22nd August 2015 :: New "@mentions" feature

[Jools]

I should be clear and say that this new feature is current in testing mode with a small group of "guinea pigs". However, it is the intention that once it's up and running, then:

When anyone posts a topic containing the @ sign followed by a username, within 24 hours, then an notification email will be sent to the email address associated with the username mentioned.

I will update this thread when the feature is in full operation.

Jools

[Jools]

As I work through this, it is interesting to note there are currently 893 mentions to 345 different users in the database as follows:

Code: Select all

array(345) { ["craft"]=> int(1) ["matsp"]=> int(27) ["plecosandloaches"]=> int(2) ["admin"]=> int(1) ["kruseman"]=> int(3) ["birger"]=> int(24) ["300yrs"]=> int(1) ["racoll"]=> int(34) ["jools"]=> int(99) ["bekateen"]=> int(3) ["shane"]=> int(30) ["jac"]=> int(10) ["moderator"]=> int(1) ["moderators"]=> int(1) ["corycory"]=> int(3) ["killi69"]=> int(1) ["wrasse"]=> int(4) ["viktor"]=> int(9) ["janne"]=> int(8) ["marc"]=> int(17) ["mats"]=> int(29) ["allen"]=> int(2) ["silurus"]=> int(19) ["jodilynn"]=> int(1) [-18]=> int(1) ["kostas"]=> int(2) ["jamesleagas"]=> int(5) ["narelle"]=> int(2) ["karsten"]=> int(1) ["eric"]=> int(1) ["dpm1i"]=> int(1) ["julian"]=> int(3) ["53&"]=> int(4) ["coryman"]=> int(6) ["mhsp"]=> int(1) ["twotankamin"]=> int(2) ["4-7""]=> int(1) ["1ft"]=> int(1) ["-1&"]=> int(1) ["james"]=> int(2) ["juiceyfish"]=> int(1) ["divemaster"]=> int(2) ["barbie"]=> int(15) ["bas"]=> int(8) ["bazznl"]=> int(1) ["idahospud22"]=> int(1) ["fishnfins"]=> int(2) ["google"]=> int(1) ["richard"]=> int(17) ["both"]=> int(1) ["3-4”"]=> int(1) ["magdalo"]=> int(1) ["msjinkzd"]=> int(2) ["aad"]=> int(1) ["jorgehdzy"]=> int(2) ["the"]=> int(4) ["plecomania"]=> int(1) ["coryfan"]=> int(1) ["rmc"]=> int(2) ["9-10”"]=> int(2) ["4-5""]=> int(5) ["fis"]=> int(1) ["cinnamonsticks"]=> int(1) ["steveh28"]=> int(1) ["rare"]=> int(1) ["regina"]=> int(1) ["yayfish24"]=> int(1) ["7""]=> int(1) ["martin"]=> int(11) ["krazygeoff"]=> int(5) ["apistomaster"]=> int(7) ["supercorygirl"]=> int(1) ["dirt"]=> int(1) ["don"]=> int(2) ["jjphoto"]=> int(1) ["yann"]=> int(10) ["joost"]=> int(1) ["wijnands"]=> int(3) ["walter"]=> int(2) ["dykemyster"]=> int(1) ["shovelnose"]=> int(5) ["acanthicus"]=> int(2) ["mark"]=> int(2) ["kim"]=> int(1) ["lfs"]=> int(1) ["richardb"]=> int(3) ["viktorjarikov"]=> int(2) ["taz"]=> int(1) ["nvcichlids"]=> int(2) ["shazray"]=> int(1) ["jippo"]=> int(3) ["syno321"]=> int(1) ["saor"]=> int(1) ["lurch1000"]=> int(1) ["bwiskered"]=> int(1) ["yuyi"]=> int(2) ["mike"]=> int(7) ["haakonh"]=> int(2) ["nick"]=> int(1) ["daverinaldo"]=> int(2) ["corybreed"]=> int(3) ["suckermouth"]=> int(5) [100]=> int(1) ["pantanalbirdclub&"]=> int(1) ["linus_cello"]=> int(1) ["4""]=> int(2) ["8-9""]=> int(1) ["5""]=> int(1) ["wijanands"]=> int(1) ["november"]=> int(3) ["100g"]=> int(1) ["mcampos"]=> int(1) ["darrel"]=> int(1) ["norman"]=> int(2) ["rainman"]=> int(2) ["laa"]=> int(1) ["sojapat"]=> int(2) ["dark"]=> int(1) ["martins"]=> int(1) ["username""]=> int(1) ["verbal"]=> int(1) ["driftwood"]=> int(2) ["3""]=> int(3) ["mentioned"]=> int(1) ["this"]=> int(1) ["24x18x18"]=> int(1) ["pleco-breeder"]=> int(1) ["2wheelsx2"]=> int(4) ["smitty"]=> int(1) ["balken89"]=> int(1) ["med90"]=> int(1) ["jp11biod"]=> int(1) ["scleropages"]=> int(2) ["kupper"]=> int(1) ["panaque"]=> int(1) ["davej"]=> int(1) ["larry"]=> int(3) ["matt"]=> int(3) ["rob"]=> int(2) ["megacat"]=> int(1) ["grokefish"]=> int(2) ["steve"]=> int(5) ["all"]=> int(7) ["rommer"]=> int(1) ["victor"]=> int(1) ["sid"]=> int(7) ["cnkbradford"]=> int(1) ["84f"]=> int(1) ["tropicalimport1"]=> int(1) ["pseudasmart"]=> int(1) ["johni"]=> int(1) ["haavard"]=> int(1) ["saul"]=> int(2) ["gorzak"]=> int(1) ["amiidae"]=> int(1) ["elwood"]=> int(2) ["15cm"]=> int(1) ["daniel"]=> int(3) ["visualdarkness"]=> int(2) ["mongo"]=> int(1) ["pleco22"]=> int(3) ["ricke"]=> int(1) ["20ppm"]=> int(1) ["sam"]=> int(1) ["neo"]=> int(1) ["christiansen"]=> int(1) ["dan"]=> int(1) ["taratron"]=> int(1) ["4cm"]=> int(1) ["hotmail"]=> int(12) ["knifegil"]=> int(1) ["steven"]=> int(1) ["crk"]=> int(2) ["wharf"]=> int(1) ["tds"]=> int(1) ["andywoolloo"]=> int(1) ["joefish72"]=> int(1) ["krisa"]=> int(2) ["bob"]=> int(1) ["import"]=> int(1) ["mac"]=> int(2) ["macvsog23"]=> int(2) ["2”+"]=> int(3) ["5”"]=> int(1) ["^&"]=> int(1) ["planetcatfish"]=> int(4) ["bijn"]=> int(1) ["l-num"]=> int(2) ["4ft"]=> int(1) ["jbmm"]=> int(2) ["gammell"]=> int(1) ["sidguppy"]=> int(1) ["plecocrazy"]=> int(2) ["geoff"]=> int(1) ["idunno"]=> int(1) ["cancatmandu"]=> int(1) ["claro"]=> int(1) ["2watts"]=> int(1) ["1200gph"]=> int(1) ["18000k"]=> int(1) ["scotcat"]=> int(1) ["summer"]=> int(1) ["jackster"]=> int(1) ["boiling"]=> int(1) ["rita"]=> int(2) ["wheels"]=> int(2) ["alex"]=> int(1) ["fish"]=> int(2) ["hampson"]=> int(1) ["borbi"]=> int(1) ["&"]=> int(1) ["dj-don"]=> int(1) ["chrisyhthys"]=> int(1) ["havaard"]=> int(7) ["work"]=> int(1) ["mingxin"]=> int(1) ["håvard"]=> int(1) ["aldare"]=> int(1) ["hiplecoman"]=> int(1) ["hoko"]=> int(2) ["joeo"]=> int(2) ["1cm"]=> int(1) ["eltofi"]=> int(2) ["hitch"]=> int(1) ["andy"]=> int(2) ["flex"]=> int(1) ["crazx86"]=> int(1) ["11h40pm"]=> int(1) ["2inches"]=> int(1) ["loracidlover"]=> int(1) ["worton"]=> int(2) ["loachy"]=> int(2) ["kim>"]=> int(1) ["softak"]=> int(1) ["jar"]=> int(1) ["dave"]=> int(2) ["9-10cm"]=> int(1) ["25-26"]=> int(1) ["12mm"]=> int(1) ["28c"]=> int(1) ["chacachaca"]=> int(1) ["catwoman5"]=> int(1) ["kev"]=> int(2) ["plecoboy"]=> int(1) ["5inches"]=> int(1) ["10yrs"]=> int(1) ["fugly"]=> int(1) ["29c"]=> int(1) ["amanda"]=> int(2) ["bronzefry"]=> int(1) ["justin"]=> int(2) ["20mm"]=> int(1) ["35cm"]=> int(1) ["mail"]=> int(2) ["90ppm"]=> int(1) ["20x"]=> int(1) ["emergency"]=> int(1) ["saraya"]=> int(1) ["line"]=> int(1) ["lisa"]=> int(1) ["kalija"]=> int(1) ["kana3"]=> int(1) ["chrisych"]=> int(2) ["inxs"]=> int(2) ["waldo"]=> int(1) ["sshole"]=> int(2) ["dfi"]=> int(1) ["glockfu"]=> int(1) ["medaka"]=> int(1) ["djw66"]=> int(1) ["heriberto"]=> int(1) ["laura"]=> int(1) ["tuti"]=> int(1) ["bildarkiv"]=> int(4) ["sakal"]=> int(1) ["@@@"]=> int(1) ["whitepine"]=> int(1) ["magnus"]=> int(1) ["udo"]=> int(1) ["racol"]=> int(1) ["3-4"]=> int(1) ["cefire"]=> int(2) ["kevin"]=> int(2) ["zebraplec"]=> int(1) ["paul"]=> int(2) ["troi"]=> int(2) ["pturley"]=> int(1) ["tom"]=> int(1) ["-mcp"]=> int(1) ["ian"]=> int(4) ["dinyar"]=> int(4) ["jasckson"]=> int(1) ["llcola"]=> int(1) ["sinatra"]=> int(1) ["cow"]=> int(1) ["plecolover"]=> int(1) ["patrick"]=> int(1) ["wood"]=> int(1) ["rico"]=> int(1) ["magnum4"]=> int(1) ["29ppt"]=> int(1) ["erwin"]=> int(1) ["whitey"]=> int(1) ["crap"]=> int(1) ["phil"]=> int(1) ["sentido"]=> int(1) ["katguy"]=> int(1) ["dv^nt@g"]=> int(1) ["mick"]=> int(1) ["ben"]=> int(3) ["haywire"]=> int(1) ["sari"]=> int(2) ["coelacanth"]=> int(1) ["plecomaniac"]=> int(3) ["ingo"]=> int(1) ["tkp"]=> int(2) ["mickey"]=> int(1) ["mokmu"]=> int(1) ["clayt"]=> int(1) ["zac08"]=> int(1) ["prices"]=> int(1) ["synopetri"]=> int(1) ["philtre"]=> int(2) ["andym"]=> int(1) ["yannfulliquet"]=> int(2) ["thomas"]=> int(1) ["kgroenhoej"]=> int(1) ["rusty"]=> int(2) ["oneoddfish"]=> int(2) ["berger"]=> int(1) ["daddy"]=> int(1) ["achim"]=> int(2) ["everyone"]=> int(1) ["zack"]=> int(2) ["doitsu"]=> int(1) ["degrassi"]=> int(1) ["tim"]=> int(1) ["8inch"]=> int(1) ["bathos"]=> int(1) ["heok"]=> int(1) ["könig"]=> int(1) ["der"]=> int(1) ["clothahump"]=> int(2) ["jscoggs"]=> int(1) ["chill"]=> int(1) } 

