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Real-time link validation

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Real-time link validation
Alex,

On the issue of validation, what about keeping a 'validation' database (so that the links database isn't changed) in which, the URL and the date_last_checked and valid variables are kept.

valid - is yes/no whether the link was validated on the date_last_checked.

That way, you could run a validate _only_ on links that failed, or links that haven't been validated in x-days, or since x-date.

It would speed up the process, and would allow separation of the validation routines from the regular links processes. The validate table could be updated either with each links modify, or at the time the validate routine is run (better option).

it reads through the links database, and makes sure each URL in the database is in the validate database, if not, it adds it. If a link ID and a URL disagree, the URL in the validate table is updated, and flagged as "unchecked" and set to be checked.

Make sense?

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Re: Real-time link validation In reply to
Oh,

Additionally: since queries to the database like this are 'standard' a list of the common requests could be put into a drop down list, and the only changed parameter would be the date. The SQL statements wouldn't have to be generated each time, in this way, and could be finely tweaked for performance.

validate all links since _date_ _x-days
validate all new links
validate all bad links
validate all links before _date_ _x-days
validate all links between _date/X-days and _date/x-days

All someone would nee to do is put the date in the date/days box, (default today) and if not null, the query inserts them, and if null, uses today.

If you wanted to add another field to the database, you could have "error" and insert the error number, so a query like:

validate all links with _error_

could be run only on the links that might have been off-line or inaccessible for service at the time of the check.

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Re: Real-time link validation In reply to
Thanks for the good ideas! I'll look at implementing this..

Cheers,

Alex
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Re: Real-time link validation In reply to
Great Smile

I know the two biggest areas of resource drain are the build-all and validate routines.

Do you have a list of what is being changed in the next release? I'm still holding off doing any real work with this until it stabillizes... the 1.0 release is not the one to try to hack -- it's the one you try to get the programmers to smooth over Wink