COMMUNITY : HELP : BUGS


An attempt to create bugs in the commenting system.

Post comments here, attempting to create errors in the commenting system.

Keep track of the steps you take to create those errors.

Post a comment detailing those steps here, so that others can try to recreate your error.

Then we'll get the error fixed!

Resources:
Navigating large-response topics


*****EDIT 20110115@0930PST*****
FOUND BUGS

  • **When clicking on a forum topic, the default sort is "active" when clicking prev/next the link changes the sort to "newest" changing the order of comments.
  • **When a comment thread is featured, the order of the posts change from being ordered by threads, to ordered chronologically (see photos in comments for details)
  • **When you comment, there's an inability to reply to the comment you just left. (not fixed-feature)
  • **When responding to a lot of comments without replying, comments get double posted (occasionally)
key:
## = has been passed along to the dev team to look into and fix
** = Fixed/Done
********END EDIT********

(more awesome bug photos)

Picture 20.png
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kelseymh says: Jan 11, 2011. 12:46 PM

The commenting bugs I know about are


  • disappearances, where a comment get stuck in the filters and never released;
  • next/prev discrepancies;
  • Deep-thread collisions with the sidebar.

The latter two will not show up until there are more than one page's worth of comments posted. This is my contribution to starting the population.

Kiteman in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 2:10 PM
We're trying...
kelseymh in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 2:12 PM
Well, yeah; some people tell me I'm pretty trying, too...
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 2:12 PM
...to replicate...

(Oh, a whole car-park just floated past on the news - glad I'm not in Oz)
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 2:13 PM
...the long-thread...
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 2:13 PM
...bug here.
caitlinsdad in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 2:21 PM
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Kiteman in reply to caitlinsdadJan 11, 2011. 2:38 PM
Allegedly...
Giant_isopod.jpg
Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 3:03 PM
Plenty of threads and sub-threads, folks, and add pictures as well, please!
Lithium Rain says: Jan 11, 2011. 2:51 PM
(Warning, Star Trek nonsense ahead)

So, TNG or Voyager?

Chirpoff in reply to Lithium RainJun 12, 2011. 4:34 PM
<3 Star Trek! I think my fav is ST:Ent.
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 2:53 PM
Why not the original series?

Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 4:51 PM
I find it too...campy/cheesy; it's distracting and I can't manage to suspend reality, and laughing at it gets old fast. I'm too spoiled to modern CGI and special effects, I guess...
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 2:22 PM
You'll be no good with old DR Who then.

The giant rats in Talons of Weng-Chiang, plus the little Peking Homunculus, completely freaked out a nine-year-old Kite - I genuinely watched it from behind the sofa.



Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:42 PM
Wait...what the sam hill is a Peking Homunculus? Part of the brain structure of a Chinese individual?
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 2:45 PM
It was a little robot with a pig brain instead of a computer, which almost started WW6

Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:47 PM
98
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:47 PM
99
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:48 PM
100!
DSCF1495.JPG
kelseymh in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:51 PM
And with this reply, we should now have NEXT/PREV buttons available to demonstrate the confusion :-)
Kiteman in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 11:11 AM
Not that I can see...
kelseymh in reply to KitemanJan 13, 2011. 11:51 AM
See my top-level post for a detailed description, and a possible explanation. I normally view forum topics sorted by active, but the next button apparently has "sort=NEWEST" hardcoded. With two different sorts, the indexing of comments is naturally different, leading to the observed behaviour.
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:40 PM
Sadly, I suspect that's true...

xD Behind the couch, I love it.
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 2:46 PM
What similar thing did the US have? Twilight Zone?
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 6:08 PM
You know, I don't know (before my time!). I would guess Twilight Zone, the original Star Trek, or...hm. I know I've heard of creepy shows from 30 years ago, but I'd have to think what they would have been...assorted "scary monsters, yo" type shows is the closest I can come atm.

>shrug<
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 4:48 PM
...and 4th bug?

The full text of my comment read (with words replacing the >'s so they don't get converted:


(Uh...whoops. Didn't mean to make the whole stinkin' thing (anglebracket)strong(anglebracket) - sorry.)




Shouldn't the dash have been bolded, along with "sorry.)"?
kelseymh in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 5:24 PM
You need to close markup tags as well as open them, thus:

<strong>this text is bold</strong>

produces

this text is bold

(BTW, I got the literal angle brackets by using HTML entities -- ampersand lt semicolon and ampersand gt semicolon.)
Lithium Rain in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 5:47 PM
Well, duh. :P I just hit "Post" too soon by accident.

