Bugs and Suggestions

It looks like it got flagged as SPAM, which it is not.
I have restored it and am looking at the referenced site. what memories.

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

... on this weeks survey !?

Exception up = new Exception("Something is really wrong.");
throw up;

You're going to have to give them more than that, you know!

What post? When? Did it appear? If so, when did it disappear?

You know the drill for debugging! Laugh | :laugh:

"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

I was in the middle of those "Message Closed".

Exception up = new Exception("Something is really wrong.");
throw up;

Ah.
That may have been me getting carried away, I'm not sure. When was it deleted? I've haven't deleted any for ... oooh, 8 or so hours, at a guess?

"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

Probably the same time.

Exception up = new Exception("Something is really wrong.");
throw up;

I track such posts by the page https://www.codeproject.com/script/Membership/MyNotifications.aspx, accessible by the rounded rectangle element on the right top of the page.

I wasn't sure if the posts in the discussion section of my articles are registered there. I had a feeling that sometime the are, sometimes not.
Today I found a post on which I certainly did not get a notification:
https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5286790/Web-Presentation-an-Application-in-a-Single-File-n?msg=5777642#xx5777642xx.

In connection with that, I have a question: do we have an option to keep all e-mail subscriptions but direct all post notifications only to the site notification, without sending e-mail? So far, when I tried to turn something off, site notifications also would not arrive.

Thank you.

—SA

Sergey A Kryukov

On your articles please ensure the "Email Alerts" box has alerts set:

This should happen automatically, but we've seen it occasionally fail.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov wrote:
do we have an option to keep all e-mail subscriptions but direct all post notifications only to the site notification, without sending e-mail

No, not yet I'm afraid.

cheers
Chris Maunder

Chris,

Oh... well, I found this set of article notification options very reasonable.
Thank you!

However, now I'll need to repeat setting them for different articles separately, but this is not a big deal. Smile | :)

—SA

Sergey A Kryukov

Hi,

Synchronization with Visual C++ and the Windows API now shows an artful rendering of Bob, and Do not try and find the page. That’s impossible. Instead only try to realise the truth

I guess the truth is that a bit of divine intervention, or possibly some help from Bob, is required to get it back online …

Best regards
Espen Harlinn

Espen Harlinn
Senior Architect - Ulriken Consulting AS

The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own skull; therefore he approaches the programming task in full humility, and among other things he avoids clever tricks like the plague.Edsger W.Dijkstra

We had a SQL update that took the database down for a short period this morning. This is probably what caused the issue.

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Right, it is back again Big Grin | :-D

Espen Harlinn
Senior Architect - Ulriken Consulting AS

The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own skull; therefore he approaches the programming task in full humility, and among other things he avoids clever tricks like the plague.Edsger W.Dijkstra

Not sure why it happens, but it happens pretty often the last time...

Last example: This message in the S&A Forum (around an hour ago)
Spam article: Why use Python for AI and Machine Learning (3RI Technologies) - gone[^]

@GregUtas reported spam. The link he posted to the article, ended pointing to a draft. This draft appears as " - CodeProject" in the browser tab, but the link itself get the correct label "Why use Python for AI and Machine Learning"
I go to report the article but there is no red flag because it is only a draft, ok... no problem (not the first time).
I go to "revisions" (there is only one only revision as "pending" but not draft). I click on the "1" (Revision number) and open it in a new tab, it gets a new link to a full version of the article with red flag and the correct label in the browser tab.
Then I go to the forum, I paste the link... and the link gets the label " - CodeProject"...

Previously 2 reports by @Sandeep-Mewara in a row on Jan 11th
Spammer in article moderate (NulavanceNewZealand, Nulavance NZ...) - Another[^]
and
Spammer in article moderate (AglowMoversAndPackers, Packers and movers in...)[^]

I would say that it has happened 5 or 6 times in the last two / three weeks and it happens time and again.

It is confusing and a bit annoying,
and a luck for some spammers, because without posting the "new" link, then the pending article remains active until you delete it manually.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

modified 13-Jan-21 10:01am.

