SkyArtShop/docs/UPLOAD_500_FIX.md

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:

-- 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.