Display More Accurate Artifact Expiration Times in the UI
Users can choose relative or exact settings: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/profile/preferences.html#show-exact-times-instead-of-relative-times.
Description: Currently, when setting an artifact expiration time in the .gitlab-ci.yml file, the UI approximates this time and displays it in a more human-readable format. However, this approximation can sometimes be misleading. For instance, specifying an expiration of 90 days results in the UI displaying it as 2 months, which is not accurate and can be misleading for users.
Proposed Solution:
Display the exact number of days until expiration if the time set is less than a few months. For example, if 90 days is set, the UI should display 89 days (or however many days are left) instead of rounding it to 2 months.
(or)
Display a more granular approximation, such as 2 months 20 days to give users a clearer understanding of the exact duration.
Benefits:
Provides users with a more precise understanding of when their artifacts will expire. Reduces confusion and potential issues arising from users misinterpreting the displayed expiration time. Maintains a user-friendly display while offering more accurate information.
Approximation is valuable for user-friendliness, but it's crucial to ensure that such approximations don't confuse users. Especially for critical functions like artifact expiration, users need to have a clear understanding of the timelines.