Fix an incorrect method of looking up previous keys

[tgolen]

This was reported while testing Expensify/App#29169 (comment)

Details

I was able to reproduce the issue with the infinite loading of avatars. While debugging the problem, I found that it was ReportScreen.js which was infinitely re-rendering. This manifested in the infinite loading of avatars. Since ReportScreen is at the top of the view hierarchy, I concluded the issue was definitely in withOnyx().

To debug it further, I began to inspect what happened when componentDidUpdate runs, and then checks to see if the key changed (eg. previousKey !== newKey). I found that the logic was properly detecting that the key changed, so withOnyx correctly tried to reconnect with the new key. When the new connection happened, the logic is supposed to remember what the previous key was (eg. mapOnyxToState[statePropertyName].previousKey = key;). This triggers componentDidUpdate() again and I found that the previousKey was always wrong. It wasn't actually changing, so withOnyx went into an infinite loop trying to reconnect to the same keys over and over again.

I fixed it by utilizing prevProps and prevState arguments from componentDidUpdate() to more accurately calculate what the previous and current keys were, rather than relying on a reference to mapOnyxToState[statePropertyName].previousKey. This now correctly picked up the change to keys and prevents the infinite connection.

Related Issues

Expensify/App#29169

Automated Tests

None

Manual Tests

This requires a little bit of setup.

Setup in NewDot

1. In NewDot (you should be on main with version 1.0.100 of Onyx), log in as a user and be sure you have an avatar uploaded
2. Create a workspace and upload an avatar for the workspace
3. Request money from the workspace (+ > request money > manual)
4. After you create the request, you will be on the workspace chat

Setup NewDot to run the Onyx fix

1. Go to the react-native-onyx directory and run npm run build && cp -r dist ~/Expensidev/App/node_modules/react-native-onyx to copy the changes from this PR into NewDot (you may need to adjust the file paths)
2. For NewDot, start the build with npm run web
3. Go to the workspace chat that you requested money from
4. Click on the request preview to go to the report details that lists all the requests
5. Now click the link in the chat header to go back to the workspace chat
6. Open the JS console and go to the network tab (be sure to remove all request filters)
7. Verify that you do not see the avatars loading infinitely
8. Navigate back and forth between each of those report views a few times
9. Verify that you do not see the avatars loading infinitely in the network tab

Author Checklist

• I linked the correct issue in the ### Related Issues section above
• I wrote clear testing steps that cover the changes made in this PR
  • I added steps for local testing in the Tests section
  • I tested this PR with a High Traffic account against the staging or production API to ensure there are no regressions (e.g. long loading states that impact usability).
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I ran the tests on all platforms & verified they passed on:
  • Android / native cannot test because no access to network console
  • Android / Chrome cannot test because no access to network console
  • iOS / native cannot test because no access to network console
  • iOS / Safari cannot test because no access to network console
  • MacOS / Chrome / Safari
  • MacOS / Desktop
• I verified there are no console errors (if there's a console error not related to the PR, report it or open an issue for it to be fixed)
• I followed proper code patterns (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick)
  • I verified that the left part of a conditional rendering a React component is a boolean and NOT a string, e.g. myBool && <MyComponent />.
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I followed the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I tested other components that can be impacted by my changes (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar are working as expected)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.js or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• I verified that if a function's arguments changed that all usages have also been updated correctly
• If a new component is created I verified that:
  • A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
  • All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
  • The file is named correctly
  • The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
  • The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
  • If we are not using the full Onyx data that we loaded, I've added the proper selector in order to ensure the component only re-renders when the data it is using changes
  • For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
  • Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
  • All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
  • The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
• If any new file was added I verified that:
  • The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
• If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
• I have checked off every checkbox in the PR author checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Web

Mobile Web - Chrome

cannot test because no access to network console

Mobile Web - Safari

cannot test because no access to network console

Desktop

iOS

cannot test because no access to network console

Android

cannot test because no access to network console

[jjcoffee]

Reviewer Checklist

• I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
• I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
  • I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
  • I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
  • I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
• I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
  • Android: Native
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: Native
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
  • MacOS: Desktop
• If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
• I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
  • I verified that the left part of a conditional rendering a React component is a boolean and NOT a string, e.g. myBool && <MyComponent />.
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
  • I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
  • I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is approved by marketing by adding the Waiting for Copy label for a copy review on the original GH to get the correct copy.
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.js or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• If a new component is created I verified that:
  • A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
  • All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
  • The file is named correctly
  • The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
  • The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
  • For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
  • Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
  • All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
  • The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
• If any new file was added I verified that:
  • The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
• If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
  • A similar style doesn't already exist
  • The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(themeColors.componentBG)
• If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
• If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
• If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
• If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
• If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
• I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

android-native.mp4

Android: mWeb Chrome

android-chrome-2023-10-30_15.07.23.mp4

iOS: Native

ios-native-2023-10-30_16.21.41.mp4

iOS: mWeb Safari

ios-safari-2023-10-30_16.24.08.mp4

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

chrome-desktop-2023-10-30_15.00.23.mp4

MacOS: Desktop

mac-desktop-2023-10-30_16.26.27.mp4

[jjcoffee]

Note: I'm testing against react-native-onyx v1.0.107 as when I test on main RHP is just blank for all chats except for the one that appears on page load 😅

[mountiny]

@jjcoffee could you test this this change as well together? #408

[jjcoffee]

@mountiny Will do!

[jjcoffee]

Ah yes with #408 that now works fine against v1.0.109!

On react-native-onyx main There's a bit of an issue with loading the report previews (unrelated to these PRs):

chrome-desktop-2023-10-30_12.23.39.mp4

[tgolen]

Hm, the failing test is leading me to believe I didn't have the right solution. I'm still digging into this.

[jjcoffee]

Tests well!

[jjcoffee]

Haha unfortunate timing! 😅

[tgolen]

OK, after testing this for a while, I checked out the branch from #408 and to my surprise, the original problem could not be reproduced with the infinite avatars. I think my solution here was kind of maybe working around the root of the problem. I think this can be closed.