Markdown formatting gets lost when editing a message

[1MichaS1]

Steps to reproduce

1. Activate Markdown Formatting under "Options" (it is deactivated by default)
2. Write a message with fornmatting like bold text or so, and send it.
3. Edit this message. The editor window shows the formatted text. Whatever I change now, the result will be 100% unformatted, all formatting is unrecoverably lost.

Outcome

What did you expect?

I expect that the editor window in "edit message" mode shows the formatting characters explicitly (like in original editing field), not the formatted text without formatting symbols. Like it is now, I cannot edit the formatting in the first place.

What happened instead?

Although editor window when editing message shows formatted text (without formatting characters, which is a bad idea as said above), after editing all formating is lost.

Your phone model

All phones (Android 14 and Android 10, Samsung and Shiftphone)

Operating system version

Android 10, Android 14

Application version and app store

Latest from Google Play: 1.6.36 (5179f93)

Homeserver

matrix.org, but not relevant

Will you send logs?

No

Are you willing to provide a PR?

No

[tdbe]

[Edit]: more useful than this pile-of-frustrations rant of mine, might be this info: if one device has markdown and the other doesn't, things get really screwed up, before, and after editing. And newlines are inconsistent cross-platform, with or without markdown.

---

Formatting also differs across platforms (e.g. pc vs phone). E.g. I write something with one single newline between 2 rows, and it either comes out with a full empty row in between rows or it comes out without any newline.

I'm also not a big fan of Element replacing symbols for me. If I write -> I want it to be exactly that. I didn't ask for an arrow symbol, thank you.

Mirror github's markdown, or properly support full reliable phd-paper-grade Latex, or just let us type reliable plaintext. I hate writing a long message and it being ruined on the other end and/or after an edit.

(and these problems have existed for years. Every time I come back to element, the same issues. (and Element X can't even do calls or notifications right yet). How can we onboard any normies onto FOSS with this experience? Release what just works, nothing more.)

[LaifsV1]

Any update on this? Message editing is not idempotent on Android. Instead of letting us edit the source of the message, it's a lossy operation that shows partially rendered text in the text box. If I'm not mistaken, we've had this problem since like 2023 (#8602).

[tdbe]

1. A note on edits syncing (that maybe should be a different issue): I don't have repro steps yet, but I have caught in a few random cases one client or another displaying the original unedited message for a message that has had multiple edits, after syncing. (and I can almost swear this happened even after some of the edits came through, but then it reset to original) I can see the actual latest/final edit in the edit history (but it's 1000% frustrating because I can't copy it).

2. Another note on syncs and edits: very often a message I send, I can't edit it - the "cancel sending" message pops up instead when I try to long-tap it. The only way to get to the proper context menu (which has Edit), is to force-close element, then it instantly works.