Longest-Standing Site Bug

[+benh57]

Any guesses as to the longest-standing site bug?

 

I'm going to go with: the pagination issues bookmark lists often have where they get 'stuck' on a certain page when clicking the page numbers at the bottom.

Still happening, and it's been happening as long as i have been using the site.

Edited November 24, 2008 by benh57

[+Kryten]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

[+pppingme]

I can name 3 older than the bookmark paging bug.

 

- Can only create 39 PQ's not 40

- Selecting home coords AND a state on a PQ returns zero results

- PQ's that lap (run after midnight) count against the next days PQ's

 

The first two have been documented in the forums in the past and continue to come up, the 3rd really wasn't an issue till lately, but has hit me in the past.

 

I could probably come up with more given time.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Potato Finder

[+pppingme]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

This isn't a bug

[+Kryten]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

This isn't a bug

 

There are many who would disagree

[+pppingme]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

This isn't a bug

 

There are many who would disagree

This is an issue with rules and policies, the site follows as such.

 

A bug is something that affects functionality, such as not being able to create a PQ, such as not allowing a PQ to be scheduled because the site can't count to 5, such as returning ZERO results in a PQ, when there are caches that meet the criteria, such as not being able to go to the next page or previous page of a listing of caches, such as the site returning random useless errors.

 

Last I checked, having two finds logged to a cache doesn't affect or break the site.

 

As a side issue, I don't agree with a hard coded limitation, there are sometimes valid reasons to log 2 finds. If a cache owner doesn't like that someone has logged two finds, he/she is free to delete one of the logs.

[Nylimb]

The nearest caches page doesn't show the direction to a cache if it's almost exactly north or south and more than a mile or so away. For example, look for caches near N 41° 12.000 W 123° 24.840: Nearest Caches. The closest one is Fish'n at Red Cap Lake, which is due south, but the page doesn't show an arrow.

 

This has been known for more than 4 years: Small Bug In Nearest Cache Page, Direction to cache not always shown

[+W8TTS]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

This isn't a bug

 

There are many who would disagree

 

Are you saying that you DON'T or DO have the ability to log a cache more than once?

 

I know a few that give you an extra smiley because you do something, such as plant a new cache using a container supplied from the cache found, i.e. a seed cache.

[+AtwellFamily]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

Find a cache more than once.

 

I log cache multiple time. Maintenance, notes are the first two reason that come to mind.

[Mr.Yuck]

The ability to log a cache more than once.

 

Now that was funny. But I'll still rank it 2nd to the guy who answered a "worst thing found at a cache site" thread with "I found a film canister where a cache was supposed to be".

 

Oh, I'll say on bookmark lists, where the link to pages on the list suddenly stops working, and you keep getting the same page displayed, no matter which page link you click, as mentioned in the OP.

 

I haven't gotten notification of PM's sent through the forums for years, both on Firefox and IE; and I know I'm not the only one. Not really a geocaching site bug though.

Edited November 24, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[CoyoteRed]

Now that was funny. But I'll still rank it 2nd to the guy who answered a "worst thing found at a cache site" thread with "I found a film canister where a cache was supposed to be".

A truly laugh out loud moment. Good thing I wasn't taking a sip of my coffee or I'd be reaching for the paper towels.

[+9Key]

I can name 3 older than the bookmark paging bug.

 

- Can only create 39 PQ's not 40

- Selecting home coords AND a state on a PQ returns zero results

- PQ's that lap (run after midnight) count against the next days PQ's

 

The first two have been documented in the forums in the past and continue to come up, the 3rd really wasn't an issue till lately, but has hit me in the past.

 

I could probably come up with more given time.

OK, I'll bite. Why do you need 40 pocket queries? What in heck are you doing with all of the data?

[+mtn-man]

I can name 3 older than the bookmark paging bug.

 

- Can only create 39 PQ's not 40

- Selecting home coords AND a state on a PQ returns zero results

- PQ's that lap (run after midnight) count against the next days PQ's

 

The first two have been documented in the forums in the past and continue to come up, the 3rd really wasn't an issue till lately, but has hit me in the past.

 

I could probably come up with more given time.

OK, I'll bite. Why do you need 40 pocket queries? What in heck are you doing with all of the data?

You can create 40 PQ's. Your "All Finds" PQ is a query you can create and is classified as the 40th query. I agree with 9Key though.

Edited November 24, 2008 by mtn-man

[+pppingme]

I can name 3 older than the bookmark paging bug.

