[$125] Report Chat - Report change messages don't appear in un-submitted reports

@NicMendonca

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Version Number: 9.1.87-2
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail: #67195
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): applausetester+uo0729@applause.expensifail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Device used: Mac/Sonoma, SamsungG S22/A14, iPhone 15 Pro
App Component: Chat Report View

Action Performed:

Navigate to https://staging.new.expensify.com/
Log in
Create workspace
Create 3 expenses on the workspace (do not submit)
Delete one of the expenses

Expected Result:

"Deleted an expense on this report (${merchant} - ${amount})" should be shown to user

Actual Result:

Nothing appear in report

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

1.mp4

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Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021950922805670588908
Upwork Job ID: 1950922805670588908
Last Price Increase: 2025-08-07
Automatic offers:

thelullabyy | Contributor | 108379736

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @NicMendonca

@NicMendonca

Triggered auto assignment to @NicMendonca (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.

🚨 Edited by proposal-police: This proposal was edited at 2025-07-31 14:47:37 UTC.

Proposal

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

There are two problems:

The report change message (DELETEDTRANSACTION) is not returned by the backend when deleting an expense, if the report hasn't been submitted.
We do not optimistically add the report change message on the frontend when deleting an expense.

What is the root cause of that problem?

Problem 1: Missing `DELETEDTRANSACTION` from the backend

This is a backend-side issue. The root cause should be investigated and addressed there. It’s unclear whether this is a bug or intentional behavior (i.e., only returning DELETEDTRANSACTION actions for submitted reports).

Problem 2: Missing optimistic `DELETEDTRANSACTION` in the frontend

In this section of the code, we do not currently add a DELETEDTRANSACTION report action when an expense is deleted. As a result, users don’t see the action appear in the UI immediately.

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

Problem 1: Missing `DELETEDTRANSACTION` from the backend

This should be handled by the backend. If the current behavior is intentional (i.e., only returning the DELETEDTRANSACTION action for submitted reports), that decision should be clarified and documented. If not, the backend should be updated to return the message for unsubmitted reports as well.

Problem 2: Missing optimistic `DELETEDTRANSACTION` in the frontend

We should add the following logic to optimistically create a DELETEDTRANSACTION action when an expense is deleted:

    const currentUserAccountID = getCurrentUserAccountID();
    const deletedTransactionAction: ReportAction = {
        actionName: CONST.REPORT.ACTIONS.TYPE.DELETED_TRANSACTION,
        actorAccountID: currentUserAccountID,
        automatic: false,
        created: DateUtils.getDBTime(),
        isAttachmentOnly: false,
        message: [
            {
                // Currently we are composing the message from the originalMessage and message is only used in OldDot and not in the App
                text: 'You',
                style: 'strong',
                type: CONST.REPORT.MESSAGE.TYPE.TEXT,
            },
        ],
        originalMessage: {
            amount: transaction?.amount,
            currency: transaction?.currency,
            merchant: transaction?.merchant,
        },
        person: [
            {
                style: 'strong',
                text: currentUserPersonalDetails?.displayName ?? String(currentUserAccountID),
                type: 'TEXT',
            },
        ],
        pendingAction: CONST.RED_BRICK_ROAD_PENDING_ACTION.ADD,
        reportActionID: NumberUtils.rand64(),
        reportID: transactionThread?.reportID,
        shouldShow: true,
    };
    optimisticData.push({
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${iouReport?.reportID}`,
        value: {[deletedTransactionAction.reportActionID]: deletedTransactionAction},
    });

Then we should revert the change in failureData, clear the pending action in successData.
Once the backend behavior for problem 1 is finalized, we can ensure the frontend conditionally applies this logic accordingly.

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

Add test for deleteMoneyRequest to make sure the optimistic data contain the CONST.REPORT.ACTIONS.TYPE.DELETED_TRANSACTION action.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021950922805670588908

@DylanDylann

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

🚨 Edited by proposal-police: This proposal was edited at 2025-07-31 14:38:48 UTC.

Proposal

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

Report Chat - Report change messages don't appear in un-submitted reports

What is the root cause of that problem?

In case report hasn't been submitted, if we delete, BE doesn't return message for that event

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

Create optimistic deleted transaction report action in ReportUtils.ts, by using this way, the code would be more easy to maintain and increase readability. We use this approach for almost every report actions

type OptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction = Pick<
    ReportAction<typeof CONST.REPORT.ACTIONS.TYPE.DELETED_TRANSACTION>,
    'actionName' | 'actorAccountID' | 'automatic' | 'avatar' | 'isAttachmentOnly' | 'originalMessage' | 'message' | 'person' | 'reportActionID' | 'shouldShow' | 'created' | 'pendingAction'
>;

/**
 * Builds an optimistic DELETED_TRANSACTION report action with a randomly generated reportActionID.
 */
function buildOptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction(transaction: OnyxEntry<Transaction>, created = DateUtils.getDBTime()): OptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction {
    return {
        reportActionID: rand64(),
        actionName: CONST.REPORT.ACTIONS.TYPE.DELETED_TRANSACTION,
        actorAccountID: currentUserAccountID,
        pendingAction: CONST.RED_BRICK_ROAD_PENDING_ACTION.ADD,
        automatic: false,
        avatar: getCurrentUserAvatar(),
        isAttachmentOnly: false,
        message: [
            {
                // Could add i18n here
                text: 'You',
                style: 'strong',
                type: CONST.REPORT.MESSAGE.TYPE.TEXT,
            },
        ],
        originalMessage: {
            amount: transaction?.amount,
            currency: transaction?.currency,
            merchant: transaction?.merchant,
        },
        person: [
            {
                style: 'strong',
                text: getCurrentUserDisplayNameOrEmail() ?? String(currentUserAccountID),
                type: CONST.REPORT.MESSAGE.TYPE.TEXT,
            },
        ],
        created,
        shouldShow: true,
    };
}

