Session Desktop: Fix Adding Group Member Timeout Bug
Introduction
This article addresses a bug encountered in Session Desktop version 1.17.2 AppImage, specifically concerning timeouts when adding new members to a group. Despite the error message, the group timeline and member list incorrectly reflect the member's successful addition. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the issue, potential causes, and possible solutions, ensuring a smoother user experience.
Understanding the Bug
Current Behavior
In Session Desktop 1.17.2 AppImage, users may encounter an error when adding a new member to a group. After waiting for approximately 7-15 seconds, an error message appears, indicating a failure in the process. However, paradoxically, the group timeline updates in the background, showing that the new member has joined the group and is listed in the group members. This discrepancy between the error message and the actual outcome creates confusion and uncertainty for the user.
The error logs contain lines related to "invite," specifically indicating that the "GroupInviteJob" failed due to a timeout. The logs also show messages about too many failures for the group invite job, further emphasizing the issue's nature. Despite these errors, the member appears to be successfully added to the group, leading to an inconsistent and unreliable user experience.
The core issue is the timeout that occurs during the group member addition process. This timeout prevents the application from correctly confirming whether the member was successfully added before declaring an error. As a result, the user receives a misleading error message, while the application proceeds to update the group timeline and member list in the background.
Expected Behavior
The expected behavior is that adding a new member to a group should either succeed without errors or provide a clear and accurate error message if the addition fails. If the process times out, the application should ensure that the group timeline and member list are not updated to reflect the member's addition. Consistency between the error message and the group status is crucial for maintaining user trust and ensuring a reliable experience.
When a user attempts to add a member, the application should perform the following steps:
- Initiate the group invite job.
- Monitor the job's progress without timing out prematurely.
- If the member is successfully added, update the group timeline and member list, and provide a confirmation message to the user.
- If the member addition fails due to a timeout or other error, display an accurate error message and prevent any updates to the group timeline and member list.
By adhering to these steps, the application can provide a consistent and reliable experience, avoiding the confusion caused by the current bug.
Steps to Reproduce
While specific steps to reproduce the bug were not provided, users can attempt to replicate the issue by adding new members to a group in Session Desktop 1.17.2 AppImage. Pay close attention to the time it takes to add the member and whether an error message appears. Verify if the group timeline and member list reflect the member's addition despite the error message.
To increase the likelihood of reproducing the bug, users can try the following:
- Add multiple members to the group simultaneously.
- Add members with slow or unstable internet connections.
- Add members during peak usage times when the network may be congested.
By attempting these scenarios, users may be able to consistently reproduce the bug and provide more detailed information to the developers for further investigation.
System Information
- Desktop Version: 1.17.2
- Operating System: Debian 13 with KDE
- Installation Method: Session AppImage
This information is crucial for developers to understand the environment in which the bug occurs and to replicate the issue for debugging purposes. The combination of Debian 13, KDE, and the AppImage installation method may contribute to the bug's occurrence, as these factors can influence the application's behavior and performance.
Analyzing the Log Extracts
The provided log extracts offer valuable insights into the bug's underlying cause. The key messages include:
"GroupInviteJob") failed with "Task timed out"- `
