[Resolved] Checker request for GCAEJVB

Hi
I'm looking for a checker for GCAEJVB - The Birthday Party Challenge

For this challenge you need to find 15 caches
All must be published on the same date (the "birthday") but be published in different years
Events are not allowed - only caches
Finds of your own caches are not allowed

Note that this is not a challenge to find caches on the anniversary of when they were published (the date that you find them isn't relevant)

When the checker succeeds it should give the qualifying date (for example April 16th), and the list of qualifying years (for example 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008... 2020, 2022, 2023)
When the checker fails it should tell you what your best date is. So something like "you require 15 years but currently have only 4. Your best date is March 1st with years 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021"

Cheers
Colincactus

Do-able with bmuzzin's Multiple Test Checker "grid" function but needs a script update.

Should be able to accommodate that with a small change. Might take me a few days though, busy times!

Please ask your reviewer if he would publish such a challenge because a lot of reviewers are not allowing this as they find the criteria too time-limited and are compairing this to the 29th of Febr.

Also rule 13 comes into play https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=127&pgid=206#findDate

The user doesn't need to find it on the anniversary, it can be found any time. So finding any cache published on 2023-01-01, another published on 2022-01-01, etc. (to 15) is sufficient.

If anything, the reviewer might take issue with the fact that it is based on publication date ("not a Geocaching challenge", since this field is arbitrary), not hidden date, but that is for them to decide.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2023 04:00PM by Hügh. (view changes)

There's a challenge cache like this in my area - to find caches that were published on May 12th, of 12 different years (a "Mingo" challenge), so I think it should be acceptable. That script I don't think can be tagged here, because it's *any* - that one you need to pick a specific date. Regardless, I think this does what you're asking it to do:
https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GCAEJVB/81395

However, it says colincactus's best day (March 1st) only has 13. Are you sure that you qualify for this challenge, and if so, what are your qualifiers so I can backcheck the script?

Maybe you're still working on it - but it errors for me:

[string ""]:9055: attempt to concatenate field 'gccode' (a nil value)

Hi bmuzzin

I believe I qualify with March 14th
2002: GC4201
2004: GCHXGP
2006: GCTWWA
2007: GC11EM5 or GC11EMD
2009: GC1N5NA or GC1NMY3
2010: GC251MB
2011: GC2PR3F
2013: GC47NVE
2015: GC5PCFE or GC5PCKE
2017: GC7248N
2018: GC7KHXR or GC7KHZF
2020: GC8MQW7
2021: GC97JBP
2022: GC46ZGX
2023: GCA5ZT4

Okay... bear with me. Debugging these things with print statements isn't the easiest :)

I ran the caches that you mentioned, this is what the database gives me:

{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2009-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2009,["gccode"] = GC1NMY3,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2009-03-16,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-16,["publish_year"] = 2009,["gccode"] = GC1N5NA,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2011-03-15,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-15,["publish_year"] = 2011,["gccode"] = GC2PR3F,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2004-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2004,["gccode"] = GCHXGP,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2002-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2002,["gccode"] = GC4201,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2007-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2007,["gccode"] = GC11EM5,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2007-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2007,["gccode"] = GC11EMD,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2006-03-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-14,["publish_year"] = 2006,["gccode"] = GCTWWA,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2015-03-21,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-21,["publish_year"] = 2015,["gccode"] = GC5PCKE,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2015-03-17,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-17,["publish_year"] = 2015,["gccode"] = GC5PCFE,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2013-03-17,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-17,["publish_year"] = 2013,["gccode"] = GC47NVE,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2013-03-08,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-08,["publish_year"] = 2013,["gccode"] = GC46ZGX,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2018-03-25,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-25,["publish_year"] = 2018,["gccode"] = GC7KHXR,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2018-03-25,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-25,["publish_year"] = 2018,["gccode"] = GC7KHZF,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2020-03-18,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-18,["publish_year"] = 2020,["gccode"] = GC8MQW7,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2021-04-09,["publish_mmdd"] = 04-09,["publish_year"] = 2021,["gccode"] = GC97JBP,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2017-05-14,["publish_mmdd"] = 05-14,["publish_year"] = 2017,["gccode"] = GC7248N,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2023-03-19,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-19,["publish_year"] = 2023,["gccode"] = GCA5ZT4,} 
{ ["last_publish_date"] = 2010-03-15,["publish_mmdd"] = 03-15,["publish_year"] = 2010,["gccode"] = GC251MB,}

Obviously it doesn't think these were all published on 03-14... did you mean the day they were *hidden*, and not the day they were published (because, they aren't the same thing)? If so, that's funny because that wouldn't have required a script change :).

I've also fixed the bug where Hugh is getting an error with his profile.

Hi bmuzzin
Yes I did mean the day they were hidden rather than the day they were published (apologies for the error). To avoid further confusion lets take an example from your list where these days differ: GC1N5NA. If you look at the cache page at the top it has "Hidden: 14.Mar.2009" and the reviewer log is dated "Publish listing 16.Mar.2009".

So why have I chosen this date over the other. Well I'm trying to put myself in the place of somebody who is trying to qualify for the challenge. Lets say they have 14 years on their best day which happens to be 14 March, and so they need just one more to qualify. They go to the Search on the Geocaching website, filter on "Placed date" and select "On". They pick 14 March on a year where they haven't yet found a cache (say 2009). This gives a list of all the caches that were placed on 14 March 2009. There is another inconsistency of terminology here - the final column of the table is named "Placed on" but when you click on a cache you will see this corresponds to "Hidden" on its cache page.

I can't see any way that a user could find the Published date of a cache on the website other than paging through past logs until they reach it. I really don't want to force them to do that. Do you know of any other way?
Colincactus

Sorry for the delay. I've just moved and I'm having difficulty getting internet hookup at the new house. Editing tags and scripts on a cellphone is madeness! Anyhow, I've updated it so it's hidden date, not published date now.

But, I have seen challenges which check the publish date, not the hidden date, actually submitted and published so your mileage may vary. Not sure there's really a great way to list the publish date in an easy to search for format.

No worries there's no rush I can wait until your Internet is up and running at your new house.

I've just been doing some testing of the checker. A couple of issues. Firstly I'm surprised that it doesn't say I qualify with 14-03 (ie with the list from March 14th I gave upthread). Secondly it does say I qualify with 04-01 and gives a list of GC numbers. One of them though is an event GC3E5W3 (hidden 2012-04-01) and these aren't allowed

I'll give a summary of the challenge requirements (its essentially what I said upthread apart from the correction to be the "hidden on" date)
For this challenge you need to find 15 caches
All must be hidden on the same date (the "birthday") but in 15 different years
Events are not allowed - only caches
Finds of your own caches are not allowed

Okay, I have excluded event types. It now says your qualify date is 03-14, presumably removing events means you no longer qualified in 04-01. The script will just choose any date you qualify on, not necessarily in calendar order. Anyhow, should be good now, let us know.

Hi bmuzzin
This challenge was published today. The checker seems to be working fine.
Cheers
Colincactus