UI elements not working or failing to display?

Patrick_Paul · 07-25-2023 10:51 AM

I have had several complaints of filters for enum fields not being able to be checked (clicking on them does nothing) as well as general weirdness regarding user interface elements, like clicking on views and nothing appearing, then upon re-sync the data appears, etc. Seems to happen to certain users and not others on desktop browsers. Already been through "the usual" (restart browser, make sure it's updated, clear cache, reboot, etc. etc.) and it doesn't reliably help. Is this a known issue at this time? Thanks!

WillowMobileSys

Are you using Desktop Mode? If so, be aware that it is a feature still in Beta and does have issues. It really not yet ready for live apps.

Otherwise, we need some more context around your issues.

For example if you are having trouble with a certain Enum column and the Search Filter, it would be helpful to know how you have it setup/configured so we can try to replicate the behavior. If the filtering you are mentioning is something different then please elaborate.

As for views that have "nothing appearing" does that mean the screen is completely blank or is there a "No items" message showing? Are there Security Filters that could be impacting the view?

Etc.... The more info you can provide the better

Patrick_Paul

We are not using desktop mode, security filters, or anything else out of the ordinary.

When the glitch occurs (and it does so randomly), the checkboxes for enum column filters will simply be "unclickable". I have experienced this myself where you can click them and nothing happens, it does not register. Upon reloading the page, they then go back to working. This has happened only once for me, but I have colleagues that complain it occurs constantly for them. Again, this is only when using the app on a computer browser, not on mobile.

As far as views appearing with nothing, that's all the explanation I've gotten, I've never experienced it myself, but again, I have a handful of colleagues that have stated it occurs frequently for them, and manually re-syncing then causes expected data to appear. I believe I have narrowed this down to people using their browser forward and back buttons to navigate rather than the Appsheet internal UI, but I cannot say for certain.

One of the same users also states that his iPhone becomes very hot and unstable while using the app on mobile, and will crash frequently. We have no idea why. We all work remotely so I cannot troubleshoot it. He is the only person reporting this behavior.

We used to have a tight-knit group of less than a dozen people using the apps, and problems were rare. Now that our team is much larger, we have (unfortunately) a large volume of complaints about malfunctions that are becoming difficult to deal with.

Suvrutt_Gurjar

@Patrick_Paul wrote:

One of the same users also states that his iPhone becomes very hot and unstable while using the app on mobile, and will crash frequently.

This statement reminded me of reading an old post on the topic. I found it on searching. Please note the thread is a longer one and discusses couple of other points as well. I am just referring it as a community member. I do not have my own inputs to share in this regard ( device becoming hot.). Hope you find it relevant and useful.

App makes my iPhone hot - Page 3 - Google Cloud Community

WillowMobileSys

Note that when you are using the Browser version, the app is subject to outside influences from the browser itself, any extensions that have been installed AND/OR possible machine problems. You will need to do a little bit of sleuthing to try to narrow down these issues and attempt to pinpoint the problem. There are numerous potential causes.

@Patrick_Paul wrote:

Upon reloading the page, they then go back to working.

The fact that refreshing the page makes things work again implies that something IS interfering with the app functions. Identifying the source of the problem can be a long arduous task if you can't consistently reproduce the issue yourself. Example questions to get answered are:

Is it the same people having the issue while others do not?
What Browser are they using?
What unusual extensions do they have installed?
Are there machine limitations - low memory, high CPU utilization, etc?

@Patrick_Paul wrote:

As far as views appearing with nothing, that's all the explanation I've gotten

This could be caused by Browser issues or data issues. To analyze this problem, same question above PLUS:

What is meant by "nothing appears" - blank screen or a "No Items" message?
What activity what being performed at the moment the "missing" data is noticed?
Does a refresh or re-navigation to the view correct the issue?

@Patrick_Paul wrote:

One of the same users also states that his iPhone becomes very hot and unstable while using the app

Unless he is doing something in the app that has a VERY high processing threshold, this sounds more like a device issue. AppSheet apps are very small app footprint compared to most other apps but of course that depends on your implementation. Still it is unlikely that the AppSheet app itself is causing this problem.

Patrick_Paul

I appreciate your feedback. Unfortunately I don't have the time/resources to do this sort of intensive troubleshooting. We all use company-owned computers and they're completely locked down so no extensions, additional software or different browsers can be installed. Everyone is on Chrome. If it is something installed that is causing the problem, there's nothing I can do about it because it's company-mandated by IT. It's hard to pinpoint whether there's a problem with devices, user error or what may be going on, other than I've experienced one of the glitches once myself. It's generally the same people complaining, but I also know others will experience problems and just never tell anyone from past experience. Again, I appreciate your insight, but I was hoping this was a known issue or known solution, as most Appsheet problems I've experienced in the past have fallen into those categories. Thanks again!