GNU bug report logs - #28477
25.2; Gnus threading sometimes erratic

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: nljlistbox2 <at> gmail.com (N. Jackson)
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 25.2; Gnus threading sometimes erratic
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2017 01:16:39 -0400

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Sometimes when threading is enabled, Gnus displays the messages in
a thread in a bizarre order in the *Summary* buffer, with an older
message shown as a reply to a newer message. This cannot be right
unless the author of one of the messages has a time machine.

Attached are two screen shots showing this problem, one with a
thread from the Emacs development list and one with a thread from
this list.

I would estimate that the frequency of the problem is about once
in around 1000 messages.

The problem isn't new, but I do not think it has always happened.
It's been happening for maybe a year or two I think.

I have the following settings for threading:

  (setq gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-number)))
  (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number)))
  (setq gnus-subthread-sort-functions '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number)))

. Changing these to:

  (setq gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
  (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date)))
  (setq gnus-subthread-sort-functions '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date)))

does not solve the problem.

I thought perhaps that the `gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function'
might be the solution here, but so far I have had no success with
it. If I try to do

  (setq gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-date)))

, when the *Summary* buffer opens I get the error message

  sort: Invalid function: ((not gnus-thread-sort-by-date))

.

It almost seems that "a list containing functions and ‘(not
some-function)’ elements" is not supported here?

To try to work around this, I tried

  (defun nlj-thread-sort-by-date-descending (h1 h2)
    "Sort threads in the opposite order to `gnus-thread-sort-by-date'."
    (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-date h1 h2)))

  (setq gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function 'nlj-thread-sort-by-date-descending)

which avoids the error message but produces an outlandish sorting
order.

[exhibit-one.png (image/png, attachment)]

[exhibit-two.png (image/png, attachment)]

[Message part 4 (text/plain, inline)]

In GNU Emacs 25.2.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.22.11)
 of 2017-04-26 built on moondust.localdomain
Windowing system distributor 'Fedora Project', version 11.0.11903000
System Description:	Fedora release 25 (Twenty Five)

Configured features:
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LIBSELINUX GNUTLS LIBXML2 FREETYPE LIBOTF XFT ZLIB TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS
GTK3 X11

Important settings:
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Recent messages:
20170917T005607.066> Generating summary...done
Mark set [2 times]
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Memory information:
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 (symbols 48 91117 0)
 (miscs 40 21852 6282)
 (strings 32 242283 13994)
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Message #8 received at 28477 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: nljlistbox2 <at> gmail.com (N. Jackson)
To: 28477 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#28477: 25.2; Gnus threading sometimes erratic
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2017 01:38:33 -0400

At 01:16 -0400 on Sunday 2017-09-17, N. Jackson wrote:
>
> Attached are two screen shots showing this problem, one with a
> thread from the Emacs development list and one with a thread from
> this list.

Sorry, I neglected to be explicit about the problem is in the two
screenshots.

In the first screenshot (from this list), the highlighted message
from Simen Heggestoyl is dated the 26th of January (2017) but it
is threaded as a reply to a message from Tom Tromey dated the 3rd
of May (2017).

In the second screenshot (from the development list), the
highlighted message from Eli Zaretskii is dated October 12th
(2016) but it is threaded as a reply to a message from Paul Eggert
dated October 20th (2016).

Message #15 received at 28477 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: nljlistbox2 <at> gmail.com (N. Jackson)
Cc: 28477 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#28477: 25.2; Gnus threading sometimes erratic
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 23:45:07 +0200

nljlistbox2 <at> gmail.com (N. Jackson) writes:

> Sometimes when threading is enabled, Gnus displays the messages in
> a thread in a bizarre order in the *Summary* buffer, with an older
> message shown as a reply to a newer message. This cannot be right
> unless the author of one of the messages has a time machine.

It difficult to tell from the images you included, but it seems like
what you're seeing is the result of "gathered threads": Articles with
the same subject that are displayed visually as kinda sorta being in the
same thread.  In those cases, getting the response before the answer
isn't unusual, because mail arrive in any which order.

> I thought perhaps that the `gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function'
> might be the solution here, but so far I have had no success with
> it. If I try to do
>
>   (setq gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-date)))
>
> , when the *Summary* buffer opens I get the error message
>
>   sort: Invalid function: ((not gnus-thread-sort-by-date))
>
> .
>
> It almost seems that "a list containing functions and ‘(not
> some-function)’ elements" is not supported here?

Yes, that's correct.  It just takes a function.

> To try to work around this, I tried
>
>   (defun nlj-thread-sort-by-date-descending (h1 h2)
>     "Sort threads in the opposite order to `gnus-thread-sort-by-date'."
>     (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-date h1 h2)))
>
>   (setq gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function 'nlj-thread-sort-by-date-descending)

What about

   (defun nlj-thread-sort-by-date-descending (h1 h2)
     "Sort threads in the opposite order to `gnus-thread-sort-by-date'."
      (gnus-thread-sort-by-date h2 h1))

?

In any case, I don't think what you're seeing is a bug, so I'm closing
this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

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