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Release Notes (Website: Upcoming retirement of the old drafts pages) - February 1, 2022


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Release Notes (Website: Upcoming retirement of the old drafts pages) - February 1, 2022
 
As part of our continuing effort to reduce old duplicate pages on Geocaching.com, we will retire the old drafts pages, previously known as field notes, on February 15, 2022.

 

It will be replaced by the current drafts page that was introduced in June 2019. We have added additional bulk select & delete capabilities to create parity with old drafts. Previously, new drafts only offered the option to delete single or all drafts. Now, players can also select multiple drafts and delete just those selected. 

 

NewDrafts1.JPG.     NewDrafts2.JPG.     NewDrafts3.JPG

 

Some of the other advantages of the current drafts page include:

  • Upload drafts link at the top of the page
  • Date respects user settings
  • Mobile responsive page design
  • Preview your draft text
  • Sort oldest/newest first
  • Detailed timestamp visible on hover

 
In addition to providing notice of this upcoming change, we are soliciting feedback on how you would like drafts to be handled in the future on Geocaching.com.
 
For more background information about retirement of duplicate pages on Geocaching.com, please visit the Geocaching Blog.
 
Thank you!
 
Sven (Bl4ckH4wkGER) is watching this thread to answer questions whenever possible.
 
Any posts in this thread should relate to features in this release. Comments unrelated to the release may be removed. Please direct unrelated comments to other appropriate threads. Thanks!

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FYI, I have logs I'm in the middle of composing, and now suddenly I can't. The Compose Log link pushes me to the New Drafts page, which I opt out of, returning to the old field notes list. The new drafts page does not show any of my existing drafts. I can't compose my logs. Please fix this...

 

ETA: Figured out the workaround since the compose page is no longer respecting the Opt Out function: copy the Compose Log link, then paste in a new tab and manually add &override=true to the url.

This is awful.

Edited by thebruce0
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Additionally, points I included in the little 'feature requests' popup:

1. Ability to open compose log pages in separate distinct tabs/web links.

2. Standard html links to the GC listing, the Compose Log screen, and yes, even the Delete Log function.

 

My workflow with anywhere from 1 or a few to pages on pages:

1. Open Drafts page.

2. One by one open drafts in a separate tab to compose, then close the tab.

2b. Have the option to open the GC listing page in another tab to recall memories.

3. This way no need to keep reloading the drafts page, as I work down the list composing logs one by one until I'm done. Smooth. Quick. Simple. Less bandwidth. Less loading. User friendly. Desktop browser friendly.

 

I can't test the new Drafts page at the moment to see if anything has been added because my current drafts are not appearing so I can't compose any of them anyway... :(

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Update:

1. Looks like the new drafts page loads the drafts. Sometimes.

2. Compose log is a native link - good. Having the title link to its GC listing would be great as well, so as not requiring opening the compose page just to get to the cache listing link.

 

 

ETA:

Looks like the ONLY time the drafts all load on the new page is when the new Drafts page is not opted out and loads in a new tab that is not visible.  If I view the page while it loads, the list does not load; if I opt out and load then use the compose link, the list does not load; if I refresh the new drafts page, the list does not load. It only loads when it's opened in a new tab that's not the visible tab.

 

Edited by thebruce0
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Additional request: Can you re-add the icon for the log type with the text label for the log type?  The smiley face, the blue frowny, the notepad, etc. That's much more visually friendly than having to scan through the text labels to find the log you may be looking for by its type.

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While the "new drafts" worked for me quite well over the last months, they do not really work anymore.

 

My profile pic shows the number of drafts but the draft page remains empty. the "old drafts" page (which I never really used) shows my uploaded drafts.
Addendum: I can confirm @thebruce0's observation: The new drafts list only loads if opened in a new tab that is not the currently viewed tab.

 

5 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Update:

2. Compose log is a native link - good. Having the title link to its GC listing would be great as well, so as not requiring opening the compose page just to get to the cache listing link.

 

 

They had that before today's update. There was a little arrow next to the cache title indicating a direct link to the cache listing. I don't understand why they removed it.

I also second the addition of the log type! In my opinion, the cache type symbol is also rather large....

