Dead JS code attempting to reposition FilteredSelectMultiple widget

[Jacob Walls]

There is ​code in SelectFilter2.js that appears to reposition a help text for a FilteredSelectMultiple above the controls, but it doesn't work for two reasons:

• it searches for a help text in a <p> tag, but it became a <div> in #27207
• to find the wanted help text today, it now would need to start its search two parents higher (#34383 looks relevant, but I didn't verify if already an issue before that)

In other words, if we want this code to work, it would need to be like:

django/contrib/admin/static/admin/js/SelectFilter2.js

@@ -18 +18 @@
             from_box.setAttribute('aria-labelledby', field_id + '_from_label');
             from_box.setAttribute('aria-describedby', `${field_id}_helptext ${field_id}_choose_helptext`);
 
-            for (const p of from_box.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('p')) {
-                if (p.classList.contains("info")) {
-                    // Remove <p class="info">, because it just gets in the way.
-                    from_box.parentNode.removeChild(p);
-                } else if (p.classList.contains("help")) {
+            const parentOfFlexContainer = from_box.parentNode.parentElement.parentElement;
+            for (const div of parentOfFlexContainer.getElementsByTagName('div')) {
+                if (div.classList.contains("info")) {
+                    // Remove <div class="info">, because it just gets in the way.
+                    parentOfFlexContainer.removeChild(div);
+                } else if (div.classList.contains('help')) {
                     // Move help text up to the top so it isn't below the select
                     // boxes or wrapped off on the side to the right of the add
                     // button:
-                    from_box.parentNode.insertBefore(p, from_box.parentNode.firstChild);
+                    parentOfFlexContainer.insertBefore(div, parentOfFlexContainer.firstChild);
                 }
             }

In order to have:
.

Rather than:
.

To reproduce, just visit the admin, edit a user, view the permissions select widget, observe placement of the help text.

[Antoliny]

Thank you, Jacob.

It seems more appropriate for the help text to be positioned above the widget, as it was before. We are also working on rearranging the order of help text, field, and error messages.

• #34643
• ​https://github.com/django/django/pull/19713

For now, would it be better to move the help text to the top and then remove the related code in PR #34643 later? The only concern is that, if we leave it as is, only the FilteredSelect widget will have its help text positioned above for the time being.

[Varun Kasyap Pentamaraju]

Willing to contribute

[Varun Kasyap Pentamaraju]

​https://github.com/django/django/pull/20077

[Jacob Walls <jacobtylerwalls@…>]

In 5c607635:

Fixed #36723 -- Removed logic for repositioning FilteredSelectMultiple help text.