Merging posts disaster

[bixaorellana]

Forum URL: anyportinastorm.proboards.com


This is a huge disaster and I am desperate for help, please.



A member made a very long thread covering several gardens she had visited.



I suggest that we cut the thread into several threads, each covering a different garden.



Then I made a sub-sub board into which she could put these new threads, directing her to create new thread in the new board & a dummy OP for each, after which I would merge the pertinent sections of the original thread into the new threads.



She did that and I undertook to merge the section from her original thread (https://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/8599/public-gardens-herefordshire?page=1) into the appropriate new thread.



Once that was done, I cleaned up extraneous stuff in the new thread, then went to the original thread and deleted the posts that had been moved from it.



But now the ENTIRE new thread has completely disappeared AND of course the deleted posts from the original thread are gone, too.

That means all the member's hard work in creating her original report is gone.



The only saving grace is that the posts in the original thread are apparently still in my browser. I am furiously copying them and pasting them in a private message in order to preserve her texts and photos in the right order.

Even so, it means that as it stands none of the original comments can be transferred into a new thread, at least not in their original form.



I am SICK that her excellent reporting has been messed up, apparently because of me.



PLEASE, is there anything that can be done?



Here is the original thread. You will see in the table of contents that the last section was entitled "Hergest Court".

anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/8599/public-gardens-herefordshire?page=1

That was the part that I merged into a new thread that the member made here: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/board/87/gardens-herefordshire-uk -- the part that is now gone.



Extreme thanks in advance for any help!

[bigballofyarn]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but what did you mess up and what was the desired outcome?

Because I'm not completely sure, I'm just going to remind you of something that may have contributed to your issue.

Posts will always stay in date order. So, even if you want a post from today to be merged with a thread from 2019 and you want today's post to be at top of the topic, the posts will remain in date order.

Posts that were accidentally deleted cannot be restored by ProBoards. However, you can continue doing what you are doing to help her recreate her posts

[Scott]

bixaorellana, as bigballofyarn pointed out, user deleted content cannot be restored. Sorry.

FYI - when moving posts from one thread to another, the posts are literally moved and not copied. There would have been no need to remove them from the original thread. I assume you had the thread open in multiple windows or tabs, which would give the appearance of the original thread still containing the moved posts. It's fortunate you still have a copy of the deleted content available in your browser to give some aid in recreating the posts.

[bixaorellana]

Jun 15, 2022 11:28:22 GMT -8 Scott said:

bixaorellana , as bigballofyarn pointed out, user deleted content cannot be restored. Sorry.

FYI - when moving posts from one thread to another, the posts are literally moved and not copied. There would have been no need to remove them from the original thread. I assume you had the thread open in multiple windows or tabs, which would give the appearance of the original thread still containing the moved posts. It's fortunate you still have a copy of the deleted content available in your browser to give some aid in recreating the posts.

Thank you, Scott. 

I would have SWORN that I checked and double-checked before deleting the original posts from the original thread, but what you say is the only possible explanation for the disappearance of everything.

As stated earlier, the ENTIRE missing portion is intact and visible in my browser. Is there no way in the world to transfer it onto the forum? I realize I am whining and insisting too much, but I honestly feel sick over what I have done to this really lovely member who entrusted me with her thread.

Thank you again.

[Kami]

Jun 15, 2022 11:44:04 GMT -8 bixaorellana said:

Jun 15, 2022 11:28:22 GMT -8 Scott said:

bixaorellana , as bigballofyarn pointed out, user deleted content cannot be restored. Sorry.

FYI - when moving posts from one thread to another, the posts are literally moved and not copied. There would have been no need to remove them from the original thread. I assume you had the thread open in multiple windows or tabs, which would give the appearance of the original thread still containing the moved posts. It's fortunate you still have a copy of the deleted content available in your browser to give some aid in recreating the posts.

Thank you, Scott.

I would have SWORN that I checked and double-checked before deleting the original posts from the original thread, but what you say is the only possible explanation for the disappearance of everything.

As stated earlier, the ENTIRE missing portion is intact and visible in my browser. Is there no way in the world to transfer it onto the forum? I realize I am whining and insisting too much, but I honestly feel sick over what I have done to this really lovely member who entrusted me with her thread.

