Reproducible in Production

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 145 views

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss a chat formatting issue that has been reported in the Expensify React Native Chat application. The issue is related to the application's ability to apply bold markdown formatting to text that is wrapped in multiple markdown tags. Specifically, the issue is that the text does not appear bold when it is wrapped in both asterisks and underscores.

Problem Description

The problem was first reported by an internal team member at Applause, who encountered the issue while testing the application on a Redminote 10s Android device running Android 13. The issue was also reproducible on the New Expensify Standalone app.

To reproduce the issue, the following steps were taken:

Launch the app.
Open a chat.
Type the following text in the compose box:

~_**Zoom**_~
*Test*

Observe the Markdown formatting in the preview.

Expected Result

In the preview, "Zoom" should appear with bold, italic, and strikethrough formatting, and "Test" should appear bold.

Actual Result

In the preview, "Zoom" is formatted correctly, but "Test" does not appear bold, even though it is wrapped in asterisks.

Workaround

Unfortunately, a workaround for this issue is not currently available.

Platforms

The issue has been reported on the following platforms:

Android: Standalone
Android: HybridApp
Android: mWeb Chrome
MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

A screenshot of the issue can be viewed at the following link:

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fdc39417-0053-41cc-a485-4e72b8a20ae2

Conclusion

In conclusion, the chat formatting issue reported in this article is a significant problem that needs to be addressed. The issue is that the application is not able to apply bold markdown formatting to text that is wrapped in multiple markdown tags. This issue is reproducible on multiple platforms and has been reported by an internal team member at Applause.

Recommendations

To resolve this issue, the following recommendations are made:

Review the application's markdown parsing logic to determine why the bold formatting is not being applied to the text wrapped in asterisks.
Update the application's markdown parsing logic to correctly apply bold formatting to text wrapped in multiple markdown tags.
Test the application thoroughly to ensure that the issue has been resolved.

Future Development

In the future, it would be beneficial to add additional testing to ensure that the application's markdown parsing logic is working correctly. This could include adding automated tests to verify that the application is correctly applying bold formatting to text wrapped in multiple markdown tags.

Related Issues

The following issues are related to this problem:

Issue 1: Markdown parsing logic is not correctly applying bold formatting to text wrapped in multiple markdown tags.
Issue 2: Application is not correctly handling markdown tags with multiple levels of nesting.

Contributing Guidelines

If you would like to contribute to the resolution of this issue, please review the contributing guidelines for the Expensify React Native Chat application. You can also email contributors@expensify.com to request to join the Slack channel.

Version Number

The version number of the application at the time of reporting this issue was V9 1.11-0.

Reproducible in Staging

Yes, the issue was reproducible in staging.

Reproducible in Production

Yes, the issue was reproducible in production.

If This Was Caught on HybridApp

Yes, the issue was reproducible on both HybridApp and New Expensify Standalone.

If This Was Caught During Regression Testing

N/A

Email or Phone of Affected Tester

slottwo1+8@gmail.com

Issue Reported By

Applause Internal Team

Device Used

Redminote 10s Android 13

App Component

Introduction

In this article, we will provide a Q&A section to address some of the most frequently asked questions related to the chat formatting issue reported in the Expensify React Native Chat application.

Q: What is the chat formatting issue?

A: The chat formatting issue is a problem where the application is not able to apply bold markdown formatting to text that is wrapped in multiple markdown tags.

Q: What are the symptoms of the chat formatting issue?

A: The symptoms of the chat formatting issue include:

The text does not appear bold when it is wrapped in both asterisks and underscores.
The text is not formatted correctly in the preview.

Q: What are the platforms where the chat formatting issue is reproducible?

A: The chat formatting issue is reproducible on the following platforms:

Android: Standalone
Android: HybridApp
Android: mWeb Chrome
MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Q: What is the expected result of the chat formatting issue?

A: The expected result of the chat formatting issue is that the text should appear bold when it is wrapped in both asterisks and underscores.

Q: What is the actual result of the chat formatting issue?

A: The actual result of the chat formatting issue is that the text does not appear bold when it is wrapped in both asterisks and underscores.

Q: Is there a workaround for the chat formatting issue?

A: Unfortunately, there is no workaround for the chat formatting issue at this time.

Q: What is the status of the chat formatting issue?

A: The chat formatting issue is currently being investigated and a fix is being developed.

Q: How can I contribute to the resolution of the chat formatting issue?

A: If you would like to contribute to the resolution of the chat formatting issue, please review the contributing guidelines for the Expensify React Native Chat application. You can also email contributors@expensify.com to request to join the Slack channel.

Q: What is the version number of the application at the time of reporting the chat formatting issue?

A: The version number of the application at the time of reporting the chat formatting issue was V9 1.11-0.

Q: Is the chat formatting issue reproducible in staging?

A: Yes, the chat formatting issue is reproducible in staging.

Q: Is the chat formatting issue reproducible in production?

A: Yes, the chat formatting issue is reproducible in production.

Q: If this was caught on HybridApp, is this reproducible on New Expensify Standalone?

A: Yes, the chat formatting issue is reproducible on both HybridApp and New Expensify Standalone.

Q: If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail:

A: N/A

Q: Email or phone of affected tester:

A: slottwo1+8@gmail.com

Q: Issue reported by:

A: Applause Internal Team

Q: Device used:

A: Redminote 10s Android 13

Q: App component:

A: Chat Report View