[Bug] NamespaceLayout behavior change

[CypherPotato]

Describe the bug
Apparently the compiler no longer respects the namespaceLayout property after version 2.78.1. After upgrading from version 2.76.0 -> 2.78.1, the API TOC generation changed its layout. No changes were made to docfx.json.

Expected behavior
It was expected to remain the same as before.

Old layout (0.76.0):

New layout (0.78.1):

Context (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows
• Docfx version: 0.78.1

Used docfx.json: https://github.com/sisk-http/docs/blob/master/docfx.json

[filzrev]

It seems TOC structure for mref output format is changed by #10090.

This PR add type attribute to TOC view model.
And docfx template grouping toc nodes based on type categories. (Insert Namespaces/ Classes node)
(It's transformed only when "memberLayout": "separatePages" option is used.)

Currently there is no option to control these behaviors.
It might be better to add options to change behavior.

[lcarrere]

Do we have any options to revert this change? This seems like a severe regression to me.

[CypherPotato]

@lcarrere for now, only downgrading your docfx version.

[mikernet]

Any movement on this? The top level "Namespaces" section just adds unnecessary nesting to the TOC and messes with the intended look and feel of our template (the first TOC level has a different style intended for the namespace names). I'm not a huge fan of the second additional nesting level that breaks types into "Classes / Structs / Interfaces" sections either. Can we please get a way to toggle off this new behavior and retain the previous TOC layout?

[mikernet]

Is there a workaround I can use for version 2.77.0 breaking when allows ref struct is used in the meantime? I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.

[mikernet]

@frarees Tagging you since you PR'd the change that introduced this new behavior. We need a way to retain the old TOC structure without all the extra additional nesting. Any chance you could figure something out a setting that we could use to revert to previous behavior?

[frarees]

Sorry for the inconvenince. Thanks for tagging me on this one. I've pushed a PR that should keep the layout as it was on 2.76.0.

[lcarrere]

Thanks a lot @mikernet and @frarees for moving this forward!

[mikernet]

If anyone is in desperate need of a v2.78 build that includes the fix to this issue (as I was) before it is merged into DocFX and a new release is published, there is a download link for our custom v2.78.3 + the fix build in the Version 3.x notes of our theme :)