The number of mentions is in parenthesis, the username in square brackets.

*Note, there are some invalid ones such as @moderator, @18C and so on. If someone ever signs up as @moderator then they're gonna get some mentions!

Jools

[bekateen]

Nice features, thank you!

Would it be a wise idea to reserve or set aside names like @moderator (I'm not sure which others... Maybe @moderators, @mod, @mods, @administrator, @administrators, @admin, @admins, @planetcatfish, etc.) and have them redirected to you so that people in the forum can use them to flag admins when needed, and so that nobody could sign up as those names? I can envision people using those in order to communicate with you or other mods if they don't know which moderator to ask for. In fact, I know I'm guilty of having typed @admin or @moderator in some of my own posts in the past

Could it be done by inventing a new pair of tags, similar to [ quote][/quote], [ url][/url], and [ clog][/clog]? I suppose that makes it more complicated than it needs to be, since theoretically the software would automatically recognize the @ symbol and know to make it a link to somebody.... (then never mind)

The @18c and others like it- I imagine those are mostly people short-handing temperatures or other quantifiable parameters like body length. If so, you'll get more of these, but I can't imagine how you'd control that. Then there's the people who are trying to cuss without spelling out the words (I see "sshole" in the list (only twice?!?!). Hopefully nobody ever picks "sshole" as a username! LOL). People are so creative!

Seriously though, perhaps for both of these instances, if your code accepts only valid usernames and set-aside names (like @moderator, etc.) following the @ symbol, then perhaps the code can be written to not automatically transform any other @ text (like @18C, etc.) into a message - much in the same way that a properly written URL will automatically be recognized as a web link without surrounding it with the [ url][/url] tags, but an improperly written (or a properly written but atypical) URL will not automatically be converted to a web link; you have to surround it with [ url][/url] tags to get it to work as a web link.

Sorry, I'm probably stating the obvious here.

Cheers, Eric

EDIT: From your data, I see that 60 out of 893 @ mentions are linked to numerical stuff, like temps, dimensions, wattage, etc.; there are some more non-username mentions (things like "google" and "everyone," not counting admin and moderator type references). So based on that info, you're probably looking at approximately 7-9% of the @ symbols being used with text which is not intended to be a mention for another user. I don't know if that error info will be helpful for you as you decide how to institute this enhancement; but if it is, then great.

[bekateen]

Could it be done by inventing a new pair of tags, similar to [ quote][ /quote], [ url][/url], and [ clog][/clog]? I suppose that makes it more complicated than it needs to be, since theoretically the software would automatically recognize the @ symbol and know to make it a link to somebody.... (then never mind)

... Wait. Now that I've looked more carefully at the data set you posted above and I've thought more about it, what I notice are missing from the list of 345 different users are all the members with usernames that include the space character in their usernames (e.g., Bas Pels, although there are 8 @ mentions for somebody named just "Bas" in your data set - if you know who that person is, you'd better tell them they are in high demand! ). That could be solved by using a new set of tags as I described above, so that the entire username can be placed in the brackets, for example:

[mention]Bas Pels[/mention] in place of @Bas Pels (which would stumble on the space and ignore the Pels, thus only sending messages to people named Bas).

Since simply typing "@" in front of a username is more convenient than having to use tags, you could still take advantage of the @ symbol if it's automatically recognized for usernames with no spaces (which is most members on this site); but people would just need to be careful when there is a space in a username, just as we have to be careful when we type CLOG names for "Genus sp. X" and "Genus sp. L###", etc.

Cheers, Eric

P.S., In the future, you'd also need to either block people from choosing @ symbols at the start of their usernames (which has happened before), or accept the fact that people with similar usernames, but without the @symbol in front, would get some unintentional notifications for subjects they are probably not involved with.

