Lending / Circulation: Status Update affects multiple books
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1elenchus
From @Booked107 on 2015-04-08:
Found a bug!
I updated the checkout status of many books in my library to 'unknown' in preparation for a physical reconciliation with the database. The idea was to mark everything 'unknown' and then update this status when we confirmed that the book was on the shelf or checked out.
When I changed the first book from 'unknown' to 'checked out', several books were updated with the 'checked out' status. I'm guessing there is an issue with the update query?
note, this happened 10 days ago, just in case you've addressed it in the mean time. (sorry for the slow reporting)
Tonight we plan to use a more physical approach to the reconciliation. I've printed out the librarything db, and we're going to mark each book we find.
My concern is that then we will update the books found missing, several at a time. Will I experience the same problem when I go to update one of these books? Is there a work around to avoid this?
Original report:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/188117#5122704
Found a bug!
I updated the checkout status of many books in my library to 'unknown' in preparation for a physical reconciliation with the database. The idea was to mark everything 'unknown' and then update this status when we confirmed that the book was on the shelf or checked out.
When I changed the first book from 'unknown' to 'checked out', several books were updated with the 'checked out' status. I'm guessing there is an issue with the update query?
note, this happened 10 days ago, just in case you've addressed it in the mean time. (sorry for the slow reporting)
Tonight we plan to use a more physical approach to the reconciliation. I've printed out the librarything db, and we're going to mark each book we find.
My concern is that then we will update the books found missing, several at a time. Will I experience the same problem when I go to update one of these books? Is there a work around to avoid this?
Original report:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/188117#5122704
2kristilabrie
Confirmed. Thanks for reporting @elenchus and @Booked107! This is a big one.
To replicate:
1. Add a custom "Other" Lending status in Your Books.
1a. IF it's active, it will show up in the Lending History, and in the drop-down menu of available "Other" statuses. (If it's not currently in use, it disappears from the list AND from the Lending History--another bug! See here--will ETA.)
2. Add ANY OTHER custom status, using the drop-down menu (if it's the same) OR just typing in a new custom status, to another book.
What happens:
The custom status, whether it's the same custom status or not, seems to "follow" the most recent book it's been applied to. It takes with it all of the Lending History where a custom status has been made, updates the custom status text for all preceding books (if the new custom status is different from the older ones), and holds all Lending History for the custom status in the most recent book where it's been applied. Making changes to any one of these transactions in the most recent book's Lending History updates *all* of the transactions/books with that same custom status. Not good!
Example
1. I add the custom status "Not for loan" to one of my books, Book A, 100 Edible Mushrooms. The status shows up in that book's Lending History, and is added to my drop-down list of "Other" statuses in Your Books:

2. I use the drop-down menu selection (OR just type in the same status) to add the same status to *another* book, Book B, The Afterlife and Other Stories:

The status displays properly in Your Books for each book:

However, the Lending History for Book A is now empty and the Lending History for Book B now shows the two transactions for adding the "Not for loan" status:

Editing or deleting ANY of those transactions in the History makes the same edits to ALL of the transactions with the same custom status.
3. I can also add a completely different custom status to one of my books, say "unknown", and this custom status will update all books with any custom status to "unknown", along with keeping all of the Lending History for the custom statuses, etc.
To replicate:
1. Add a custom "Other" Lending status in Your Books.
1a. IF it's active, it will show up in the Lending History, and in the drop-down menu of available "Other" statuses. (If it's not currently in use, it disappears from the list AND from the Lending History--another bug! See here--will ETA.)
2. Add ANY OTHER custom status, using the drop-down menu (if it's the same) OR just typing in a new custom status, to another book.
What happens:
The custom status, whether it's the same custom status or not, seems to "follow" the most recent book it's been applied to. It takes with it all of the Lending History where a custom status has been made, updates the custom status text for all preceding books (if the new custom status is different from the older ones), and holds all Lending History for the custom status in the most recent book where it's been applied. Making changes to any one of these transactions in the most recent book's Lending History updates *all* of the transactions/books with that same custom status. Not good!
Example
1. I add the custom status "Not for loan" to one of my books, Book A, 100 Edible Mushrooms. The status shows up in that book's Lending History, and is added to my drop-down list of "Other" statuses in Your Books:

2. I use the drop-down menu selection (OR just type in the same status) to add the same status to *another* book, Book B, The Afterlife and Other Stories:

The status displays properly in Your Books for each book:

However, the Lending History for Book A is now empty and the Lending History for Book B now shows the two transactions for adding the "Not for loan" status:

Editing or deleting ANY of those transactions in the History makes the same edits to ALL of the transactions with the same custom status.
3. I can also add a completely different custom status to one of my books, say "unknown", and this custom status will update all books with any custom status to "unknown", along with keeping all of the Lending History for the custom statuses, etc.
3LT_Ammar
>1 elenchus: Thanks for reporting and >2 kristilabrie: thanks for the immensely helpful bug report!

