Cache Page Background Image Vanished

[+kunarion]

On my cache pages, there's now an error instead of a background image.  Do cache files expire? 

Or if it was originally uploaded to a cache page that has now been archived, do the files then expire?

[EDIT: This only occurred on a handful of my cache pages that all used the same image as a background tile.]

 

Your current background image URL is invalid: http://img.geocaching.com/user/21ca6899-ba86-4ba8-a4a1-68bcc8cfbd95.jpg

Please upload a new image.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by kunarion

[+Viajero Perdido]

I just checked two hides of mine: a recent one (image uploaded via new quirky path), and an old one (image via URL, grandfathered technique).  Both BG images worked as expected.

 

But I couldn't manually load that image URL you posted.

 

Monday is weird day.

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, Viajero Perdido said:

I just checked two hides of mine: a recent one (image uploaded via new quirky path), and an old one (image via URL, grandfathered technique).  Both BG images worked as expected.

 

But I couldn't manually load that image URL you posted.

 

Monday is weird day.

They aren’t too tough to rebuild, they were mainly solid colors.  I’ve placed new backgrounds in more than half of them already.  Individual uploads, in case my theory is correct.  All my recent backgrounds are still there.  These don’t usually show up in phone browsers anyway.  But it was a surprise.

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by kunarion

[+MtnGoat50]

7 hours ago, kunarion said:

Your current background image URL is invalid: http://img.geocaching.com/user/21ca6899-ba86-4ba8-a4a1-68bcc8cfbd95.jpg

Please upload a new image.

Could the image have been the background image on your (or someone's) profile? That's what the URL suggests. Your current background image is https://img.geocaching.com/user/febf2e4a-2dff-41ab-80a4-88c75f7ce38e.jpg  for example.

If the image was uploaded to a log or cache page it would have a different URL.  I haven't tested recently but as far as log and cache page,images go, if you have the URL, they are still viewable after being deleted but that may not be true of user background images. 

[+kunarion]

On 1/2/2023 at 8:44 PM, MtnGoat50 said:

Could the image have been the background image on your (or someone's) profile? That's what the URL suggests. Your current background image is https://img.geocaching.com/user/febf2e4a-2dff-41ab-80a4-88c75f7ce38e.jpg  for example.

If the image was uploaded to a log or cache page it would have a different URL.  I haven't tested recently but as far as log and cache page,images go, if you have the URL, they are still viewable after being deleted but that may not be true of user background images. 

It wasn’t a profile banner, those are widescreen and a somewhat large file.  The one that vanished was a small greenish square (just to add a leetle extra frame style to some of my cache pages), and uploaded directly into the original cache page using the “background image” link, or maybe to a cache page gallery.  However, most pages used that same image URL, rather that being uploaded again to each page.

 

It is simple to restore, I was just wondering where it went.  And especially, why.  So I may prevent it from happening next time.  More recent fancy themed borders remain, and my repaired cache pages are now showing the backgrounds just fine, no error.

 

If it remains a mystery, I’ll check my most recent archived caches, to look for clues.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by kunarion

[+MtnGoat50]

On 1/2/2023 at 6:29 PM, kunarion said:

It is simple to restore, I was just wondering where it went.  And especially, why.  So I may prevent it from happening next time

I understand. I'm curious about what happened too. I was just pointing out that the URL may tell you something about the image and where it was originally posted.

For example: 

The URL for an image posted with a log will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a cache page will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/cache/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a trackable log will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/track/log/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a trackable page will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/track/display/...

The URL for the background image on one's profile looks like this: https://img.geocaching.com/user/...   There may be other places with the /user/ designation in the URL but I haven't found one. So that's why I was curious about the URL you posted. 

Finally all these URLs will automatically redirect to https://s3.amazonaws.com/...

 

 

 

[Keystone]

Didn't it used to be a thing that you could just upload images to your profile page, independent of any cache, trackable, etc.?  Such images, left over from when that functionality existed, would have a /user/ component in the image URL.

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, MtnGoat50 said:

I understand. I'm curious about what happened too. I was just pointing out that the URL may tell you something about the image and where it was originally posted.

For example: 

The URL for an image posted with a log will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a cache page will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/cache/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a trackable log will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/track/log/large/...

The URL for an image uploaded to a trackable page will look like this: https://img.geocaching.com/track/display/...

The URL for the background image on one's profile looks like this: https://img.geocaching.com/user/...   There may be other places with the /user/ designation in the URL but I haven't found one. So that's why I was curious about the URL you posted. 

Finally all these URLs will automatically redirect to https://s3.amazonaws.com/...

