Invite two additional users to a workspace

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 80 views

Rule Approvers Should be Able to Submit Reports on Workspaces with Prevent Self-Approvals Enabled

As we continue to improve the functionality of our application, it has come to our attention that rule approvers are unable to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled. This issue affects the usability and efficiency of our application, particularly for users who are assigned multiple roles within a workspace. In this article, we will delve into the details of this issue, explore the expected and actual results, and discuss potential workarounds.

Before we dive into the specifics of this issue, it is essential to understand the context in which it occurs. Our application is designed to facilitate collaboration and workflow management within workspaces. Users can be assigned various roles, including admin, approver, and submitter, each with distinct permissions and responsibilities. Prevent self-approvals is a feature that prevents users from approving their own reports, ensuring that the approval process remains transparent and unbiased.

To reproduce this issue, we followed these steps:

Invite two additional users to a workspace: Admin, Approver, and Submitter.
Configure the workflow: Admin & Approver submitsTo Admin, Submitter submitsTo Approver.
Enable prevent self-approvals on the workspace: This feature prevents users from approving their own reports.
Enable delayed submission: This feature allows reports to be submitted after a specified delay.
Add the submitter user as the category approver for a category: This assigns the submitter user as the approver for a specific category.
As the submitter create an expense and categorize it with that same category: This step simulates the scenario where the submitter user is also the approver for a specific category.
Observe the disabled submit button on the open report: This is the expected result, but in this case, the submit button is disabled.

The expected result is that the submit button should not be disabled. This is because, with self-approvals enabled, when a category or tag approver is also the submitter of a report, we allow submission of the report and skip over them as a "rule approver" in the approval chain.

The actual result is that the submit button is disabled. This is the opposite of the expected result, and it indicates that the issue is not being resolved as intended.

One potential workaround for this issue is to switch to Classic mode. In Classic mode, this flow will work as expected.

This issue is occurring on the following platforms:

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

The screenshot below illustrates the issue:

In conclusion, the issue of rule approvers being unable to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled is a significant problem that affects the usability and efficiency of our application. We have explored the expected and actual results, discussed potential workarounds, and identified the platforms on which this issue occurs. By addressing this issue, we can improve the overall user experience and ensure that our application meets the needs of our users.

Based on our analysis, we recommend the following:

Fix the issue: Resolve the issue by modifying the code to allow rule approvers to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled.
Improve testing: Enhance testing to ensure that this issue is caught and resolved before it affects users.
Communicate with users: Inform users about the issue and the potential workaround, and provide regular updates on the status of the fix.

By following these recommendations, we can ensure that our application remains reliable, efficient, and user-friendly.
Rule Approvers Should be Able to Submit Reports on Workspaces with Prevent Self-Approvals Enabled: Q&A

In our previous article, we discussed the issue of rule approvers being unable to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled. This issue affects the usability and efficiency of our application, particularly for users who are assigned multiple roles within a workspace. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to this issue.

A: Prevent self-approvals is a feature that prevents users from approving their own reports. This ensures that the approval process remains transparent and unbiased.

A: The submit button is disabled for rule approvers because, with self-approvals enabled, when a category or tag approver is also the submitter of a report, we allow submission of the report and skip over them as a "rule approver" in the approval chain. However, in this case, the submit button is disabled, which is the opposite of the expected result.

A: The expected result for rule approvers is that the submit button should not be disabled. This is because, with self-approvals enabled, rule approvers should be able to submit reports without any issues.

A: Yes, one potential workaround for this issue is to switch to Classic mode. In Classic mode, this flow will work as expected.

A: This issue is occurring on the following platforms:

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

A: We are currently working on resolving this issue. We will provide regular updates on the status of the fix and inform users about any changes or workarounds.

A: If you are experiencing this issue, please report it to our support team by emailing support@expensify.com. We will do our best to assist you and provide a resolution.

A: Yes, you can reach out to our community members for help and support. They may be able to provide additional insights or workarounds for this issue.

In conclusion, the issue of rule approvers being unable to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled is a significant problem that affects the usability and efficiency of our application. We have answered some frequently asked questions related to this issue and provided information on the status of the fix. By addressing this issue, we can improve the overall user experience and ensure that our application meets the needs of our users.

Based on our analysis, we recommend the following:

Fix the issue: Resolve the issue by modifying the code to allow rule approvers to submit reports on workspaces with prevent self-approvals enabled.
Improve testing: Enhance testing to ensure that this issue is caught and resolved before it affects users.
Communicate with users: Inform users about the issue and the potential workaround, and provide regular updates on the status of the fix.

By following these recommendations, we can ensure that our application remains reliable, efficient, and user-friendly.