edited comment notifications in the DW inbox

[ratcreature]

Title:
edited comment notifications in the DW inbox

Area:
comments

Summary:
When a comment is edited the original notification in the inbox changes and also shows the edited version, but you still get a new notification with the edited comment. So basically you get duplicates with no value. I think that should be changed, so that only one notification with the edited comment is there.

Description:
With the email version of the notifications it makes sense that you get two, because one shows the old comment, the second the edited one, so you can see the edit. But in the DW inbox the notification reflects the current state of the comment (or entry), so the first notification itself is edited and changed to say "edited comment by" exactly the same as the second one.

So if the first is already updated the second is superfluous clutter. I don't think there would be any drawbacks to not having two of the same.

Poll #5578 edited comment notifications in the DW inbox

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 57

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
22 (38.6%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
6 (10.5%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
6 (10.5%)

(I have no opinion)
22 (38.6%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (1.8%)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

The advantage to the current scenario is that the notification of the edit is placed in its proper place in the inbox chronology (while preserving the original notification, which may have been bookmarked or read).

This is silly if the comment and the edit are in a very short order of time and the owner of the inbox hasn't been through to look yet. But in a scenario where the comment is edited days, weeks, months, even years, later, a separate edit notification makes much more sense.


So I'm uncertain about how exactly to improve user experience. Maybe if there's an existing notification in the box, bump it to the new time, and mark it unread again, while preserving bookmarking, and note the number of edits and time of each edit on it?

[matgb]

Above this, I have a slightly different concern. I get all mine sent by email, but I know others use the inbox exclusively.

If you remove the original comment, then you don't know what was originally said. I've seen some people put extra info in an initial comment then edit it out knowing I'd get it, or some people completely change the tone of a comment &c.

If this was combined with a 'minor edit' box, so minor edits get this, but non minor ones get both, it'd work for me.

But ultimately, "I have no opinion" because it's a feature I don't use, I just delete all comments on a regular basis.

[azurelunatic]

The people using the inbox exclusively are already out of luck, because the current scenario replaces the text in the original notification with the new text.

[matgb]

Ah, in which case not doing this is utterly pointless. *changes vote*

[ratcreature]

Okay, I can see that point, but I don't think I ever had it happen that someone edited a comment more than a day later. 95% of the edit happen immediately after. Though maybe that is in part because I tend to reply consistently, and so people can't edit anymore.

Bumping the original would work for (as would threading if the inbox had it), it's just the duplication that really bugs me.

[marahmarie]

My thought is any Dreamwidthian might run into various dramaz where they would need to know exactly what they wrote before, say, they edited it out.

If the comment already in your Inbox before edit(s) is changed automatically, there is no versioning. Thus no need to get a new copy of it.

Which leads me to what might be another suggestion: the possibility to see the original version via a link to said version in the Inbox (for instance, the updated comment would start displaying a link in the bottom right corner that says: "original version", and clicking would actually cough that up).

If you receive copies of your own comments via email then hey, you already have versioning, but not all of us get copies, plus checking an email inbox means signing or staying signed into another site...hmm...

[matgb]

My original suggestion for comment editing, way back when on LJ, included keeping the text of the original comment on the database. I designed the spec to get it through serious objections from some on the then LJ staff who thought comment editing in general was too great an invitation for drama, hence I put huge numbers of safeguards in that I didn't necessarily want but that would ameliorate the objections.

Despite all this, it took ages to push it through, and as far as I know the assumed drama that would be endemic never happened.

Howeever, keeping copies of the original text was, apparently, not technically possible without a major redesign of the database structure itself, so that aspect of the safeguard was dropped.

Which is, I think, partially a shame, as of all the bits I said would be ueful, that was one I actually liked.

Essentially, your idea isn't possible.

[marahmarie]

Which is too bad when we both like the idea so much. Thanks for the history on that, either way. :)

[thorfinn]

Perhaps the old notification should be unchanged in the inbox?

[ratcreature]

That would work for me too, but seemed a greater change to the system, since it seems the inbox just sort of points to content? Like when it's deleted it only shows as deleted, not the previous message, also when you are locked out of content later on and such. It doesn't store stuff like your email, I don't think. But I have no clue about the technical side.

[denise]

Yeah, it's not possible, alas!

[thorfinn]

*ponder* Maybe the old notification could be modified to contain a "diff" (just an indicator of what changed), whist the latest one points to the latest actual content?

[denise]

Unfortunately that is not possible! (Inbox displays the comment object. Once comment object is edited, old version is written over.)

[rebelsheart]

and now that I know more about databases thanks to my new job, i understand why!

[thorfinn]

Convert old notifications to diffs? Or store a comment diff separately and pointer to that instead?

Diff history could be useful for entry edits also.

Impact, of course, is database space required, retention periods, usefulness of diffs, increased complexity, etc. :-)

Benefit is this sort of thing, plus *much* better audit-trail if necessary, potentially a good way to store drafts and edits, etc.

If you store the diffs as reverse diff from the current state, it makes it easy to expire old/too-many diffs (i.e., keep only the last 5, or 10 or something).

[melannen]

Could one of the comments just change to a notification that the comment has been edited, without displaying the full text again, maybe?

I would like to still get a notification when there's been an edit, so that I know it's happened, but you're right that it is silly to have the same comment show up repeatedly in full.

[msilverstar]

+1

[kareila]

IAWTC.

[fyreharper]

Not that I've ever had a comment edited, that I can recall - but +1 in theory :)

[matgb]

Hello.

Not that I've ever had a comment edited, that I can recall
You have now ;-)

[fyreharper]

Hee. My experiences have been broadened! ^^