Immediately mark a conversation as "read" when switching browser tabs and seeing the message in Expensify.cash

[isagoico]

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Expected Result:

If someone writes you a direct message (DM) while you are in another browser tab and you switch to the Expensify.cash browser tab (to view the message), it should appear as "read" in the Left Hand Nav if you land in the DM chat.

Actual Result:

When you switch to the Expensify.cash browser tab and land directly in the DM chat, the message shows as "unread" for 3 seconds, even though you are clearly viewing it.

Action Performed:

1. Open Expensify.cash in browser tab A
2. Create a chat with person X and stay in that chat DM (i.e, don't select another chat DM)
3. Open some other browser tab B and stay on that page
4. Have person X write you a message in Expensify.cash (ie, to make chat X unread in the DM)
5. Switch back to browser tab A
6. Note that chat X doesn't get marked as "read", even though you land in the chat DM directly

Workaround:

Can the user still use Expensify without this being fixed? Have you informed them of the workaround?

Yes, you can still use the application but this negatively impacts unread DM accuracy.

Platform:

Where is this issue occurring?

Web ✔️
iOS
Android
Desktop App
Mobile Web

Version Number: Latest, accessed from Expensify.cash web browser

Notes/Photos/Videos:

Grabando.182.mp4

Expensify/Expensify Issue URL: https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/162219

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From @quinthar https://expensify.slack.com/archives/C01GTK53T8Q/p1619202674082700

ISSUE: On desktop web, when you switch back to a tab on an unread chat, the chat doesn't get marked as unread until you navigate away and back. I would think it should become read automatically upon coming into the foreground.

[MelvinBot]

Triggered auto assignment to @MitchExpensify (AutoAssignerTriage), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4749 for more details.

[MelvinBot]

Triggered auto assignment to @tgolen (Engineering), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4319 for more details.

[MitchExpensify]

Looks unique and clear to me. Probably a good external issue, adding eng label to decide that!

[tgolen]

Yeah, external sounds fine and all is good here.

[MelvinBot]

Triggered auto assignment to @michaelhaxhiu (External), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/8582 for more details.

[michaelhaxhiu]

Oopsie, I didn't realize this was waiting on me! I thought for some reason it was being worked on by @MitchExpensify because he was assigned too.

Sorry, posting this shortly.

[michaelhaxhiu]

Cleaned up a few tiny things in the GH title and body. Next steps:

• Make E/E issue for tracking purposes
• Post to Upwork, and provide daily updates

[parasharrajat]

Just to be sure. I see that the message is marked as read in some time. So when the user is away we want to show a notification and keep the message unread as the user has not viewed it even if the tab is active. When user focuses the tab we trigger the last read timer which takes 3 sec before marking the messages as read. Is this no happening currently? Sorry, I am not able to understand the issue here.

[michaelhaxhiu]

Ok, so I just tested this on my side and see what you are saying @parasharrajat. After 3 seconds of focusing on the tab, the DM updates and it appears as "read" properly. Check out my DM with Ted for reference:

Hmm, so I think the question at this point is... do we want to shorten the 3 second timing? Otherwise, this does appear to be working properly.

cc @quinthar

[Gonals]

I'll grab this, since I plan to touch that code anyways 🤷

[michaelhaxhiu]

Changing to Daily per the standard process.

[Gonals]

PR created. I'm going to hold it until the mark as unread one merges (which should be soon), since that one removes a related function.

[michaelhaxhiu]

Good call.