This may not be a tips and tricks, but to share what we found.
When we uploaded GIF file image through AppSheet app, more precisely, upload GIF from Image type column, it becomes static images, not a GIF actually. In the past, we hosted GIF image file elsewhere and used the public URL to display the GIF image within the app, but we found the GIF files saved from AppSheet app and saved to the cloud is actually rendered as GIF. Good.
Wow! This is very good indeed.
By the way, for people who are learning about gifs in AppSheet for the first time, I recommend looking at this:
[Animated gifs](https://community.appsheet.com/t/animated-gifs/30043) Tips & Tricks ?
This is not an original tip – just recycling a good idea shared with us by @tsuji_koichi: I’ve been making gifs in the way I learned from Koichi to create little animations that illustrate of how to do things in my app. The gifs go into image columns. Here’s one I made today: [Sync.2020-08-28 00_31_30] https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1IfEamThBWZR4gnaJTCuOViz8mmmKKgRd
I followed up with this as a workaround for how to deal with the problem of gif animation stopping because it is used in more than one spot in your app:
[Animated gif issue and workaround](https://community.appsheet.com/t/animated-gif-issue-and-workaround/40885) Tips & Tricks ?
This tip is an extension of my earlier tip on how to add animated gifs to your apps: Once again, thanks to @tsuji_koichi for showing me how to use animated gifs in the first place. I’ve encountered an issue in which using an animated gif in more than one spot caused the animation to stop in the second spot. First, to help you understand the issue I encountered, I’ll use a gif to explain why I was using the same gif in two different spots: [sdf.2021-02-25 10_46_55] These images are from th…
For gif files that the creator wants to make part of the documentation in the app (to illustrate things for users), I suspect that the old method (putting stuff up on Google drive) may still be best. It is great to know, however, that ordinary gifs can be uploaded by users and that they will work.
By the way, I learned almost everything I know about gifs in AppSheet from @tsuji_koichi . I added a couple of little observations and clarifications in posts I made that followed up on his but he got everything started. Thanks Koichi!
I’ve tried uploading the gif in the image column on the appsheet, but it’s only a static image, if I may be more detailed, please provide a more detailed explanation, these tips are very good, thank you sir…
Sorry that you didn’t get an answer right away. I have verified that uploading a gif through the normal interface in an app I built leads to a still image – just one frame of the original animation. However, if you put a valid URL to a gif file (one that you have on your server, for example) in the appropriate cell in your spreadsheet (the cell in the image column), it will work.
I tested it and it only plays in Windows Explorer. On my iPhone the GIF doesn’t play, it just shows static. 
Did you do the following?
“you put a valid URL to a gif file (one that you have on your server, for example) in the appropriate cell in your spreadsheet (the cell in the image column)”
By this I mean adding the valid URL of a gif directly to the cell in the spreadsheet. Or, if the URL could be taken from another text or URL column that should work too.
When I get a chance, I’ll try to double check this method again on my phone.
Sorry to be late to respond. I finally tried putting the URL for a working gif, hosted on my own website, into an image cell in my app. It worked on my iPhone.
The need to have one’s own website is, obviously, a problem. I’m not sure about work-arounds for folks who don’t have a website.
This is the only time I have posted on a message board for appsheet because I think I might have found the simplest, streamlined solution.
You basically need (2) columns. Column (1) is a “File” Type and Column (2) is a “Image” Type. Upload your Gif as a file. This makes it a lot easier for appsheet to deduce the name of the file with the formula I am going to post. In your “File” Column add a file path so that it is also easier for the formula…I just made my formula look for the “GIFS” folder. So in this example, name your file path folder “GIFS” (this is all you need to type into the “File” Column’s File path section.
Then paste this formula in your “Image” column’s formula section (not the Initial Value since you might change your Gif at some point)
SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(
MID([Logo Animated Gif], FIND(“fileName=”, [Logo Animated Gif]) + 9, FIND(“&appVersion=”, [Logo Animated Gif]) - (FIND(“fileName=”, [Logo Animated Gif]) + 9)),
“%20”, " "), “%2F”, “/”)
In this instance I have named the “File” Column that I uploaded my GIF into “Logo Animated Gif” that’s why you see [Logo Animated Gif]… so you can change that for your column name. The SUBSTITUTE() formulas are substituting the %20 for a space (ie " ") and the %2F for a backslash (ie “/”)
I am by no means a master so I don’t know if this works in every application but I imagine it will you get you started. Hope this helps! I tried to be clear lol
it worked for me! Thank you for the explanations. I was even using Drawing type, and I indicated in the spreadsheet cell [FOLDER_NAME]/[GIF_NAME].gif (the Gif folder is located in the same folder as the application data source). Great feature.
Glad it worked!