Expensify: Long Report Titles Cut Off In Expense Preview

Encountering issues with long report titles being cut off in Expensify's expense previews can be frustrating. This article dives into a specific bug reported in version 9.2.72-0, where long expense report titles are displayed in a single line and subsequently truncated, rather than wrapping to multiple lines. We'll explore the details of this issue, its impact, and potential workarounds.

Understanding the Issue: Expense Preview Title Cut-Off

The core of the problem lies in how Expensify handles the display of report titles within the expense preview. When a report title exceeds a certain length, the system fails to wrap the text onto a new line. Instead, it cuts off the title, leaving users with an incomplete view of the report's name. This can lead to confusion, especially when dealing with multiple reports that have similar titles or when the truncated portion contains crucial information. This issue affects both one-on-one direct messages and workspace report titles, highlighting the need for a consistent fix across the platform.

Details of the Reported Bug

The bug report, filed by Applause's Internal Team, sheds light on the specifics of the issue. It was reproduced in the staging environment of Expensify (version 9.2.72-0) but not in the production environment. This suggests that the bug might have been introduced in a recent update or is related to configurations specific to the staging environment. The steps to reproduce the issue are straightforward:

1. Navigate to staging.new.expensify.com.
2. Open a one-on-one direct message with a user having a long email address.
3. Submit an expense to that user.

The expected result is that the expense preview should display the report title in two lines if it's too long to fit on one. However, the actual result is that the title is shown in a single line and gets cut off. This behavior is also observed with long workspace report titles, indicating a broader problem with title rendering.

Impact and User Experience

The impact of this bug on user experience is significant. Users rely on report titles to quickly identify and differentiate between expenses. When titles are truncated, it becomes difficult to understand the purpose and content of the report at a glance. This can lead to errors in expense management, such as approving the wrong report or miscategorizing expenses. For businesses processing a high volume of expenses, even minor inconveniences can add up to a considerable loss of time and efficiency.

Reproducing the Issue Across Platforms

The bug report indicates that the issue was successfully reproduced on Windows using Chrome. While the report doesn't explicitly mention other platforms, it includes a detailed list of platforms tested:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

This comprehensive testing matrix helps ensure that the fix, once implemented, addresses the issue across all officially supported platforms. It's crucial for software developers to consider cross-platform compatibility to deliver a consistent user experience, regardless of the device or operating system.

Screenshots and Visual Evidence

The inclusion of screenshots or videos in bug reports is invaluable for developers. Visual evidence provides a clear and immediate understanding of the issue, often more effectively than written descriptions alone. In this case, a screenshot (https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a3f35dc4-f25e-43a6-a6ab-6a95622bdf18) demonstrates the title cut-off in the expense preview, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Potential Workarounds and Solutions

Currently, the bug report indicates that there is no known workaround for this issue. This underscores the need for a timely fix from the Expensify development team. Several potential solutions could address the problem:

1. Implement Text Wrapping: The most straightforward solution is to implement proper text wrapping for report titles in expense previews. This would ensure that long titles are displayed on multiple lines, preventing cut-offs.
2. Increase Title Display Area: Another approach is to increase the available space for displaying report titles within the preview. This could involve adjusting the layout or reducing the size of other elements in the preview.
3. Introduce Title Truncation with Tooltips: As a compromise, the system could truncate long titles with an ellipsis (...) and provide a tooltip that displays the full title when the user hovers over it. This would offer a balance between visual clarity and complete information.

Community and Contributing Guidelines

The bug report also highlights Expensify's commitment to community involvement. It includes a link to the contributing guidelines (https://github.com/Expensify/ReactNativeChat/blob/main/contributingGuides/CONTRIBUTING.md) and encourages users to join their Slack channel. This open approach fosters collaboration and helps ensure that issues are addressed efficiently.

Conclusion: Addressing the Expense Preview Title Issue

The issue of long report titles being cut off in Expensify's expense previews is a significant usability concern. It affects user experience by making it difficult to identify and manage expenses effectively. The detailed bug report, with its clear steps to reproduce, visual evidence, and platform testing matrix, provides a solid foundation for the Expensify development team to implement a fix. By prioritizing this issue and implementing a solution that addresses text wrapping or title display, Expensify can further enhance its platform's usability and user satisfaction.

This bug highlights the importance of thorough testing and attention to detail in software development. Even seemingly minor issues can have a significant impact on user experience and productivity. We hope that Expensify addresses this issue promptly, and we encourage users to stay informed about updates and fixes.

For more information about Expensify and their platform, you can visit their official website or check out resources like the Expensify Help Center for guides and tutorials.