Excel prompts that file has been changed by another user (lost milliseconds)

robnicholsonmalt · August 6, 2023, 5:04pm

My client doesn’t have enterprise support so I’m stumbling a bit in the dark. Getting a response via enterprise support would be ideal.

rob3rix · August 26, 2023, 6:24am

Hi.

I cannot reproduce the problem anymore. Seems to be gone with 3.9.2.

Please check on your side.

Regards

Reinhard

robnicholsonmalt · August 26, 2023, 9:20am

I’ve certainly had it this week but not sure if that was before 3.9.2 which I installed this week as well. I’ll do some more tests. I’ve checked the release notes and nothing jumps out as resolving this issue.

https://github.com/nextcloud/desktop/releases

Rastislav_Karaba · October 10, 2023, 2:25pm

I still have this problem on multiple computers. Client 3.10 on Windows 10 with virtual files.

robnicholsonmalt · October 31, 2023, 4:37pm

Have you heard anything back on this? It’s a real problem not only with Excel but with any application that checks the timestamps for updates. I’ve just lost a load of edits in Notepad++. It also checks the timestamp of the underlying file and offers to re-load the file. I wasn’t thinking and hit “yes” which meant all the edits lost.

rob3rix · November 1, 2023, 9:23am

Hi.

The problems with Excel somehow vanished with Client 3.9.x. I am now at 3.9.4.

Recently I saw the issue you described with Notepad++ on another user. Problem is - I can’t reproduce reliabley. When I open a text file on my machine and leave it open for hours - nothing happens.

Regards

Rob

robnicholsonmalt · November 1, 2023, 3:02pm

It’s 100% repeatable here. I will try on a different computer. However, I’ve discovered that the milliseconds value on the last write time only gets reset when the Nextcloud client next synchronises. I’ve put together a video showing the problem:

Using Notepad++ to edit a text file.
The PowerShell script on the right displays the timestamp and milliseconds
When you save the file from Notepad++, the file has a milliseconds component
Click Sync in the client (or I suspect wait a while) and milliseconds resets to zero
Notepad++ spots this timestamp change and prompts to re-load the file

This is the same process that’s happening in Excel.

https://maltsystems-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/rob_nicholson_maltsystems_co_uk/EaN0WlyOIjFFqwMHNB1F958B4Ev9pdBkgjwQAEjNNlnxdA

The local Nextcloud folder is stored on an NTFS drive. The Centos v7 Nextcloud server is an ext4 volume. I’m just going to watch the timestamp on Linux. Does Linux have millisecond level time stamps?

robnicholsonmalt · November 1, 2023, 3:46pm

Later…

I’ve checked the time stamp on Linux and milliseconds is not coming through. Linux can handle milliseconds on this volume as I’ve created a test file called hello-world.txt.

[root@moorfield003 Data drive full]# ls --full-time
total 52
-rw-r–r-- 1 nginx nginx 1106 2023-11-01 15:44:02.000000000 +0000 Admin-Groups.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 nginx nginx 4096 2023-10-26 20:35:48.834797104 +0000 Downloaded reports
-rwxr-xr-x 1 nginx nginx 6992 2023-10-26 21:07:46.000000000 +0000 Group folders report.txt
-rw-r–r-- 1 root root 13 2023-11-01 15:44:28.403991386 +0000 hello-world.txt
-rwxr-xr-x 1 nginx nginx 24738 2023-10-29 09:49:21.000000000 +0000 Nextcloud usage.xlsx
-rw-r–r-- 1 nginx nginx 65 2023-10-27 18:51:53.914661281 +0000 Readme.md

robnicholsonmalt · November 1, 2023, 3:48pm

So the flaw here is that it appears that Nextcloud isn’t preserving the milliseconds value to the Linux file server and the client is then synchronising a zero value back?

robnicholsonmalt · November 1, 2023, 5:26pm

We’re running 3.10.1 - the very latest. Are you using “On-demand” sync or downloading everything? You are running on Windows as well?

LATER - this issue only occurs using virtual files. If you download all your documents then the issue doesn’t occur. Pretty much suggests it’s a fault in the client?

robnicholsonmalt · November 1, 2023, 6:13pm

I’ve raised a bug report on Github:

github.com/nextcloud/desktop

[Bug]: Nextcloud isn't preserving millisecond value on file modified timestamp which causes some apps to get confused