As I understand the issue:

Spammer posted and article and it was made pending
a report was made in the S&A forum about the article with a link to the pending article
clicking on the link takes you to the pending article which does not have a flag for reporting
there was a version 1 that you could go to that would allow reporting.

So I think we need to make sure that pending articles can be reported. Probably a simple correction.

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Not exactly...

The article must have been in moderation, if not... the reporter would have not seen it. (Which for me is the status "pending")

The article gets reported with the link from the moderation queue and gets the correct label in the report message in S&A forum.

I come an hour later and want to report the article, the already posted link, brings me to a draft where there is no text at all, only the legend "this is an auto-saved draft, you can see...". This draft has the correct label (a.k.a. Article name) in the browser tab. This draft has no red flag.

I go to "versions", there is only one item "1" in the history list (I am protector and I can usually see other copies like "working status" and I would say even drafts in the revision history, need to check for sure)

Once I have clicked in "1" from the history list, I land into the full version of the spam article (supposedly the same that was before in moderation and got reported in the first instance). I copy its link.
I paste the copied link in the S&A forum, so the article can be nuked by the rest of the "squad".
The link gets the "- CodeProject" label from the script, without any title.

IMO, there are several issues at once.
1) The originally posted link from the first report, that ends landing in an auto-saved draft and without proper "article name" in browser tab.

2a) The draft without red-flag (easy to solve, as you say)
2b) The empty versions list (no draft or anything else but the "1" version in moderation)

3) The "no name" clickety when pasting the new link

Next time it happens I will take several screenshots, I think they are needed

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

@Nelek

More info on this problem as I understand it.

Today, in this post[^], I reported a spam article. After the article had been flagged three times, the article link in my post went here[^], namely to a page for an "Untitled article" that cannot be flagged but which shows the three users who reported it as spam. The page shows no article content and only provides this explanation:

This is an auto-saved draft copy of the new unpublished article created by the submission wizard.

This item is still being written and is not yet available for viewing

Please go to the Uncategorised Articles Table of Contents to view the list of available articles in this section.

In that explanation, "Table of Contents" is a link that goes here[^], but I don't see the article on that page. But maybe the link works for a Protector, because Nelek sometimes provides a new link to the article after this problem occurs.

My guess is that the problem occurs when the spammer starts to re-edit the article while it is still in moderation. It could also be that, once the article is re-submitted, Nelek simply finds its new link from the moderation queue rather than from the "Table of Contents" link mentioned above.

Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

modified 17-Jan-21 10:55am.

Greg Utas wrote:
But maybe the link works for a Protector, because Nelek sometimes provides a new link to the article after this problem occurs.

Exactly... I see other content.

@Matthew-Dennis
Let's see if the screenshots can help a bit.

The report in S&A forum:

After clicking on the article (WITH label for the link, means script worked good)

Landing in the draft. Here I can see another message as @GregUtas due to my protector status.
NOTE the empty label of the browser tab

Then I go to revisions (I have set the "show minor revisions" before the screenshot to see everything that is saved by the site) and there is only 1 revision

I click in "1" and get the new version of the article:

Please note the browser tab now does have a label

Link comparison from Greg's version and my version:

I copy the new link and post an answer in the S&A.
the new link doesn't get a label:

and if I try to "revert" the draft:

there is nothing to get reverted, so I suppose that's really the first and only version available.

----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------

Now a comparison to another random article in moderation

----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------

currently moderated article without spam & abuse reports (only format or so)

The browser tab has label and posting the link gets label too:
Vulkan Playground: An easy introduction to Vulkan using C++ with Visual Studio 2019[^]

if I go to the revisions and check the revisions (activating show minor revisions too) I get:

Please note: My browser tab has now lost the label of the article

If I click on "1" I go to:

The browser tab has label again and posting the link gets labeled too:
Vulkan Playground: An easy introduction to Vulkan using C++ with Visual Studio 2019[^]

Note that the links are different (just the same than in the above described being reported article)

I really think the spammer has not pressed "edit" or so, but can't say it for sure.
The list of the versions look equal for me (maybe CP Staff can see a temporary different clue somewhere)
The changes of the links between moderation "waid=X & aid=Y" and version "1" of the list "aid=Y & av=Z" are consistant in both cases, but still every article get treated by the scripts (labelling browser and links) differently.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

modified 17-Jan-21 13:08pm.