Add optimistic DELETEDTRANSACTION action to show the deletion message immediately for track expenses

    const deletedTransactionAction = buildOptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction(transaction);
    optimisticData.push({
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${chatReport?.reportID}`,
        value: {
            [deletedTransactionAction.reportActionID]: deletedTransactionAction,
        },
    });

App/src/libs/actions/IOU.ts

Lines 2984 to 2989 in c1edbf6

    
           optimisticData.push( 
        
               { 
        
                   onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE, 
        
                   key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${chatReport?.reportID}`, 
        
                   value: updatedReportAction, 
        
               },

We should remove the pending action from the optimistic DELETEDTRANSACTION action

       {
            onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
            key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${chatReport?.reportID}`,
            value: {
                [deletedTransactionAction.reportActionID]: {
                    pendingAction: null,
                },
            },
        },

Remove optimistic data on failure

        {
            onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
            key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${chatReport?.reportID}`,
            value: {
                [deletedTransactionAction.reportActionID]: null,
            },
        },

App/src/libs/actions/IOU.ts

Line 3071 in c1edbf6

failureData.push(

App/src/libs/actions/IOU.ts

Line 3001 in c1edbf6

const successData: OnyxUpdate[] = [

Can reuse buildOptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction to dd to here as well

    const deletedTransactionAction = buildOptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction(transaction);
    optimisticData.push({
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${iouReport?.reportID}`,
        value: {
            [deletedTransactionAction.reportActionID]: deletedTransactionAction,
        },
    });

App/src/libs/actions/IOU.ts

Line 8127 in c1edbf6

});

Noted: We still need BE help to update api to return correct data

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

Add test for buildOptimisticDeletedTransactionReportAction and deleteMoneyRequest

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

NA

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Proposal updated

Proposal

Contributor details
Expensify account email: hotodylova.sv@gmail.com
Upwork Profile Link: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/svitlanadev

Problem

When deleting an expense, no notification is shown, even though the expense is successfully removed.

Root Cause

The notification logic runs after the expense has already been deleted, making its data unavailable for display.

Proposed Changes

Trigger the notification before deleting the expense:

Retrieve the expense details (merchant, amount).
Display a notification: "Deleted an expense on this report (${merchant} – ${amount})".
Proceed to delete the expense.

This ensures the user sees the confirmation message while the necessary data is still available.

Tests

Add tests to verify that a notification is displayed for various merchant and amount values when deleting an expense.

Alternatives

Add a slight delay between showing the notification and performing the deletion to preserve message semantics ("Deleted" instead of "Deleting").

@horodylova

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@thelullabyy

@thelullabyy I had to send you a new offer for the new price -- can you please accept?

@thelullabyy

Payment Summary

Contributor: @thelullabyy paid $125 via Upwork
Contributor+: @DylanDylann due $125 via NewDot

@thelullabyy

@thelullabyy can you please accept the Upwork offer?

@NicMendonca

@NicMendonca I've accepted it. Thanks!

@thelullabyy

Thanks! @thelullabyy done! ✅ @DylanDylann don't forget to request payment!

@DylanDylann

$125 approved for @DylanDylann

	optimisticData.push(
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${chatReport?.reportID}`,
	value: updatedReportAction,
	},

[$125] Report Chat - Report change messages don't appear in un-submitted reports #67372

Description

Action Performed:

Expected Result:

Actual Result:

Workaround:

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

Activity

melvin-bot commented on Jul 30, 2025

thelullabyy commented on Jul 30, 2025

Proposal

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

What is the root cause of that problem?

Problem 1: Missing DELETEDTRANSACTION from the backend

Problem 2: Missing optimistic DELETEDTRANSACTION in the frontend

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

Problem 1: Missing DELETEDTRANSACTION from the backend

Problem 2: Missing optimistic DELETEDTRANSACTION in the frontend

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

melvin-bot commented on Jul 31, 2025

melvin-bot commented on Jul 31, 2025

lorretheboy commented on Jul 31, 2025

Proposal

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

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

thelullabyy commented on Jul 31, 2025

Proposal updated

horodylova commented on Jul 31, 2025

Proposal

Problem

Root Cause

Proposed Changes

Tests

Alternatives

melvin-bot commented on Jul 31, 2025

48 remaining items

melvin-bot commented on Sep 9, 2025

NicMendonca commented on Sep 9, 2025

NicMendonca commented on Sep 9, 2025

Payment Summary

NicMendonca commented on Sep 11, 2025

thelullabyy commented on Sep 12, 2025

NicMendonca commented on Sep 12, 2025

garrettmknight commented on Oct 29, 2025

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Problem 1: Missing `DELETEDTRANSACTION` from the backend

Problem 2: Missing optimistic `DELETEDTRANSACTION` in the frontend

Problem 1: Missing `DELETEDTRANSACTION` from the backend

Problem 2: Missing optimistic `DELETEDTRANSACTION` in the frontend