• msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr

    From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Sat Apr 27 19:49:58 2024
    Hi DM,

    On my BBS, while doing some testing, I tried setting my newscan pointers for all sub-boards to the current date & time (in the stock shell, this would be from the main menu, & for "Message scan config" and then P for "Set new-scan pointers").

    Then in JS, I checked the value of scan_ptr in the msg_area.grp_list.sub_list array for the sub-board. I thought the value of that scan_ptr value might be the last message (since I had just set my scan pointers to the current date & time), but it seems the value of that scan_ptr could be less than that.

    The documentation for scan_ptr says this:
    User's current new message scan pointer (highest-read message number)

    When the documentation says "new message scan pointer", it sounds like what it means is the user's last read message? Or should it be what the user has set by doing a newscan pointer configuration?

    If that scan_ptr is the user's last read message, is there another variable in the Synchronet JS object model that represents the message number in the sub-board as configured in the user's newscan configuration?

    Nightfox

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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 20:34:36 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Sat Apr 27 2024 07:49 pm

    Hi DM,

    On my BBS, while doing some testing, I tried setting my newscan pointers for all sub-boards to the current date & time (in the stock shell, this would be from the main menu, & for "Message scan config" and then P for "Set new-scan pointers").

    Then in JS, I checked the value of scan_ptr in the msg_area.grp_list.sub_list array for the sub-board. I thought the value of that scan_ptr value might be the last message (since I had just set my scan pointers to the current date & time), but it seems the value of that scan_ptr could be less than that.

    If there's something odd going on with the import date/time of messages (i.e. there's a message with an import date/time *later* than the "current date & time"), then the pointer could point to an earlier (not the last) message.

    The documentation for scan_ptr says this:
    User's current new message scan pointer (highest-read message number)

    When the documentation says "new message scan pointer", it sounds like what it means is the user's last read message?

    Not necessarily. If the user goes back and reads some older/earlier message, that doesn't necessarily change their new-scan pointer.

    Or should it be what the user has
    set by doing a newscan pointer configuration?

    It's either. The new-scan pointer will be updated *either* be reading messages or by manually chaning the scan pointers.

    If that scan_ptr is the user's last read message, is there another variable in the Synchronet JS object model that represents the message number in the sub-board as configured in the user's newscan configuration?

    'scan_ptr' is the message number that represents their highest read message number. Any messages with a higher number (higher than the scan_ptr value) will be considered "new".
    --
    digital man (rob)

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Sat Apr 27 22:35:34 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 2024 08:34 pm

    'scan_ptr' is the message number that represents their highest read message number. Any messages with a higher number (higher than the scan_ptr value) will be considered "new".

    So, the test that I did was this:
    I first created a new (temporary) user account. I logged in with that user account and then set the scan pointer for all sub-boards to the current date & time. I did a newscan using the stock Synchronet reader, and it scanned all sub-boards and said there were no new messages (which I think was expected, since I had set the newscan poniters to the current date & time). I then did a newscan with my DDMsgReader (which uses scan_ptr), and it started at the first sub-board and showed the first message in that sub-board. If scan_ptr is the user's highest read message number, I think that makes sense. But I'm wondering if there's anything in JS that points to the user's configured newscan pointer instead?

    Nightfox

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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 23:07:57 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Sat Apr 27 2024 10:35 pm

    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 2024 08:34 pm

    'scan_ptr' is the message number that represents their highest read message number. Any messages with a higher number (higher than the scan_ptr value) will be considered "new".

    So, the test that I did was this:
    I first created a new (temporary) user account. I logged in with that user account and then set the scan pointer for all sub-boards to the current date & time. I did a newscan using the stock Synchronet reader, and it scanned all sub-boards and said there were no new messages (which I think was expected, since I had set the newscan poniters to the current date & time). I then did a newscan with my DDMsgReader (which uses scan_ptr), and it started at the first sub-board and showed the first message in that sub-board. If scan_ptr is the user's highest read message number, I think that makes sense. But I'm wondering if there's anything in JS that points to the user's configured newscan pointer instead?

