October 19, 2021

Deployment Time: 2:48 PM PST

Features & enhancements

Item Description
Enhancement Update deck view row heights depending on content available

Currently, deck view rows have a fixed height regardless of how much content you have. With this update, AppSheet adjusts the row size to fit the form factor based on what columns you’re displaying. For more information, see the community announcement.



Deployed to 50% of free users.

Enhancement Data Explorer now supports Ref lines for all kinds of Refs

Previously, AppSheet showed Ref lines for direct connections. As raised in the community, there are other kinds of Refs that would be useful to show the lines for, so these have been added.

Enhancement Data Explorer data now scrolls independently from the text input area

To correct an issue raised in the community, the Data Explorer content now scrolls independently so that the text input area is always in view.

Enhancement Support Ref types for dynamic emails
Enhancement Performance improvements for app expression runtime

Enhancements primarily target expensive slice filters and LOOKUP, SELECT, and IN functions and can potentially make these run many times faster, particularly when multiple layers of filtering are involved (like a LOOKUP within a SELECT filter, or a SELECT within a slice filter). Currently, this will only affect expressions running locally within the app, like slice filters or virtual columns that update dynamically within a form, and will not affect expressions running on the server, like security filters or virtual columns computed during sync.

Deployed to 100% of free users.

Bug fixes

Item Description
Bug Fixed a regression in the editor that caused the app preview in Tablet mode to display only one column in Card views instead of two.
Bug URLs with long Link Text specified were running off small screens. Link Text is now wrapped and fully visible (no ellipsis).
Bug Bug fixes for app expression runtime

Bug fixes address certain list expressions producing blank inline views, and a bug often encountered in customer support issues where some slice and SELECT filters involving EnumLists produce the wrong results in the app that don’t align with the expected results from the expression tester. Currently, this will only affect expressions running locally within the app, like slice filters or virtual columns that update dynamically within a form, and will not affect expressions running on the server, like security filters or virtual columns computed during sync.



Deployed to 100% of free users.

Bug Fixed a bug where ORDERBY could break when the list to sort was based on a LOOKUP. Deployed to 100% of free users.
Bug Fixed a bug where localization expression that returns a list could cause an error. Deployed to 100% of free users.
Bug Fixed a bug causing detail views in dashboards to sometimes display an error. Deployed to 100% of free users.
Bug Fixed a bug where auto-advance forms didn’t work if relaunching the form by form save event action.
Bug Fixed some rendering and scrolling bugs with grouped Deck views.
Bug Added an automatic retry on network error to reduce user-facing sync failures caused by transient network issues.
Bug The version mismatch banner is now an informational banner instead of an error banner. It no longer blocks your ability to save, even if the banner is displayed. It should also show up less frequently.
Bug Fixed a bug causing photos or uploaded images to sometimes be missing at sync time. Deployed to 100% of free users.

Rollout changes

Item Description
Feature Data Explorer

The new data schema explorer enables app creators to explore their data tables while they are editing them. The Data Explorer tab is available next to the Examples tab while writing expressions in the Expression Assistant.



Deployed to 100% of free users.

Enhancement Adds a warning to the expression assistant for improper usage of

the second argument of [REF_ROWS](https://help.appsheet.com/en/articles/2357313-ref_rows). New: Deployed to 75% of all users.
Previous: Deployed to 10% of all users.

Bug Fixed an issue in Safari and iOS where overlay action buttons in tabbed dashboard views are being incorrectly positioned near the top or bottom of the scroll container.

New: Deployed to 100% of free users and 100% of premium users.
Previous: Deployed to 100% of free users and 49% of premium users.

Preview announcements

The AppSheet Preview program lets app creators try out new app features that are not yet fully supported. Learn how to participate in the AppSheet preview program for app client features.

  • No new preview features were released today.

What’s currently available in the Preview program?

Item Description
Feature Table view

Table View now supports freezing the first column while scrolling horizontally. For details, see Freezing the first Column of a Table View - in Preview Program.

Feature Chart Editor

App Creators can now make use of our new chart editor and the new and improved charts it can create. Learn more.

Feature Detail views

Rich text formatting is now available in Detail views. For details, see this announcement in the community.

3 Likes

Liz_Lynch:

|Enhancement|Support Ref types for dynamic emails

@Sarmad_Hashmi

This is good addition which has been awaited.
Does this also mean Enum/Enumlist base type ref also made available at the same time?

