[BUG] Message pane disappears with a backspace

[+thebruce0]

Just came across this very unfortunate bug with the message center.

Tested twice.  With focus on the message entry box, I hit tab, then I hit backspace - the entire message pane (except the list of users to the left) is completely removed from the web page's DOM.  Can't get it back. I lost a long reply because of a mistype.

The #cpMsgLog div is just completely empty. Nothing will bring back that content except for a hard refresh on the page.

 

Seems the backspace browser option (I'm using Firefox) to move a page back in the browser history is causing a regression in the message center to a state before the URL is updated to view a message thread. But the script to finish creating the DOM for entry isn't being run, leaving a big empty white canvas.

... yeah, just tried the same action with the Back button. Message frame content is completely lost.

 

Suggestion: Toggle an unfinished state when message text has been entered but not sent. Bind an beforeunload event to the window to confirm leaving the page before unsent message content is lost.

 

Just for simple example (assuming unsentmessage flag is set when text is entered):

$(window).bind('beforeunload', function(){
  if (!unsentmessage)
      return 'You have an unsent message, are you sure you want to leave this page?';
});
//or window.onbeforeunload = function...

(note at least Firefox seems to do its own confirmation text overriding the message text)

 

That should also capture in-window URL updates that change the DOM drastically like that

 

[+niraD]

This bug reminds me that I'm glad that I finally got my account configured correctly so I can reply to MC messages via email.

[+The A-Team]

1 hour ago, thebruce0 said:

Seems the backspace browser option (I'm using Firefox) to move a page back in the browser history is causing a regression in the message center to a state before the URL is updated to view a message thread. But the script to finish creating the DOM for entry isn't being run, leaving a big empty white canvas.

... yeah, just tried the same action with the Back button. Message frame content is completely lost.

 

Suggestion: Toggle an unfinished state when message text has been entered but not sent. Bind an beforeunload event to the window to confirm leaving the page before unsent message content is lost.

I'll have to do some testing, but I believe I've seen similar behaviour on the logging page. I think in some cases when you create a log from a Field note/Draft, the first thing it does is change the log type dropdown to the one in the Draft, which acts as a page navigation. If you later browse back (I sometimes accidentally hit the side button on my mouse), it goes back a step to where it changed the dropdown and clears the log content field. I open each Draft in a new tab, so ideally there shouldn't be any navigation history to go back to, but that doesn't always seem to be the case. At the very least, a beforeunload event as suggested above or something similar would be useful to avoid losing what you've typed.

[+The A-Team]

55 minutes ago, niraD said:

This bug reminds me that I'm glad that I finally got my account configured correctly so I can reply to MC messages via email.

^This

 

The only times I've gone to the MC on the website in the last year or so was to look at issues that were mentioned here in the forums.

[+IceColdUK]

1 hour ago, The A-Team said:

 

2 hours ago, niraD said:

This bug reminds me that I'm glad that I finally got my account configured correctly so I can reply to MC messages via email.

^This

 

The only times I've gone to the MC on the website in the last year or so was to look at issues that were mentioned here in the forums.

 

 

Bugs aside, why such a downer on the Message Centre?  I really like being able to find all my conversations with fellow cachers in one place.

 

We use a similar (though functionally richer) tool, Slack, at work.  So much easier than keeping track of conversations in emails.

[+IceColdUK]

3 minutes ago, IceColdUK said:

 

Bugs aside, why such a downer on the Message Centre?  I really like being able to find all my conversations with fellow cachers in one place.

 

We use a similar (though functionally richer) tool, Slack, at work.  So much easier than keeping track of conversations in emails.

 

Sorry, not really the best place for a discussion.  Message me... ;-)