Pull-to-refresh!

Hey guys!

Recently, I’ve been experiencing a huge delay on my Glide apps. That’s because I have a lot of external scripts that performs updates directly onto the sheet, and on that cases, I know that Glide takes a little longer to update, forcing me to refresh it manually on the editor.

I thought of an possible workaround that is simple, but powerful: Pull-to-refresh.

For those who doesn’t know, this is Pull-to-refresh:

I think this may be available only to Pro apps, as it should increase drastically the number of times Glide checks sheet data, but it is a great feature to be implemented.

This request is already on the “Feature Resquests” app:

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I think the broader issue needs to be fixed, which is apps updating only after force close and relaunch - according to my testing, 2x. Pull to refresh works for us as app makers, but I cannot imagine telling an entire app user base to pull to refresh-feels amateurish…So, not intending at all to take away from your feature request, but as Glide considers the entire situation, this does not effectively solve the bigger issue in my opinion–perhaps forcing a relaunch upon changes being published - I’m hoping this comes with the publishing control that is coming hopefully soon! :blush:

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I totally agree with you, Deena, but we have to see through Glide eyes: The major cost they have with apps is currently with the integration between the app and the sheet, and I can absolutely relate to that as I’m a Google Sheets API user too. The number of requests increase quickly and the costs too, so that’s a problem. If Glide starts updating out of nowhere, their costs are going to rise abruptly as well, so I’m thinking with their strategy.

I know that’s not a perfect or definitive solution, but as I said: It’s a temporary workaround, as Glide team is planning to deliver a way of doing apps without Google Sheets.

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We simply cannot deliver a best in class, competitive UX to our users until the issue is fixed. I would not be happy with a workaround because I would not ask my users to do this. Just one opinion, not intended to detract from yours. My particular app is sold to enterprises, not individuals, and the bar is much higher. It’s a fundamental expectation that an app maker can effectively and quickly deploy changes to all users, at the same time, (not spread out over days). I think we let Glide take in the feedback and requests and they prioritize- I am committed to working through the evolution of this amazing platform, alongside its current limitations, and surely the great things to come. Again, I do not wish to undermine your request, but I do want to add my point of view.

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I know scripts can be a pain in the butt with regard to Glide refreshing data so…

2 things…

  1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this a Pro feature found in the settings of the builder, i.e., Background Refresh?

  2. I’m not sure, but this may be true in your particular case @Gabriel_Sobral, but doesn’t a refresh count as a sheet edit, would count against the sheet edit quota?

Yes Carlos, my app is on Pro and I use that feature. However, Glide can, in some cases, delay it up to 15 minutes when changes made to the sheet weren’t done by the app. That is very uncomfortable for users.

I’m not worried about sheet edit quota as I’m on Pro, that’s why I mentioned it may be a Pro-only feature:

Nice workaround Gabriel and thank you for sharing. However, I do agree with Deena. Workarounds should be interim in nature but my fear is if have too many workarounds, then it becomes the norm. Certain features better gets resolved from the get-go by Glide. Another point, if you go over the 100’s of posts, you will notice there are many “workaround suggestions” , I wonder if Glide team is tracking this ! (kinda workaround list to be rectified permanently) I frankly doubt that.

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So much discussion among this community about refresh issues, cache issues, and like @adelhammoud said, @Gabriel_Sobral we are glad you are raising this and proposed an interim solution. It is my understanding that Glide team is actively working on this and I am sure they can see that it is a major concern for the community! :blush:

Sure. But as a software developer, I do understand that some things are, in fact, unviable.

As I said before, Glide major cost is based on updating/editing sheets, and as they already said before, there’s actually some apps that cost more than they pay to Glide.

From that perspective, we should put ourselves on Glide’s shoes: They have a reasonable motive for not refreshing frequently: cost. My suggestion was something that balances both sides. I prefer that solution than not being able to update manually at all.

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About one third of our product planning is dedicated to turning workarounds into features.