    The "highest read message number" and "newscan ponter" are the same thing. There is a "last read message" number (the "last_read" property of msg_area.sub[]), that's not the same thing.

    I'll experiment here and be sure that msg_area.sub[].scan_ptr is behaving as expected, but I'm pretty sure other script authors (e.g. echicken) are using it successfully.
    --
    digital man (rob)

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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 23:11:07 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 2024 11:07 pm

    I'll experiment here and be sure that msg_area.sub[].scan_ptr is behaving as expected, but I'm pretty sure other script authors (e.g. echicken) are using it successfully.

    So just did some testing here, and it seems to be working as expected.

    I used ;eval msg_area.sub["test"].scan_ptr to display the value of the scan pointer for my "test" sub. When I update the scan pointer using either &p or by reading that sub, the JS representation changed accordingly. It seems to be working correctly.
    --
    digital man (rob)

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Sun Apr 28 09:10:38 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Nightfox on Sat Apr 27 2024 11:11 pm

    I'll experiment here and be sure that msg_area.sub[].scan_ptr is behaving
    as expected, but I'm pretty sure other script authors (e.g. echicken) are
    using it successfully.

    So just did some testing here, and it seems to be working as expected.

    I used ;eval msg_area.sub["test"].scan_ptr to display the value of the scan pointer for my "test" sub. When I update the scan pointer using either &p or by reading that sub, the JS representation changed accordingly. It seems to be working correctly.

    hmm... I'll have to see what's going on with my script then.

    Nightfox

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Digital Man on Sun Apr 28 09:15:00 2024
    Digital Man wrote to Nightfox <=-

    'scan_ptr' is the message number that represents their highest read message number. Any messages with a higher number (higher than the scan_ptr value) will be considered "new". --

    I think Nightfox is referring to an issue I brought up. I loaded
    DDMsgreader on my board and all of the newscan pointers were set to 1 -
    when I did a newscan of all boards it started with the first message on
    some of the boards. On those boards I manually read the last message by entering the message number.

    I tried using the QWK "set newscan pointers" option to a current date (yesterday) and the newscan was still starting from #1 on some of the
    areas that I hadn't already manually reset.

    I put DDMsgreader back on a few days ago, and manually reset any of the
    areas that reset to #1. I pulled a couple of QWK packets over the past
    few days, and when I did a newscan, 2 of the DOVE echoes newscan
    pointers were set to message number 1.

    I'm not ruling out an issue on my end - could this be a message board corruption issue?



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  • From Accession@VERT/PHARCYDE to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 14:19:48 2024
    Hello poindexter,

    On Sun, Apr 28 2024 21:15:00 +0000, you wrote:

    I put DDMsgreader back on a few days ago, and manually reset any of the areas that reset to #1. I pulled a couple of QWK packets over the past
    few days, and when I did a newscan, 2 of the DOVE echoes newscan
    pointers were set to message number 1.

    I'm not ruling out an issue on my end - could this be a message board corruption issue?

    I brought this up to Nightfox a couple months ago and he told me he had noticed it in the past, but couldn't reproduce the issue.

    Sometimes, even after doing a complete newscan and logging off, then calling back the next day the last message you read the day before will be the first message you read when doing another newscan.

    It became impossible for me to describe it any clearer, so I figured I'd just wait it out until he was able to see the issue again for himself.

    You can always try chksmb and/or fixsmb on your sub-boards too see if there's anything wrong with them, just in case.

    Regards,
    Nick

    ... Take my advice, I don't use it anyway.
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  • From Digital Man@VERT to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 13:48:31 2024
    Re: Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: poindexter FORTRAN to Digital Man on Sun Apr 28 2024 09:15 am

    I'm not ruling out an issue on my end - could this be a message board corruption issue?

