An end to the double posting bug?

[David Mack]

Just got this message below a draft post. Since the message did get posted, had I accidentally clicked the Submit button twice?

Is this an end to the double posting bug?

l

[MtB]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Just got this message below a draft post. Since the message did get posted, had I accidentally clicked the Submit button twice?

Is this an end to the double posting bug?

 

Well let us hope so.

 

I fell prey to it yesterday and so did another poster but I've not noticed any multiple posts today.

 

I did however notice this morning a new example of the "Duplicate thread" bug (threads displayed twice in VNC) which sometimes gets confused with the double posting bug. 

 

 

[matty40s]

No, it will not have ended the problem.

Netweather has had the same message for several years now, and double posts still happen, albeit nowhere near as many as CWDF.

[rmo]

In most cases there shouldn't be double posts, it should merge them. If it doesn't, please kindly provide examples and I will take a look. Note that if using cellular network connectivity (4G/5G) there is often a greater chance that packets will be lost and re-sent to the server. This is standard behaviour for the TCP/IP protocol and happens automatically in the background between the client/server - but can also cause unexpected outcomes like the one mentioned.

However if for any reason you try to post the same content twice within a very short timeframe by clicking the submit button within your browser, it will also provide the error message shown in your screenshot.

 

[MtB]

3 hours ago, rmo said:

In most cases there shouldn't be double posts, it should merge them. If it doesn't, please kindly provide examples and I will take a look. Note that if using cellular network connectivity (4G/5G) there is often a greater chance that packets will be lost and re-sent to the server. This is standard behaviour for the TCP/IP protocol and happens automatically in the background between the client/server - but can also cause unexpected outcomes like the one mentioned.

However if for any reason you try to post the same content twice within a very short timeframe by clicking the submit button within your browser, it will also provide the error message shown in your screenshot.

 

 

 

I think you have perhaps never encountered the bug yourself. It happens just as easily on a desktop PC as on a phone. 

 

What happens is you press "Submit Reply" and nothing appears to happen. The reply screen containing your reply nicely typed in remains on the display instead of your post being shown added to the thread. So you assume you failed to correctly press the "Submit Reply" button accurately and do it again. And the same thing happens so now you take extra care to press it right. Again, nothing changes so you get cross, abandon your attempt to post a reply and press VNC instead, and see you have posted your reply three times (or however many times you clicked "Submit Reply" with no screen response before giving up.)

 

What actually happens is each time you apparently unsuccessfully click "Submit Reply", the submission actually happens but your screen does not respond, so you click it again, and again, and again hoping for the screen to update but it never does.

 

Hopefully the new bar on posting for a period will interrupt this process! 

 

 

[cuthound]

11 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

I think you have perhaps never encountered the bug yourself. It happens just as easily on a desktop PC as on a phone. 

 

What happens is you press "Submit Reply" and nothing appears to happen. The reply screen containing your reply nicely typed in remains on the display instead of your post being shown added to the thread. So you assume you failed to correctly press the "Submit Reply" button accurately and do it again. And the same thing happens so now you take extra care to press it right. Again, nothing changes so you get cross, abandon your attempt to post a reply and press VNC instead, and see you have posted your reply three times (or however many times you clicked "Submit Reply" with no screen response before giving up.)

 

What actually happens is each time you apparently unsuccessfully click "Submit Reply", the submission actually happens but your screen does not respond, so you click it again, and again, and again hoping for the screen to update but it never does.

 

Hopefully the new bar on posting for a period will interrupt this process! 

 

 

 

I suspect it is caused by a poor internet connection, so the original message appears not to have been sent.  You try again until the forum says sent, but the "system" eventually receives all the messages and bundles them together.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

I suspect it is caused by a poor internet connection, so the original message appears not to have been sent.  You try again until the forum says sent, but the "system" eventually receives all the messages and bundles them together.

 

No. Press Submit as many times as you like and it sends every time. The screen fails to notify you it sent after each press. It never notifies you no matter ow many times you press Submit. 

[IanD]

Just now, MtB said:

 

No. Press Submit as many times as you like and it sends every time. The screen fails to notify you it sent after each press. It never notifies you no matter ow many times you press Submit. 

I've only noticed this happen when I'm not on the last page of the thread, for example replying to an earlier post.

 

Have you seen it happen when on the last page, or at the end of the thread?

[MtB]

Just now, IanD said:

I've only noticed this happen when I'm not on the last page of the thread, for example replying to an earlier post.

 

Have you seen it happen when on the last page, or at the end of the thread?

 

Actually I've not noticed. You've mentioned this before and I'll pay more attention next time I get the bug. 

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

I've only noticed this happen when I'm not on the last page of the thread, for example replying to an earlier post.

