Re: GC9G6FC - A Geocachers Dozen - Challenge

The following checker needs some adjustments before the reviewer will approve the challenge.

I have been requested by the reviewer that the challenge checker output has to be clearer before they will allow it.

Here is what the reviewer stated:
[snip]
The checker does not easily provide info that can help a geocacher work towards completion.

For example, when I run it for my player account, I don't see any mention of Adventure Labs, Wherigos, Multi-caches, puzzles/mysteries, letterboxes, or virtual. I see that it's says I don't have any month with fewer than 10 days to meet the requirements, but that doesn't help me meet those requirements. I think it should show every result regardless of whether there's fewer than 10 days remaining in a month for that requirement or not.

The checker doesn't use each requirement once. It's currently showing me that I can use Traditional Cache for every month of the year - in spite of it being only allowed once for the challenge. What if I want to use something for one month, but the checker is using it for a different month?

Rating: 1.x, 2.x, 3.x, 4.x, 5.0 (Matching Difficulty or Terrain values but not combined)
What does this mean?? The checker shows D/T1.x (Difficulty and Terrain) for my player account for March - that looks like it's combined, doesn't it? Does it include 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 D & T ratings? It's not clear whether or not you can use both D2.x and T2.x in different months.

When checking your progress, it shows this:

You qualify!
Jan: Small
Feb: D/T4.x
Mar: Other
Apr: Lab Cache
May: Multi-cache
Jun: D/T2.x
Jul: Regular
Aug: D/T3.x
Sep: Unknown Cache
Oct: D/T1.x
Nov: Micro
Dec: Traditional Cache

How is anyone to know whether February, June, August or October is using the D or T rating? Or if it's combining them?

Basically, the requirements need to be rewritten to be crystal clear.
And I think the checker should document what a geocacher needs to do to meet the challenge.
[snip]

I know that creating output for all the possible ways that one can work on qualifying for the challenge could run into processing time restrictions. If we cannot output all the modes not completed for each month, then perhaps we could open the window from within 10 days to perhaps 15 or 20 days, and/or ensure that each mode of qualification is listed at least once where one does or does not qualify.

Can we state when qualifications for the D/T that it is a D or T type qualification. ie for me the February month is a D4.x qualification.

sorry for the delay, I have been away. I will start to work on this soon.

Checker is updated.
List of changes:
- now displays all the values in each month with a minimum of 1 day found. the checker is perfectly fine handling this, though the output is often very long
- now displays which of the D or T is used when the user qualifies, if both can be used then D is favoured
- now displays the number of days for the values in each month that do not qualify.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Sorry I have had a busy summer with both work travelling, and projects / reno's for the house I sort of forgot about this for a bit till now.

Thanks for getting the updates to the checker it is good but like you said can be a bit long but that is okay.

The only thing I would like to have done is if we can sort the items for each months progress by the most completed to the least completed that should help people see what they are closest to completing for each month at the top of the list.

I will be submitting the challenge to be published soon as you can get the sorting for the progress months done.

Thanks you so much!

I've updated it, I think with the change you wanted - let me know if this is okay!

Hmm curious - I do not see any changes to the checker output.

For my profile when I run for the month of Jan. I would expect the output order to be:

D1.x - 30 days ...
Regular - 29 days ...
D3.x - 29 days ...
Other - 26 days ...
T3.x - 25 days ...
D4.x - 17 days ...
Not chosen - 13 days ...
Lab Cache - 11 days ...

and so on in descending order of days done for the month. Then repeat this for the next month

My bad, I only updated the output when you don't qualify! Should be good now.

Much better - thanks for all your help and time spent on this one.

People are really liking the challenge and checker even after they are done still use it to continue filling in their monthly calendars.

Have a great rest ... from me :0)