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8 hours ago, clappy said:

I also second the addition of the log type! In my opinion, the cache type symbol is also rather large....

 

Yeah, the page's primary subject matter is about cache logs. The primary data point for the summary list is the cache log, combined with the cache.

To me that means any visual/textual descriptor of the log type and date is as important, if not more, than any icons.

* Log Icon+Log type+Log date

* Cache icon+Cache name

All equally relevant to the list summary of logs; that's what I'd expect to see, and none really any more significantly prominent than any other.

Having an identifier icon and text visible in a UI is like designing buttons/icons keeping in mind colour blindness (distinct shape with distinct colour) -- When you've got text you have to deal with language localization; when you have a graphic icon it's universal.

Use the icon, why hide it? 

 

I'm not a fan of the enormous icon, but I'd rather see the log type icon be the big one, and have the cache type icon prefix the cache name.  The table-style of the old way works because it's not a combined 'paragraph' style display of all the data points. The grouping of data is clear via the columns. Not so in the new layout.

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@thebruce0 & @clappy

Can you give me some more details about the issues you were experiencing on new drafts?

Bruce seemed to be on old drafts before this rollout. Can you confirm that?

 

Clappy, were you on old drafts before? It sounds like you were on new drafts?

 

Could you both let me know how many drafts you have on your accounts and what browsers & browser version you are using?

New drafts utilizes lazy load, so while it is expected that not ALL drafts load on initial page load, the list should certainly not remain blank completely if you are opted into new drafts and have drafts to display.

 

So far I am unable to reproduce the load issue with freshly created drafts, always having used new drafts, on the latest version of Chrome. All loads as it should.

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14 minutes ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

Bruce seemed to be on old drafts before this rollout. Can you confirm that?

 

Yes, I opt out of the new. Compose Log forces me to new, and doesn't load the list unless the page is loaded in the background, not visible.

 

14 minutes ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

Could you both let me know how many drafts you have on your accounts and what browsers & browser version you are using?

 

I still have 8 left to compose. Latest Chrome, 97.0.4692.99 64b.

 

14 minutes ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

New drafts utilizes lazy load, so while it is expected that not ALL drafts load on initial page load, the list should certainly not remain blank completely if you are opted into new drafts.

 

Well it's blank unless it's loaded in a background tab.

.... aaand I just figured out why. One of the custom scripts enabled is causing the block. The very popular GClh extension.

 

I know you may consider the case closed because it's a 3rd party browser script extension, but many users in the community have it installed and faithfully use it for its added features to the website, so this page will be 'broken' for quite a few people. I'm sure the author will track it and issue a fix soon, but even though it's not your responsibility, if there's something you can do so that it doesn't kill the usability for so many users in the meantime, that would of course be great. 

Edited by thebruce0
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12 minutes ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

@2Abendsegler FYI regarding the issues @thebruce0 found with GClh and this new release.

Thanks, I've already seen that the drafts are sometimes displayed and sometimes not when the GClh is active. I just thought that @thebruce0 doesn't use the GClh. 🤭

 

If the GClh is active, an error will be generated: Uncaught TypeError: this.ui.inputMultiSelect[0] is undefined

 

I take care of it. Sorry for the inconvenience!

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Out of topic:

Temporary solution:
Please disable this GClh parameter.
The link will take you straight to the right place. However, it only works if the GClh is installed and activated.

 

[Edit] The link doesn't seem to work properly here. So here is the link again for copy and paste. I hope that works.
https://www.geocaching.com/my/#GClhShowConfig#a#settings_modify_new_drafts_page

Edited by 2Abendsegler
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@thebruce0

I wanted to make sure that the issues were not related to number of drafts, browser version, etc. Given that the issue with the external extension has been identified, I am less concerned about the display issues.

 

You are correct that many people are using it based on the hotjar survey responses so far.

 

Your other feature requests have been noted. I will address those in a more condensed fashion once we have had a couple more people chime in here.

@2Abendsegler

Thanks so much :)


@ all

 

So far the hotjar survey on the old page has been mostly used for anonymous rants and venting style comments. While frustration is human, the only thing that these accomplish is to fulfil the somewhat selfish need of making yourself feel better.