P.P.S., The other potential problem will be emoticons which are typed with the @ symbol as the first character, such as this one:

[bekateen]

Oh... Maybe also add @webmaster and @planetcatfish to any reserved name list, if one is created.

[Jools]

The way this works is that whatever the text is that follows the @ sign is checked to see if it is a username. If it is, a mention email is created, if it is not then it is ignored. If someone creates a username beginning with an @ then the syntax is the same. e.g. @@username.

Jools

[Jools]

I thought I would provide an update on progress. This is a technically challenging enhancement because I it is important not to miss anyone but also to ensure to when someone is notified by email of a mention that they do not get a duplicate email.

Furthermore, if there are several @mentions within a day, then these should be rolled into one notification.

First time around, quite a few of use will get emails with quite a few old posts in them. Testing this works is where we are at, it is intergrated into the site "notifications engine", but the testing is the thing we're doing now.

Jools

[Jools]

Progress is really being made! There are now only two bugs I can see that I need to fix before I can put this into live operation.

a) Notifications don't work when there is only one mention

b) Username is case sensitive (@Jools and @jools) will produce different results.

Jools

[Jools]

@jools, one single notification now works!

Jools

[Jools]

@Jools, here is a final test!

[Jools]

@jools, here is the lower case final test!

[Jools]

OK guys, this new feature is ready to go. I am running the first live run now. This will mean a number of you will get a lot of mentions on the first email. Thereafter, it will run once every day listing any new mentions since the last mention. Note, the feature is not depending on you reading (or having read) a post with a mention on it - you simply get one notification email of a mention.

Jools

[bekateen]

I just got my first notice. Thanks it seems to work. I am curious - from your warning above (about some people getting multiple mentions in their first notification), I took that to mean that if you've been mentioned multiple times in older threads, those would all show up in the first notification. Your spreadsheet above has 3 mentions for bekateen, but none of those appeared in my first notification (only the newest mention did). Not that I feel disappointed, mind you (LOL), but it's why I'm confused about your warning. So my question is this: Did you "clear" the old @mentions out so that they won't be mailed out? Or should they be coming in a later notification?

Either way, nice work!

Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

The data above may have been wrong, or counted differently, I'm not sure exactly now as it was a preliminary algorithm to extract the right mentions. I just checked the database and I do think there is on one @bekateen (now two!) in the forum. Hope that clears it up and I'm delighted you like the new feature.

Cheers,

Jools

[bekateen]

The data above may have been wrong, or counted differently, I'm not sure exactly now as it was a preliminary algorithm to extract the right mentions. I just checked the database and I do think there is on one @bekateen (now two!) in the forum. Hope that clears it up and I'm delighted you like the new feature.

Indeed, I doubt I would have received 3 @mentions, but there are at least two @mentions for bekateen prior to yours this morning, and based on your warning above I would have supposed that both of them (not just one) should have appeared in my first @mention notification.

The @mention notification I received this morning was for this post about spawning Centromochlus perugiae: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 85#p287185. Since your post (above) is brand new, I expect I'll receive that notification tomorrow.

I ran a couple of searches, using both the forum search tool and the site search tool (the forum search tool ignores the @ symbol in a search term, even if in quotes such as "@bekateen", and returns all mentions of the name bekateen, with or without the @ symbol; so I resorted to site search tool to get more specific results).

Using the site search tool, I found only one @mention with my username: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 29#p282172. But curiously, this mention did NOT appear in my first notification email today.

Interesting, neither your @mention in the post preceding mine here, nor the @mention in the Centromochlus post (which appeared in my @mention notification this morning) appeared in the site search tool's results. I would accept the explanation that your new post is so new that it has not yet been indexed by the search tool, but the Centromochlus post is from June; I would have expected this to appear in the site search tool's results.

Using the forum search tool, I found one more @mention for bekateen, but in this instance, the usage was typed incorrectly (with a space between the @ symbol and the username: "@ bekateen"), so it's no surprise that this instance didn't generate a notification. I guess the lesson here is that we need to remember to type the @ symbol immediately before the username, with no space in between.

