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My Finds PQ gives strange result

Kotte42

By Kotte42
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Kotte42

+Kotte42

Posted
Posted

Tonight (European time) when I did a My Finds Pocket Query and tried to load the results into GSAK I ran into some problems. GSAK changed my previous finds to "Not Found" and erased the "Found by me" date.

 

After checking the GPX-file I received from the PQ I saw some irregularites. The <wpt:sym>-tag was set to "Geocache" for all my found caches and not "Geocache Found" which I would have expected to be the correct tag.

 

One other small difference is that the <Groundspeak:type>-tag has changed from "Found it" to "Found It" (capital "I").

 

Anyone else noticing the same phenomenon?

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Moun10Bike

Moun10Bike

Posted
Posted

We rolled out a change that corrected some inconsistencies in the capitalization patterns of various log types, then soon discovered that it broke third-party apps like GSAK because they rely on a particular capitalization in order to recognize log types. We have rolled back the "Found It" and "Didn't Find It" changes, but please let us know if you see problems with other logs as well.

 

In addition, I've reset your "All Finds" PQ, Kotte42. The new one that should be arriving soon should restore your GSAK data.

 

Since we are planning to go multilingual soon, we will be looking at presenting log types and other elements in our GPX using a numerical designation in order to prevent this problem in the future. When that happens, third-party applications will have to update as well. We'll do our best to communicate that change well in advance so that they all can make appropriate adjustments.

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RheS

+RheS

Posted
Posted

In addition, I've reset your "All Finds" PQ, Kotte42. The new one that should be arriving soon should restore your GSAK data.

 

Could I have a reset, too, please.

 

 

Also... and probably more important... is there some way that changes and potential changes in the GPX format might be officially released? There's a very old, very tired thread for software developers... and I tried years back to sign on there to a promised mailing list that never seems to have appeared. Is there something I missed? If not, there OUGHT to be something...?

 

It would sure be nice to stay ahead of things like this... and maybe even have some input in additional changes to support additional information that's available to the PQ now, but not in the GPX data.

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koia

+koia

Posted
Posted

In addition, I've reset your "All Finds" PQ,

 

Yes please that would be nice if you do it for everyone that did there "my found" run after your change

 

Well, that would be great since I am suffering from the same problem.

 

Thanks in advance

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Moun10Bike

Moun10Bike

Posted
Posted
Also... and probably more important... is there some way that changes and potential changes in the GPX format might be officially released? There's a very old, very tired thread for software developers... and I tried years back to sign on there to a promised mailing list that never seems to have appeared. Is there something I missed? If not, there OUGHT to be something...?

 

It would sure be nice to stay ahead of things like this... and maybe even have some input in additional changes to support additional information that's available to the PQ now, but not in the GPX data.

 

Let me emphasize that this was an issue of a simple capitalization change breaking seemingly unrelated pieces in a cascading fashion. It was not a change to the GPX format per se, nor was it a code change - it was purely content. As soon as test got wind of the change we discovered the resulting issues and had the data rolled back. We are working to make sure that such changes never go live before being run through test - and when applicable, through the community - but there will occasionally be issues like this where we are learning about unexpected consequences of changing legacy code. Thanks for your patience.

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Kotte42

+Kotte42

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  • Author
Posted

We rolled out a change that corrected some inconsistencies in the capitalization patterns of various log types, then soon discovered that it broke third-party apps like GSAK because they rely on a particular capitalization in order to recognize log types. We have rolled back the "Found It" and "Didn't Find It" changes, but please let us know if you see problems with other logs as well.

 

In addition, I've reset your "All Finds" PQ, Kotte42. The new one that should be arriving soon should restore your GSAK data.

 

Since we are planning to go multilingual soon, we will be looking at presenting log types and other elements in our GPX using a numerical designation in order to prevent this problem in the future. When that happens, third-party applications will have to update as well. We'll do our best to communicate that change well in advance so that they all can make appropriate adjustments.

Thanks for the swift reply and action Moun10Bike.

 

I did a little hands on modification on the PQ-file yesterday, to temporarily solve the problem (search&replace the tags, with the ones GSAK expects), which worked well. I also tried the new file that was waiting for me in the in-box and that file seemed to be ok as well.

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RheS

+RheS

Posted
Posted
Also... and probably more important... is there some way that changes and potential changes in the GPX format might be officially released? There's a very old, very tired thread for software developers... and I tried years back to sign on there to a promised mailing list that never seems to have appeared. Is there something I missed? If not, there OUGHT to be something...?

