display generated refID if exists, but do not persist it

packages/grafana-data/src/index.ts

@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ export { fuzzySearch } from './utils/fuzzySearch';
 
 // Transformations
 export { standardTransformers } from './transformations/transformers';
-export { getTransformationLegacyRefId } from './transformations/transformers/utils';
+export { getTransformationDynamicRefId } from './transformations/transformers/utils';
 export {
   fieldMatchers,
   frameMatchers,

packages/grafana-data/src/transformations/transformers/joinByField.ts

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { FieldMatcherID } from '../matchers/ids';
 
 import { DataTransformerID } from './ids';
 import { joinDataFrames } from './joinDataFrames';
-import { getTransformationLegacyRefId } from './utils';
+import { getTransformationDynamicRefId } from './utils';
 
 export enum JoinMode {
   outer = 'outer', // best for time series, non duplicated join on values
@@ -44,11 +44,13 @@ export const joinByFieldTransformer: SynchronousDataTransformerInfo<JoinByFieldO
         }
         const joined = joinDataFrames({ frames: data, joinBy, mode: options.mode });
         if (joined) {
-          joined.refId = options.refId ?? getTransformationLegacyRefId(DataTransformerID.joinByField, data);
+          joined.refId = options.refId ?? getTransformationDynamicRefId(DataTransformerID.joinByField, data);
           return [joined];
         }
       }
       return data;
     };
   },
+
+  usesDynamicRefId: true,
 };

packages/grafana-data/src/transformations/transformers/merge.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { DataFrame, Field } from '../../types/dataFrame';
 import { DataTransformerInfo, TransformationApplicabilityLevels } from '../../types/transformations';
 
 import { DataTransformerID } from './ids';
-import { getTransformationLegacyRefId } from './utils';
+import { getTransformationDynamicRefId } from './utils';
 
 interface ValuePointer {
   key: string;
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export const mergeTransformer: DataTransformerInfo<MergeTransformerOptions> = {
         const fieldIndexByName: Record<string, Record<number, number>> = {};
         const fieldNamesForKey: string[] = [];
         const dataFrame = new MutableDataFrame({
-          refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationLegacyRefId(DataTransformerID.merge, data),
+          refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationDynamicRefId(DataTransformerID.merge, data),
           fields: [],
         });
 
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ export const mergeTransformer: DataTransformerInfo<MergeTransformerOptions> = {
         return [dataFrame];
       })
     ),
+  usesDynamicRefId: true,
 };
 
 const copyFieldStructure = (field: Field): Field => {

packages/grafana-data/src/transformations/transformers/reduce.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { getFieldMatcher } from '../matchers';
 import { alwaysFieldMatcher, notTimeFieldMatcher } from '../matchers/predicates';
 
 import { DataTransformerID } from './ids';
-import { getTransformationLegacyRefId } from './utils';
+import { getTransformationDynamicRefId } from './utils';
 
 export enum ReduceTransformerMode {
   SeriesToRows = 'seriesToRows', // default
@@ -62,12 +62,13 @@ export const reduceTransformer: DataTransformerInfo<ReduceTransformerOptions> =
           ? [
               {
                 ...res,
-                refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationLegacyRefId(DataTransformerID.reduce, data),
+                refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationDynamicRefId(DataTransformerID.reduce, data),
               },
             ]
           : [];
       })
     ),
+  usesDynamicRefId: true,
 };
 
 /**

packages/grafana-data/src/transformations/transformers/seriesToRows.ts

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import {
 import { DataTransformerInfo } from '../../types/transformations';
 
 import { DataTransformerID } from './ids';
-import { getTransformationLegacyRefId } from './utils';
+import { getTransformationDynamicRefId } from './utils';
 
 export interface SeriesToRowsTransformerOptions {
   refId?: string;
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export const seriesToRowsTransformer: DataTransformerInfo<SeriesToRowsTransforme
         const timeFieldByIndex: Record<number, number> = {};
         const targetFields = new Set<string>();
         const dataFrame = new MutableDataFrame({
-          refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationLegacyRefId(DataTransformerID.seriesToRows, data),
+          refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationDynamicRefId(DataTransformerID.seriesToRows, data),
           fields: [],
         });
         const metricField: Field = {
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ export const seriesToRowsTransformer: DataTransformerInfo<SeriesToRowsTransforme
         return [sortDataFrame(dataFrame, 0, true)];
       })
     ),
+  usesDynamicRefId: true,
 };
 
 const copyFieldStructure = (field: Field, name: string): Field => {

packages/grafana-data/src/transformations/transformers/utils.ts

@@ -34,6 +34,6 @@ export function getSpecialValue(specialValue: SpecialValue) {
   }
 }
 
