XML file disappears after a while

Glitch Feedback
1

Hi!

I’m creating an XML file in a folder in my Glitch project, then paste the contents (~1000 characters).
It stays there for a while (and it works as expected), but then, when I re-open the project again, the file is gone.

Looks like a bug.

STR (for my project):

  • remix the HTML5 Boilerplate project
  • add public/appcast.xml file
  • paste the following text there
<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<rss xmlns:sparkle="http://www.andymatuschak.org/xml-namespaces/sparkle" version="2.0"><channel>
<title>Test Channel</title>
<item>
<title>0.2</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Apr 2017 11:33:11 +0200</pubDate>
<sparkle:minimumSystemVersion>10.12</sparkle:minimumSystemVersion>
<enclosure url="" sparkle:version="1" sparkle:shortVersionString="0.2" length="4121965" type="application/octet-stream" sparkle:dsaSignature="<REDACTED>"/>
</item>
<item>
<title>0.3</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Apr 2017 11:45:55 +0200</pubDate>
<sparkle:minimumSystemVersion>10.12</sparkle:minimumSystemVersion>
<enclosure url="<REDACTED>" sparkle:version="3" sparkle:shortVersionString="0.3" length="4121962" type="application/octet-stream" sparkle:dsaSignature="REDACTED"/>
</item>

</channel></rss>
  • check that the file is accessible
  • close the browser tab with the Glitch project
  • wait for ~15 min
  • re-open the project

Expected:

  • the XML file is still there

Actual:

  • the XML file is gone
2

So the file is actually still there on the filesystem, it’s just being hidden from the file tree. Basically, we only show files that you can edit using the editor, so binary files are hidden. However, the thing we use to determine what’s a binary file can sometimes get things wrong, like if a text file contains certain ASCII characters then it can deem it a binary file and hides it. It looks it doesn’t like the XML declaration. I’ll raise this with the devs.

1 Like
3

I came across the same issue. Are there still plans to look into it ?

4

It’s an annoying issue, I’ve experienced it myself. It’s still in our backlog, but I’ve updated it so that it’s clear this is still an ongoing issue and I hope we can get to it soon.

5

A potential workaround would be to have a blank line at the top of the file or a space before the opening <. This however results in an XML file which isn’t technically valid so depending on your project this may be undesirable. This works because the file seems to be only hidden from view if it starts with the characters <?xml.

6

Ok. It is rather irritating to have the file disappear since it causes at first anxiety that other files may also disappear or perhaps be deleted. Anyways, good to have it as an ongoing issue.

7

This is now fixed. Your project needs to shut down to pick up the changes, so it should work after ten minutes of inactivity. If you have a project that’s up all the time, let me know and I can manually restart it for you.

2 Likes
8

Thanks, I can confirm that XML files now show up on the file listing. :+1:

1 Like
9

I’m experiencing this issue. I created SVG files on wakeful-baritone last night, and the files do not show up in my project file tree now although I can still make requests for the files against the front-end. https://wakeful-baritone.glitch.me/rock.svg

10

This is fixed now. You can see .svg files again.

11

Thanks so much Tim! :v:️:v:️:v:️