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docs: add documentation for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports#1673

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docs: add documentation for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports#1673
manweg wants to merge 1 commit into
devfile:mainfrom
manweg:docs/cross-namespace-devworkspacetemplate

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@manweg

@manweg manweg commented Jul 13, 2026

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What does this PR do?

Adds documentation for the controller.devfile.io/allow-import-from annotation,
which allows DevWorkspaceTemplates to be imported by DevWorkspaces in other namespaces.

Previously, this annotation was only documented in the source code
(pkg/library/flatten/flatten.go) but was not mentioned in the official documentation,
making it very difficult to discover. Without this documentation, users encounter the
misleading error Error processing devfile: plugin for component parent not found with
no indication of the solution.

What issues does this PR fix or reference?

Closes #1672

Is it tested? How?

This is a documentation-only change. The feature itself is already implemented and tested
in the codebase. The annotation has been verified to work as documented.

PR Checklist

  • E2E tests pass (when PR is ready, comment /test v8-devworkspace-operator-e2e, v8-che-happy-path to trigger)
    • v8-devworkspace-operator-e2e: DevWorkspace e2e test
    • v8-che-happy-path: Happy path for verification integration with Che

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Documentation
    • Added guidance for configuring cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports.
    • Documented supported annotation values, default behavior, and example YAML configurations for defining and referencing templates.

@openshift-ci

openshift-ci Bot commented Jul 13, 2026

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[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is NOT APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: manweg
Once this PR has been reviewed and has the lgtm label, please assign dkwon17 for approval. For more information see the Code Review Process.

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@openshift-ci

openshift-ci Bot commented Jul 13, 2026

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Hi @manweg. Thanks for your PR.

I'm waiting for a devfile member to verify that this patch is reasonable to test. If it is, they should reply with /ok-to-test on its own line. Until that is done, I will not automatically test new commits in this PR, but the usual testing commands by org members will still work.

Regular contributors should join the org to skip this step.

Once the patch is verified, the new status will be reflected by the ok-to-test label.

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coderabbitai Bot commented Jul 13, 2026

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Review details
⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: defaults

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 1f63c5ff-643d-45cd-b64c-252395570c26

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 8d71e86 and b031484.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)
  • docs/additional-configuration.adoc
📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Adds documentation for configuring cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports, including annotation semantics, defaults, supported values, and example manifests.

Changes

Cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports

Layer / File(s) Summary
Import configuration documentation
docs/additional-configuration.adoc
Documents the controller.devfile.io/allow-import-from annotation, supported namespace values, default restrictions, and example template and workspace manifests.

Estimated code review effort: 1 (Trivial) | ~2 minutes

Suggested reviewers: akurinnoy, btjd, dkwon17, ibuziuk, rohankanojia

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5
✅ Passed checks (5 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Description Check ✅ Passed Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check ✅ Passed The title clearly summarizes the documentation update for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports.
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed The added docs cover the requested annotation, supported values, default behavior, and example usage in the official docs.
Out of Scope Changes check ✅ Passed The change appears limited to the requested documentation update with no unrelated code or feature changes.
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
✨ Finishing Touches
🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)
  • Create PR with unit tests

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@manweg manweg force-pushed the docs/cross-namespace-devworkspacetemplate branch from 8d71e86 to b031484 Compare July 13, 2026 14:03
@tolusha

tolusha commented Jul 13, 2026

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/che-ai-assistant ok-pr-readiness

Task completed.

@tolusha

tolusha commented Jul 13, 2026

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PR Readiness Assessment: PR #1673 — docs: add documentation for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports

Repository: devfile/devworkspace-operator
Linked Issue: #1672 — Document controller.devfile.io/allow-import-from annotation for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports


# Criterion Verdict Notes
1 Problem Statement PASS Clear problem: undocumented annotation causes users to encounter misleading error messages with no discoverable solution
2 Reproduction Steps PASS Issue describes exact scenario: cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate import without annotation results in Error processing devfile: plugin for component parent not found
3 Expected Behavior After Fix PASS Clear outcome: users can discover and use the annotation via official documentation to enable cross-namespace imports
4 Scope of Changes PASS Single documentation file changed, appropriate for a documentation-only PR that adds ~50 lines to docs/additional-configuration.adoc
5 Test Evidence PASS Appropriate for documentation-only change. PR states the feature is already implemented and tested; annotation has been verified to work as documented
6 Deployment & Verification Notes PASS Documentation itself is verifiable by reading the added content. The documented feature can be tested by applying the provided YAML examples

Overall: READY


What's Good

  • Excellent problem statement: Both the PR and linked issue clearly explain the discoverability gap and the misleading error message users encounter
  • Complete documentation: The added docs cover all use cases (wildcard *, specific namespace list, and default behavior)
  • Concrete examples: Three YAML examples show how to define templates with the annotation and how to reference them from DevWorkspaces
  • Appropriate scope: Documentation-only change with clear rationale for not requiring new tests
  • Well-structured: New section is placed logically in the additional-configuration.adoc file
  • Clear annotation semantics: Documents supported values, default behavior, and security implications of cross-namespace access

Verification Guidance

To verify this documentation change in a prerelease build:

  1. Confirm the documentation is present in the deployed docs (check docs/additional-configuration.adoc contains the new "Configuring cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports" section)
  2. Optionally, validate the documented behavior by:
    • Creating a DevWorkspaceTemplate in namespace A with the annotation controller.devfile.io/allow-import-from: "namespace-b"
    • Creating a DevWorkspace in namespace B that references the template via parent.kubernetes
    • Confirming the workspace starts successfully without the plugin for component parent not found error

Assessment completed by ok-pr-readiness skill

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Document controller.devfile.io/allow-import-from annotation for cross-namespace DevWorkspaceTemplate imports

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