PF problems

Dave,

I am encountering some strange problems in the PlantFiles. I am trying to make changes to a few of the entries I've made and even though the changes are submitted, they won't "take". I come back minutes, even hours later, and the changes don't go through.

Also, I am trying to work with the PF administrators with regard to some other issues that are baffling at best. Some of the entries that I have made have been altered. The details are NOT what I originally entered. Not only that, but I am unable to change them to what they should be. It's as though I am locked out from making any further changes to the details that have been altered.

For instance:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92895/index.html

Help, please.

~Carla

For one thing, first you have to click here:

Yes, I know. I enter things in the PF pretty regularly, so I am aware of the in's and out's of changing the details. What I don't understand is how someone else can make these changes when I am the one who created the entry. That is ordinarily not an option.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92900/index.html

I know enough about watermelons to realize that they are not an ornamental grass/bamboo. I entered it correctly when I created the entry. Now, however, it is different and I can assure that I didn't make the changes.

~Carla

I can verify that. I added a comment Monday to this entry and these strange check offs were not in there then. Do we have a virus on the loose?

This message was edited Feb 11, 2005 6:26 PM

I don't think it's a virus. (In fact, I'm 99.99999% certain that's not the culprit.) One of several things may have occurred:

1) Occasionally when one entry is deleted and another added, the new entry goes through a few strange iterations (or maybe reincarnations is the more appropriate metaphor.) It doesn't happen often, but occasionally - I can't even tell you what things have to happen, or in what sequence. I just see glimpses of a problem, and then it eventually works itself out. But in this case, that doesn't seem to have happened.

2) With the server crash last week, I know Dave was trying to bring back any details that got lost in the interim period. That may be where these came from, although that seems a bit odd.

3) Most likely it's an editing-over-editing issue. I think everyone is clear, but just in case not, here's a rundown on who can set checkboxes for an entry:

If you create the entry, you can choose to "set all details." (Editors can choose that option too.) As far as I know, that option remains available to you long after you leave the entry.

If you set a particular section of checkboxes you can also come back later and edit that. (I think that's correct.)

So, if you set all the checkboxes for an entry you didn't create, the original author can come in and re-work what you did.

If you created the entry, but left a section blank, then anyone else can come along and add their $0.02 worth. If you then overlay that data, they can "trump" you by re-doing that section again.

Dave can correct my misconceptions, but I *think* that's how the editing hierarchy works. And of course, editors can edit anything at any time, but I trust Baa, Mystic and PoppySue to not designate a watermelon as an ornamental grass. I'm also reasonably confident I didn't do it, but have you seen my evil twin lately? She does all sorts of ornery stuff, posing as me. (just kidding!!!!)

Terry,

In each of these cases, I created the entry AND marked the checkboxes. None of the entries were left blank.

The entries were sometime around the time the server crashed - perhaps the same day. Additional notes were added after the crash. All of the information was correct as of Monday (2/7), for certain. The changes I'm worried about occured after that time (2/7/05).

Is there an "imprint" of some kind to determine who/how the changes were made and when? If I'm right, it's been within the last day or two.

There was a comment posted on 2/7 by another user, so there was definitely some activity that day, right? Is the editor's IP address captured along with the changes made each edit?

Farmerdill didn't make the changes. He added a note. He verified, too, that the information was accurate the day he added his comments, so it must have taken place after that date.

Ok, I asked Baa to correct the first one before I realized that other entries were also involved. So, ignore the first hyperlink.

Here's another one.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92899/index.html

True I could not make changes if I wanted too. The system only allows you to change your entries. I leave the sections that don't pertain to vegetables blank. If someone comes along along and fills in one of those blanks live view will let me change the ones I checked but not the blank ones done by someone else.

I did request that the danger section for watermelons be changed after a converstion in the vegetable forum where some posters were concerned about thorns on watermelon vines. I notice that some entries now have the danger section completely removed, but it is still an option for new entries. Terry, could that selective removable of a section confuse the system?

I did ask PF admin if there were a way to change the Danger details to "N/A" or perhaps it might be better to revert it to (all) of the checkboxes in that section being left blank. In the meantime, I am changing them one at a time myself. I'm hoping a blanket change can be done and save some time, but if not, I'll change them all in the next few days.

Dave can tell you for sure the level of detail he captures, but I don't think he will be able to tell us who-checked-which-box. (The system counts checkboxes, but not necessarily WHICH checkboxes, if that makes sense.) If these occurred the day of the server crash, then my guess is something didn't "translate" properly when Dave tried to restore what was lost.

I've gone back through the PIDs created around that time - starting with http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92890/index.html (which I created) thru http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92903/index.html (which kennedyh created.)

The only irregularity I found - outside of those you reported above - is this one: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92901/index.html which has both "vegetables" and "vines and climers" marked.

If you spot anything else that looks amiss, let me know. I won't fix the entries you reported above until Dave has a chance to take a look at them and make sure they aren't indicative of any widespread problems.

Terry,

Do you know if Dave did anything that might have affected the PF after 2/7? The entries were all correct as of that date.

You know what I know, assuming you are/were following this thread:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/482542/

See Dave's post (which was mainly a reply to you, Salvia_lover and Bootandall) on Feb 1, 2005, 4:48 PM:

Thanks for your help in trying to figure this out, Terry. I think we need some Dave input.

I agree. Please keep in mind it's Friday night, so he may not check in for a while. The good news is, the problem does not appear to be widespread, and I really don't think there's any reason to think it's a hack-job. Please don't let it stand in the way of enjoying your weekend ;o)

Not a chance of it messing up my weekend. :) We have too much fun in this family for that.

The most likely scenario is that:

On the day that the server crashed, there was a 6 hour period that was lost. What I did then was copy all the checkboxes information from within that 6 hour period over to the new server.

Now, if anyone had added a NEW PLANT, then the new plant itself was not copied over, but his checkboxes were. Therefore, when another new plant was created on the new server, with the old plant's PID, then the checkboxes took effect for him.

That was Terry's idea #2 and I think it's the correct culprit here. The good news is that it should be extremely isolated (being that there wasn't a whole lot of new plants created during that 6 hour period).

Dave

What is a PID?

PID = Plant ID. Each plant gets its own ID number. Crepe myrtle, for example, is ID 1 (being my favorite tree, it was the first plant added). :)

You can find the PID by looking at the URL field.

Examine this one: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1/

Note the "go/1/" part. The 1 is the pid. We use those numbers internally for a lot of actions.

dave

So, someone was entering ornamental grasses/bamboo and I was entering watermelon and they somehow crossed when the checkboxes transfered over?

Ok, then.... so we have a few grasses/bamboo entries messed up and a few watermelon entries messed up. That is so weird.

Well, Dave, you're not only a master programmer, but a detective, too. I can fix the watermelon cultivars. Is there any way to know which grass/bamboo entries were involved in this?

~Carla

Since they must have been entered at about the same time, I tried a search from your plants number 92900, looking at each plant in the range 92890 to 92910 and I found this one, which could have been the culprit, although it does not look any the worse for the experience. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92890/index.html

Wow. I would have no idea how to narrow it down that way. Amazing.