All Files and Images suddenly stop working for an App

[Austin]

We have an app that has 20,295 files in its default app folder. Suddenly all those images and files are giving a 500 Error Code or not displaying any images. I believe the issue would have to do with the number of files in the folder but cannot find anything relating to limits based on this. I have sent this to support@appsheet.com. In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone else had any similar issues or if any has more than 20k files and everything is working fine?

Due to previous experiences, I struggle internal in deciding to attempt to fix this myself. Whenever we solve issues ourselves the response 9 times out of 10 is we’ll monitor and notify us if it happens again. We have an issue with caching that files are not there (even though all caching options are disabled) for the past 5-6 months and have had no avail with getting that even attempted to be resolved because the response is just open in incognito. If that issue wasn’t contained to the Super User of the system, we would definitely start looking at different solutions for our needs.

[Austin]

I have found this is happening across 5 apps and not on 1 of my apps.

[MultiTech]

I’ve never had an app with so many files, though a current client has the potential to get there.

This sounds to me like it might be a Google Account limit - you should reach out to Google support and see if you’re reaching some sort of invisible limit.

support.google.com

Google Drive Help

The client referenced above had a limit problem- they had over 100 users accessing their app in less than 100 seconds, a limit we were unaware of.

[Austin]

We now believe it is something else as it is affecting all apps that use a shared drive instead of a my drive.

[MultiTech]

Hmm… perhaps permissions were revoked on accident to a shared folder?

[Austin]

Our current theory is that the setting to restrict shared drive files to only those within our organization might be the culprit. Our IT department has yet to return our email on whether or not they recently changed this setting. If that is the problem then we have another problem. We would definitely want that to be the case since we have sensitive documents on the shared drives that are not appsheet related.

[Steve]

How is the app serving the images and files? Direct public URL? Or proxied through AppSheet with gettablefileurl?

[Austin]

gettablefileurl??? I just make an image or file column and have a file path that’s relative to the default folder for the app.

[Steve]

If you run the app in a browser, what is the URL the browser gets for an affected image?

[Austin]

https://www.appsheet.com/get/?i=(a few hundred random characters)=

[Steve]

Maybe you need to toggle this? I’m guessing, here.

[Austin]

This is our security settings although we have apps that have require signing enabled and disabled and both dont work.

[Steve]

Are you using a spreadsheet as a data backend? If yes, is it located on the same shared drive?

[Austin]

No a mysql database but our files are stored on gdrive

[Steve]

Does the app owner account have access to the shared drive?7

[Austin]

Yes, this is also across 2 accounts one of which is a gsuite admin.

[Steve]

I like @MultiTech_Visions’ idea that you’re hitting a gDrive limit. I suspect this isn’t an AppSheet problem (though AppSheet may be doing a poor job of handling the gDrive failure).

[Austin]

But if we change a file through appsheet we can see that file.

[Steve]

I’m not clear how the problem surfaces, then. You said in the original post, “all those images and files are giving a 500 Error Code or not displaying”, but now, “if we change a file through appsheet we can see that file”. Can you clarify when the error occurs versus when it does not?

[Austin]

The error occurs on any file that is currently in our apps. Most of our files do not getting added to their folder through appsheet. In the couple of cases we have that they do, they are not added in the app that they are accessed through. Example: we have an app where stores take a picture of a delivery invoice. The app where they take that picture has no access to the images after they are taken. We had an admin app where someone in accounting can view these images. They do not show up in that app but if I edit an entry in the admin version and add a new image it will show up and continue to show up in the admin app.

[Steve]

Austin_Lambeth:

The app where they take that picture has no access to the images after they are taken.

Because the app is designed to prevent that access? Or the problem is preventing that access?

Austin_Lambeth:

They do not show up in that app

Because of the problem?

[Markus_Malessa]

With that many files could this be related to Google Drive API limits? I presume Appsheet uses that service when the app uses Gdrive at the backend? I believe there is a 1000 requests/100 seconds per user (default), in which case if the app runs as the creator maybe it is bumping up against that limit.

[Austin]

The app just had no purpose for allowing the stores to view the images after they were taken.

Yes, bc of the issue that is affecting all apps.

