📢 Feedback Just wondering why directory items are being removed

[Al]

As title. Example: https://admin-junkies.com/threads/40k-games-pending.5590/

 

[joelr]

I deleted items that were already pending to be deleted.

My understanding is that those links were broken.

 

[Al]

Hmm. Mine wasn't: https://40kgames.com - Ahh well.

 

[joelr]

Please do re-post in the Directory. I was doing cleanup and all of those directory items were already hidden (so no visitors were going to see your directory item)

 

[Al]

I blame @Cedric

 

[Cedric]

I deleted items that were already pending to be deleted.

My understanding is that those links were broken.

You need to check every link. It's not because they are in the approval that they are automatically pending to be deleted.

 

[Tracy]

You need to check every link. It's not because they are in the approval that they are automatically pending to be deleted.

If using XenAddons Link Directory add-on, you have to be careful. Sometimes the URL check returns that the URL is not valid, but when you actually visit it, it is a valid URL. I don't know if it's a bug in the LD add-on or not, I just check them manually when they get in the approval queue. Usually the check is right, but I have come across several that apparently block automated checks?
I haven't reported it as I didn't won't to bug Bob.

 

[Darth Cognus]

If using XenAddons Link Directory add-on, you have to be careful. Sometimes the URL check returns that the URL is not valid, but when you actually visit it, it is a valid URL. I don't know if it's a bug in the LD add-on or not, I just check them manually when they get in the approval queue. Usually the check is right, but I have come across several that apparently block automated checks?
I haven't reported it as I didn't won't to bug Bob.

I don't imagine those checks always hit gold 100% first time either. At least in my experience using other url integrity checkers automatically. They're a tool of what to look at, not much more.

 

[Cedric]

If using XenAddons Link Directory add-on, you have to be careful. Sometimes the URL check returns that the URL is not valid, but when you actually visit it, it is a valid URL. I don't know if it's a bug in the LD add-on or not, I just check them manually when they get in the approval queue. Usually the check is right, but I have come across several that apparently block automated checks?
I haven't reported it as I didn't won't to bug Bob.

That's what I'm saying. Just because it says "URL Check Failure" - does not mean they are actually invalid. If you blindly stare at that you end up deleting items that are legit and end up having frustrated members, like @Al - boy does he get frustrated often. lol ily Al.

If a particular link keeps failing URL checks but it's a well-known and reliable one, it's better to disable the URL check for that specific item. This way, you can focus on fixing the real URL issues that come up, instead of wasting time on false alarms.

 

[Bob]

Every Website's HTTP Server returns an http status code (these are universal status codes).

Its the HTTP STATUS CODE that is being evaluated, not if the URL works (that would be only a dead link checker). This is much more extensive than checking for only dead links.

// REF: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Status
// REF: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HTTP_status_codes
// REF: https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/http-status-codes.xhtml

These are the Whitelisted http status codes that Link Directory uses. All other HTTP status codes that are returned by the http server are considered failures and are logged as a failure.

$httpResponseStatusCodeWhiteList = [200,201,202,204,205,206,300,301,302,303,304,307,308];

XA Link Directory is much more lenient than other Link Directory addons that do not include any of the 300 series codes (like redirects) and only a couple 200 series codes. It whitelists 6 200 series and 7 300 series status codes.

If ANY status code other than the whitelisted codes is return, that is considered a failure and that failure is logged.

After 5 logged failures, the Item is put into Moderation so that it can be looked into.

Btw, each Url Check is logged and you can see what status code was returned.

You can disable URL Checking on an individual Item, so if a well known site has a poorly configured HTTP Server that keeps sends status codes that are considered failures, you can simply disable URL checking for that Item.

Here is a prime example of a well known site returning a status code that is considered a failure. This link directory item should have URL checking disabled as they are never going to fix this so that it returns a 200.

This is all explained in detail in the implemented suggestion thread for the URL Check feature.

 

[Tracy]

Here is a prime example of a well known site returning a status code that is considered a failure. This link directory item should have URL checking disabled as they are never going to fix this so that it returns a 200.

I know with roughly 1200 entries, the automated URL check makes it nice keeping up with sites that may have gone dormant, especially since many of the links are to hobby astronomy groups that can tend to come and go or move their association to a larger group.
Most of the URL failures have been valid 404's... but there are some that apparently don't like being hit and return a code (probably 403) that gets them in the queue. Generally those are larger major sites and I just disable the URL checking.

But it does mean that you have to do due diligence and not just depend on them being placed in the moderation queue that they are safe to delete.