Codebase Duplication Compliance

⚪

Codebase context is not defined

Follow the guide to enable codebase context checks.

Custom Compliance

🟢

Generic: Comprehensive Audit Trails

Objective: To create a detailed and reliable record of critical system actions for security analysis
and compliance.

Status: Passed

Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Generic: Meaningful Naming and Self-Documenting Code

Objective: Ensure all identifiers clearly express their purpose and intent, making code
self-documenting

Status: Passed

Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Generic: Secure Error Handling

Objective: To prevent the leakage of sensitive system information through error messages while
providing sufficient detail for internal debugging.

Status: Passed

Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Generic: Secure Logging Practices

Objective: To ensure logs are useful for debugging and auditing without exposing sensitive
information like PII, PHI, or cardholder data.

Status: Passed

Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

Generic: Security-First Input Validation and Data Handling

Objective: Ensure all data inputs are validated, sanitized, and handled securely to prevent
vulnerabilities

Status: Passed

Learn more about managing compliance generic rules or creating your own custom rules

⚪

Generic: Robust Error Handling and Edge Case Management

Objective: Ensure comprehensive error handling that provides meaningful context and graceful
degradation

Status:
Missing error handling: The clearGroup() method silently does nothing when called on non-explicit groups without
logging or user feedback

Referred Code

public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) {
    GroupTreeNode groupNode = group.getGroupNode();
    if (groupNode.getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup explicitGroup) {
        List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = groupNode.getEntriesInGroup(this.currentDatabase.get().getEntries());
        groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup);
    }
}

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🟢 - Fully Compliant
🟡 - Partial Compliant
🔴 - Not Compliant
⚪ - Requires Further Human Verification
🏷️ - Compliance label

qodo-free-for-open-source-projects · 2026-02-03T13:39:33Z

PR Code Suggestions ✨

Explore these optional code suggestions:

Category	Suggestion	Impact
General	Add undo support for clear group Add undo/redo support to the `clearGroup` method. To do this, create an `UndoableEdit` and add it to the `UndoManager` before removing the entries. jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeViewModel.java [727-733] public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) { GroupTreeNode groupNode = group.getGroupNode(); if (groupNode.getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup explicitGroup) { List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = groupNode.getEntriesInGroup(this.currentDatabase.get().getEntries()); - groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup); + if (!entriesInGroup.isEmpty()) { + var undo = new UndoableChangeEntriesOfGroup(groupNode, entriesInGroup, UndoableChangeEntriesOfGroup.Modification.REMOVE); + stateManager.getUndoManager().addEdit(undo); + groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup); + } } } Apply / Chat Suggestion importance[1-10]: 9 __ Why: This suggestion correctly identifies that the new `clearGroup` action lacks undo support, which is a significant feature gap for a destructive operation and inconsistent with other similar actions in the class that do support it.	High
High-level	Add a confirmation dialog before clearing To prevent accidental data loss, add a confirmation dialog before executing the "Clear group" action. This makes it consistent with other destructive operations like group removal. Examples: jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeViewModel.java [727-733] public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) { GroupTreeNode groupNode = group.getGroupNode(); if (groupNode.getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup explicitGroup) { List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = groupNode.getEntriesInGroup(this.currentDatabase.get().getEntries()); groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup); } } Solution Walkthrough: Before: // in GroupTreeViewModel.java public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) { GroupTreeNode groupNode = group.getGroupNode(); if (groupNode.getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup explicitGroup) { List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = groupNode.getEntriesInGroup(this.currentDatabase.get().getEntries()); groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup); } } After: // in GroupTreeViewModel.java public void clearGroup(GroupNodeViewModel group) { if (!(group.getGroupNode().getGroup() instanceof ExplicitGroup)) { return; } Optional<ButtonType> choice = dialogService.showConfirmationDialogAndWait( Localization.lang("Clear group"), Localization.lang("Are you sure you want to clear the group \"%0\"?", group.getDisplayName()), Localization.lang("Clear group"), Localization.lang("Cancel")); if (choice.isPresent() && choice.get() == ButtonType.OK) { GroupTreeNode groupNode = group.getGroupNode(); List<BibEntry> entriesInGroup = groupNode.getEntriesInGroup(...); groupNode.removeEntriesFromGroup(entriesInGroup); } } Suggestion importance[1-10]: 8 __ Why: The suggestion correctly identifies a missing confirmation dialog for a destructive action, which is inconsistent with similar actions in the component and could lead to accidental loss of user work.	Medium
More

koppor

OK, let's get this in.

