Gap between Firebase and Google Sheets #68
Description
There will likely be gaps over time between firebase and the sheets. The problem is that the worksheet service might be down when the user registers or updates their profile or observations. In that case, the app sends the update to firebase and it gets stored, then the app tries to update the sheets but an error is returned because the service couldn't be reached, and the sheet is never updated.
To reduce firebase calls, I don't check if the observations or profiles are in sync unless something changes. There is an option to force update all the sheets, but only admins can access that option. You do not want this being available to just anybody as it will result in massive usage if used without knowing how it works, given that it causes every single entry in the database to be requested and synced.
There are several options to fix the sync issue, none are great.
- ask the person to edit the profile/observation when there is better connectivity - this results in a one-off push from the app to firebase and the sheets
- find the profile/observation in firebase and manually update in sheets
- use the full sync option in the admin options of Pika Patrol. DO NOT DO THIS VERY OFTEN - and honestly, try to avoid at all costs.
- Request new feature to verify each profile/observation when the user opens the app. This will cause more calls to firebase - though, it could be a reasonable number given if it should only check for observations that have not been uploaded yet.