 

Comments such as "the new page sucks" don't provide any actionable feedback. It would be more helpful for us if you expressed more clearly what parts you would like to see changed.

While I cannot make any promises for any additional Design or Feature work as part of this retirement project, knowing specific about the pain points would always give us options for the next slice of work.

 

Please see @thebruce0's comments for examples of what actionable feedback should look like - describing the issue, giving context, proposing something that would suit your needs better.


Thank you for your consideration.

 

 

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@Bl4ckH4wkGER

I tried it yesterday with just one, then 3 drafts. GClh was active, I did not think about that. I used the new draft page for months, never really used the (very) old one. I just went back there to see if the drafts/field notes appeared there. Win 10, Opera 83.0.4254.27.

I just did another try, this time with GClh completely disabled. Now it worked fine. Might probably have been the AddOn. With the parameter disabled it works with activated AddOn.

As much as I'd prefer the Log Type Icon in front, maybe a quick and dirty solution would having it appear as an AddOn to the Cache Type similar to:image.png.778a03263268471b5fc9decb6a57fb76.png

 

Apart from all this I would like to stress the need for constructive feedback, simple venting or ranting does not help anyone. ;) Speaking from experience with these crowds... :) 

 

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4 hours ago, Marty 1905 said:

Hello to everybody Uploading drafts from a mobile app has stopped working for me. Research has shown that this is only my profile. Can anyone advise me please?

 

This release did not change anything about how drafts are uploaded from HQ's mobile apps or API partner apps. If you are using any unauthorized applications that we don't support, like one that start with "c:",  then that may be a different story of course. In that case you should contact their support teams.

 

If you are having issues with the the HQ mobile apps, I recommend you reach out to Geocaching HQ via the the Help Center and or use the appropriate forum section for your operating system here: https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/forum/172-bug-reports-and-feature-discussions/
 

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3 hours ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

This release did not change anything about how drafts are uploaded from HQ's mobile apps or API partner apps. If you are using any unauthorized applications that we don't support, like one that start with "c:",  then that may be a different story of course. In that case you should contact their support teams.

 

If you are having issues with the the HQ mobile apps, I recommend you reach out to Geocaching HQ via the the Help Center and or use the appropriate forum section for your operating system here: https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/forum/172-bug-reports-and-feature-discussions/

I guess I have the core of the problem. If you upload a draft kese from an app. It is saved in drafts and is visible. If you delete a draft on the web and try to upload it to the web again, it will no longer appear in the drafts. I just don't know if the application or the gc website is to blame.

 

You can look at it?

 

In the old version, it was possible to upload the same draft again after deleting it. If he was from a cache that has already been logged, he pointed it out with the message "The cache is already logged in"

Edited by Marty 1905
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@Marty 1905 I am still unclear on what application you are using as non of the official apps utilize a formal upload of a file.

All apps using the Geocaching API have synced drafts between the web and the respective app:

  • You create a draft on an app and it is automatically synced to the website.
  • If you delete the draft in on the web, it will automatically be deleted on the app and vice versa (deletion on the app triggers deletion on web).

You can always create a new draft for a cache where you previously deleted the draft.

 

If you are speaking about uploading via a txt.file, the new page has the date filter that you could select and deselect as the old page set as a default. So if a draft was previously uploaded, it won't be uploaded again, as it is not a new draft. You can again create a new draft on whatever device for the caches you are missing to create "new data".

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I wanted to take the opportunity to answer some of the Hotjar feedback. Please see some FAQs below:

 

There are no drafts showing on the new page for me at all even though I know there should be some.

 

If you are using the common community created web extension GC Little Helper, please make sure you disable it and or update it to the latest version. There were issues with this web extension shortly after release. Please see the comments from the developer behind the web extension above.

 

Why did you remove the log date information?

 

The log date is still visible on new drafts. Instead of an own column, it is now included in each “tile” next to the text indicating the log type. While old drafts only offered the date, new drafts also offer access to the exact time when hovering your mouse cursor over the date. Old drafts only showed the English date format, while new drafts support the date preference set by the player.

 

Why did you remove the separate links for Compose Log and the Cache Details Page?

 

New drafts use a slightly different structure. Each “tile” corresponds to the old “Compose Log” link. You can still open each log in a new tab via right click + selecting the appropriate browser dialogue or CTRL+left click.

