Observation fields not selectable in observation export options

Platform (Android, iOS, Website):
Website

Browser, if a website issue (Firefox, Chrome, etc) :
Windows 10, Firefox 84.0

URLs (aka web addresses) of any relevant observations or pages:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/export?projects=patuxent-research-refuge-moth-inventory

Screenshots of what you are seeing (instructions for taking a screenshot on computers and mobile devices: https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/):

Description of problem (please provide a set of steps we can use to replicate the issue, and make as many as you need.):

The observation fields section of the observation export page no longer displays observation fields to be selected, and so these fields cannot be included in observation exports. Clicking “All” next to “Observation fields” does not include them.

One way this is problematic involves IDs. Observation fields are the way to include IDs with provisional names for undescribed taxa that are disallowed in iNat’s taxonomy. Including those fields in the export allowed the right IDs to be picked out of the observation file. But with those fields now excluded, ID info is lost or ambiguous for many observations. E.g., does a scientific_name of Nepytia mean a genus-rank ID, or is there a species-rank Nepytia n. sp. ID in the missing field:provisional_name or field:holding_bin columns?

1 Like

Can replicate on either traditional or collection projects. Exports from “Your Observations” work as expected with observation fields present.

Wonder if staff expectation is now to use the API for projects?

1 Like

Sounds pretty buggy, I made a report here: https://github.com/inaturalist/inaturalist/issues/2904

I have the same problem. As a workaround, going via “Your observations” export and then changing the filter settings e.g. to a project seems to work.

Fixed just now. I’m able to see Obs Fields when trying to export obs from any number of projects.

1 Like