 

- Can only create 39 PQ's not 40

- Selecting home coords AND a state on a PQ returns zero results

- PQ's that lap (run after midnight) count against the next days PQ's

 

The first two have been documented in the forums in the past and continue to come up, the 3rd really wasn't an issue till lately, but has hit me in the past.

 

I could probably come up with more given time.

OK, I'll bite. Why do you need 40 pocket queries? What in heck are you doing with all of the data?

You can create 40 PQ's. Your "All Finds" PQ is a query you can create and is classified as the 40th query. I agree with 9Key though.

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq, and this bug was there BEFORE THE ALL FINDS PQ EXISTED.

 

The debate as to if 40 PQ's is enough I'll reserve for another thread, and yes, I've commented in those threads in the past.

[+mtn-man]

BEFORE THE ALL FINDS PQ EXISTED.

Maybe you don't realize this, but all caps on the internet is considered yelling and it typically rude. You seem to do this a lot.

 

I think you are in the minority regarding the "All Finds" PQ. I think the majority want it. Interesting though...

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq,

I see that you have your personal stats on your profile page, updated 11-14-2008. People typically use their "All Finds" PQ to generate that. Are you telling us that you do that manually? How did you generate those stats if you don't want or don't use your "All Finds" PQ?

[+supertbone]

Now that was funny. But I'll still rank it 2nd to the guy who answered a "worst thing found at a cache site" thread with "I found a film canister where a cache was supposed to be".

A truly laugh out loud moment. Good thing I wasn't taking a sip of my coffee or I'd be reaching for the paper towels.

 

I almost snorted Diet Coke out of my nose when I read that.

[+W8TTS]

BEFORE THE ALL FINDS PQ EXISTED.

Maybe you don't realize this, but all caps on the internet is considered yelling and it typically rude. You seem to do this a lot.

 

I think you are in the minority regarding the "All Finds" PQ. I think the majority want it. Interesting though...

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq,

I see that you have your personal stats on your profile page, updated 11-14-2008. People typically use their "All Finds" PQ to generate that. Are you telling us that you do that manually? How did you generate those stats if you don't want or don't use your "All Finds" PQ?

 

The stats that 'Potato Finder' has on his profile are from a GSAK macro. It can be done without using the My Finds PQ, but it may not be accurate.

[+alexrudd]

I'd say the longest standing site bug is the one that controls the minds of many forum posters to reply to any bug reports with appropriate replies.

"It's not a bug - you're using the site wrong! What gives *you* the right to expect things to make sense? Groundspeak can't make everything work properly because people like you abuse the site."

[+fizzymagic]

Bookmark list bugs. These are clearly bugs, not differences in opinion about what the site should or should not be able to do. And not only have they been around for a long, long time, they are getting worse!

[+Harry Dolphin]

The 45 second time out, when posting a reply, that leads to so many double and triple posts in the fora. (Sure seems a lot longer than 45 seconds!!)

Edited November 25, 2008 by Harry Dolphin

[+2Wheel'in]

I agree the pagination issue with the bookmark lists is (was) a real pain. Has anyone other than me tried scrolling through pages today? I've worked with all my lists; Public and Private...left it on the default 20 per page, and also upped the page to 50 items...clicking on the page numbers (back-forth-back) has worked flawlessly for me today. It didn't do the annoying "revert to 20 items from 50" either. Please...somebody else give your Bookmarks a thorough working over and let me (us) know if it's working correctly for you. I'm really hoping GS worked another miracle.

 

Bill

[+mtn-man]

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq,

I see that you have your personal stats on your profile page, updated 11-14-2008. People typically use their "All Finds" PQ to generate that. Are you telling us that you do that manually? How did you generate those stats if you don't want or don't use your "All Finds" PQ?

The stats that 'Potato Finder' has on his profile are from a GSAK macro. It can be done without using the My Finds PQ, but it may not be accurate.

I know which program processes the data. My question was regarding generating the data.

[Mr.Yuck]

I agree the pagination issue with the bookmark lists is (was) a real pain. Has anyone other than me tried scrolling through pages today? I've worked with all my lists; Public and Private...left it on the default 20 per page, and also upped the page to 50 items...clicking on the page numbers (back-forth-back) has worked flawlessly for me today. It didn't do the annoying "revert to 20 items from 50" either. Please...somebody else give your Bookmarks a thorough working over and let me (us) know if it's working correctly for you. I'm really hoping GS worked another miracle.

