Bugfix: Issue #788 — Execute Tests: missing Execution Duration input + no duration saved/displayed (regression)

Summary

The modernized Execute Tests screen (gui/templates/execute/execTest.html + api/execute/index.php) dropped the legacy Execution Time / Duration (execution_duration) feature entirely. The tester could not record how long executing a test case took, and the value was never stored or displayed. This is a regression of a legacy TestLink feature that is enabled by default (config.inc.php:1189-1190 → exec_cfg->features->exec_duration->enabled = true).

Legacy Behavior

• gui/templates/tl-classic/execute/inc_exec_controls.tpl:44-51 renders the numeric "Execution Time" (execution_duration) input, gated on the exec_duration->enabled flag.
• lib/functions/exec.inc.php:147-158 (write_execution()) INSERTs execution_duration (empty → NULL, else floatval).
• lib/functions/print.inc.php:2110-2116 displays the recorded duration in the report.

Root Cause

1. gui/templates/execute/execTest.html — no execution_duration input rendered (grep returned zero hits). saveExecution() (lines 939-957) never appended a duration to the FormData payload.
2. api/execute/index.php ?action=save (lines 1064-1069) built $execData with only statusSingle / tc_version / version_number / notes — it never read an incoming execution_duration and never set $execData['execution_duration'].
3. write_execution() (exec.inc.php:153-158) only writes the duration when $exec_data['execution_duration'] is set. Since the BFF never set it, the INSERT got $dura = 'NULL' → duration always stored NULL.
4. Display: the /history endpoint already returned execution_duration (api/execute/index.php:926, that block is the tcDetails inline history), but the separate ?action=history output array (used by execHistory.html) dropped the column even though getExecutionSet() selects it (testcase.class.php:6524-6660). execHistory.html renderTable() / renderDetail() never rendered a duration anywhere.

Live proof (fresh fixtures, admin/admin): saving with execution_duration=12.5 yielded SELECT execution_duration FROM executions → NULL pre-fix.

Fix

Backend — api/execute/index.php:

• ?action=save: read optional execution_duration from the payload (gated on exec_cfg->features->exec_duration->enabled), pass it via $execData['execution_duration'] to write_execution() so it persists (empty → NULL, numeric → stored) — mirrors exec.inc.php:153-158.
• ?action=init: expose exec_duration_enabled flag so the frontend can gate the input (same pattern as the existing new_exec_latest / platform_feature_enabled flags).
• ?action=tcDetails: include execution_duration in the prior_execution SELECT + object so re-opening the form pre-fills it.
• ?action=history: emit execution_duration in each $executions[] row (getExecutionSet() already selected the column; serialization dropped it).

Frontend — gui/templates/execute/execTest.html:

• execDurationEnabled() helper gated on initData.exec_duration_enabled.
• renderForm() renders a numeric "Execution duration (min)" input (gated, read-only-mode aware, numeric-only via onkeyup filter) matching the legacy control.
• resetFormInputs() pre-fills it from prior_execution.execution_duration (restored on open, cleared on Reset).
• saveExecution() appends execution_duration to the FormData payload (empty when the feature is disabled).

Frontend — gui/templates/execute/execHistory.html:

• Added a "Duration" column (header + row cell), a detail-view block, and fixed the row/empty colspans (9→10 / 8→9 / no-result row 9→10).

i18n: added exe.executionDuration ("Execution duration (min)") and exechist.colDuration ("Duration") to all 10 locale bundles (de,en,es,fr,it,ja,pt,ro,ru,zh); Romanian translation in ro.json.

Why This Approach

• Minimal / legacy-parity: reuses the existing write_execution() duration handling — the BFF just has to forward the value. No schema change, no new endpoint.
• Gated on the real config: the input and persistence honor exec_cfg->features->exec_duration->enabled, exactly like legacy; disabling the flag hides the input and stores NULL.
• Both display paths covered: the save write path AND the two history read paths (tcDetails inline history + ?action=history).
• Alternatives rejected: replicating the legacy report table for the history screen was unnecessary scope; a new dedicated endpoint would duplicate the existing history/tcDetails routes.

Files Changed

• api/execute/index.php — save (forward duration), init (exec_duration_enabled), tcDetails (prior duration), history (emit duration).
• gui/templates/execute/execTest.html — duration input + execDurationEnabled()
  • pre-fill/reset + payload append.
• gui/templates/execute/execHistory.html — Duration column + detail + colspans.
• gui/templates/i18n/{de,en,es,fr,it,ja,pt,ro,ru,zh}.json — 2 new keys per bundle.
• docs/screenshots/issue-788-exectest-duration-input.png, docs/screenshots/issue-788-exechistory-duration-column.png — screenshots.

Screenshots

The Execution Time / Duration input on the modernized Execute Tests form:

The Duration column on the Execution History screen (8.50, -, 12.50):

Commit

• 993bb552f — fix(execute): restore Execution Duration input + persistence on Execute Tests (Fixes #788)

Regression Matrix

#	Case	Result
1	Execute form renders the "Execution duration (min)" input (feature flag ON)	PASS
2	UI end-to-end save: duration 8.5 + Passed → executions.execution_duration=8.50	PASS
3	Empty-duration save stores NULL	PASS
4	tcDetails prior_execution.execution_duration present and pre-fills the form	PASS
5	?action=history returns execution_duration per row	PASS
6	execHistory.html renders "Duration" column (8.50, -, 12.50)	PASS
7	All 10 i18n bundles valid JSON and contain the 2 new keys	PASS
8	Event Viewer events table: no new Error/Warning from the fix	PASS

Verified 2026-08-31 with fresh fixtures (project Demo Project id=1, plan Plan 1 id=2, case Login Test version node 4, build Build 1 id=1), headless Chrome at http://localhost:8082, admin/admin. Event Viewer: only informational audit rows (log_level 16: login + project created); no new Error/Warning.