# Upload 500 Error Fix - Complete

## Date: December 19, 2025

## Problem

File uploads were failing with HTTP 500 error:

```
POST http://localhost:5000/api/admin/upload 500 (Internal Server Error)
Error: "Failed to save uploaded files"
```

## Root Cause

### Backend Log Error

```
[error]: Database insert failed for file: {
  "filename":"18498-1766201320693-912285946.jpg",
  "error":"invalid input syntax for type integer: \"admin-default\""
}
```

### Database Type Mismatch

- `adminusers.id` = **TEXT** (value: `"admin-default"`)
- `uploads.uploaded_by` = **INTEGER** ❌
- `media_folders.created_by` = **INTEGER** ❌

When the upload route tried to insert `req.session.user.id` (`"admin-default"`) into the INTEGER column, PostgreSQL rejected it.

## Solution

### Database Schema Fix

Changed column types to match the `adminusers.id` type:

```sql
-- Fix uploads table
ALTER TABLE uploads ALTER COLUMN uploaded_by TYPE TEXT;

-- Fix media_folders table
ALTER TABLE media_folders ALTER COLUMN created_by TYPE TEXT;
```

### Verification

```
uploads.uploaded_by: integer → text ✅
media_folders.created_by: integer → text ✅
```

## Files Changed

### Database

- ✅ `uploads.uploaded_by`: INTEGER → TEXT
- ✅ `media_folders.created_by`: INTEGER → TEXT

### Migration File Created

- ✅ `backend/migrations/fix-uploaded-by-type.sql`

### Backend Code

- ✅ No changes needed (already using `req.session.user?.id`)

## Why This Happened

The original schema was designed expecting numeric user IDs, but the authentication system uses text-based IDs (`"admin-default"`). This type mismatch wasn't caught until file upload was tested.

## Testing

### Before Fix

```
❌ Upload fails with 500 error
❌ Database insert error
❌ Files uploaded to disk but not in database
❌ User sees "Upload failed" message
```

### After Fix

```
✅ Upload succeeds
✅ Database insert works
✅ Files tracked properly
✅ User sees success message
```

## Test Steps

1. Navigate to <http://localhost:5000/admin/media-library.html>
2. Click **"Upload Files"** button
3. Select one or more images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP)
4. Watch progress bar complete
5. See success alert: "Successfully uploaded X file(s)!"
6. Files appear in the media grid

## Related Tables Fixed

Both tables that reference user IDs:

- `uploads` - Tracks uploaded files
- `media_folders` - Tracks folder creators

Both now use TEXT to match `adminusers.id`.

## Migration Safety

The ALTER TABLE commands are safe because:

- ✅ No existing data (tables are new)
- ✅ TEXT can hold any INTEGER value
- ✅ No foreign key constraints broken
- ✅ Instant operation (no data conversion needed)

## Summary

**Upload functionality is now fully operational!**

The database schema mismatch between user IDs (TEXT) and foreign keys (INTEGER) has been resolved. All file uploads and folder creation operations will now work correctly with the text-based user IDs from the authentication system.