Thank you again.

This doesn't actually exist. Because you had this open in another tab and you have not navigated away or refreshed, the page is considered cached. This means that the content you are seeing is reflective of the state at the time it was loaded and may not reflect the current state.

Since you deleted the content, there is no more data to move over. What you are seeing is effectively a ghost.

[bigballofyarn]

I just wanted to add that mistakes happen. You are an awesome member here and a great admin on your own forum. Because of how you feel right now, it shows how much you care and I really respect that about you. I do hope that once you get things fixed that you are able to have some peace of mind.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Kami.

Yes, I understand that what I'm seeing in my browser is only there because it's cached. I was just hoping against hope that there was some way to "lift" it and replace it intact.

Because it's still in the browser, I was able to copy and paste all the text and all the pictures in the order the member created them. Even so, it's going to be a patchwork affair to reinstate here (really, really excellent!) work. Here posts will pretty much look the same, but member comments will now only be quotes.

Gawd, I'm stupid!

[bixaorellana]

Jun 15, 2022 11:50:53 GMT -8 bigballofyarn said:

I just wanted to add that mistakes happen. You are an awesome member here and a great admin on your own forum. Because of how you feel right now, it shows how much you care and I really respect that about you. I do hope that once you get things fixed that you are able to have some peace of mind.

Awwww, you are the best BigBallofYarn! I posted my remarks to Kami above and then saw your very kind and compassionate post to me.
Thank you so much!

And a general big thank you to everyone in Support who have all been stellar & helpful to me ever since 2009! (edited -- 2008, wow!)

[Kami]

Jun 15, 2022 11:57:54 GMT -8 bixaorellana said:

Thanks, Kami.

Yes, I understand that what I'm seeing in my browser is only there because it's cached. I was just hoping against hope that there was some way to "lift" it and replace it intact.

Because it's still in the browser, I was able to copy and paste all the text and all the pictures in the order the member created them. Even so, it's going to be a patchwork affair to reinstate here (really, really excellent!) work. Here posts will pretty much look the same, but member comments will now only be quotes.

Gawd, I'm stupid!

For some clarity on why you cannot take content from a cached page and restore data: Cached content only exists on your local browser; it is not cached within the database. The PB system would need to directly access your local content which would be a pretty massive feat of engineering (I don't even know if it's possible, to be honest) and would require the ability to manipulate your machine remotely which is a huge privacy no-no.

Mistakes aren't stupidity. Yes, this is not an ideal issue and it does have a negative impact. However, it is also an opportunity for growth for you as an admin both as a community manager and from a tech perspective. Failure shouldn't be a point of self-flagellation, but a celebration of an opportunity to grow. Without failure, we'd all stagnate

[bixaorellana]

Jun 15, 2022 12:04:06 GMT -8 Kami said:

Jun 15, 2022 11:57:54 GMT -8 bixaorellana said:

Thanks, Kami.

Yes, I understand that what I'm seeing in my browser is only there because it's cached. I was just hoping against hope that there was some way to "lift" it and replace it intact.

Because it's still in the browser, I was able to copy and paste all the text and all the pictures in the order the member created them. Even so, it's going to be a patchwork affair to reinstate here (really, really excellent!) work. Here posts will pretty much look the same, but member comments will now only be quotes.

Gawd, I'm stupid!

For some clarity on why you cannot take content from a cached page and restore data: Cached content only exists on your local browser; it is not cached within the database. The PB system would need to directly access your local content which would be a pretty massive feat of engineering (I don't even know if it's possible, to be honest) and would require the ability to manipulate your machine remotely which is a huge privacy no-no.

Mistakes aren't stupidity. Yes, this is not an ideal issue and it does have a negative impact. However, it is also an opportunity for growth for you as an admin both as a community manager and from a tech perspective. Failure shouldn't be a point of self-flagellation, but a celebration of an opportunity to grow. Without failure, we'd all stagnate

You are extremely kind -- thank you! Believe me, I wouldn't care about the privacy at this point. Need a kidney? If that would get the member's content back intact, I'd still have the other kidney. 

I guess I will never stagnate, considering the foul-ups I'm obviously capable of. I think I was concentrating so hard on all the steps that I a) spaced out the obvious fact that moved posts wouldn't need deleting and b) barreled ahead with deleting everything in sight.