We have seen the issue where it hits the upload limit. that results in a error in the audit logs where as this does not result in a audit log error.

[Steve]

I dunno, I’m at a loss. Someone with a deeper view into the AppSheet stack will have to investigate, which means Support.

[Austin]

Appsheet support has been quiet on the email thread since I replied this morning, we have also reached out to our gsuite support as well to see if they have any possible insight. Any app that operates in our My Drives work but in the Shared Drives do not so for now we have to use zapier to copy every files that is added to our shared appsheet folders into the appropriate persons my drive since we use RPA processes that moves files around using the shared drives.

[Steve]

So the problem only affects images and files stored in shared drives? Are they team drives?

[Austin]

yes,/[TeamDrive]CorpShare/BI - Reference Files/TeamAppSheet/SmartFuelDelivery-

Heres an example from a default folder path

[Steve]

Okay, that’s significant. I’ll make sure this gets relayed to Support. Thanks!

[Steve]

Developers have a theory and are working on a possible fix.

[MultiTech]

[Austin]

(no idea why mines much larger)

[MultiTech]

It’s because those are actual images you’ve downloaded, and they’re large photos. (Hint: After you upload a photo, if you hover over the preview you can shrink it down to 75% or 50% of it’s normal size).

My parrot is so small because it comes from the Parrot as a Service.

[Austin · Accepted solution]

We have our images and files back up and running. Still no word from support since responding to their email yesterday at 9am eastern. No notification that the developers have found the source; no notification that they might have a possible solution they’re; no notification that it has been resolved. Spent 2 days on nothing but trying to deal with the fallout this issue has caused across various departments at our company. It’s one thing to have issue and that’s understandable but the responses and overall feeling that I get from sending critical issues that completely break the foundation of our apps that we are attempting to put in every aspect of the internal working of our business is terrifying. We would not be attempting even 1/10th of the projects we currently have or are working on without Appsheet because of how amazing it is. From the time Steve responded this post to the time he said “devs think they’ve found it” was 2 hrs. In 5 emails over a 24hr period with support I didn’t even feel like they had gotten past the “hey this guy just doesnt know how to make links to images/files” phase of getting help with this issue. It could just be that support had actually escalated this to devs well before Steve got involved in the conversation and thing were already moving towards being solved. But I don’t know, which to me is almost as big an issue as the reason I contacted support to begin with.

[Steve]

@praveen ^^

[Steve]

Austin_Lambeth:

We have our images and files back up and running.

Ick! I forgot to circle back on this. The problem was with some team drive work done the other day. The fix simply requires you to re-save your app configuration. The save process will automatically correct the broken internal configuration. Sorry!

[pravse]

@Austin_Lambeth, I hear your meta-point and it is something which is top of mind to address. I do apologize for this instance, but I realize there is actually a more systemic thing we have to change.

[Austin]

I understand that 99% of time a support ticket is just as simple as “they didn’t know how to properly make a link”, so the response being what it was in the beginning is definitely to be expected. It just felt like I couldn’t get the issue to be looked at as if it was beyond that. Normally the response are good and in a perfectly fine spot. An hr or two if the response is “Can I get more details” or a “let me investigate this and get back to you”. Long response times when I was told its being looked at or investigated are good because I have confidence in the devs teams. Any time I’m told an issue is being looked at by the devs, I immediately feel good that the issue is being solved. Please don’t take that to mean just add the devs are looking at it to any email lol

What does re-save your app configuration mean? Is that something we can do ourselves? @Steve

[Steve]

Austin_Lambeth:

What does re-save your app configuration mean? Is that something we can do ourselves?

Yep! Just make any change to the app configuration and save it. If you have nothing that needs changing, just do something trivial, like toggling the Show? setting of a column off and back on.

[Austin]

Would I need to save and verify? I feel like we changed one of the apps when I was under the impression that it was due to the 20k files so I changed the folder location to a backup that I have only a few thousand files on?

[Steve]

Austin_Lambeth:

Would I need to save and verify?

Not needed, but you may if you want.

Austin_Lambeth:

I feel like we changed one of the apps when…

That might have been before the fix was put in place.