 

When you click on a tile, the new logging flow opens and you can access the Cache Details Page via the link above the text input field.You can also open the Cache Details Page in a new tab like described above.

 

Why does the new upload function not offer the option to exclude logs before a certain date?

 

While it is not spelled out on the page anymore, this is now actually the default functionality and can no longer be disabled like on old Drafts.

 

After you upload your drafts on the new page for the first time, the page will keep setting reference points and will only check for new drafts going forward.

 

I can no longer upload my drafts, I keep getting a “cannot upload more than 1000 drafts” error.

 

New drafts introduced a limitation of allowing 1000 new drafts per upload to address performance issues of the old page. The page can still handle more than 1000 drafts overall.

 

If you have not used the new drafts page before and have never cleaned up your geocache_visits.txt file on your GPS, the page may think that you have a lot more new drafts than you really do. Please clean up your geocache_visits.txt to only include actual new drafts. This will likely drop it under the 1000 total entries. Then try uploading them again. This procedure should not be necessary going forward.

 

If you do indeed have more than 1000 new drafts, you can upload them in badges of up to 1000 drafts by editing the file you are uploading.

 

Why does it not show me the oldest drafts first?

 

Right above the first draft tile is a drop down selector that allows you to sort your drafts either by “newest first” or “oldest first”. This selection defaults to “newest first”. Once you switch it to “oldest first”, this setting will be sticky.

 

It seems that not all my drafts load right away.

 

New drafts utilizes lazy load so this is expected behavior. It will load more and more drafts as you scroll down the page.

 

Please add the option to bulk select and delete drafts.

 

We actually did :) Please read the release notes and try said functionality on the new page.

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The old drafts page:

  • takes up much less space,
  • is clear - dnf / found icon,
  • shows me all my drafts instantly
  • doesn't show my the beginning of the text of the draft (that's a small flaw)

The new page on the other hand:

  • Takes up much more space - white, blank space. Maybe it makes sense for tablet users, but for regular PC use?
  • Is not clear about the type of logs - the text is barely visible. Counting all your dnf's or finds if you want specific numbers is harder.
  • "New drafts utilizes lazy load so this is expected behavior. It will load more and more drafts as you scroll down the page. "

    No, no no! I so don't like that. Scrolling makes counting your drafts, finds, or finds from specific trips much harder and longer. Why would we make our lives harder? Or am I the only one who feels that way?

 

My ideas:

1. Make possible to load all drafts instantly, like the old page does. Maybe it can be a function to turn on, so by default people could be using the lazy load?

2. Make possible to collapse the view, so the height of each drafts is smaller. I think in a way this idea is connected to the previous one.

3. Maybe introduce some kind of summary, like the mentioned, nice, GClh extension was doing in the old view!

 

I so understand how hard it has to be to work on this old code of the website, but functionality should always be more important than appearance. There is room for improvement.

Thank you for reading this.

 

 

 

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Personally, I would like to ask to keep the original settings where the player can determine from himself when he wants to upload concepts. This is important for players who log caches from different events and days. Not always in the order they followed. Thank you very much for complying with the request.

 

Why does the new upload function not offer the option to exclude logs before a certain date?

 

While it is not spelled out on the page anymore, this is now actually the default functionality and can no longer be disabled like on old Drafts.

 

After you upload your drafts on the new page for the first time, the page will keep setting reference points and will only check for new drafts going forward.

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What I really miss on the new drafts page is a way to open the individual cache listings directly from there.

On the old field notes page I always used to middle-click the cache names to open all the listings in new tabs - I find this useful for sorting my notes and photos, especially after longer caching trips. With the new page, this has become rather cumbersome.

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21 hours ago, sernikk said:

Maybe it makes sense for tablet users, but for regular PC use?

 

This has been a very common design "update" to every section of the geocaching website over recent years. It's troublesome, as it favours mobile users' experience over desktop+mouse, and the very same point (whitespace whitespace whitespace whitespace!) is criticized ad nauseum with each significant web update.  At this point, it's unlikely that's going change. Occasionally, there have been minor updates to whitespace use, but, dare I say, it's possible that their own stats tracking is showing that the majority of their website users are on touch-based devices.  That still isn't to me a reason to leave desktop browser users behind, but that could be what's informing that UX design decision.

