Re: TSLICE problems

[Earl Hood <ehood@hydra.acs.uci.edu>]

On February 9, 2002 at 08:41, "Mike Hamilton" wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> For me, using TSLICE (and MHonArc v2.5.2) with
> 
> <TSLICE>
> 4:4:1
> </TSLICE>
> 
> and referring to it with a plain $TSLICE$ results in slices which list the
> previous messages in the thread, the current message, but only ever the
> *first* of the following messages.
> 
> So, if there are six items in the thread, the slice for 1 will show 1 and 2;
> the slice for 2 will show 1,2 and 3, etc., but only the sixth thread will
> have the complete list.

Is this after successive archive updates?


> >From the 2.5.0b docs I gleaned:
> <--->
> Problem: Some messages not updated to show changes in thread slice listing.
> Solution: This is really a limitation on how messages are tagged for update
> and problem may occur explicit range parameters are specified for $TSLICE$
> that differ from default values in TSLICE. Work-around to problem is now
> documented in the TSLICE resource page.
> <--->
> ... but as I'm not specifying explicit range parameters for $TSLICE$ this
> doesn't seem to be relevant.

It should not, but ...


> <--->
> [...] To summarize the note above: Some message pages may not get properly
> updated to reflect changes in $TSLICE$ listing.  This can occur if the
> message is more than one message away from a new message in a thread. I
> consider it not a major problem since the next/prev links still function
> properly.  However, older messages may not properly show the latest slice
> representation, and as the reader goes through the thread, the slice listing
> can appear to grow as they go from older messages to newer messages.
> <--->
> ... which is very close to my experience, except that for me it's not "some
> message pages", "may not", or "can appear" --- it's consistent, and it
> doesn't seem to matter how I juggle the ordering.

Can you provide test data and a scripted scenario (eg. add this
message, then this, then this, add see the results -- maybe
encapsulated in a shell script)?  Please include any resource files and
command-line options you used.


> I would respectfully disagree with "not a major problem".  Consider the

Of course, it is always a matter of perspective.


> situation where a user clicks a message from say the middle of a thread
> index.  On being presented with the message, the slice will not tally with
> what (s)he previously saw.  (S)he thinks that the list is somehow corrupt,
> or the messages have been deleted ; at best it's back to the thread index
> page.

I agree there could be some confusion, but without any real user testing,
we do not know if it matters.  I.e.  There is a dependency on how users
interact with the archive.


> However, I assume it's an error on my part, as others are apparently using
> TSLICE perfectly - e.g. I think this is a MHonArc list :
> 
> < http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/ENG-BLACK-COUNTRY/2002-02/1012973479
> >

Note, the site you give looks like they use MHonArc, but there is no
direct indications that it is being used except for similiar page
layout stylistic conventions.  Any MHonArc-type markers in the HTML are
not present and there is no mention of MHonArc on the site.

How do you know MHonArc is being used at archiver.rootsweb.com?


> Any suggestions for what on earth I'm doing wrong?

Not currently.  It is probably a bug.  I will have to do some testing
to see what is going on.  The first step is to have a recreatable
test case so I can use it to help analyze the code.

--ewh