 

Bill

 

I looked at my biggest bookmark list, my ignore list. Yeah, I know it's the ignore list, but it's really nothing but a bookmark list. Over 400 caches, and it worked fine in both Firefox and IE today. But it's not like this bug always happens for me every time every day. I assume the OP checked recently too, or they wouldn't have mentioned it in the OP?

 

Also, I know the Ignore list was bestowed upon us in February 2005, and I assume that's when bookmark lists in general were bestowed upon us. I'm rather certain this bug has been in place since day one of bookmarklistdom.

Edited November 25, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[+pppingme]

BEFORE THE ALL FINDS PQ EXISTED.

Maybe you don't realize this, but all caps on the internet is considered yelling and it typically rude. You seem to do this a lot.

Because people like you don't seem to get it, even though its been pointed out over and over and over. I've documented this issue in the forums (39 PQ's) BEFORE the myfinds PQ was even an option. Capping is also a way to emphasize a phrase or word. Its only considered "yelling and rude" by someone that does their entire post in caps or severely overuses it. Study up on internet etiquette.

 

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq,

I see that you have your personal stats on your profile page, updated 11-14-2008. People typically use their "All Finds" PQ to generate that. Are you telling us that you do that manually? How did you generate those stats if you don't want or don't use your "All Finds" PQ?

Is it so hard to download an individual gpx file after logging a cache? Who even says I'm excluding finds in my PQ's (for the curious, this isn't how I do it)? There are lots of ways to get this data without using the archaic, fixed, locked down limited all finds PQ.

[+mtn-man]

Nice. And so respectful. A model for the forum guidelines.

[+The Jester]

I don't want, nor do I use my "all finds" pq,

I see that you have your personal stats on your profile page, updated 11-14-2008. People typically use their "All Finds" PQ to generate that. Are you telling us that you do that manually? How did you generate those stats if you don't want or don't use your "All Finds" PQ?

The stats that 'Potato Finder' has on his profile are from a GSAK macro. It can be done without using the My Finds PQ, but it may not be accurate.

I know which program processes the data. My question was regarding generating the data.

I do it with other PQ's because I want other logs besides my own. Besides I've maintained a Found DB in GSAK since I started using it (pre All Finds PQ) so I never "needed" the All Finds PQ.

[+Markwell]

Back on topic - long standing bug: allowing mutually exclusive criteria on the pocket query generator page.

[+Markwell]

I do it with other PQ's because I want other logs besides my own. Besides I've maintained a Found DB in GSAK since I started using it (pre All Finds PQ) so I never "needed" the All Finds PQ.

 

Psst... I may be wrong, but I think the All My Finds PQ comes with the latest five logs as well as yours

Edited November 25, 2008 by Markwell

[+Isonzo Karst]

Psst... I may be wrong, but I think the All My Finds PQ comes with the latest five logs as well as yours

 

Psst....you're wrong, it comes with all your logs (notes, DNFs etc) for any found cache, but no other logs

 

 

I don't know whether the assorted PQ bugs mentioned in thread are older than the assorted Bookmarked list bugs, but, for me, the Bookmarked lists bugs are more annoying.

 

The PQ bugs have work-arounds, there's a learning curve, but you can avoid being trapped by them.

 

If you're working with a Bookmarked list, once it stops allowing you to change pages, you've got no alternative but to close it out. You may be able to start over from your list of bookmarked lists, but then again, you may not. Yesterday I found myself eternally stuck, looking at page 3, 8 caches of 68 on a list. Couldn't do squat....

[+trainlove]

The 45 second time out, when posting a reply, that leads to so many double and triple posts in the fora. (Sure seems a lot longer than 45 seconds!!)

Well now, the forum software was not created by grounsdpeak, so technically this is not a big. Their servers not being big enough to handle the traffic in the forums IS the bug here.

 

But Elias recently mentioned something to me about the 'future' forums that is still giving me nightmares.

[+trainlove]

I haven't gotten notification of PM's sent through the forums for years, both on Firefox and IE; and I know I'm not the only one. Not really a geocaching site bug though.

By chance have you turned off that setting?

Go to [My Controls], then [board Settings], then see what is checked for [Do you wish to get a board notification when you get a new personal message?].

 

But as a bug, again it's forums related so it's not controllable by geocaching.com. One can't Personal Message someone in the forums if their username has an & in it. Perhaps other HTML special characters in a username don't work too.