 

10 hours ago, f1nn said:

On the old field notes page I always used to middle-click the cache names to open all the listings in new tabs

 

Likewise. But it seems they've relegated that function to behind the loading of the compose page. It's an annoyance that you have to load the compose page in order to load the cache page, but it's not really a deal breaker at least for me. But I'll stress annoyance again... easily rectified by providing a cache link on the drafts page (and what good reason is there for not doing so?) :huh:

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I just realized there is one more thing that I'd like to be implemented in the new version.

 

Make drafts editable

So I can go into a draft, start writing my log, but then cancel and save the draft. Just like I would do in the official geocaching app. That would be a great feature. Currently I'm using OneNote for writing up my log (part by part), before pasting into the drafts and submitting.

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On 2/5/2022 at 5:10 AM, sernikk said:
  • Takes up much more space - white, blank space. Maybe it makes sense for tablet users, but for regular PC use?
5 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

the very same point (whitespace whitespace whitespace whitespace!)

 

I just added a feature request related to this:

 

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10 hours ago, sernikk said:

Make drafts editable

So I can go into a draft, start writing my log, but then cancel and save the draft. Just like I would do in the official geocaching app. That would be a great feature. Currently I'm using OneNote for writing up my log (part by part), before pasting into the drafts and submitting.

 

I believe the only place you can do this currently with uploaded drafts is in the official geocaching app. You can edit them there; just not on the website. So yeah, the ability to edit on the website would be wonderful.

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31 minutes ago, Double_Helix said:

The new drafts interface is not working on iOS (iPhone or iPad). When I click “upload drafts” it attempts to save them as a file on my phone rather than uploading them as logs (as I assume it was supposed to do). 


How are you getting the geocache_visits.txt file onto your iphone?  Has it worked previously?  The behavior you mentioned is definitely odd.

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve bothered placing that file on my phone (it was kind of a chore).  But when I did, it used to work.  Is it still a TXT file after you place it on the phone? The one TXT file I have available to upload is shown (in “Recents” on the iPhone) when I try to “Upload Drafts”, but it’s not the drafts file, so I didn’t try it.

 

Edited by kunarion
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On 2/1/2022 at 3:24 PM, Geocaching HQ said:
  • Detailed timestamp visible on hover

 

I've been using the new drafts page for quite some time, so I've largely gotten used to it and don't have any major complaints (other than having a graphical representation of the log type, which would indeed be a big improvement). However, the above quoted item is one that I've never understood.

 

I take lots of photos, and I always try to upload them to the closest cache. One of the easiest ways to match things up is to compare timestamps between my photos and the logs. When the new drafts page was rolled out years ago, a design decision was made to intentionally hide the timestamps, and I don't understand why. What's gained by doing so? It only hides 5 characters of text, so it can't be for decluttering. If you're going to have the timestamp there, why not just make it visible all the time? It would be far more useful if it was, because then a user could easily glance down the list without having to hover.

 

Or am I just missing something, because a UX designer at HQ must have had some good reason for hiding the timestamp?

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On 2/4/2022 at 6:20 PM, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

Why does the new upload function not offer the option to exclude logs before a certain date?

 

While it is not spelled out on the page anymore, this is now actually the default functionality and can no longer be disabled like on old Drafts.

 

After you upload your drafts on the new page for the first time, the page will keep setting reference points and will only check for new drafts going forward.

das ist leider völlig unbrauchbar!!!!!

ich habe leider meine hochgeladen drafts gelöscht und kann sie somit kein zweites mal hochladen.

auch habe ich eine datei aus meinem smartphone, und eine datei aus meinem garmin.
beide dateien haben unterschiedliche gefundene geocaches und überschneiden sich im datum.
Wie bitte, kann ich diese nun hochladen?
das habe ich, bis dato, inn der alten maske gemacht, indem ich die es erlaubt habe, auch ältere drafts hochzuaden!

 

this is unfortunately completely unusable!!!!!

i have unfortunately deleted my uploaded drafts and thus cannot upload them a second time.

also I have a file from my smartphone, and a file from my garmin.
both files have different found geocaches and overlap in date.
How please, can I upload them now?
I have done so far, in the old mask, by allowing it to upload even older drafts!

