Subj : First-time scan pointer value
To   : Nightfox
From : Digital Man
Date : Sat Aug 06 2016 12:19 pm

  Re: First-time scan pointer value
  By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Sat Aug 06 2016 09:27 am

 > Hi DM,
 >
 > I've noticed a possible issue with the scan pointer for a new user with
 > Synchronet 3.17.  The first time a new user starts reading one of the
 > sub-boards, msg_area.sub[subBoardCode].scan_ptr has a very high value,
 > 4294967295.  I'm not sure if that's valid or not.

It's not a valid message number, but it is a valid pointer value (0xffffffff)
which indicates that user's message scan pointer should point to the *latest*
message number when the msg pointers are save for the first time (e.g. when a
new user logs off). This should only occur:

1. If you have SCFG->System->New User Values->Days of New Messages set to 0.
2. And a new user logs on for the first time

I think the default for "Days of New Messages" is not 0. Did you change it? 0
is valid, but it means that a new user would see *no* new messages when they
first scan for new messages upon logging as as "new". I just want to make sure
you knew how that worked.

 >I have a message reader
 > mod I wrote in JavaScript, and it has had trouble accessing messages for new
 > users, seemingly due to that value of scan_ptr.  I found that I can check
 > for that value and work around it, but I still wanted to let you know in
 > case that value is not by design.

Yes, it's by design. It was added in Nov-2015 with this commit:
http://cvs.synchro.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/src/sbbs3/userdat.c?r1=1.160&r2=1.16
1

~0 (of a 32-bit integer) is short-hand for 0xffffffff.

 > I'm running Synchronet for Windows.  I noticed the issue a couple weeks ago.
 > I was running the Synchronet build from January 3, 2016, then I updated to
 > the latest build at the time (July 23) and noticed the issue was still
 > there.

I think it's going stay that way too. :-)

                                            digital man

Synchronet/BBS Terminology Definition #30:
NNTP = Network News Transfer Protocol
Norco, CA WX: 79.8øF, 62.0% humidity, 3 mph E wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

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