"Failed to execute 'removeChild' on 'Node'" error crashes page, likely due browser translations

[shaunanoordin]

Browser-Specific(?) Bug

Users have been reporting of an odd Failed to execute 'removeChild' on 'Node' error that crashes on certain PFE pages (Talk pages, project home pages)

• We seem to be able to replicate this error to an extent using Chrome's Translate feature
• Reports seem to anecdotally indicate that people who reported the issue may be non-English speakers, so this may reinforce the above assumption.
• Caveat: I'm not 100% sure if there aren't other triggers.

https://github.com/zooniverse/Panoptes-Front-End/assets/13952701/8e2b912d-063b-4b87-acb7-0161c7c6d6bc

Replication

Replicated with macOS + Chrome 123. I haven't fully tested with other browsers, but Jim has indicated no issues with Firefox.

• In a Chrome incognito window, open a PFE project's home page, e.g. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/ollibruuh/frog-find
• In Chrome's menu, use the Translate option. e.g. translate page to Japanese. This should translate the page fine.
• Click on "About" to navigate to the About page. Navigation should work well, and page should remain translated.
• Click on the project title again to navigate back to the home page.
• ❗ Instead of navigating back to the home page and seeing it translated, the page crashes and the error appears.

Notes:

• The replication steps above are the most consistent I've been able to trigger this bug. I may have been able to trigger it in other conditions by accident, but I'm not sure.
• ❔ I'm not sure why I've only been able to replicate this only on the project home page.
• ⚠️ I haven't been able to trigger the bug on Talk pages, which is where some of our most recent reports have been coming from.
• Whether or not you're signed in seems irrelevant.

History

• Jim discusses seeing this issue in Disk Detective previously. [Slack]
  • In Sep 2023, errors were logged on Sentry. [Slack]
  • In Aug 2023, researcher ssilverberg of Disk Detective posts on Talk informing volunteers that using browser translations can cause an error. [Talk]
  • In Jul 2023, Delilah supports a volunteer who encounters the issue on Disk Detective, and confirms it's related to Chrome translations. [Freshdesk]
• On Apr 16, a volunteer reports the issue occurring on Talk specifically. (i.e. "when I click on a discussion thread in Notes ") [Talk]

Status

Investigation has confirmed that issue exists. ⚠️ Root cause has not yet been determined. ⚠️ Full extent of bug has not yet been determined.

I'm estimating moderate-to-high impact to volunteers - the problem may "only" be affecting a small subset of users (since we're not seeing multiple reports yet), but it will make the platform nigh unusable to them.

Workaround:

• Ask affected volunteers to use a project's built-in Zooniverse translations, if possible. (Limitation: volunteer's language may not be available.)
• Ask affected volunteers to use a different browser, e.g. Firefox. (Limitation: I haven't fully tested if it's possible to crash with FF.)
• Ask affected volunteers to disable Chrome translations. (Limitation: now the volunteers can't understand the website!)

Awaiting prioritisation of dev effort.