Subj : msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
To   : Nightfox
From : Digital Man
Date : Sat Apr 27 2024 08:34 pm

  Re: msg_area.grp_list.sub_list scan_ptr
  By: Nightfox to Digital Man on Sat Apr 27 2024 07:49 pm

 > Hi DM,
 >
 > On my BBS, while doing some testing, I tried setting my newscan pointers for
 > all sub-boards to the current date & time (in the stock shell, this would be
 > from the main menu, & for "Message scan config" and then P for "Set new-scan
 > pointers").
 >
 > Then in JS, I checked the value of scan_ptr in the
 > msg_area.grp_list.sub_list array for the sub-board. I thought the value of
 > that scan_ptr value might be the last message (since I had just set my scan
 > pointers to the current date & time), but it seems the value of that
 > scan_ptr could be less than that.

If there's something odd going on with the import date/time of messages (i.e. there's a message with an import date/time *later* than the "current date & time"), then the pointer could point to an earlier (not the last) message.

 > The documentation for scan_ptr says this:
 > User's current new message scan pointer (highest-read message number)
 >
 > When the documentation says "new message scan pointer", it sounds like what
 > it means is the user's last read message?

Not necessarily. If the user goes back and reads some older/earlier message, that doesn't necessarily change their new-scan pointer.

 > Or should it be what the user has
 > set by doing a newscan pointer configuration?

It's either. The new-scan pointer will be updated *either* be reading messages or by manually chaning the scan pointers.

 > If that scan_ptr is the user's last read message, is there another variable
 > in the Synchronet JS object model that represents the message number in the
 > sub-board as configured in the user's newscan configuration?

'scan_ptr' is the message number that represents their highest read message number. Any messages with a higher number (higher than the scan_ptr value) will be considered "new".
-- 
                                            digital man (rob)

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Nigel Tufnel: These go to eleven.
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