 

It would sure be nice to stay ahead of things like this... and maybe even have some input in additional changes to support additional information that's available to the PQ now, but not in the GPX data.

 

Let me emphasize that this was an issue of a simple capitalization change breaking seemingly unrelated pieces in a cascading fashion. It was not a change to the GPX format per se, nor was it a code change - it was purely content. As soon as test got wind of the change we discovered the resulting issues and had the data rolled back. We are working to make sure that such changes never go live before being run through test - and when applicable, through the community - but there will occasionally be issues like this where we are learning about unexpected consequences of changing legacy code. Thanks for your patience.

 

Thanks for the reset. I was able, as it turned out, to work around the change by editing the .GPX file... so I won't waste server cpu time running another one... but I didn't know that at the time. I will fix my code to be independent of the changes that just happened... for the future... but I have little control over other software developers (eg. GSAK and INATN, both of which apparently broke under this last change). So it's possible to do some things quickly. That leaves the main problem:

 

 

So... where is the discussion, for software developers and others, about upcoming Groundspeak GPX format changes? And how can geocaching software developers and potential software developers participate in GPX format discussion... since this ought to be a standard available for use beyond Groundspeak...? I'm aware of the gpsxml Yahoo group, which is less focused.

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fizzymagic

+fizzymagic

Posted
Posted

We rolled out a change that corrected some inconsistencies in the capitalization patterns of various log types, then soon discovered that it broke third-party apps like GSAK because they rely on a particular capitalization in order to recognize log types. We have rolled back the "Found It" and "Didn't Find It" changes, but please let us know if you see problems with other logs as well.

 

In addition, I've reset your "All Finds" PQ, Kotte42. The new one that should be arriving soon should restore your GSAK data.

 

Since we are planning to go multilingual soon, we will be looking at presenting log types and other elements in our GPX using a numerical designation in order to prevent this problem in the future. When that happens, third-party applications will have to update as well. We'll do our best to communicate that change well in advance so that they all can make appropriate adjustments.

As a third-party application developer who requested notification of such changes in the pinned thread at the top of this page, I heard nothing about any changes.

 

I'm very happy that some of the problems with the Groundspeak extensions are being addressed and that internationalization is being taken seriously. But I think that undertaking this project in collaboration with users is likely to be much more productive than doing it by yourselves.

 

Please, please, please, could you inform people before making these changes in the future? Once, again, I point you to this thread at the top of the page, which is there expressly for this very purpose.

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Moun10Bike

Moun10Bike

Posted
Posted

Let me re-emphasize that changes to the GPX schema were NOT intended with this recent change. Rather, they were the unintended consequences of a seemingly unrelated and innocent change in log capitalization made by one of our devs. When we do get to the point of updating the Groundspeak extensions, rest assured that the third party community will be well informed before and during the process.

 

Thanks once again for your patience.

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webscouter.

+webscouter.

Posted
Posted

re-emphasize all you want.

 

Why oh why am I only getting one file inside my "MY FINDS" querie????

I can't run Itsallaboutthenumbers without the " -wpts.gpx" file in there also.

 

Help please.

 

ALL my other queries have both files in them....so don't tell me it's my email server.

 

:D

 

I send my file without the -wpts.gpx file without issue. I have for the last several months. I just checked my most recent one and it didn't have the -wpts.gpx file.

 

There must be another issue on your file.

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webscouter.

+webscouter.

Posted
Posted

Nope...

I tried it many times with many different file types.....

I get a NOFILE error.

 

Maybe the site doesn't let evident cheaters upload their files, it knows you can't possibly find 413 caches in one day. :o:D:blink::D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note, I am one of the people who believes you without any doubt and said as much in your 413 caches thread. Just giving you a little ribbing, I posted this disclaimer in case I didn't use enough smileys.

 

In a more serious note it might be that the site has a time limit on file uploads. Because your file is so big it exceeds that time limit. Just a guess though, you will have to contact the site owner.

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larryc43230

+larryc43230

Posted
Posted

Why oh why am I only getting one file inside my "MY FINDS" querie????

FWIW, the ZIP file I get from the MY FINDS pocket query does not have any -wpts file in it, and I don't think it has for a very long time.

 

As a test, I just uploaded my latest MY FINDS query results to the ItsNotAboutTheNumbers Web site, and the results look normal (they reflect the number of finds I had as of September 4, the last time I requested that Pocket Query).

 

I'm thinking your difficulties are not being caused by the lack of a -wpts file.

 

--Larry

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