# Record viewer: HTML Rich text editor field is considered dirty during edit and updated even without user input

**URL:** <https://community.forestadmin.com/t/record-viewer-html-rich-text-editor-field-is-considered-dirty-during-edit-and-updated-even-without-user-input/8412>\
**Category:** Help me!\
**Tags:** edit, widget\
**Created:** [March 23, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.forestadmin.com/t/record-viewer-html-rich-text-editor-field-is-considered-dirty-during-edit-and-updated-even-without-user-input/8412 "2026-03-23T16:00:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kll](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.forestadmin.com/kll/32/7091_2.png) [@kll](https://community.forestadmin.com/u/kll)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.forestadmin.com/t/record-viewer-html-rich-text-editor-field-is-considered-dirty-during-edit-and-updated-even-without-user-input/8412/1 "2026-03-23T16:00:58Z")

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## Feature(s) impacted

Editing a record that has an HTML field (`Rich text editor` edit widget) in the record viewer.

## Observed behavior

HTML fields are updated without any user input.

This probably happens because the HTML is coming from another source (our webapp). I suspect a linter goes over the HTML, modifies it to match whatever is needed by the input field in the record viewer, and thus marks it as dirty.

I have simply tried to change a checkbox value and could indeed see that the HTML field was updated as well:

![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/forest/original/2X/5/59f01109490d44f156aa0a8f57f970ff7958c476.png)

This can cause pretty nasty sync bugs!

This does not happen if the field is read-only.

## Expected behavior

Only fields explicitly touched by the **human user** should be changed.

This is breaking the expectations one has when using the record viewer.

## Context

- Database type: MSSQL
- Recent changes made on your end if any: None.
- Browser: Microsoft Edge 146.0.3856.59

**And, if you are self-hosting your agent:**

- Agent technology: Node.JS
- Agent (forest package) name & version (from your .lock file): agent 1.51.0

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alban\_Bertolini](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.forestadmin.com/alban_bertolini/32/1077_2.png) [@Alban\_Bertolini](https://community.forestadmin.com/u/Alban_Bertolini)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://community.forestadmin.com/t/record-viewer-html-rich-text-editor-field-is-considered-dirty-during-edit-and-updated-even-without-user-input/8412/2 "2026-03-23T17:20:20Z")

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Hi,

Thanks for reporting this! We identified the issue: when opening a record, the rich text editor was silently reformatting the HTML content, which triggered a change and marked the field as dirty — even without  
any user input.

We’re about to merge the fix, it should be available very soon.

Thanks again for the report!