BUG - Cache notes disappear

[+And Sister]

For the past several months, maybe a year, I've been trying to use cache notes on a regular basis to make notes on my finds as well as on any thoughts I might have when solving puzzle caches or progress made on multis. I want these notes so that I can more effectively help when someone asks me about a cache I've found. But I keep discovering that my cache notes have disappeared. It's quite frustrating. I am using Firefox (currently 17, and almost always the most current version, as I am on the update channel) and Windows Vista. I have had this happen on multiple occasions on multiple caches, and as far as I can tell, I'm not doing anything to cause it. I simply come back to a cache page days, weeks, or months later and discover that my note is no longer there.

[+L0ne.R]

For the past several months, maybe a year, I've been trying to use cache notes on a regular basis to make notes on my finds as well as on any thoughts I might have when solving puzzle caches or progress made on multis. I want these notes so that I can more effectively help when someone asks me about a cache I've found. But I keep discovering that my cache notes have disappeared. It's quite frustrating. I am using Firefox (currently 17, and almost always the most current version, as I am on the update channel) and Windows Vista. I have had this happen on multiple occasions on multiple caches, and as far as I can tell, I'm not doing anything to cause it. I simply come back to a cache page days, weeks, or months later and discover that my note is no longer there.

 

Gee I hope not. My cache notes are more important then my logs because I add spoiler detail in them to help me remember the experience. So far I haven't noticed any specific loss.

[+dprovan]

Are you talking about the Personal Cache Notes? I use them all the time and have never lost one.

[+And Sister]

Are you talking about the Personal Cache Notes? I use them all the time and have never lost one.

 

Yes, I'm talking about the Personal Cache Notes. I wish I could say I'd never lost one! But I've lost many.

[+dprovan]

Odd. I assume you're sure they were actually saved. They can be set through the API, so maybe some utility you're using is mistakenly clearing them.

[+L0ne.R]

Are you using an app?

[Moun10Bike]

I see 252 cache notes owned by your account in the database. Are you certain that you are logged in when you are trying to view them?

[+And Sister]

I see 252 cache notes owned by your account in the database. Are you certain that you are logged in when you are trying to view them?

 

To answer an earlier question, I am not using an app. Regrettably and unfortunately, the Android geocaching app doesn't allow us to write personal cache notes. To answer this question, yes, I am logged in when I try to read them.

 

Examples: On occasion, I have written cache notes while actively solving a puzzle cache. I enter north coordinates and then go back to solve the west coordinates. There are times when I discover the north coordinates are gone when I scroll back or switch tabs to enter the west coordinates minutes later. Somehow, although I would swear I'd clicked on Save, the note didn't save. That's frustrating enough, but usually quickly fixed. I just go back and add the information, make certain to save the note, and usually reload the page to verify that the cache note in its entirety is there. More often, I log a cache and add a personal cache note at the same time, only to discover days, weeks, or months later when I return to the cache page that the note isn't there anymore. I do it the same way each time: I write the note and I click on save. It's not rocket science. That should do it. And it appears to have done so when I check the page. So what can explain why some of them aren't there at later checks? I'll grant that there may be caches that I only thought I put a note on when I may actually not have, but in several recent instances, I am virtually certain that I did, since it's been a focus to do so.

[Moun10Bike]

Without more details we can only speculate. Can you identify a cache on which you placed a note that is now missing?

[+And Sister]

Without more details we can only speculate. Can you identify a cache on which you placed a note that is now missing?

 

I will try, though probably not tonight. In some cases, I restored the note to the best of my recollection, so there will be a (new) note now. (At least, I hope there will be when I go back to check!)

[+And Sister]

Without more details we can only speculate. Can you identify a cache on which you placed a note that is now missing?

 

I can't be sure about this, but there may have been one on this cache: http://coord.info/GC28CK3. I have cache notes on most of the other caches I found on this day, but not for this one, and I suspect I'd have written one.

[+dprovan]

Any chance you had the page open twice? Saved the note on one, but then go to edit it on a second copy? When I work on puzzles, I often find myself with the cache's description opened multiple times at once, so I run into that all the time. Try refreshing the page next time to see if the note you saved magically appears. (If you don't refresh the 2nd page in that case and instead add a second note, the second note will overwrite the first one.)

[+And Sister]

Any chance you had the page open twice? Saved the note on one, but then go to edit it on a second copy? When I work on puzzles, I often find myself with the cache's description opened multiple times at once, so I run into that all the time. Try refreshing the page next time to see if the note you saved magically appears. (If you don't refresh the 2nd page in that case and instead add a second note, the second note will overwrite the first one.)

 

Actually, I am fairly certain that this is exactly what happened on at least a few occasions, before I caught on to the problem of having the cache page open on multiple tabs. Since then, I've tried to be very aware of having just one instance of the page open when I save a note, and I also verify that the note has indeed saved before I leave the site. So that shouldn't be a factor any longer. Despite those efforts, I believe some recent cache notes have continued to disappear. My caching slows down with the change in the weather, so I am not logging many finds lately. But I will keep checking cache notes I've made on the finds I do log to see if the problem continues to occur. If it does, I will update this query. Thank you (all of you) for your efforts to help me sort out this problem.

Edited December 20, 2012 by And Sister

[+And Sister]

 

Actually, I am fairly certain that this is exactly what happened on at least a few occasions, before I caught on to the problem of having the cache page open on multiple tabs. Since then, I've tried to be very aware of having just one instance of the page open when I save a note, and I also verify that the note has indeed saved before I leave the site. So that shouldn't be a factor any longer. Despite those efforts, I believe some recent cache notes have continued to disappear. My caching slows down with the change in the weather, so I am not logging many finds lately. But I will keep checking cache notes I've made on the finds I do log to see if the problem continues to occur. If it does, I will update this query. Thank you (all of you) for your efforts to help me sort out this problem.

 

I'm pretty sure I had cache notes on these (among others): http://coord.info/GC2R5F7, http://coord.info/GC19GVX, http://coord.info/GC26PN1. They are not puzzle caches and would not fall under the issue noted above. This one: http://coord.info/GC382FD is a puzzle cache, but I could swear I went back to add a cache note not so long ago and verified it was there before leaving the site.