opened 06:06PM - 01 Nov 23 UTC

munrobasher

0. Needs triage

### ⚠️ Before submitting, please verify the following: ⚠️ - [X] This is a **bug…**, not a question or a configuration issue. - [X] This issue is **not** already reported on Github (I've searched it). - [X] Nextcloud Server and Desktop Client are **up to date**. See [Server Maintenance and Release Schedule](https://github.com/nextcloud/server/wiki/Maintenance-and-Release-Schedule) and [Desktop Releases](https://nextcloud.com/install/#install-clients) for supported versions. - [X] I agree to follow Nextcloud's [Code of Conduct](https://nextcloud.com/contribute/code-of-conduct/) ### Bug description Some applications monitor the modified timestamp on a file to determine if it's been changed whilst you have the file open. For example, Excel remembers the modified time of a file when you open it. On saving, if the modified time has changed, it infers somebody else has changed it and prompts if you want to overwrite. Notepad++ monitors the modified timestamp and if it changes, you're prompted to re-load the file. The bug is that Nextcloud client (assumed but could be server) isn't preserving the millisecond value on the server and the Nextcloud client zeroes the millisecond value. This then causes Excel to believe somebody else has changed the file and Notepad++ to prompt to reload even though the file hasn't changed. Get your answer wrong and you can loose edits. ### Steps to reproduce 1. Save a text file using Notepad++ to a group folder. 2. Check the milliseconds value on the client using the PowerShell command below. 3. Wait a while or click sync in Nextcloud client. 4. Look at millisecond value again and it's reset to zero. 5. Notepad++ thinks the file has changed (it hasn't) and prompts to re-load If you happened to have made edits between steps #1 and #5, they will be lost if you reload. PowerShell: (Get-ItemProperty $Path).LastWriteTime.Milliseconds This video demonstrates the issue: [Video of issue](https://maltsystems-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/rob_nicholson_maltsystems_co_uk/EaN0WlyOIjFFqwMHNB1F958B4Ev9pdBkgjwQAEjNNlnxdA) ### Expected behavior The millisecond value in the modified time should be preserved, written to server and not zeroed by the client. ### Which files are affected by this bug All files but most problematic with Excel files ### Operating system Windows ### Which version of the operating system you are running. Windows 10, Windows 11 ### Package Appimage ### Nextcloud Server version 27.1.3 ### Nextcloud Desktop Client version 3.10.1 using virtual files ### Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install? Updated from a minor version (ex. 3.4.2 to 3.4.4) ### Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module? Encryption is Disabled ### Are you using an external user-backend? - [X] Default internal user-backend - [ ] LDAP/ Active Directory - [ ] SSO - SAML - [ ] Other ### Nextcloud Server logs ```shell Too large to upload here. Can be downloaded here: https://maltsystems-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/rob_nicholson_maltsystems_co_uk/EbxRPMGNp5tNstw38eKIOpUBwSV77crWyvc9esg598hYcA?e=zOptIZ ``` ### Additional info I've looked at the timestamp on the Nextcloud CentOS v7 server using **ls -l --full-time** and the milliseconds value when first uploaded to Nextcloud is zero. So not surprised this issue is occurring. The Linux server can handle milliseconds in modified times so it's not a problem on Linux as such. Whether it's the client or server is difficult for me to say.

rob3rix · November 6, 2023, 8:12am

Hi.

We work with Windows 10 and running client 3.9.4 with VSF.

Since it happens apparently only in group folders there might be also a server component involved in this issue.

We continiue to investigate.

Regards

Rob

robnicholsonmalt · November 7, 2023, 12:03am

It’s not limited to group folders - same problem with your own folders. However, it is limited to Seadrive client. The same problem doesn’t occur with Seafile client.

rob3rix · November 11, 2023, 9:39am

Hi @robnicholsonmalt!

Occurs only with group folders in our environment.

Anyhow - they are working on a fix now.

Here is the according PR. Can you check if this fixes your issue?

Regards

Rob

robnicholsonmalt · November 11, 2023, 9:48am

I’m not sure that’s the same bug. Similar area. Whilst this is a virtual file, it’s been downloaded. The fault IMO is that the milliseconds value isn’t getting to the file on the Linux server. It could be the same bug, just described differently.

KSpakes87 · January 2, 2024, 3:08pm

I have had the same problem for almost a year now. Any update on this?

robnicholsonmalt · January 2, 2024, 3:53pm

I reported it via GitHub and was asked to try a beta version in December. This beta did seemed to fix it but I don’t know whether it’s been released into production yet. Not sure if I can cross reference the GitHub number with release notes?

robnicholsonmalt · January 3, 2024, 12:55pm

Later… I’m running 3.11.0 in production and the fault still occurs. I believe this is the latest version so I suspect, no, the fix is not in stable release channel yet.

robnicholsonmalt · January 7, 2024, 1:30pm

I’ve been working on the client’s Nextcloud system more over the last week and this issue is certainly not fixed.

However, what I’m not clear about is as this is a client issue, does it require everyone who has ever opened (and therefore has downloaded) the Excel file that causes me most problems to update the client?

Good chance they do as I suspect until they have the fixed version, they’ll spot the file has changed, accidentally reset the milliseconds value which leads to the same problem.

Mwrobbo · March 17, 2024, 9:26am

@robnicholsonmalt do you know if this has been fixed in a particular version? Im still experiancing the issue.