Maybe, someone will say that

Remove all entries from this group

is a better string.

I think, its good to have a significant other string to say that it is a dangerous operation.

…4902 * upstream/main: (23 commits) Some more recipes from OpenRewrite (JabRef#15030) feat: Add PDF Upload endpoint to EntryResource (JabRef#14963) Heuristics also used at batch (JabRef#15025) Fix cleanup-pr.yml New Crowdin updates (JabRef#15035) Use patched Gradle version (JabRef#15034) Add OpenAlex-based Citation Fetcher (JabRef#15023) Update null annotaitons at EntryBasedFetcher (JabRef#15024) Fix CHANGELOG.md test Use _ for unused variables (JabRef#15028) Use ubuntu-latest for checkstyle and javadoc Update Gradle Wrapper from 9.3.0-jabref-2 to 9.3.1 (JabRef#15021) Use "ubuntu-slim" for most workflows (JabRef#15019) Refine GroupsTree (JabRef#15013) New Crowdin updates (JabRef#15018) Added Clear group option (JabRef#15017) Chore(deps): Bump com.uber.nullaway:nullaway from 0.12.15 to 0.13.1 in /versions (JabRef#15006) Chore(deps): Bump tools.jackson:jackson-bom in /versions (JabRef#15007) No rush in Docker building Yaml issue workaround ...

ZiadAbdElFatah added 6 commits February 3, 2026 14:10

Added clear group option

796395b

Fix submodules

77bfee8

Removed duplication

a843f25

Fix submodules

0b8e447

Added the change to CHANGELOG.md

2dcea30

Fix submodules

0a3f413

github-actions Bot added the good first issue An issue intended for project-newcomers. Varies in difficulty. label Feb 3, 2026

Fix submodules

237e1e6

github-actions Bot mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

Add "Clear group" #15001

Closed

github-actions Bot added the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Feb 3, 2026

Fix submodules

61dbec3

github-actions Bot removed the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Feb 3, 2026

koppor requested changes Feb 3, 2026

View reviewed changes

ZiadAbdElFatah added 3 commits February 3, 2026 14:58

Added Clear group to JabRef_en.properties

e131c2d

Enhanced and improved the solution

c90e356

Fix submodules

75d5c2b

github-actions Bot added the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Feb 3, 2026

koppor requested changes Feb 3, 2026

View reviewed changes

ZiadAbdElFatah and others added 2 commits February 3, 2026 15:15

Update jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeViewModel.…

8e3b9b7

…java Co-authored-by: Oliver Kopp <kopp.dev@gmail.com>

Update CHANGELOG.md

71324d1

Co-authored-by: Oliver Kopp <kopp.dev@gmail.com>

github-actions Bot removed the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Feb 3, 2026

ZiadAbdElFatah added 2 commits February 3, 2026 15:18

Extracted variable groupNode

4c55f72

Fix submodules

e598f13

ZiadAbdElFatah requested a review from koppor February 3, 2026 13:27

koppor marked this pull request as ready for review February 3, 2026 13:38

qodo-free-for-open-source-projects Bot added the Review effort 2/5 label Feb 3, 2026

koppor reviewed Feb 3, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/groups/GroupTreeViewModel.java Outdated

Apply suggestion from @koppor

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ZiadAbdElFatah requested a review from koppor February 3, 2026 14:01

koppor approved these changes Feb 3, 2026

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koppor enabled auto-merge February 3, 2026 14:13

koppor added this pull request to the merge queue Feb 3, 2026

github-actions Bot added the status: to-be-merged PRs which are accepted and should go into the merge-queue. label Feb 3, 2026

Merged via the queue into JabRef:main with commit 4fc0843 Feb 3, 2026
52 checks passed

ZiadAbdElFatah deleted the fix-for-issue-15001 branch February 3, 2026 15:16

ZiadAbdElFatah mentioned this pull request Feb 8, 2026

Added confirmation dialog to clear group #15054

Merged

4 tasks

	- We added Clear group option to easily clear explicits groups. [#15001](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/15001)
	- We added an option to easily clear explicits groups. [#15001](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/15001)

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ZiadAbdElFatah commented Feb 3, 2026 • edited by qodo-free-for-open-source-projects Bot Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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ZiadAbdElFatah commented Feb 3, 2026

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ZiadAbdElFatah commented Feb 3, 2026 •

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