What does it mean that an Anonymous user edited a form, when it's not editable after submitting?

[Emma_Brizarr]

Hi there,

I have a question about files being deleted from records by an anonymous user. We have our Final Information records, which is made when someone fills out a Final Information Form - in the form people fill out their information and upload files of relevant documentation for us. When a user submits the form, it says “Anonymous submitted via form” since they are not logged in, and it’s not possible for them to edit the form afterwards. But then I can see in the history/timeline on the right side, that files/documents have been deleted with the caption “Anonymous edited this record”. As mentioned, it’s not possible for the person to edit the form after it has been submitted. Can you please help me understand how these files are deleted? It causes a lot of trouble for us since we have to reach out to these people and ask them to send us these documents again.
I have attached a screenshot of the timeline.
Thank you in advance
Emma

[kuovonne]

Is the field in question an attachment field?

When uploading via the API it takes a while for an attachment to become fully attached. First the url of the attachment is set, then the file data is uploaded to Airtable’s servers, and the thumbnails are generated. Sometimes the process breaks down if there is a problem with the url or communication.

Perhaps this process can also sometimes take a while with a native form uploading an attachment. I’m just speculating here, but it could explain what you see. Maybe someone from Airtable will chime in. If not, you can ask customer support.