 

Have you seen it happen when on the last page, or at the end of the thread?

 

I have not and agree with your diagnosis.

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

I've only noticed this happen when I'm not on the last page of the thread, for example replying to an earlier post.

 

Have you seen it happen when on the last page, or at the end of the thread?

I've certainly had it happen in this situation, but I don't know if it only happens then.

[Alan de Enfield]

Here is one double posting bug that is still happening :

 

 

Amazing - its a double posting about double posting !

 

 

 

 

I have reported this post FAO The Technical Department.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Here is one double posting bug that is still happening :

 

 

Amazing - its a double posting about double posting !

 

 

 

 

I have reported this post FAO The Technical Department.

NOOOOO thats a different bug. Thats the double THREAD bug. 

[Alan de Enfield]

33 minutes ago, MtB said:

NOOOOO thats a different bug. Thats the double THREAD bug. 

 

YEEEEEEEEES - its one thread showing up twice when 2 poster post  at almost the same time.

[MtB]

17 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

YEEEEEEEEES - its one thread showing up twice when 2 poster post  at almost the same time.

 

But this thread is discussing the multiple post bug. Different problem. 

 

You obviously haven't noticed it. 

 

 

[rmo]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Here is one double posting bug that is still happening :

 

 

Amazing - its a double posting about double posting !

 

 

 

 

I have reported this post FAO The Technical Department.

 

That's not a bug. Two different users posted in the same topic and it is informing you of this. There is nothing we can do about this, as it's by design.

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, rmo said:

 

That's not a bug. Two different users posted in the same topic and it is informing you of this. There is nothing we can do about this, as it's by design.

 

Yes, just go and read another topic, and it will have sorted yourself when you go back.

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, rmo said:

 

That's not a bug. Two different users posted in the same topic and it is informing you of this. There is nothing we can do about this, as it's by design.

 

I doubt you can do much about the multiple post bug either, as Invision write the board software!

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

Just now, MtB said:

 

I doubt you can do much about the multiple post bug either, as Invision write the board software!

 

 

 

True, and once you are aware of it, it is easy enough to go to the last page to see if it has posted, and if not, I find that when you go back the forum has remembered your text and fills in the reply box.

[rmo]

12 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I doubt you can do much about the multiple post bug either, as Invision write the board software!

 

 

 

Not so. If we can replicate the issue and provide the exact steps to replicate it, we can report it and they will address it. - Unless it's by design. (e.g. Alan's example)

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, rmo said:

 

Not so. If we can replicate the issue and provide the exact steps to replicate it, we can report it and they will address it. - Unless it's by design. (e.g. Alan's example)

 

Good point. 

 

There WILL be the series of steps you describe but figuring out what they are is the hard bit. 

 

We may well get there though given IanD's insight earlier. 

[1st ade]

I'm tempted to say "it's easy" but: -

• It's years since I did any proper Web development
• If it was easy, Invision (no matter what sarky comments from members) would have fixed it; they are a commercial company who rely on reputation...

It shouldn't (repeat Shouldn't) be difficult, when merging posts from the same poster, be hard to check "is the text identical to last time?" (bearing in mind "last time" is the same poster within the last 60 minutes; and the first post is already in the DB otherwise you would not be merging...). If so, quietly drop...

 

If it is difficult, bury a hidden token in the post (needn't be large, again, it's the same poster in a short time period) which flags "this is the same post, repeated..."

 

But, I suspect, if it was easy, Invision would have already sorted it...

[MtB]

2 hours ago, 1st ade said:

I'm tempted to say "it's easy" but: -

• It's years since I did any proper Web development
• If it was easy, Invision (no matter what sarky comments from members) would have fixed it; they are a commercial company who rely on reputation...

It shouldn't (repeat Shouldn't) be difficult, when merging posts from the same poster, be hard to check "is the text identical to last time?" (bearing in mind "last time" is the same poster within the last 60 minutes; and the first post is already in the DB otherwise you would not be merging...). If so, quietly drop...

 

If it is difficult, bury a hidden token in the post (needn't be large, again, it's the same poster in a short time period) which flags "this is the same post, repeated..."

 

But, I suspect, if it was easy, Invision would have already sorted it...

 

On another forum I frequent they reject posts by a poster made within <something like> two minutes of a previous post. I'd imagine this would work as a clumsy but effective fix.

[1st ade]

23 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

On another forum I frequent they reject posts by a poster made within <something like> two minutes of a previous post. I'd imagine this would work as a clumsy but effective fix.

But then you would lose the "I forgot to add, cut the BLUE wire..." last minute update

[MtB]

15 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

But then you would lose the "I forgot to add, cut the BLUE wire..." last minute update

 

Fine by me, we can edit the post.

 

But surely it would be the YELLOW wire...