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AppSheet AppSheet Q&A
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1

AppSheet Error - Orphan Records Created in Nested Forms When Using Laptop View

Hi everyone,

I have found what appears to be an unexpected behavior when working with nested forms in AppSheet’s Laptop View, and I would like to know whether anyone else has experienced the same issue or if this is a known limitation/bug.

Data Structure

  • Parent Table

    • Child Table

      • Second-Level Child Table

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Create a new record in the Parent Table.

  2. Fill in the required fields.

  3. Before saving the parent record, go to the Child Table inline view and click Add.

  4. Complete the child record.

  5. Once the Second-Level Child Table becomes available, click Add.

  6. Create a record in the Second-Level Child Table and save it.

  7. Save the child record.

  8. Return to the parent form.

  9. Without saving the parent form, open the child record that was just created.

  10. The form shows the Accept and Delete options.

  11. Click Delete to remove the child record.

  12. AppSheet returns to the parent form.

  13. Save the parent record.

Expected Behavior

Since the child record was deleted before the parent form was saved, I would expect all related records created in the Second-Level Child Table to be discarded as well.

No records should be created if their parent record no longer exists.

Actual Behavior

The child record is deleted correctly. However, after saving the parent form, the records created in the Second-Level Child Table are still written to the data source.

This results in orphan records that no longer have a valid relationship with a parent child record.

Additional Observations

  • The issue only occurs in Laptop View.

  • I tested the exact same scenario in Mobile View, and the issue did not occur.

  • The orphan records are not immediately visible from the application’s interface, but they can be verified directly in the underlying data source after synchronization.

Has anyone encountered similar behavior with nested forms or inline child records?

I would appreciate any feedback regarding whether this is expected behavior, a configuration issue, or a potential AppSheet bug.

2

I want to test this to confirm. By “Laptop View” do you mean a Browser version of the app??

3

Yes

4

Confirmed. This is a bug with the Desktop Design mode turned on and running in the Browser - at least from a Desktop machine. I would open a ticket to support.

5

As a workaround, if needed, you can create a Bot the runs on Child Adds. If the Parent to the Child does not exist, then Delete the Child.

6

Thank you for taking the time to test and confirm the issue.

It is good to know that the behavior can be reproduced and that it is not something specific to my application or configuration.

At the moment, this is a very particular and unlikely user scenario, so we have not implemented any preventive measures on our side. However, I appreciate the workaround suggestion. Using a Bot to validate the existence of the parent record and remove orphan child records could certainly help mitigate the issue if it becomes necessary.

I have also reported the issue to AppSheet Support and am currently awaiting their response. Hopefully, they can confirm the root cause and provide additional guidance.

Thank you again for your assistance and for confirming that this appears to be a Desktop Design mode bug.