The weird thing, though, is that it seems to have bolded everything after it anyway - but it didn't bold the dash, which was after it.

(Ah, thanks - I couldn't remember how to get them)
Lithium Rain in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 4:49 PM
(Here's another inadvertent example of Bug no. 3)
nutsandbolts_64 says: Jan 15, 2011. 4:51 AM
Uh, I know it's off topic, but I can't post anything BUT comments here. Yes, I am overemphasizing because I can't post a question or forum topic (and the like) so I have no other choice but to post a comment somewhere on the bugs section.
Kiteman in reply to nutsandbolts_64Jan 15, 2011. 5:34 AM
I'll pass this on for you.
nutsandbolts_64 in reply to KitemanJan 15, 2011. 10:58 PM
Much appreciated!
Kiteman says: Jan 15, 2011. 4:38 AM
So...

Is this topic now redundant?

Or is it lying on the slab, waiting for the Dev Team to poke at its innards?

StumpChunkman (author) in reply to KitemanJan 15, 2011. 9:29 AM
I like to think it's lying in wait, in case we should ever need it again.

There's also the issue of the occasional double post, which would be nice to find the cause of (occasional sucks).
Kiteman in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 15, 2011. 9:45 AM
Oh, it's...

...a zombie topic!
ChrysN says: Jan 14, 2011. 11:23 AM
I found an interesting effect of this bug. This morning when I checked out my You page it said that There have been 1548 comments on your instructables, forum topics, and/or your Orangeboard. Comment 1548 was made on my forum topic. http://www.instructables.com/community/Instructables-Drawing-Contest-with-Grand-Prize-of-/.
When I replied to this comment and went back to my You page it said that I had 1547 comments and the one that I had replied to has disappeared.  Now I have an orphaned reply on the forum.
ChrysN in reply to ChrysNJan 14, 2011. 4:11 PM
It's okay now the comment came back!
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to ChrysNJan 14, 2011. 10:50 PM
Well that's good, we don't want comments to go missing.
ostomesto says: Jan 14, 2011. 12:00 PM
yea i know about the unablity to post topics bug. I had to find the most popular topic in here and comment since I couldn't post a new one. and this was the most popular. but when ever i try to preview a new topic it wont let me. I have lost so much typing trying to get it to work. I was trying to spark popularity of my question I asked that INCLUDES A FREE PATCH TO THE PERSON WITH BEST IDEA. so click on my profile and go to questions and you will see it. i need people to know wbout it thats why i included the free patch.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to ostomestoJan 14, 2011. 10:49 PM
So, do you actually have a problem you need help with, or did you just want to promote your question?
kelseymh says: Jan 11, 2011. 4:09 PM

FIRST BUG



Take a look at the featured comment thread which starts with my initial comment. Caitlinsdads' reply, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (Jan 11, 2011. 2:21 PM) was a direct response to my comment at 2:12 pm.

The order of comments has been scrambled by the sticky tag. Specifically, the entire subthread is now ordered strictly chronologically, rather than threadwise.

StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 1:43 PM
I'm not sure I completely understand this bug....I'm going to try to unfeature and refeature and take screenshots of both. Hopefully that'll help.
kelseymh in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 1:45 PM
If you do that, make *sure* you do a hard reload each time. Changing the flag does not cause the page to be reloaded.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 1:47 PM
got it...give me a minute to stitch the photo's together.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 2:00 PM
Both images so the same comment thread. One shows the comment thread featured, the other doesn't. I'll let you figure out which is which. (it shouldn't be too hard)

feature.pngnofeature.png
kelseymh in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 2:15 PM
Perfect! And you can see exactly what happens. When the top-level comment gets stickied, my reply, made at 2:12 pm percolates upward from being below the entire Kiteman thread, to being adjacent to Kiteman's own 2:12 pm reply.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 2:02 PM
In case you want to see those images full size...

Featured
Not Featured
kelseymh says: Jan 13, 2011. 11:32 AM

The Next/Prev Bug is Alive!


With 107 comments in place, I confirm the next/prev bug is operating, and I think I've even figured it out (see the end of this post). I'm viewing this topic "sorted by active" (the default).

The last comment on the first page (1-100) is mine from 11 Jan at 5:50 pm (first image below).

