[HOLD for payment 2023-09-20] [$1000] Temporary thread message disappearance when deleting a thread message

[kavimuru]

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Action Performed:

1. Open a chat
2. Send a message in the chat
3. Click on "Reply in thread" to create a thread message
4. Delete the threaded message

Expected Result:

The thread message should remain visible without any disappearance upon deletion

Actual Result:

When deleting a thread message, it momentarily disappears for a second before reappearing

Workaround:

Can the user still use Expensify without this being fixed? Have you informed them of the workaround?

Platforms:

Which of our officially supported platforms is this issue occurring on?

• Android / native
• Android / Chrome
• iOS / native
• iOS / Safari
• MacOS / Chrome / Safari
• MacOS / Desktop

Version Number: 1.3.42-21
Reproducible in staging?: y
Reproducible in production?: y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Notes/Photos/Videos: Any additional supporting documentation

screen-recording-2023-07-17-at-71701-pm_7JOAkxG1.mp4

Recording.1290.mp4

Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: @ayazhussain79
Slack conversation: https://expensify.slack.com/archives/C049HHMV9SM/p1689603772547949

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[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @MitchExpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details.

[melvin-bot]

Bug0 Triage Checklist (Main S/O)

• This "bug" occurs on a supported platform (ensure Platforms in OP are ✅)
• This bug is not a duplicate report (check E/App issues and #expensify-bugs)
  • If it is, comment with a link to the original report, close the issue and add any novel details to the original issue instead
• This bug is reproducible using the reproduction steps in the OP. S/O
  • If the reproduction steps are clear and you're unable to reproduce the bug, check with the reporter and QA first, then close the issue.
  • If the reproduction steps aren't clear and you determine the correct steps, please update the OP.
• This issue is filled out as thoroughly and clearly as possible
  • Pay special attention to the title, results, platforms where the bug occurs, and if the bug happens on staging/production.
• I have reviewed and subscribed to the linked Slack conversation to ensure Slack/Github stay in sync

[jeffmchang]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

It looks like the bug here is directed to the chat system where a new 'chat tab' is created when you reply in a thread. When that new tab is created, it allows a new conversation to take place.:

The first message of this new 'thread' will refer to the comment being replied to:

The problem here is when you have messages being sent post-thread creation, they act as normal messages and can be deleted without issues. But when you attempt to delete the first message (comment being replied to), it results in a standard disappearance of the message, but then the message comes back with [Deleted message]. Once the first message in the new thread has been deleted, that results in the original message in the main conversation being deleted as well.

Normal Delete:

Bugged Delete:

This also leads to a bugged/empty thread:

If the message is deleted but the in-thread messages are still there, the [Deleted message] remains and keeps the thread open:

What is the root cause of that problem?

From a surface-level standpoint, it looks like the [Deleted message] is showing up because the component is not updating and removing the thread altogether.
I'm having trouble finding the exact location of the bug, if someone is able to provide me with a time-efficient way to locate the file that this bug is occurring on, that would be much appreciated.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

I think we should change the action of deleting the messages. If the main thread comment is deleted, it confirms deletion and prompts that deleting the main thread comment will result in the entire thread being deleted. Upon deletion, it will automatically remove the thread as a conversation tab in the left column.

[MitchExpensify]

I see some discussion related to this here https://expensify.slack.com/archives/C049HHMV9SM/p1685965494942699?thread_ts=1684354260.051229&cid=C049HHMV9SM

[MitchExpensify]

Also related to the first thread message and deletion but not quite this issue #19363

[MitchExpensify]

Not a dupe from what I can tell

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~01ed092abd8ef6cd10

[melvin-bot]

Current assignee @MitchExpensify is eligible for the External assigner, not assigning anyone new.