unclear and limited naming of dynamic modules

[srearl]

The code block below facilitates populating annual cover events with observation (cover) data. While this works as intended such that clicking on a button to populate a cover event calls another module that facilitates adding the actual cover data; clicking on another cover event removes the module associated with the previous event and raises a new module of cover data associated with the newly selected cover event. There are two problems. First, the cover event id to populate is always cover_event_0 in the DOM. This is a problem because it is not clear why. More importantly, it makes it unclear how to remove the cover composition module associated with the cover event from another part of the application. Here is an example: click to populate a particular cover event, then click to edit a different cover event. In that scenario, the module to populate the first cover even remains visible even though the user elected to edit the details of a different cover event. This is not necessarily a serious concern or impediment to the workflow but best would be to have the module to populate the cover event removed when any action on another cover event is selected just to avoid potential confusion.

    populate_counter <- shiny::reactiveVal(value = 0)

    shiny::observeEvent(input$cover_event_to_populate, {

      id            <- populate_counter()
      ce_element_id <- paste0("ce_element_", id)

      message("from populate: ", ce_element_id)

      shiny::insertUI(
        selector = "#add_cover_compositions",
        where    = "afterBegin",
        ui       = tags$div(
          id = ce_element_id,
          cover_compositionUI(ns(paste0("cover_composition_inventory", id)))
        )
      )

      cover_composition(
        id             = paste0("cover_composition_inventory", id),
        ce_to_populate = this_ce_to_populate
      )

      
      populate_counter(populate_counter() + 1) # increment module counter

      if (populate_counter() > 1) {

        shiny::removeUI(selector = paste0("#", ce_element_id))
        remove_shiny_inputs(ns(paste0("cover_composition_inventory", id)), input)
        remove_shiny_inputs(ns(paste0("cover_composition_inventory", id, "-cover_composition_inventory", id)), input)

      }

    },
    once       = FALSE,
    ignoreInit = TRUE
    )

[srearl]

see the arthropods-shiny application for more on this, especially {notes} in this module