    I don't think so. The issue doesn't happen when using the built-in message scan/reading functions, I'm inclined to believe there's just an issue with DDMsgReader.
    --
    digital man (rob)

    Rush quote #13:
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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Accession on Sun Apr 28 13:53:53 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Accession to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 2024 02:19 pm

    You can always try chksmb and/or fixsmb on your sub-boards too see if there's anything wrong with them, just in case.

    I don't see any likely relation between the scan ptrs and any msgbase corruption.

    User's msg-scan config and ptrs are stored in data/user/*.subs, so that's where I'd look while trying to diagnose this problem.
    --
    digital man (rob)

    Sling Blade quote #3:
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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Accession on Mon Apr 29 10:43:23 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Accession to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 2024 02:19 pm

    I brought this up to Nightfox a couple months ago and he told me he had noticed it in the past, but couldn't reproduce the issue.

    It's not that I can't reproduce it - I do see it sometimes. It's just not reliably reproducible. If it happens to me again then it may be easier for me to debug it and see what the issue is.

    It became impossible for me to describe it any clearer, so I figured I'd just wait it out until he was able to see the issue again for himself.

    I think I understand the issue. :)

    Nightfox

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Mon Apr 29 10:44:07 2024
    Re: Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 2024 01:48 pm

    I don't think so. The issue doesn't happen when using the built-in message scan/reading functions, I'm inclined to believe there's just an issue with DDMsgReader.

    I did notice that it seems after changing your newscan pointer configuration, the user may have to log off and back on again for it to take effect.

    Nightfox

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Mon Apr 29 10:46:30 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Accession on Sun Apr 28 2024 01:53 pm

    User's msg-scan config and ptrs are stored in data/user/*.subs, so that's where I'd look while trying to diagnose this problem.

    Should a message reader be reading the user's scan pointer directly from that file? I wasn't aware of those files until just recently. I've always been using scan_ptr from msg_area.grp_list.sub_list

    Nightfox

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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Nightfox on Mon Apr 29 12:45:32 2024
    Re: Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Mon Apr 29 2024 10:44 am

    Re: Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Apr 28 2024 01:48 pm

    I don't think so. The issue doesn't happen when using the built-in message scan/reading functions, I'm inclined to believe there's just an issue with DDMsgReader.

    I did notice that it seems after changing your newscan pointer configuration, the user may have to log off and back on again for it to take effect.

    I don't think so. A user changing new-scan pointers is just changing the in-memory values (the *.subs files aren't changed until user log-off or the &W command is issued), the same in-memory values that are underpinning the "scan_ptr" JS properties.
    --
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  • From Digital Man@VERT to Nightfox on Mon Apr 29 12:47:03 2024
    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Mon Apr 29 2024 10:46 am

    Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Accession on Sun Apr 28 2024 01:53 pm

    User's msg-scan config and ptrs are stored in data/user/*.subs, so that's where I'd look while trying to diagnose this problem.

    Should a message reader be reading the user's scan pointer directly from that file?

    No.

    I wasn't aware of those files until just recently. I've always
    been using scan_ptr from msg_area.grp_list.sub_list

    That's the correct way. I was just mentioning the .subs files because it might be helpful to diagnose exactly what's happening, but like I said in the previous post, the .subs files arne't updated until user log-off or the &W command is issued.
    --
    digital man (rob)

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Digital Man on Mon Apr 29 13:00:27 2024
    Re: Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
    By: Digital Man to Nightfox on Mon Apr 29 2024 12:45 pm

    I did notice that it seems after changing your newscan pointer
    configuration, the user may have to log off and back on again for it to
    take effect.

    I don't think so. A user changing new-scan pointers is just changing the in-memory values (the *.subs files aren't changed until user log-off or the &W command is issued), the same in-memory values that are underpinning the "scan_ptr" JS properties.

    It makes sense that you shouldn't have to log off and back on again. I'm not sure what happened with that test I was doing..

    Nightfox

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