-export const getTransformationLegacyRefId = (transformationId: string, data: DataFrame[]) => {
+export const getTransformationDynamicRefId = (transformationId: string, data: DataFrame[]) => {
   return `${transformationId}-${data.map((frame) => frame.refId).join('-')}`;
 };

packages/grafana-data/src/types/transformations.ts

@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ export interface DataTransformerInfo<TOptions = any> extends RegistryItemWithOpt
    * This way descriptions can be tailored relative to the underlying data.
    */
   isApplicableDescription?: string | ((data: DataFrame[]) => string);
+  /**
+   * Does the transformation generate a dataframe and thus generates a refID automatically based on incoming data
+   */
+  usesDynamicRefId?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**

public/app/features/dashboard/components/TransformationsEditor/TransformationOperationRow.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   getFrameMatchers,
   transformDataFrame,
   DataFrame,
+  getTransformationDynamicRefId,
 } from '@grafana/data';
 import { selectors } from '@grafana/e2e-selectors';
 import { t } from '@grafana/i18n';
@@ -61,6 +62,8 @@ export const TransformationOperationRow = ({
   // output of previous transformation
   const [prevOutput, setPrevOutput] = useState<DataFrame[]>([]);
 
+  const dynamicRefId = getTransformationDynamicRefId(uiConfig.id, data.series);
+
   const onDisableToggle = useCallback(
     (index: number) => {
       const current = configs[index].transformation;
@@ -167,6 +170,7 @@ export const TransformationOperationRow = ({
         transformationTypeName={`${index + 1} - ${uiConfig.name}`}
         disabled
         onChange={onChange}
+        dynamicRefId={uiConfig.transformation.usesDynamicRefId ? dynamicRefId : undefined}
       />
     );
   };

public/app/features/dashboard/components/TransformationsEditor/TransformationOperationRowHeader.tsx

@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ export interface Props {
   transformationTypeName: string;
   disabled?: boolean;
   onChange: (index: number, config: DataTransformerConfig) => void;
+  dynamicRefId?: string;
 }
 
 export const TransformationOperationRowHeader = (props: Props) => {
-  const { index, transformation, transformations, onChange, disabled, transformationTypeName } = props;
+  const { index, transformation, transformations, onChange, disabled, transformationTypeName, dynamicRefId } = props;
 
   const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
   const [isRefIdEditing, toggleIsRefIdEditing] = useToggle(false);
@@ -97,6 +98,7 @@ export const TransformationOperationRowHeader = (props: Props) => {
         >
           <span className={cx(styles.refIdStyle, !isStaticRefId && styles.placeholderText)}>
             {transformation.refId ||
+              dynamicRefId ||
               t(
                 'dashboard.transformation-operation-row.transformation-editor-row-header.edit-refId-placeholder',
                 '(Auto)'

public/app/features/transformers/joinByLabels/joinByLabels.ts

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
   DataTransformerID,
   Field,
   FieldType,
-  getTransformationLegacyRefId,
+  getTransformationDynamicRefId,
   SynchronousDataTransformerInfo,
 } from '@grafana/data';
 import { t } from '@grafana/i18n';
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export const getJoinByLabelsTransformer: () => SynchronousDataTransformerInfo<Jo
       return [joinByLabels(options, data)];
     };
   },
+  usesDynamicRefId: true,
 });
 
 interface JoinValues {
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ export function joinByLabels(options: JoinByLabelsTransformOptions, data: DataFr
   const frame: DataFrame = {
     fields: [],
     length: nameValues[0].length,
-    refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationLegacyRefId(DataTransformerID.joinByLabels, data),
+    refId: options.refId ?? getTransformationDynamicRefId(DataTransformerID.joinByLabels, data),
   };
   for (let i = 0; i < join.length; i++) {
     frame.fields.push({