[Feature] Desktop App: Provide more feedback to the user about why server connecton could not be established #1392

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opened 2026-02-28 19:42:24 -06:00 by GiteaMirror · 1 comment
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Originally created by @MikesGlitch on GitHub (Sep 6, 2024).

Verified feature request does not already exist?

  • I have searched and found no existing issue

💻

  • Would you like to implement this feature?

Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve?

When using a server, if the server is incorrectly configured or uses the wrong certificate/server address there is a generic error message. The message isn't overly helpful. It simply asks whether or not they have correctly configured the server.

Instead, we should provide more feedback to the user. If the user has selected a self signed certificate, we should tell them where it lives, and that it is currently being used.

If there is a problem with the certificate (expired etc) we should provide that information to the user via a friendly message. E.g. "Your certificate is expired, please update it".

When the user selects a self signed certificate from the server configuration screen, instead of immediately reloading the app, we should tell the user "This change requires a restart" and tell them to manually click the "Restart" button. This will make it appear more purposeful and less like a crash.

When the user enters an IP address in the server field instead of a resolved name it seems to cause issues in Electron. We should point out that the user should specify the resolved name if it errors. (more info in the discord discussion linked below).

This features is based on this discussion: https://discord.com/channels/937901803608096828/1281484103580909621

Describe your ideal solution to this problem

We should update the server configuration UI to be more helpful. This should reduce the number of questions we receive about self signed certificates or server configuration.

Teaching and learning

No response

Originally created by @MikesGlitch on GitHub (Sep 6, 2024). ### Verified feature request does not already exist? - [X] I have searched and found no existing issue ### 💻 - [X] Would you like to implement this feature? ### Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve? When using a server, if the server is incorrectly configured or uses the wrong certificate/server address there is a generic error message. The message isn't overly helpful. It simply asks whether or not they have correctly configured the server. Instead, we should provide more feedback to the user. If the user has selected a self signed certificate, we should tell them where it lives, and that it is currently being used. If there is a problem with the certificate (expired etc) we should provide that information to the user via a friendly message. E.g. "Your certificate is expired, please update it". When the user selects a self signed certificate from the server configuration screen, instead of immediately reloading the app, we should tell the user "This change requires a restart" and tell them to manually click the "Restart" button. This will make it appear more purposeful and less like a crash. When the user enters an IP address in the server field instead of a resolved name it seems to cause issues in Electron. We should point out that the user should specify the resolved name if it errors. (more info in the discord discussion linked below). This features is based on this discussion: https://discord.com/channels/937901803608096828/1281484103580909621 ### Describe your ideal solution to this problem We should update the server configuration UI to be more helpful. This should reduce the number of questions we receive about self signed certificates or server configuration. ### Teaching and learning _No response_
GiteaMirror added the electronneeds votesfeature labels 2026-02-28 19:42:24 -06:00
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@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Sep 6, 2024):

Thanks for sharing your idea!

This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution).

The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+

Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Sep 6, 2024): :sparkles: Thanks for sharing your idea! :sparkles: This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution). The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+ Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍! <!-- feature-auto-close-comment -->
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Reference: github-starred/actual#1392