Repo postings

[sswam]

I agree with pmprog, it's ok for the repo to post about an update, but I don't think it should create a new thread for each update.

It should go into the existing thread for the PND.  How to find that?  Well ideally the forum thread should be linked from the repo or even in the PXML.

If not, we can use some "AI" to look for threads, and as a last resort it can create a new thread (once only) and remember it by storing the link in the repo somehow.

This would be more difficult than what ED already did, but more useful too.  I'm happy to help with dodgy coding for this.

 

[ptitSeb]

I don't think I will like this feature. I keep one thread per release, and keep the first post of the thread up-to-date with all changelog for more conveniance. So I'll probably continue to make a thread on my own.

 

[EvilDragon]

This would be more difficult than what ED already did, but more useful too.  I'm happy to help with dodgy coding for this.

I'm more than happy if you would code such plugin.


You can be sure I'd implement it.

 

[F_Slim]

I like this feature. Does it also post the "additional information" you can give in the repo?

Often that field is a bit too restricted though, I could use more words to give all the additional info I want. If that'd be possible I wouldn't have to make an additional post in the forum any more.

I don't like single threads for all releases. As a user it is impossible to get useful information out of any forum thread if it becomes longer than 6 or 10 pages. I'd rather have short threads which are then also related to the current release.

 

[foxblock]

I don't like single threads for all releases. As a user it is impossible to get useful information out of any forum thread if it becomes longer than 6 or 10 pages. I'd rather have short threads which are then also related to the current release.

A well managed single thread has all relevant information in the first post.

So far the bot only posts the first screenshot and description of the app, so in case of updates no useful information (like a changelog) at all - besides the fact that there is an update.

 

[levi]

That's a 'feature' of the repo rss feed though - the feed doesn't contain any changelog details or anything else from the 'additional info' box, or anything other than the first screenshot.


Seems to me this system needs a different, more specific interface into the repo. It might be able to take the style of a long-form RSS feed, but that depends on whether that's the best way for the IPBoard to interrogate the repo for information. It also depends on work from Milkshake, who so far has been conspicuous by his absence from this thread.


For those of us who might be interested into looking into the IPBoard plugin side of things, has anyone found a decent API spec for it? A quick google I've just done hasn't shown up much of any relevance.


Edit: FWIW I'm a fan of this only showing the first screenshot, if it helps remind devs to include a representative screenshot in the first position.

 

[Ziz]

I think the basic idea is good, but the RSS feed solution isn't.

Many problems are already named, but if I think, how I upload/update my projects... That could produce a lot of spam.

I don't make PNDs very often, maybe every 4 months once. So I often forget to change a value (e.g. the version) in the PXML file, did not add a file to the PND, found a little bug in real testing (I don't own a pandora) and so one. The last time as I updated puzzletube in the repository I uploaded four different files in a very short time. With the RSS plugin 4 new threads would have been created and especially with the version-string-fail furthermore the thread-name would be fucked. ^^'

So maybe it is better to deactivate the plugin, because in fact I don't think, that somebody will develop a special board plugin for this purpose.

 

[milkshake]

I don't mind helping create a inboard plug in I think that would be the best method in the long run.

I think the app uploaded also needs to choose to auto post in the forum and realistically it should be their board account that posts it.

 

[WizardStan]

The last time as I updated puzzletube in the repository I uploaded four different files in a very short time. With the RSS plugin 4 new threads would have been created and especially with the version-string-fail furthermore the thread-name would be fucked. ^^'

I already asked about that. ED answered that so long as the uploads are within the same 30 minute window there would only be one thread created.

 

[Ziz]

The last time as I updated puzzletube in the repository I uploaded four different files in a very short time. With the RSS plugin 4 new threads would have been created and especially with the version-string-fail furthermore the thread-name would be fucked. ^^'

I already asked about that. ED answered that so long as the uploads are within the same 30 minute window there would only be one thread created.

Oops, overlooked it. ^^'

 

[EvilDragon]

I've now disabled the feature, on popular demand.

milkshake wanted to work on a function that let's the author choose whether he wants an automatic post or not.

As soon as that is implemented, we'll re-enable it.

Otherwise, it just leads to multiple threads.

 

[Neelix]

Thank you!

- Neelix

 

[ekianjo]

Thanks for disabling this

 

[mcobit]

Thank you


The softwarenews section got ewally cluttered with the newsposts.

 

[Ziz]

Thanks. For some reasons it nevertheless didn't work correct for me. A PND with missing pictures worked fine, but looked shitty (http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php/topic/12995-repo-puzzletube-1200-update/?hl=puzzletube), but the most recent version with pictures + better description (added after a half hour) wasn't posted.

 

[levi]

There have been postings it's made with a raw bbcode img link to the first image, rather than the actual image, so it seems images need to be reworked on the plugin before it goes live again.

Seems to me if there's one bit of information this system is missing is that the repo needs to know which forum thread to put update postings into, which the inboard plugin could use to do the right thing.  If it's a new release, it'd be ideal if the inboard plugin could ping back the address of the thread and fill in that field automatically.  Or users who've created a 'new software' thread before put the address of their manually created thread there already.  Or perhaps put a keyword such as 'manual' in the field which lets diables the new thread posting and lets them create a new thread manually and (preferably) go back and fill it in afterwards.  Perhaps on trying to do an update with a 'manual' field entry the repo could force the user to fill it in correctly then.

But yeah, glad it's been disabled for now - it wasn't quite ready for the prime time.

 

[fusion_power]

And please format the auto-postings a little bit better, there should be a space in between the picture and the description underneeth. It just doesn't look good if the text in the auto-post is right under the pictures without a space line.

 

[Neelix]

Personally I'm in favour of leaving them turned off entirely.

But if there is a demand for the feature I have the following suggestions:

1) Allow users to link forum accounts and repo accounts together

2) Make it a manual process to create the post.  i.e. Put a "Publish announcement" button on the application admin page on the repo, and only post the announcement if the Maintainer requests it.  

3) The resulting announcement should be published under the forum account linked to that of the maintainer who requested it.

4) Allow the maintainer to specify a thread URL to post the announcement to.   If a prior announcement has been made for that application, pre-populate the field with the address used for the previous announcement.

5) Ensure that the formatting of the description of the PND is respected  with regards to whitespace and line feeds, without which many of the descriptions become unreadable.

- Neelix

 

[WizardStan]

Requiring so much manual intervention kind of defeats the purpose of an automatic script. Just a simple on/off switch should do. If you want your updates to be made known but don't want to bother with posting them yourself you can use the automatic system. If you want that much control over the posts then it's only one step removed from making the post yourself so may as well just do it manually.