Batch editing an attachment record does not edit the record and instead duplicates it

[combs-a]

Describe the bug
When batch editing attachments either through a related table's (i.e. Collection Object) or an Attachment table query, it instead creates a new record with the edited information in Batch Edit.

It does not appear to affect non-Attachment tables from a brief test with Collection Object, but we may want to do further testing to ensure that it is only the Attachment table.

There are no related errors, and would likely cause confusion due to the duplications of the attachment records in the Attachments tab. Additionally, Edit History does not contain information about fields on Create, so a lot of editing information would be quietly lost. The only real indicator is the New Cells being flagged by Batch Edit.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Go to the record(s) you want to edit and note the Attachment ID for the attachment you want to edit.
2. Create a query for batch editing, either through the Attachment table or a table with a relationship to Attachments (i.e. Collection Object).
3. Save the query and then click Batch Edit.
4. Edit the record(s) in some way, and then save and commit.
   • Note that when you save, it'll then appear as new cells.
5. Open the edited Attachment record. You can do so by right-clicking an Attachment field in Batch Edit.
6. Click on the Settings menu for the Attachment record and click Edit History.
7. See that there has been no record of the edit made.

You can see further proof of this in the connecting table (i.e. Collection Object Attachment), as it will show that the ID of the attachment has been updated.

Expected behavior
The edit history should be recorded.

Screenshots
Here is a video of the Batch Edit taking place and the Edit History not being updated.

firefox_07-13_11-12.mp4

Here is the duplicated record shown in the Attachments tab:

Crash Report

Please fill out the following information manually:

• OS: Windows 10
• Browser: Firefox
• Specify 7 Version: v7.12.0.7
• Database Name: sdnhmherps
• Collection name: Herp-PC
• User Name: testuser
• URL: https://sdnhmherps20260608-v71207base.test.specifysystems.org/specify/view/collectionobject/80735/

Additional context
Here's an additional video of editing the attachment through the forms and the edit history being updated, as expected. Editing attachments via forms does not duplicate the record.

firefox_07-13_11-16.mp4

[lexiclevenger]

Sorry this is a bit disorganized--I'm writing this right before I leave.

Here's the additional testing I did and the results:
Results are the same for Collection Object, Preparation, and Loan.

Preference "Use only visible fields for match" results in 1 record being marked with New Cells--other records are marked with Matched and Changed.
Matched and Changed records do not retain the changes after Commit, and the audit log does not record that the record was modified.

If the only attachment field(s) in a data set are deleted and "Use only visible fields for empty record check" or both "Use only visible fields for empty record check" and "Use only visible fields for match" are enabled, the workbench gives a validation error:
("Cannot delete some instances of model 'Attachment' because they are referenced through protected foreign keys: 'Collectionobjectattachment.attachment'.", {<Collectionobjectattachment: Collectionobjectattachment object (11)>})

If the only attachment field(s) in a data set are deleted and only "Use only visible fields for match" are enabled, the workbench gives a validation error prompting disambiguation. Attachments in the disambiguation dialog are unrelated to the actual base record, and it actually allows you to match an attachment from a different record... 😬