Re: LYNX-DEV Lynx bug while fetching news group list

[Klaus Weide]

On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Jason Castonguay wrote:

> Hi there.  The less program did the trick, and I captured the last 40
> lines or so.  I hope this is far back enough for you to judge where the
> error occurred.  Here it is.
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> 
> HTParse: aName:news://news.ntplx.net/ausgovdirthe   
> relatedName:news://news.ntpl
> x.net/
> 1
> HTParse: result:news://news.ntplx.net/ausgovdirthe
> HTParse: aName:news://news.ntplx.net/ausgovdirthe   relatedName:
> HTParse: result:
> Entered HTAnchor_findAddress
> New anchor 0x862a528 has hash 51 and address 
> `news://news.ntplx.net/ausgovdirthe
> '
> Linking anchor 0x8629f68 to anchor 0x862a528
> HText_endAnchor: number:11350 link_type:1
> GridText: split_line called
> B dk.erhverv    Erhvervsrelateret stof for forskellige erhvervsgrupper.
> GridText: split_line called
> new Anchor 0x862a618 named `' is child of 0x81297f0
> Entered HTAnchor_findChildAndLink
> HTParse: aName:news://news.ntplx.net/dk.erhverv   
> relatedName:news://news.ntplx.
> net/
> 1
> HTParse: result:news://news.ntplx.net/dk.erhverv
> HTParse: aName:news://news.ntplx.net/dk.erhverv   relatedName:
> HTParse: result:
> Entered HTAnchor_findAddress
> /dosc/lynx.log line 159279/159308 99%
> New anchor 0x862a6b0 has hash 70 and address 
> `news://news.ntplx.net/dk.erhverv'
> Linking anchor 0x862a618 to anchor 0x862a6b0
> HText_endAnchor: number:11351 link_type:1
> GridText: split_line called
> B 
> alt.aa.aaa.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.aaaa.aa.aaaaa.aaaa.aaaaa.aaa.aaaaa.aa.aa.aa.aaa.bb.
> bbb.bbb.bbb.bb.bb.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.bb.bbbb.cc
> ccccc.cccc.ccc.ccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.cc.ccccc.ccc.cc.d.dddd.dddd.ddd.ddd.
> dddd.ddd.ddd.dd.dd.ddd.ddddddddd.ddd.ddd.ddd.dd.dd.ddd.ddd.ddd.dd.eeee.eeeeeeee.
> eee.eeee.eeee.eeeee.eee.ee.e.eeee.eeeee.eeee.eee.eeee.eee.eee.ffff.fff.ffff.ffff
> f.fffff.ffffff.ffffff.fffff.fffffffff.ffffff.fffffff.fffffffff.fffffffff.ffffff.
> ffffffff.fffffff.fff.fff.fff.ffff.GridText: split_line called
> new Anchor 0x862a500 named `' is child of 0x81297f0
> Entered HTAnchor_findChildAndLink
> HTParse: 
> aName:news://news.ntplx.net/alt.aa.aaa.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.aaaa.aa.aaaaa.aa
> aa.aaaaa.aaa.aaaaa.aa.aa.aa.aaa.bb.bbb.bbb.bbb.bb.bb.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b
> .b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.b.bb.bbbb.ccccccc.cccc.ccc.ccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.cccc.c
> c.ccccc.ccc.cc.d.dddd.dddd.ddd.ddd.dddd.ddd.ddd.dd.dd.ddd.ddddddddd.ddd.ddd.ddd.
> dd.dd.ddd.ddd.ddd.dd.eeee.eeeeeeee.eee.eeee.eeee.eeeee.eee.ee.e.eeee.eeeee.eeee.
> eee.eeee.eee.eee.ffff.fff.ffff.fffff.fffff.ffffff.ffffff.fffff.fffffffff.ffffff.
> fffffff.fffffffff.fffffffff.ffffff.ffffffff.fffffff.fff.fff.fff.ffff.   
> relatedN
> ame:news://news.ntplx.net/
> 1
> HTParse: result:news://news.ntplx.net/alt.aa.aaa.aaaaa
                                                        ^^^^^^^^^

The last groups from the server's newsgroups listing read and handled by
lynx, as shown by your excerpt, are

  ausgovdirthe
  dk.erhverv
  alt.aa.aaa.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.[...and_a_lot_more...]

But the trace log isn't complete, it looks like it is cut off at the end.
Probably the trace log file doesn't get flushed and closed properly before
the program exits.

If you don't direct the trace output (stderr) to the trace log file, but
let it go to the screen, you should be able to catch all of it.  With the
2.7.1f code, use -tlog in addition to -trace for that.  And then wait
patiently while all those lines scroll by.

That last newgroup shown is obviously highly bogus (and the first one
too), you may want to tell your provider that you would appreciate it if
they did a better job of maintaining the "newsgroups" file (or whatever is
the equivalent in their server software).  Anyway, it is not clear whether
it is that last name (which exceeds an internal buffer limit in Lynx), or
maybe something else that comes after it and isn't shown in the trace log,
caused the exit.

I also still suggest that you try this with the development code from
<URL: http://sol.slcc.edu/lynx/current/>.

   Klaus
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