 

Edited to add, I have emails with the subject containing part of "You have a new personal message ( Groundspeak Forums )‏", into a special folder. Notifications to another, Watchlists to another, PQ's to another, weekly emails to another, owner (found...) logs to another, messages (contacting me) to another...

Edited November 25, 2008 by trainlove

[OpinioNate]

A lot of you are mentioning the bookmarks but the few that tried recently posted that they haven't found any bugs. A few months back the developers spent a lot of time working on various bookmark bugs so I'm wondering if maybe you overlooked a recent fix.

 

If I'm wrong please show me where it is broken so we can fix it properly this time. I need some solid repro steps because telling the devs "it only breaks sometimes when I move my arm like this and Jupiter is in Capricorn" will get me laughed at.

[+Raine]

The nearest caches page doesn't show the direction to a cache if it's almost exactly north or south and more than a mile or so away. For example, look for caches near N 41° 12.000 W 123° 24.840: Nearest Caches. The closest one is Fish'n at Red Cap Lake, which is due south, but the page doesn't show an arrow.

 

This has been known for more than 4 years: Small Bug In Nearest Cache Page, Direction to cache not always shown

 

Ok.. I slipped this fix in so it wouldn't be on the longest standing bugs list.

 

Raine

[+tozainamboku]

The nearest caches page doesn't show the direction to a cache if it's almost exactly north or south and more than a mile or so away. For example, look for caches near N 41° 12.000 W 123° 24.840: Nearest Caches. The closest one is Fish'n at Red Cap Lake, which is due south, but the page doesn't show an arrow.

 

This has been known for more than 4 years: Small Bug In Nearest Cache Page, Direction to cache not always shown

 

Ok.. I slipped this fix in so it wouldn't be on the longest standing bugs list.

 

Raine

That's how I used to get the longitude for premium members caches when I didn't have a premium membership. Then it was relatively easy to zero in on the latitude until it said Here. First you close the loophole for logging PMO and now you make it harder to figure out the coordinates. This is becoming an elitists sport.

[+pppingme]

This is becoming an elitists sport.

No, the "sport" is however people wish to play it.

 

Its the site thats becoming an elitists.

 

If people would ban together to put a stop to these kind of actions they would stop, but it would take a lot of people agreeing to pull their PM's at the same time. A couple people doing it won't work.

[+fizzymagic]

A lot of you are mentioning the bookmarks but the few that tried recently posted that they haven't found any bugs. A few months back the developers spent a lot of time working on various bookmark bugs so I'm wondering if maybe you overlooked a recent fix.

 

If I'm wrong please show me where it is broken so we can fix it properly this time. I need some solid repro steps because telling the devs "it only breaks sometimes when I move my arm like this and Jupiter is in Capricorn" will get me laughed at.

Perhaps that one bug is fixed, but several others with bookmark lists are not. Here is an example, including how to reproduce it:

 

Open a bookmark list. Set the number to be viewed on the page to 50.

 

Delete one of the bookmarks using the Bulk Delete option.

 

The bookmark list comes back, displayed 20 to a page again.

 

This behavior occurs pretty much no matter what you do with the bookmark list. I'm sorry, but that is a bug.

[OpinioNate]

A lot of you are mentioning the bookmarks but the few that tried recently posted that they haven't found any bugs. A few months back the developers spent a lot of time working on various bookmark bugs so I'm wondering if maybe you overlooked a recent fix.

 

If I'm wrong please show me where it is broken so we can fix it properly this time. I need some solid repro steps because telling the devs "it only breaks sometimes when I move my arm like this and Jupiter is in Capricorn" will get me laughed at.

Perhaps that one bug is fixed, but several others with bookmark lists are not. Here is an example, including how to reproduce it:

 

Open a bookmark list. Set the number to be viewed on the page to 50.

 

Delete one of the bookmarks using the Bulk Delete option.

 

The bookmark list comes back, displayed 20 to a page again.

 

This behavior occurs pretty much no matter what you do with the bookmark list. I'm sorry, but that is a bug.

 

Raine says he fixed this one moments ago by saving your dropdown selection in a cookie that expires in a year. This will let you select 50, and until you change it to something else, it will remain 50 every time you visit the site. Thanks for pointing this bug out.

[+StarBrand]

....Raine says he fixed this one moments ago by saving your dropdown selection in a cookie that expires in a year. This will let you select 50, and until you change it to something else, it will remain 50 every time you visit the site. Thanks for pointing this bug out.

Now thats service!!

[+Raine]

Of course you won't see the fix until we push the code out next week.

