Bad Revisions

From Cyclopath

This page explains what to do about undesirable editing.

Sometimes the revisions people make to Cyclopath are bad or undesirable. This is a consequence of the very open wiki editing model and the price we pay for the many benefits of such openness. Edits can be undesirable due to malice (vandalism) or, much more frequently, ignorance about how to use the software, community norms, etc.

Here are some ideas about what to do if you find such bad revisions.

[edit] Fix It

Often the problem is straightforward: unconnected blocks, forgotten new blocks, empty notes. In such cases it is simple to use the standard editing tools to repair the problem.

[edit] Revert the Revision(s)

Sometimes, the undesirable editing should simply be discarded. In these cases, select the revision(s) in question and click the "Revert Revisions" button. You will be required to explain briefly why you are throwing out the editing.

The Revert Revisions operation works by setting the objects affected by the reverted revisions back to the states they held immediately before those revisions. It does not attempt to apply reverse editing operations to the current map.

For example, suppose that the name of a road is changed in four separate revisions:

1. Cedar Ave S
2. Cedar Avenooz S
3. Cedar Ave
4. Evergreen Terrace

Here is what would happen under a few different reverting scenarios:

• If you revert Revision 4 alone, the name will become "Cedar Ave" (what it was right before Revision 4).
• If you revert Revision 2 alone, the name will become "Cedar Ave S".
• If you revert Revisions 2 and 4 together, the name will become "Cedar Ave S" (what it was right before Revision 2).
• If you revert Revision 4 and then Revision 2, the name will become "Cedar Ave S" (because you change it first to "Cedar Ave" and then "Cedar Ave S").
• However, if you revert Revision 2 and then Revision 4, the name will become "Cedar Ave" (because you changed it first to "Cedar Ave S" and then to "Cedar Ave").

The last scenario is probably not what you want. This yields a rule of thumb: Revert bad revisions together or moving backward in time, not forwards.

Note that reverting a revert is a "no-op", having zero net effect on the map.

[edit] Write Feedback

If the user was logged in, consider writing them feedback on the revision. Most people mean well and will appreciate being welcomed into the community and offered help in making better revisions in the future.