[Awaiting checklist] [$250] Reports - Fallback WS avatar shown when clearing the "From" filter on "Submit" while offline

[mitarachim]

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Version Number: 9.1.97-1
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail: https://test-management.browserstack.com/projects/2219752/test-runs/TR-352/folder/13176922/41237508/849028389
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): ibellicotest+1626@gmail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Device used: Motorola MotoG60 / Android 12 / Chrome ( mWeb / Hybrid app) - Windows 10 / Chrome
App Component: Search

Action Performed:

Prerequisite: Account has at least one workspace created.
Prerequisite 2: Delayed submissions enabled.

1. Open the Expensify app.
2. Open any workspace chat.
3. Create two manual expenses.
4. Navigate to "Reports"
5. Turn off internet connection.
6. Tap on the "From" filter.
7. Tap on the checkmark of the selected user, to deselect it.
8. Tap on "Apply"
9. Note that workspace avatar disappears from expenses report preview, and now, only fallback avatar is visible.

Expected Result:

After clearing the "From" filter on "Submit" section while offline, the user should be redirected to the new search results.

Actual Result:

Fallback workspace avatar is displayed on expenses report preview on "Submit", after clearing the "From" filter while in offline mode.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Bug6921639_1755668922371.From.mp4

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Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021958264104527233426
• Upwork Job ID: 1958264104527233426
• Last Price Increase: 2025-08-27

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @brunovjk

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @twisterdotcom (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[mkzie2]

🚨 Edited by proposal-police: This proposal was edited at 2025-08-25 04:14:24 UTC.

Proposal

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

Fallback workspace avatar is displayed on expenses report preview on "Submit", after clearing the "From" filter while in offline mode.

What is the root cause of that problem?

When we clear the From filter, the search page only changes the query parameter instead of navigating to a new page, and then the search result is assigned to lastNonEmptySearchResults.

App/src/pages/Search/SearchPage.tsx

Line 627 in 4d7d44a

const searchResults = currentSearchResults?.data ? currentSearchResults : lastNonEmptySearchResults.current;

The reason the avatar is displayed as fallback is that the hash from the SearchContext is the hash of the current query that doesn't have snapshot data, then personalDetails data is empty here.

App/src/components/AvatarWithDisplayName.tsx

Line 174 in 4d7d44a

const ownerPersonalDetails = getPersonalDetailsForAccountIDs(report?.ownerAccountID ? [report.ownerAccountID] : [], personalDetails);

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

I think we can remove lastNonEmptySearchResults here to avoid confusion.

const searchResults = currentSearchResults?.data ? currentSearchResults : undefined;

App/src/pages/Search/SearchPage.tsx

Line 627 in 4d7d44a

const searchResults = currentSearchResults?.data ? currentSearchResults : lastNonEmptySearchResults.current;

What specific scenarios should we cover in automated tests to prevent reintroducing this issue in the future?

NA

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

NA

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021958264104527233426

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @brunovjk (External)

[muhammad-ali-abbasi]

What’s the issue we’re trying to solve?

When you clear the "From" filter in the Submit tab while offline, the workspace avatar disappears and gets replaced with a fallback avatar in the expense report preview. The issue here is that the workspace avatar should stay visible from the local cache (or Onyx), but instead, the UI defaults to the generic fallback avatar.

What’s causing the issue?

The core issue is that when the "From" filter is reset, the app also clears the workspace avatar source. Since the app is offline, it doesn’t re-fetch the workspace data from the server, so the avatar isn’t restored.

Here’s what’s happening in more detail:

• The avatar data for workspaces is stored and synced using Onyx keys (e.g., ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.WORKSPACE and report participants).
• When you clear the "From" filter, the logic updates the report list, but it doesn’t keep a reference to the cached workspace avatar.
• When online, the app calls the backend to rehydrate this data, but when offline, the app just defaults to defaultAvatar because it doesn’t find the cached data.
• As a result, the avatar rendering component (probably Avatar.js or ReportActionItemAvatar) ends up using the fallback avatar instead of checking the local Onyx data first.

What changes should we make to fix this?

1. Make sure workspace avatars are always stored in Onyx and that they aren’t cleared when filters are reset. The reset should only clear metadata related to the filter, not the entire workspace object, including the avatar.

2. Update the avatar rendering component (either ReportActionItemAvatar or Avatar) to prioritize the cached workspace avatar from Onyx before falling back to the default avatar.

   • When offline, it should show the cached avatar instead of defaulting to the fallback.

3. Modify the filtering logic in SubmitReportPage (or wherever the report list is handled) to ensure that clearing the "From" filter doesn’t unintentionally remove the avatar references from Onyx.

This change will ensure the workspace avatar stays consistent, whether the app is online or offline.

What should we test to prevent this issue from happening again?

[brunovjk]

It's on my list, will review ASAP.

[brunovjk]

Thank you all for your proposals. @mkzie2, did you manage to successfully test your solution? I didn't, heheh some errors and crashes are appearing. @muhammad-ali-abbasi, can you create a test branch so I can test your solution? Thanks again.