CCK fields can lose configuration information

I've been reviewing #799332: Conflicts with CCK Fieldgroup tabs and #1097260: In cell sorting as well as the suggested workaround (#799332-15: Conflicts with CCK Fieldgroup tabs) but with no luck. I was initially overriding the Mobile build mode from Mobile Tools but have since created a custom build mode and configured the fields there.

What's extremely weird is that if I configure a view to use the Unformatted style plugin and the Node row plugin, then configure the Node row plugin to use my custom build mode, the AJAX preview renders correctly!. This leads me to think it's the theme, but this happens on two different themes! It boggles my mind!

I do notice that Views's preview doesn't seem to call preprocess functions, at least not theme-level ones...although since I'm using ND in override mode (nd_preprocess_overrideworking.

But all that aside, things look good in the Views preview but not in reality in either theme. I'm trying to figure out the magic angle here that is behind this.

Just tried disabling Mobile Tools, and that didn't fix it either. This is truly Worse Than Failure!

Going to go through the two ways of rendering it (Views preview and Views reality) in Xdebug and see if anything jumps out at me...

OK, I ran through in Xdebug, and basically what's happening is within this block of code around line 415.

        // Theming function. This implies a 'content' key exists.
        if (isset($object->ds_fields[$key]['theme']) && isset($object->ds_fields[$key]['content'])) {
          $count++;
          $region_content .= theme($object->ds_fields[$key]['theme'], $object->ds_fields[$key]['content'], $object->ds_fields[$key]);
        }
        elseif (isset($object->ds_fields[$key]['tab'])) {
          $count++;
          $region_content .= theme('ds_tabs', $object->ds_fields[$key]);
        }
        // Default ds_field theming function.
        else {
          $field_content = isset($vars[$key .'_rendered']) ? $vars[$key .'_rendered'] : '';
          if (!empty($field_content)) {
            $count++;
            $region_content .= theme($theme_function, $field_content, $object->ds_fields[$key]);
          }
        }

In my case, $field_content came back empty due to field_myfieldname_rendered not existing in the variables array. So it seems like if I fake rendering in my fusion_mobile_node_preprocess function just before passing control to

_nd_preprocess_node($vars, $hook);

that I would be able to psyche out DS and the theme layer, but OMG that'd probably be the worst hack evar...and I don't really know what to fake either. Well...maybe I will after running through the Views AJAX preview in Xdebug :)

More to come, probably.

Wow, I tried stepping through Views and can't even figure out how Node Displays is getting its build mode in there! I know it is because it responds when I change things, but how appears to be pure magic. I've put breakpoints on everything mentioning Views and on the normal preprocess functions but nothing is catching.

Going to put this down for today and see if anyone has responded tomorrow.

OK, I just thought I would take this to Google to see if I was going in the wrong direction and stumbled across #1060062: custom CCK fields do NOT appear while core fields do appear. I tried the suggestion of disabling/renabling all DS-related modules, but unfortunately that didn't do it either. I was really hopeful :(

I'll just give this issue some time to see if anyone replies tomorrow.

Weird. Disabling and re-enabling nd_cck appears to have corrected the issue for me, for now. Not gonna question it. Just happy it's working.

Oh, so I didn't! Problem was that CCK fields weren't appearing. And the cause actually was Content Permissions + me forgetting that I had Content Permissions on the site. For shame!