@Takuya_Miyai

1 Like

Liz_Lynch:

|Enhancement|Performance improvements for app expression runtime> > Enhancements primarily target expensive slice filters and LOOKUP , SELECT , and IN functions and can potentially make these run many times faster, particularly when multiple layers of filtering are involved (like a LOOKUP within a SELECT filter, or a SELECT within a slice filter). Currently, this will only affect expressions running locally within the app, like slice filters or virtual columns that update dynamically within a form, and will not affect expressions running on the server, like security filters or virtual columns computed during sync.> > Deployed to 100% of free users.

@Liz_Lynch

Does this mean the app performance on the client device would improve when we have pretty much expensive and heavy expression to slice the table through the expression used in Filter rows conditions?

@Takuya_Miyai

Liz_Lynch:

|Enhancement|Update deck view row heights depending on content available> > Currently, deck view rows have a fixed height regardless of how much content you have. With this update, AppSheet adjusts the row size to fit the form factor based on what columns you’re displaying. For more information, see the community announcement.> > Deployed to 50% of free users.

I remember this was one of preview features, so I reckon now it is GA-ed at the end. Great.

1 Like

Liz_Lynch:

|Enhancement|Data Explorer now supports Ref lines for all kinds of Refs> > Previously, AppSheet showed Ref lines for direct connections. As raised in the community, there are other kinds of Refs that would be useful to show the lines for, so these have been added.

I reckon de-ref list type of expression is now supported as well? If so, great again.

@Takuya_Miyai

1 Like

Lots of exciting bug fixes! Kudos to the developers!

3 Likes

Checking with the dev team on your question! Stay tuned. Thanks!

2 Likes

That is correct. It is now GA, moving out of Preview!

3 Likes

Yes, exactly, slices with these kind of filter conditions are one of the most common sources of client-side performance issues and one that these changes should help to address (although the impact may vary case by case depending on how the particular expression is structured).

3 Likes

Hi @Adam thank your for your clarification. We have quite few app using expensive expression such as one with select + in expressions which is making list type views to render bit slowly. I wish to see improvement for those app.

New code is deployed slowly, we need to wait for a while until it comes to out enterprise accounts?

Hi @tsuji_koichi, Enumlist base type ref is still not supported but it is definitely on our roadmap!

1 Like

Hi @Sarmad_Hashmi
Thank you for your clarification.
We quite often use Enum/Enumlist base type ref instead of pure REF type, mostly because of improving app performances. We surely need to change data through Dynamic Email for those base type ref column to interact.
Hope it will come soon! Thank you.

2 Likes

Liz_Lynch:

Fixed a bug causing photos or uploaded images to sometimes be missing at sync time.

HI @Liz_Lynch is this related to this bug?

[Unable to load image data. Image may be missing or upload size may be too large for this device. The image may still be in the camera roll on the device](https://community.appsheet.com/t/unable-to-load-image-data-image-may-be-missing-or-upload-size-may-be-too-large-for-this-device-the-image-may-still-be-in-the-camera-roll-on-the-device/12566) Questions

2 of my users have gone on site and between them created 6 new records. Each row can have up to 10 photos, each with an associated timestamp column. The first user created 2 new records. The rows are present in Google Sheets, as are the timestamps for each photo. But against each photo column there is an error message of - “Unable to load image data. Image may be missing or upload size may be too large for this device. The image may still be in the camera roll on the device.” When this use…

[Picture Error](https://community.appsheet.com/t/picture-error/37619) Questions

Hello, I have an app that captures images. I have been getting this error in my google sheet for a small handful of users “Unable to load image data. Image may be missing or upload size may be too large for this device. The image may still be in the camera roll on the device.” Any idea what is causing it?

[I have a serious problem with our data captur...](https://community.appsheet.com/t/i-have-a-serious-problem-with-our-data-captur/5488) Questions

I have a serious problem with our data capture app with pictures taken. Sometimes when my technician upload data with AppSheet, I get this in my Google Sheet: “Unable to load image data. Image may be missing or upload size may be too large for this device.” I tried to find solutions but I haven’t. It happenend with Android and iOS. And it happens on different devices. Sometimes the technicians can upload 20 pictures a day but 1 has this strange entry in the Google Sheet. Anybody know a solu…