Screenshot 2022-02-07 061556.png

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I want to reiterate the very strong desire, if not need, for a visual representation of the log type. Looking at my list now with a mix of finds, dnfs, and notes - it's just not friendly at all to have to look and read the text to find the dnfs, or count the finds, especially if also trying to count logs on specific dates (let alone see time).

This is one of the major problems with paragraph-style organization of numerous structured data points (I've had to deal with this style in web-apps I've developed as well).  A table is extremely friendly for quick glances and mentally organizing your data. This format is, relatively speaking, exhausting to 'make sense' of so much data. 

 

Some suggestions I may make are to add the log type icon to the cache type icon, then make that first line above the cache title date first: YYYY-MM-DD HH:NN (Log type).  At the least. Log type being last is because the type icon is much more visually helpful than putting that text first, on a line where the date/time is more relevant for ordering.

And honestly, seeing the first half-sentence of the log text may be useful a fraction of the time I'm attempting to sort through the logs, because log type, date and time and far more important in that regards.

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On 2/3/2022 at 5:56 PM, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

This release did not change anything about how drafts are uploaded from HQ's mobile apps or API partner apps.

 

Sorry, but this is simply not true, at least with regard to the official "Upload drafts" function offered on gc.com's (old and new) drafts page - of course assuming, this *is* still the official way to upload drafts from e. g. your Garmin device.  Is it?

 

If so, current major problems:

 

1. space lines are stripped, making it impossible tp pre-format your fieldnotes
     Regarding this, I ask myself about your motives, cause you disagree with yourself.

     So, do you want to motivate users to write "helpful" logs or "great stories" (which of course have to keep their paragraphs to preserve readability)

     or do you just want to hinder them, to write more than just "TFTC"?

 

2. once you have deleted a draft (no matter if intentionally or by accident), there is no way to get it uploaded again, at least not with the same date or type.

     What should this be good for?  Apart from the fact that gc.com needs additional server and db capacity and performance, to maintain
     a completely superfluous drafts history, why shouldn't there be a possibility to have multiple draft versions - esp. as you don't allow to edit drafts?!

     And what if a draft has been deleted by accident ...? Do you want to force the users to fake the date?!  In fact encourage users to cheat?
     Do you really want this ...?  I doubt it.

 

And with regard to the drafts resp. logging page's layout:  Being forced to use a mobile design on a desktop computer with a wide screen is maximum crap.

Why do you not simply use the info provided by the browser and the device?  Or at least define the size of edit windows or lists in percent instead of forcing them to a fixed width?

BTW: If gc.com's web developer are not capable of doing so, I would be really happy to be of any service ...

 

Quote

If you are using any unauthorized applications that we don't support, like one that start with "c:",  then that may be a different story of course. In that case you should contact their support teams.

 

Please let's concentrate on gc.com stuff - in fact we're not talking about API or not API, but about the basic functionality of uploading drafts by using the official "Upload drafts" function, which has been massively corrupted by gc.com's web developer pros. So please let's see how these changes can be reverted to a usable state again.

Edited by Magpie42
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@Magpie42

 

The "Upload drafts" function has nothing to to with how the Geocaching App and the API partner apps handle draft uploads.

 

The player I was trying to help mentioned using an app multiple times. It only later turned out that he was talking about the upload function.

 

So you are taking my comments out of context.

 

I also don't see how somebody creating a new "duplicate" draft is cheating given that they can easily adjusting the date to the actual date they found the cache when logging the cache.

 

That said, the upload issues have been documented.

 

P.S Ich würde dich stark bitten deinen Tonfall zu überarbeiten. Egal wie frustriert du offensichtlich bist, helfen Anfeindungen und Beleidigungen keinem weiter und verstoßen gegen die Foren-Netiquette. 

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I have been resisting the new drafts page as I didn't like it. It's only in the last couple of days that I've been able to distill why.

