Unexpected behaviour with task `meta`

My actions before raising this issue

• Read/searched the docs
• Searched past issues

Steps to Reproduce (for bugs)

1. Make manifest.jsonl with own order (not abc) on aws (2D images)
2. Add manifest.jsonl to cloud storage
3. Create tasks with same manifest.jsonl
4. In task creation form files in expected order (as in manifest.jsonl)
5. After creation file names show in abc order in “player”
6. But files shown as it is in manifest.jsonl file

Export to COCO mess too – file names and order.

This endpoint shown files in expected order: cloudstorages/{store_id}/content?manifest_path=manifest.jsonl

But tasks/{new-task-id}/data/meta return abc order. (looks like abc)

I checked folder /home/django/data/storages/{store_id}/{name}/manifest.jsonl it has expected order

Possible Solution

Let users make own order in manifest.jsonl and use it as it is

And restore it from manifest or form request.data['server_files']

Steps:

1. Remove all unexpected sorted from code

Found related:

• task.py#L281
• task.py#L129
• media_extractors.py#L126

1. Fix order after serializer creation

and I don’t know why data['server_files'] income reversed?!!

now I know why it may come in any order, because find the root of this evil

https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/cvat/blob/develop/cvat/apps/engine/views.py#L630

Because looks like serializer does not guaranties income order, is not it?

But it fixable there – just rebuild it if from request.data['server_files'].

Your Environment

Author: Maria Khrustaleva <[e-mail]>
Date:   Wed Dec 1 16:57:31 2021 +0300

    Remove key_file_path field (#3959)

    * Remove key_file_path field
    * fix
    * Update comparison

[Sigura]

@gHerzmann I removed all sorting from source code and fixed it in request.data['server_files'] and rebuild images

Because do not understand why anybody need to setup it in another place than manifest

[gHerzmann]

@Sigura, Hi, you can specify Sorting method in the advanced section of the task creation form. In your case, you can choose Predefined sorting. See here for details.

When I try to use the predefined sorting method, I receive the following error: Could not create the task on the server. Exception: It isn't supported to upload manifest file and use random sorting.

See: https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/cvat/blob/6fad1764efd922d99dbcda28c4ee72d071aa5a07/cvat/apps/engine/task.py#L374

It would be great if we could select a sorting method that would use the same order defined in the manifest file.