 

-Raine

[+WRASTRO]

How about headers and footers not printing when a graphic of any kind would go from one page to another when printing a simple (no logs)? Check out GC1H30G and preview the print page. Now try reducing it. For this particular cache the header and footer info vanishes at 85% and doesn't come back until 60%. For other caches it is at 100% or 95% when the info disappears. Unless you preview you never know what will print, or more importantly, will not print.

 

This isn't a problem with a particular printer. This is a problem with the way the cache pages are rendered when certain cache page information overflows from one page to another. This problem exists when the information would be on two, three, four pages. It doesn't matter how many pages. The problem is when graphics want to span from one page to another. I can reproduce this problem at any time on any cache listing that is more than one page long.

[+Raine]

Sounds more like a rendering issue with the browser you use when it goes into printing mode more than anything.

[+WRASTRO]

Sounds more like a rendering issue with the browser you use when it goes into printing mode more than anything.

I agree. I am using IE7 and had the same problem with IE6. So you are saying there is nothing that can be done from Groundspeak's side?

[+Raine]

Does it happen when you use FireFox or Safari?

[+WRASTRO]

I have tried it on Firefox and it is fine.

[+Barnie's Band of Gold]

Perhaps not a bug (as defined by some) but an annoyance - being able to log a find on your OWN cache!!

 

We have one individual out this way that logs a find on his own cache EVERY time he takes someone out to show it. This fellow has more finds on his one and only cache than on all the other legitimate cache finds combined.

 

I feel better now

[+benh57]

A lot of you are mentioning the bookmarks but the few that tried recently posted that they haven't found any bugs. A few months back the developers spent a lot of time working on various bookmark bugs so I'm wondering if maybe you overlooked a recent fix.

 

If I'm wrong please show me where it is broken so we can fix it properly this time. I need some solid repro steps because telling the devs "it only breaks sometimes when I move my arm like this and Jupiter is in Capricorn" will get me laughed at.

 

Nate/Raine, it happened to me right before I posted the OP. (obviously -- thats what made me post the OP). By "it", i mean the long standing bug where clicking different 'pages' at the bottom gives you the the same page, no matter what page you select.

 

The problem is that it is NOT reproducible. I've tried many times to get steps for this bug, but it's never consistent. I worked in QA for many years, so i know the value of steps, and worthlessness of bug reports without steps.

 

So, unless i can get reproducible steps, i'll continue to post 'it's still happening' without steps.

Feel free to laugh all you want. It's your broken site. Maybe i'll make a video next time to prove it's still happening.

[+Parabola]

Maybe you don't realize this, but all caps on the internet is considered yelling and it typically rude. You seem to do this a lot.

 

 

I didn't know that. I've never done it myself that I know of. But thanks for the info. Sorry to pull this off-topic a bit but I thought this was a nice thing to know so I don't do it. Thank you mtn-man!!!!

[+Corp Of Discovery]

A lot of you are mentioning the bookmarks but the few that tried recently posted that they haven't found any bugs. A few months back the developers spent a lot of time working on various bookmark bugs so I'm wondering if maybe you overlooked a recent fix.

 

If I'm wrong please show me where it is broken so we can fix it properly this time. I need some solid repro steps because telling the devs "it only breaks sometimes when I move my arm like this and Jupiter is in Capricorn" will get me laughed at.

 

Maybe not a true 'bug', but: the ignore list is counted in the total of 20 allowed bookmarks. If I even used the ignore feature I'd want the list to be fully functional, as other bookmark lists are- but that's a whole 'nother can o' beans. One last thing- maybe bumping the number of lists to 25.

[+DavidMac]

Here's one.

 

When you upload pictures to cache logs, they are organized in your gallery not by the date of the associated log, but by the date uploaded. That means that if you go back and upload some pictures from a vacation last summer, they will be dated this year. It also means that if you never log your finds on the same day you find them, none of your pictures will have the correct dates.

 

I've found threads on this going back through 2004.

[+shunra]

Of course you won't see the fix until we push the code out next week.

 

-Raine

 

If 7 days be a week... the problem is still exactly the same:

 

(1) Open a Bookmark list

(2) Set page view to 50 items

(3) Check a few items, bulk delete, and confirm

(4) The page view is 20 again.

 

So far the bug, as defined as a functionality that is not functioning the way it should.

 

But beyond fixing the bug, there are some possible improvements, while you're at it:

 

- Change the default from 20 to 50

- Add an option 'All'

- Add a button "Delete Archived Caches from Bookmark"