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PQ problems again

Team Poachers

By Team Poachers
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Team Poachers

+Team Poachers

Posted
Posted

4 out of my 5 PQ's scheduled for today "ran" at 12:00AM and never arrived. I know from other threads that that means there was a "problem" with the PQ and it was not generated. These are all PQ's that have run for a long time.

Now not only do I not get my PQ, but I have to wait a week until I can run them again.

There should be a process, possibly automated where the PQ generator sees that there is a problem and does not count the failed PQ against the daily total.

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Moun10Bike

Moun10Bike

Posted
Posted

I took a look at your PQ settings and I can see why they are generating errors. You have them set up to return all caches within 500 miles of your center points, which are in relatively cache-dense areas. This is going to force the database to return huge numbers of caches(and quickly reach the maximum number of 500 caches in a query). Because the pull on the DB is so large, the query times out and throws an error.

 

Try paring down your search radius to a reasonable area, adjusting the radius until you are just below the 500 cache limit in the returned results. You will then see many fewer errors.

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larryc43230

+larryc43230

Posted
Posted (edited)

I took a look at your PQ settings and I can see why they are generating errors. You have them set up to return all caches within 500 miles of your center points, which are in relatively cache-dense areas. This is going to force the database to return huge numbers of caches(and quickly reach the maximum number of 500 caches in a query). Because the pull on the DB is so large, the query times out and throws an error.

 

Try paring down your search radius to a reasonable area, adjusting the radius until you are just below the 500 cache limit in the returned results. You will then see many fewer errors.

This, honestly, is one thing that's really bugged me about the way the GC site is run, and I think I can finally pin it down after this response from Moun10Bike.

 

The vast majority of geocachers never visit these forums. They rely on the information available on the main GC Web site. The average user doesn't know, and really shouldn't have to care, about the internals of how the software does its thing and generates the results the cacher is looking for.

 

In this case, the Web site user is expected to somehow just know that setting the search radius in a pocket query to an undefined large value is likely to put undue strain on the system, cause the query to time out, and then simply not give the user the result they needed, without any feedback whatsoever as to why they never got anything in return. The way it is now, the feedback consists of exactly nothing happening. The user gets neither their cache information nor any feedback at all as to why. The response is simply, "Sorry. Nope. Want to try again? Not saying it will work this time, but feel free to put more strain on the system and try something else at random."

 

It strikes me that this is very poor interface. If a user can enter a value that causes a query to break, the proper response is to either prevent that value or combination of values from being submitted in the first place, or at least to provide adequate and helpful feedback when the query fails. Feedback like "Sorry, but your query timed out. Here are possible things to look for to get the query to run...." Or, if it's appropriate, "Oops... Something seems to be broken. We'll get back to you."

 

Right now, users are working mostly in the dark, and they're forced to guess as to what might be wrong. Did I do something wrong, so that changing one or more values will get me the results I want, or is the pocket query engine acting up again and I just need to be patient?

 

I really think the site needs to give better feedback when there are problems. Feedback that doesn't require a visit to the message boards and a plea for assistance.

 

Just food for thought....

 

--Larry

 

Edited for grammar.

Edited by larryc43230
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larryc43230

+larryc43230

Posted
Posted

I completely agree, Larry. We are at work overhauling the system and some of the changes will involve user interface improvements in addition to all of the back-end reworking.

That's excellent news. We'll all look forward to the improvements down the line.

 

--Larry

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Bosn Ski

+Bosn Ski

Posted
Posted

I have been having a PQ problem also. I posted this about my issue: click here

The PQ in question is one of four PQ's that I have scheduled for unfound caches. It has been the same PQ that is A: Not being delivered B: Not Running with the others

 

My unfound PQs are only out to 30 miles. I have ran these PQ's for a few months now. I have made adjustments to the date parameters, but that was 'awhile ago'.

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Bosn Ski

+Bosn Ski

Posted
Posted
I have been having a PQ problem also. I posted this about my issue: click here

 

According to our system your PQs are successfully generating and being sent. I would look to make sure that they are not getting marked as spam or otherwise undeliverable by your email server.

The spam folder was the second place I looked...even though the other 4 made it through.

 

Thanks for the reply!

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Huntcliff

+Huntcliff

Posted
Posted

5 of mine ran today (as they have been every Wednesday for months), but only 4 got emailed to me. It wasn't flagged as SPAM.

 

I use GMAIL.

 

This wasn't a request that could generate a huge amont of results - just difficulty 2 caches within 45 miles of my home coordinates.

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beejay&esskay

+beejay&esskay

Posted
Posted

I was surprised today to see that one (and only one) PQ I ran was put in Gmail's Spam folder.

 

First time that has ever happened to me. Don't know why only one would go to spam. (Because they arrived so close together?) Reported it as "not spam"...maybe it never happens again.

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webscouter.

+webscouter.

Posted
Posted

What is the typical wait time for PQ that has 250 caches along a route? I keep hitting submit, and I get my preview fine, but I see "never" for "Last Generated" in my PQ list? Am I being impatient or should I just keep hitting "submit" until it "takes"?

 

Have you selected a day for it to run? You can create the PQ and not select a day and it won't run.

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contact dermatitis

+contact dermatitis

Posted
Posted

Route PQ's process more slowly than normal PQ's because of the extra math involved. They are still running this morning, but you'll see it soon enough.

 

-Raine

 

Thanks for the quick help!

Do I need to keep submitting it, or does it automatically generate (after a time) and the boldface "Last Generated" shows up when I refresh my PQ list? Dumb question borne of antsiness.

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