 

 

 

 

I either uploaded the file directly into the "background" while editing a cache page, or uploaded it as a cache page "gallery" image.  I then used its URL for the background image in a handful of other cache pages.  I just now checked one of my old archived caches where I uploaded a unique background image to the gallery and used its URL as the background, and that one is fine.  The first cache I ever placed (long archived) even has its plain brown background tiles intact.  Neither seem to fit the URL Formats you listed, but maybe I'm not looking at the correct part of the source code.  I cannot edit my archived cache pages to see what exactly I set as the background image.  For example, if it was uploaded directly as a background, or if it was a URL I typed.

 

If in fact the evidence says that I uploaded the file into my Profile (or used another user's Profile image) and then typed its URL into all those cache pages as the background image, that only deepens the mystery.  Because there's no way I did it that way.  And it's just a small plain colored square for a background tile.  Anyway, I would have immediately noticed that the background didn't appear, and these pages have been showing a background for quite a while.  I think the background disappeared in the past couple of months.  May have been longer.  I was guessing it happened after my most recent cache archivals, the latest in November.  I was editing a cache page on January 2nd and noticed the bright red error message.  I do some slight cache description editing from time to time, and this just seems recent, I notice things like that.  Although, sure, I guess I didn't notice the error for the past couple of months. 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, Keystone said:

Didn't it used to be a thing that you could just upload images to your profile page, independent of any cache, trackable, etc.?  Such images, left over from when that functionality existed, would have a /user/ component in the image URL.

 

There was a time in my Profile where I could at least view my previously uploaded Avatar pictures (Forum icon).

 

My profile pictures are all extant on a cache Gallery (I uploaded them to a cache page) and I link to the pictures.  I upload my Profile background and Avatar using the upload feature withing the Profile editor.

 

But the main thing I'm wondering is, why is there an error now instead of a picture?  Do uploaded files expire?

 

All pictures uploaded into my Profile were for the purpose of using them within my Profile only.  I didn't upload any plain background tiles there.  So it is curious that the error URL seems to be a Profile image URL.  Maybe the URL itself was automagically changed, but it would also be odd if it's the only one in the system where such a change occurred.

 

I guess the good news is, it appears to not be a cache description source code bug.  The bad news is, maybe it occasionally happens to similar photo uploads.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by kunarion

[+MtnGoat50]

15 hours ago, Keystone said:

Didn't it used to be a thing that you could just upload images to your profile page, independent of any cache, trackable, etc.?  Such images, left over from when that functionality existed, would have a /user/ component in the image URL.

That's something I had forgotten about but now that you mention it, I'm sure you're right. 

 

14 hours ago, kunarion said:

I either uploaded the file directly into the "background" while editing a cache page

It's only recently that's been possible. Previously all background images were entered as a URL for an image hosted somewhere else. It could be on Geocaching.com or some other site.

 

14 hours ago, kunarion said:

There was a time in my Profile where I could at least view my previously uploaded Avatar pictures (Forum icon).

Yep, I remember that too. 

 

15 hours ago, kunarion said:

The first cache I ever placed (long archived) even has its plain brown background tiles intact.  Neither seem to fit the URL Formats you listed, but maybe I'm not looking at the correct part of the source code.

That's my fault, I shouldn't have included the "/large/" , which is optional, as part of the URL. On the cache you mention the URL is http://img.geocaching.com/cache/1fb65f38-c275-40dd-8be7-286f866218d1.gif  so it's one that was uploaded to a cache page, as opposed to a log. 

 

15 hours ago, kunarion said:

I cannot edit my archived cache pages to see what exactly I set as the background image.  For example, if it was uploaded directly as a background, or if it was a URL I typed.

Anything older than around 2021 ( I don't know the exact date) you would have had to have entered a URL. Uploading a background image directly is a new feature and it's no longer possible to enter a URL. (this is something I find inconvenient but I suspect new people find it less confusing)

 

15 hours ago, kunarion said:

Do uploaded files expire?

I don't think not on purpose. Some images have been lost in the past but I only remember one instance.  From what I'm seeing all the missing backgrounds share the /user/ designation in the URL. It's only a guess but perhaps these were considered expendable and removed. Similar to how we used to be able to see previous avatars and profile pics but can't now...?

 

 

[+kunarion]

14 hours ago, MtnGoat50 said:

On the cache you mention the URL is http://img.geocaching.com/cache/1fb65f38-c275-40dd-8be7-286f866218d1.gif  so it's one that was uploaded to a cache page, as opposed to a log. 

 

Yes.  I haven't figured out which cache page that was, but it was a small solid color image tile that I uploaded to a cache page and set the URL as the background.  I then linked to it on several other pages.  Although those pages all had image errors, they were all errors about the one file that vanished.

 

Lately I've just been uploading a background image to each page.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by kunarion