... By the way, (how) Did you ever solve the complication of spaces within usernames? Does the @mention function try to read across any spaces it comes to in order to see if the next word or words belong together to complete a username? I.e., does it consider the possibility that the username may be more than one word long following the @ symbol?...

I'm not trying to throw a monkey wrench in the works (that would make me a simian saboteur, I think); rather, I'm just trying to help you identify and iron out any bugs which might remain in the system.

None-the-less, perfect or not, it's a nice feature. Thanks again.

Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

@bekateen, that's because your forum username is bekateen not Bekateen. My username (Jools) will work with jools. It's just not clever enough to go the other way. Yet.

@ username will not work, unless your username begins with a space (not sure if that's possible). Notwithstanding complexities with mixed case, two word usernames will work, there are not currently any tags for any three word usernames. If the mention doesn't match a username, it adds in the next word to see if that matches. If it does, great, if it doesn't nothing more happens.

Hope that explains,

Jools

[bekateen]

Perfect - Smart solution for the @mentions function to cross spaces.

No rush. I won't die if the @mentions function balks at uppercase instances not being recognized as lowercase usernames; but I find it funny that the function can't work both ways (i.e., it's smart enough to know that jools is the same as Jools, but it can't tell that Bekateen is the same as bekateen). LOL

Thanks for the explanation. Cheers!

[Jools]

but I find it funny that the function can't work both ways (i.e., it's smart enough to know that jools is the same as Jools, but it can't tell that Bekateen is the same as bekateen).

It is going from the username on the site to the usage in the forum post. So, Jools (correct on the site) will readily match Jools (in a post mention) and Jools converted to all lower case (i.e. jools) is not to hard to do either. I've also now told it to match jools (incorrect on the site, but don't worry about it right now) to "convert the first letter of the username to upper case" username (i.e. Jools). This is why two-worders like Bas pels and bas pels will have variable results especially if "the truth" is Bas Pels. *whew*

It should start working from tomorrow, however it might not pick it up now as you've been notified about mentions in newer posts. Mind you, if I write @Bekateen, then it will!

Cheers,

Jools

[bekateen]

Thanks.... Now after all these @mentions in this thread, I can expect to receive a nice long notification in the morning.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

Hi Jools,

Potentially bad news about your new @ mentions function:

In the thread 2 10 inch Dwarf Giraffe cats for sale, I used the @ mentions function to notify Viktor Jarikov. Viktor told me through a PM that he never received a notification of my @ mentions usage.

Not sure why it didn't work - if you read the post, you'll see that I was careful to reproduce Viktor's username correctly: "@Viktor Jarikov." But Viktor's username has both a space in the middle of the name and the upper case J in the second name. So who knows what was the problem... Hopefully it's easy for you to resolve.

Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

I think the mentions went out to Viktor yesterday. I am not sure why they took so long, but there was a big load of my cats reminders it was stuck behind. Maybe @Viktor Jarikov can confirm?

Jools

[Viktor Jarikov]

Thanks much, Jools and Eric. Today I've got three @mention email notifications:
-- one to this thread (Eric's post above),
-- one to the thread Eric had linked in the post above, and
-- the third one was interesting - it was from 2011, 4th post down http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 52#p220443 !

[Jools]

It all seems to be working well now.

Jools

[Bas Pels]

I did recieve a few notifications. And from the above, I understand I am a rather difficult case, for which the system had to be adapted.

I never even bothered to look in 2015

[Jools]

We love our difficult cases!

Jools

[Jools]

All,

It's been bothering me for a while that I've not seen many mentions for a few months. Turns out the feature was broken due to the large amount of data being searched for mentions every day (all posts for all users since the last time they were mentioned). Now I have re-written the code so it is much more efficient.

A one-off "catch up" batch of email notifications have gone out today to those who may have missed mentions in the past year or so. The feature will then run using the improved code from now and hopefully work well into the future!

Cheers,

Jools