On the same page, Matt's thread beginning "This is going to be totally Awesome!" appears about halfway down the page (second image below).

But then, following the next >> link shows Matt's thread again, this time claiming it's comment #101 (third image below).

And I think I see why! Notice in that third image, the "sort by:" flag has changed to newest (instead of active). The URL for the next >> button has "sort=NEWEST" hardwired in. I believe that the code should be set up to pass the user's same sorting request into the next and previous buttons as is currently displayed.

comment_100.pngcomments_50.pngcomments_101.png
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 1:37 PM
I tried to add a list in the topic, let me know if there's anything you'd change in what I wrote, or anything I missed. (I steps with parenthesis are duplicatable but not purposefully)
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 11:53 AM
Grrr...can't reply to myself. So, yeah, the next/prev buttons if you look at the html default to newest. If you change newest to active on page 2, you'll see the continuation of the threads (because they're no other easy way to accomplish this feat). One thing that was brought up, is why there's even a sorting option for comments in the forum. Is there anyone who likes the sort option for any reason in forum topics?
kelseymh in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 12:00 PM
The sorting option can be confusing, but it is also useful. The "active" sort option apparently puts the threads in chronological order according to the top-level comment. The "newest" sort option puts the threads in reverse chronological order according to the most recent comment found anywhere in each thread. The "oldest" option is the inverse of "newest."
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 1:27 PM
I'll let him know...but...there's a chance those might be gone in the near future.
kelseymh in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 11:57 AM
Hi, Matt. For the reply-to-yourself issue, see my 12 Jan 2011 2:01 pm comment. I think it's because the actions with the comment entry box use JS to dynamically modify the local page, rather than fetching an updated version from the server. Please pass on to Rachel that those dynamic updates are apparently inconsistent with what the server "would have generated," leading to the bugs we see.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to kelseymhJan 13, 2011. 11:45 AM
Nice catch! I noticed the same thing, and I thought it might have been due to other threads getting comments on them while I was reading everything. But in this case, that is not the case. Lemmie go chat with some smarter people then myself...
kelseymh in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 13, 2011. 12:01 PM
Dude, you make it so easy :-) The correct reply, of course, is "They shouldn't be too hard to find..."
Shadowman39 says: Jan 12, 2011. 3:06 PM
So, all we do is post comments and reply to them?
kelseymh in reply to Shadowman39Jan 12, 2011. 5:03 PM
Yes. Did you follow the link Matt included in the topic text, to see the bug that is being investigated here? You can also read my sticky comment (above) for the list of other comment-related bugs I knew about at the start of this thread; and you can scan through some of the comments to see bugs people have observed while posting.
Shadowman39 in reply to kelseymhJan 12, 2011. 6:24 PM
Yep, I've had that bug for a long time now (the one with the next/previous pages).
Lithium Rain says: Jan 12, 2011. 12:24 PM
Can't seem to reproduce bugs, but let's get the count up to 100 and break the "next" button!!
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 2:24 PM
92
Kiteman in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 2:25 PM
(Refresh) 93
kelseymh says: Jan 12, 2011. 1:58 PM
We're at 88 comments, now.
kelseymh in reply to kelseymhJan 12, 2011. 2:01 PM
Ah, ha! I just reproduced the "can't reply to myself" bug which LiRa mentioned. If you write a new top-level comment, and hit the [post comment] button, then when the page comes back the JS hiding behind the REPLY link doesn't work.

I suspect that the posting action doesn't actually regenerate the page with a server-side query, but rather just modifies the local HTML cache with the new comment block (assuming that's possible with HTML4). Note also that the regenerated page has the same "nesting level" bug for which Matt posted pictures.

Doing an immediate refresh takes care of it, and REPLY works fine.
Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 2:59 PM
Speaking of bugs, I made this little vibrobot at the last UK Meet.

I was going to use the toothbrush bristles as legs, but I accidentally hot-glued them into a large blob.

Fortunately, I'd found a toy tyre on the pavement just an hour before, and it was still in my pocket.

DSCF0947.JPG
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 11:20 AM
Why is it called a vicrobot - does it move by vibrating?
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 1:02 PM
The blue wiggly bit, the battery and the switch all came from an electric toothbrush.
kelseymh in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 11:54 AM
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 4:34 PM
I love that you just pick up random stuff, too! :D
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 5:43 AM
The best thing that ever happens to any boy is the discovery of pockets.

Beats a handbag any day of the week.

Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 9:21 AM
Couldn't agree more - that's why I refuse to carry one. :p
kelseymh in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 3:04 PM
It looks like it walked backward into oblivion ;-)
Kiteman in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 3:09 PM
It lives on top of the computer on my lab desk at school, to amuse passing grown-ups with nothing better to do.

Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 3:14 PM
Ohh, this would be nice to own...
watch_makers_lathe.JPG
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 11:20 AM
>blows into microphone<
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 11:13 AM
What is it?
Kiteman in reply to Lithium RainJan 12, 2011. 1:01 PM
It's a watchmaker's lathe - you turn the big wheel by hand, and work your piece on the shaft to the left (see the strings?) with your other.

Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 1:24 PM
Wow, nice!
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 10:43 PM
That's a pretty picture, and this is my first test!
StumpChunkman (author) says: Jan 11, 2011. 1:04 PM
This is going to be totally Awesome!
Lithium Rain in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 11, 2011. 1:33 PM
Haha, everywhere you go is a party, eh?
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 10:45 PM
I loves me a good party!
Kiteman in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 12, 2011. 5:46 AM
LOL, good job the grammar Nazis aren't on this thread...

Oops.
Lithium Rain in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 11:14 AM
>crash<
kelseymh in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 1:55 PM
As Ken Griffey, Jr., once said (on The Simpsons), "It's like there's a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited!"
Kiteman in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 2:17 PM
I bet nobody stays to help clear up the mess afterwards, though!
Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 3:35 PM
It's getting late - I wonder how long this topic will be when I look tomorrow?
kelseymh in reply to KitemanJan 12, 2011. 8:48 AM
Long, but not long enough. I believe the server is configured to split pages at 100 comments, and this thread only had 66 this morning.
Kiteman in reply to kelseymhJan 12, 2011. 9:48 AM
This makes seventy.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 10:44 PM
Hopefully it'll be pretty long...and have some more errors! (second try)
Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 3:02 PM
Oh! They've rescued Bond!
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 10:44 PM
Sadly I can't seem to get it to work :(
Kiteman in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 12, 2011. 5:47 AM
Sorry about that. Here you go:

A new James Bond film has been given the go-ahead and is due to be released on 9 November 2012, film studio MGM and EON Productions have announced.

Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and MGM said the 23rd Bond would go into production in late 2011.

The latest 007 adventure, starring Daniel Craig for the third time, will be directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.

The franchise had been on hold amid financial troubles, with MGM filing for bankruptcy protection last November.

A rescue deal and restructuring plan put US firm Spyglass Entertainment at the helm of MGM, which had struggled due to several box office flops and a DVD sales slump.

Work on the 23rd film was suspended in April 2010 because of uncertainty over the company's future.

James Bond is one of the longest running franchises in film history.

Its return marks a four-year gap since Bond's last outing in 2008's Quantum of Solace.

Daniel Craig - who made his Bond debut in Casino Royale in 2006 - is the sixth actor to play the British secret agent in the official Bond series.

Sir Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan preceded him in the iconic role.

Craig's debut, in Casino Royale, was the most successful instalment in the franchise's 48-year history, taking $594m (£385m) at the global box office.

The latest Bond screenplay has been written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.
Lithium Rain says: Jan 11, 2011. 1:33 PM
Ew, rollie-pollies.
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 2:28 PM
There's a Giant Deep Sea Isopod in the aquarium I work at. It's super cool!

It lives down around 300 feet below sea level, and it kind of like the aquatic relative of the rollie-pollie...

...so cool.
Lithium Rain in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 11, 2011. 4:50 PM
Nice!
Kiteman in reply to StumpChunkmanJan 11, 2011. 2:36 PM
"giant isopods gorge themselves to the point of compromising their locomotive ability."

Ewww
kelseymh in reply to Lithium RainJan 11, 2011. 1:50 PM
That picture looks more like an unroly-poly to me :-) And how come you're being such a pill(bug)? :-D
caitlinsdad in reply to kelseymhJan 11, 2011. 2:22 PM
yeah, that's my department. :P
Kiteman says: Jan 11, 2011. 2:39 PM
I just remembered - the last topic I saw this happen to had a lot of photos...

Look what my Science clubbers made!
DSCF1493.JPG
StumpChunkman (author) in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2011. 2:51 PM
Ohhhh...that looks like a little battery motor thing...obviously I forget the name. I made one of those a while back...it was sooo cool!

Is that a magnet on the bottom?
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