It's not as if this were something I'd never done before -- and did it correctly, too. Oh, well.

Again, thank you for your attention to my problem and for going the extra miles to try to make me feel better. 

[Kami]

Jun 15, 2022 12:21:09 GMT -8 bixaorellana said:

Jun 15, 2022 12:04:06 GMT -8 Kami said:

For some clarity on why you cannot take content from a cached page and restore data: Cached content only exists on your local browser; it is not cached within the database. The PB system would need to directly access your local content which would be a pretty massive feat of engineering (I don't even know if it's possible, to be honest) and would require the ability to manipulate your machine remotely which is a huge privacy no-no.

Mistakes aren't stupidity. Yes, this is not an ideal issue and it does have a negative impact. However, it is also an opportunity for growth for you as an admin both as a community manager and from a tech perspective. Failure shouldn't be a point of self-flagellation, but a celebration of an opportunity to grow. Without failure, we'd all stagnate

You are extremely kind -- thank you! Believe me, I wouldn't care about the privacy at this point. Need a kidney? If that would get the member's content back intact, I'd still have the other kidney. 

I guess I will never stagnate, considering the foul-ups I'm obviously capable of. I think I was concentrating so hard on all the steps that I a) spaced out the obvious fact that moved posts wouldn't need deleting and b) barreled ahead with deleting everything in sight.

It's not as if this were something I'd never done before -- and did it correctly, too. Oh, well.

Again, thank you for your attention to my problem and for going the extra miles to try to make me feel better. 

From a tech perspective: while you may be okay with that (and likely have only said this tongue-in-cheek), allowing local access is still a privacy issue as this would impact the service as a whole not just you, if hypothetically this were implemented.

For whatever it's worth I've been coding for almost 20 years now and I work in software development, and 99% of my problems are still caused by a missed or improperly written closing tag. It happens! The day I stop making mistakes is the day I get concerned haha.

Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up won't bring that content back, and I'm sure that your member wouldn't want you to do this to yourself either. 

[bixaorellana]

Thanks again, Kami !

The member in question is the most lovely person imaginable, so I think she'll be understanding.

You certainly have made me feel better and in terms of learning, this was a valuable lesson in slowing down & paying attention.

In the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara ~ ".. after all, tomorrow is another day."

[bixaorellana]

A big thank you to all of you again!

In case others have had a similar disaster and are reading this thread, here is how the situation worked out:

[In the OP here, I wrote:] The only saving grace is that the posts in the original thread are apparently still in my browser. I am furiously copying them and pasting them in a private message in order to preserve her texts and photos in the right order.
Even so, it means that as it stands none of the original comments can be transferred into a new thread, at least not in their original form.

[bigballofyarn responded:] However, you can continue doing what you are doing to help her recreate her posts

So, working from the "ghost copy" in browser, I created a new private message thread between me and the affected member. That was dedicated to only the copied posts from her thread in my browser. Each message post was numbered and corresponded to the position of the post in the deleted thread.

I copied and pasted any text or captions. For photos, I clicked on "open image in new tab", then copied the image address into the appropriate spot.

I decided to save comments by viewers as Quick Quotes and to consolidate them in posts in the appropriate places. This decision was based on the fact that the creator of the thread makes extremely long posts, then rests between them. That meant that comments wound up grouped together between her posts, making it easy and logical to consolidate them.
Another way would have been to make a Quick Quote of each comment, then copy & paste it as an individual post duplicating its original position, something I rather regret not doing, as it would have more closely duplicated the look of the original lost thread.

When I finished copying the ghost thread in the browser, there was a tidy numbered group of posts mirroring the original thread. The member then created a new thread in order to copy and paste each numbered post into it.

My advice, should this happen to you, is to immediately start the copy/paste process as you have no way of knowing how long the ghost copy will remain in your browser. And for goodness sakes, do not clear browser if at any point you need to shut down your computer during the process!

So, for anyone still following this, here is the finished product: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/9283/hergest-croft-kington-22

[bigballofyarn]

I like all the pretty pictures. I'm happy the end result was positive for you. Best of luck going forward.

[bixaorellana]

Thank you!