 

The old page has an easy to use and functional layout. I think what I like best about it is the columns that act independently.The listing column gives the cache name and a visual of the status (active, disabled, archived which I find easier than looking for text on a page full of text). The log type was very useful to me because of the icon. After a long day of caching, it's nice to upload my field notes (I can't shake that phrase) and scan through to log any DNFs first then scanning for notes that may need to be logged or more info gathered. I also find it very clean in its single line format. You can fit much more on a page and not have to scroll as much.

 

One other item that troubles me has been discussed already but being able to upload drafts from two devices was easy before. Now, with the 'only newer than' functionality, I won't be able to do that. Also on occasion, I find mistakes in my drafts (count numbers which require each one to be updated) so go back to the source file and upload them again. Again, that will be harder and make for more end user workarounds.

 

Now, for the positives, seeing a preview of the draft is not important to me but it is a nice add. It's also nice to have the 'upload draft' link at the top of the page.

 

Thanks.

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I have just received an email message and would like to bring this closer to you here in the forum:
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Hello DdA_Design-

In your specific case, you need to create new drafts for the necessary caches, most likely with the current date, upload those, and then fix the date when you actually log them.

Alternatively, you can use the Geocaching® app to create the drafts - these sync automatically.

We're sorry about the inconvenience and we thank you for your patience. If I can help out in any other way, let me know.

Best regards,

Eric
Community Coordinator

if I have to change the date before uploading in the file and again when logging is not a solution.
and how should I use a geocaching app with the garmin?
by the way, i also find it cheeky of you not to address the problem,
but to "guide" us as users to the geocaching app.
apart from that, the geocaching app, in my opinion, is only out for profit.
You make a lot of money with it, but it is useless for caching.
but that is another topic and should not be discussed here.

you have an old system that works.
you create a new mask, which does not offer important functions.
you simply turn off the old system and i as a user have to bend to play my game.
I have to make an unnecessary extra effort so that I can log a geocache as found on the right date?
you can't be serious!?

why is it so hard to keep the old mask?
why is it not possible to include the date function in the new mask?
it is not always the case that you only have newer dates when uploading. that is a FACT.
there you have nevertheless clearly a thinking error, which you do not want to admit to us as users.

i hope that there will be a reasonable solution in the near future.

cu andreas
 
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On 2/8/2022 at 1:30 PM, Magpie42 said:

2. once you have deleted a draft (no matter if intentionally or by accident), there is no way to get it uploaded again, at least not with the same date or type.

     What should this be good for?  Apart from the fact that gc.com needs additional server and db capacity and performance, to maintain
     a completely superfluous drafts history, why shouldn't there be a possibility to have multiple draft versions - esp. as you don't allow to edit drafts?!

     And what if a draft has been deleted by accident ...? Do you want to force the users to fake the date?!  In fact encourage users to cheat?
     Do you really want this ...?  I doubt it.

 

And with regard to the drafts resp. logging page's layout:  Being forced to use a mobile design on a desktop computer with a wide screen is maximum crap.

Why do you not simply use the info provided by the browser and the device?  Or at least define the size of edit windows or lists in percent instead of forcing them to a fixed width?

BTW: If gc.com's web developer are not capable of doing so, I would be really happy to be of any service ...

Colleague you speak to me from the bottom of my heart;)

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On 2/8/2022 at 10:12 PM, Lineflyer said:

I would like to add here, that I deem this "automatic ignoring" of older field notes as problematic:

 

I just used the new drafts page to upload to field note files I still have to log.

Unfortunately I firstly uploaded the newer file with finds from November 2021. Now when trying to upload my finds from October 2021 the file is uploaded but responded with "Could not find new drafts to upload.".

 

Is this the effect other users reported here, or is there only a problem in my file?
If this is "intended behavior" its a bug form my perspective. Just uploading the files in different sequence should not block older drafts. Please instead re-introduce the "only newer" option.

Colleague this is now a normal function. You're right, it's wrong. I've been fighting for a change to the original state here for a week;)

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is there actually an internal forwarding to our concerns and questions?

that would be nice to know?

I feel a little disregarded

I feel a little ignored

I feel a little unappreciated 

feel a little unnoticed

 

gibt es eigentlich eine interen weitergabe auf unsere anliegen und fragen?

das wäre schön, wenn man es erfahren würde?

ich stehe nicht gerne im regen.

Edited by DdA_Design
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