Here you have a live example.
In moderation plagiarized (plagiarizer Member 12314843)[^]

The reported article "WPF" is having exactly the situation I describe.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

What I think is happening is that you're seeing versions (eg drafts) of articles that aren't normally viewable (because of your status). We need to adjust.

cheers
Chris Maunder

But the articles are still alive and not gone yet. @GregUtas answer[^]
It is not an issue of me seeing a not available article.
It is an issue about an article vanishing when getting reported.

1) The article is in normal moderation queue.
2) The article gets reported
3) The link to the moderated article change to a draft without being edited or without having a second version
4) The versions history has just one entry "v1" as pending not as draft
5) When I post the link to the version 1, people without protector can see it.
6) The background scripts of the site act differently depending on which number we are.

And this is happening for months now. Lately more often than before.

As I understand if someone would start an edit of the article there would be a second entry in the versions history, at least I remember to have seen "composing" or "draft" status in the revision history. This is not what happens with this reported articles.

And in case the article was a draft being composed the whole time, then the normal users as Greg would not be able to see it the first time in the moderation queue or be able to post the article in the S&A Forum.

Another thing I just realized right now (happened again with the two last articles in the S&A reported by @OriginalGriff)
Spam would be article ("Buy Personalised KeyChain Online India", Member 15059445)[^] and
Spam would be article ("Kashmir - The Heaven On Earth", Yawar Mughal)[^]
If they were a new Version... I think the report counters would reset, but both still keep the previous reports (3 and 2)

I am not "correcting" the links to the articles in the S&A forum, so that you can have a look live

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

modified 29-Jan-21 7:19am.

I've recently sent some time deleting Mr Keyboard's closed messages in the Survey Results page, and it's a paint with a mouse: click the "delete" button on the message, then trawl up to the "Delete" button on the confirmation page. Then down, open the next message, and repeat. That's OK on a touch screen: "click, tap"; "click, tap"; "click, tap" ... rinse and repeat - but on a normal monitor it's a nuisance.

Could it be changed so that the confirmation screen has the "Cancel" button as a default button, with the "Delete" just prior in the tab order?
That way, the mouse wouldn't have to move, it would be "click, SHIFT+TAB, ENTER" for each message.

"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

Why would you not want the Delete button as the default?

Just for safety - delete is an extreme action, and it's easy to hit the "Delete" button on a message instead of opening it. An extra step needed to close just reduces miskeys, as long as it can be "speeded up" when there are a dozen or more of the same idiot to clean up.

"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

I did think that, just after my pinkie pressed the touch-pad. Blush | :O

Which I guess is a good example, and seems to happen to me more often than I care to admit.

I have tidy up a little bit the weekly poll from Random keystrokers and I join this petition. Having the focus on the "cancel" button and being able of "tab" or "shift+tab" + "Enter" or "Space" to hit confirmation would be an improvement and make it easier / more comfortable for us to delete the crap.

Additionally, if the scroll position could go back to the same place when the last click was done, that would help too.

Right now one has to move the mouse to the "X" in the first message of a serie, click, move to the "confirm" in the new page, click, scroll down the page to the next "message closed", click on the "X"... repeat.

Having both (focus and auto-scroll to last) would be:
Move to "X" in the first message of a serie, click, shift+tab and enter, click again in the next "x"... repeat.

Not a big deal for a couple of messages, but I today deleted more than 10 messages and we have days where the buggers are really busy and bring a big wave of trash posts.

M.D.V.

If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

14	Letting Article Owners Pin Posts in their Discussion Forums?
7	Not to cut threads in half in a page
5	User control over what is considered "new"
4	The moderation queue and hidden links
4	Article moderation suggestion
4	Brush up

1	Spam filter on member profiles
1	Moderation, spam & etc
0	some link in article are broken
0	New "consent" popup
0	Inappropriate ads?
0	Several bugs with github article submission import wizard.

Open Items

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