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Just to reiterate our mission and its consequence—by 2030, we intend for most software to be built with Glide. So, if a workaround stands in the way of that goal, we will turn the workaround into a first-class feature.

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Thank you!

I have been using Google Sheets’ publish feature to embed a Sheet in my website. I thought I could replace my website with a Glide app. Google refreshes the published data within 5 minutes and usually within a few seconds. Glide does not refresh my data at all. Case Closed, no Glide for me.

I use a Google Form to add data to my Sheet, copy the entered data to other sheets and perform numerous calculations within the sheet (Standings for competitions). None of this is reflected in the Glide App because it does not refresh.

I would like to know when this is fixed to re-visit using the software.

I did not use Pro because I am testing but from what I read, Pro will not help as it would cause me to teach hundreds of people to swipe.

If Google can refresh every 5 minutes, one would think this is not so difficult.

Hi Tom,

I think it must be noted that a refresh of data won’t happen immediately after your sheet is refreshed because you’re on a free plan. Every reload costs Glide money, that’s why there is a limit on sheet edits.

On a Pro plan, I have seen people noted that it happens on random intervals and not quite the immediate speed you expect, especially for very big apps, but with the new Glide Sheets they expect to ship soon we can keep most things inside the Editor to eliminate the lagging in reloads.

In my experience, using a Glide form updates the app much faster than a Google Form, can you elaborate on the reason you don’t use Glide’s native solution?

And can you elaborate on “teaching hundreds of people to swipe”?

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I can attest - I have a pro app, most updates within seconds and at the most, i’ve experienced a couple of minutes. Glide is already so powerful, the design is incredible, and I’m enjoying growing with Glide. The fact that they ship every week is pretty awesome too. We all look forward to Tuesdays! :star_struck:

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Cost? I am happy other companies do not follow your logic. Imagine if the oil companies decided that it is too expensive to take oil out of the ground and refine it. By all means, let’s not do something because of cost.

Your solution of ‘random intervals’ and ‘not quite immediate’ is unacceptable. The data is in the cloud, you have access… show me my data. It is quite simple really. It has been an hour or more and my app is still not current.

Glide sheets? Are they compatible with Excel & Sheets? Do they handle data validation? Can they import ranges of cloud data and can they sort Sheet data? Seriously?

A Glide From will not validate my data. Sheets will do Lookups to preclude users from entering bad data as well as numerical and logical calculations. I use a Google Form to allow users to enter data. Using dropdown boxes, I am validating my data. Not possible in Glide. I tried to add data via glide, to replace my forms but sadly, Glide cannot honor Sheet’s validation.

As for my comment on swiping, I read in the support lofs that even on the Pro version, each user would need to close their app and re-open OR, swipe to refresh. I have 1,500 seniors… not going to happen. The app simply needs to show current data.

Wow! Am I glad the oil industry (and others) does not have your view: Oh No, it is really expensive to take oil out of the ground and refine it so, gee, let’s not do it. Or… Gee… it is really expensive to put up windmills, solar farms etc. so let’s not have electricity anymore. If a company is losing money, you raise prices or, reduce cost.

Wow!

Get Pro for a month. Try it. Then you’ll know. “It’s the only way to be sure” to quote Ellen Ripley.

PS. It works fine if you don’t wanna shell out the $29 to find out.

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I suggest searching about Google Sheets API quota and its pricing. If you’re not even willing to pay a Pro plan, you should stick with your current solution :wink:

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@TomR Glide updates when your sheet is edited by a person, and this should take at most three minutes (this is a delay that Google imposes—they will tell us about changes to your sheet at most once every three minutes). If your app is not updating, there may be a bug—please share your app link with support@glideapps.com and, if possible, tell us how to reproduce the issue or share a video demonstrating it.

More info about when your app updates can be found here: https://docs.glideapps.com/all/guides/quick-starts/getting-started/background-refresh

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