Feature Request: Better mall cache handling

[VeeArr]

There have been a number of reports recently of users getting warnings for making excessive mall searches. While some of this was initially due to a bug in mafia, there are still some conditions under which it can occur. (For example, if a script calls mall_prices("allitems") and then proceeds to query a bunch of prices, if the mall cache gets invalidated for some reason, the queries will start doing one search each.) It would be better if mafia somehow handled caching better to prevent users getting dinged like this.

Several things have been proposed:
1) A preference that tracks how many mall searches have been done, and warns/aborts if approaching the limit.
2) Change all mall searches to return cached data, automatically doing a single API call for allitems if the cache is not populated or is over X minutes old.
3) Add flags to buy(), mall_price(), etc. indicating that they should only use cached data and not make a search under any circumstance.

Feel free to post additional thoughts/ideas for improvement below.

 

[infopowerbroker]

This is amazing. Thank you!!!

 

[fronobulax]

While some of this was initially due to a bug in mafia

What was the bug and when was it fixed?

 

[fronobulax]

2) Change all mall searches to return cached data, automatically doing a single API call for allitems if the cache is not populated or is over X minutes old.

If we are not going to use the mall cache then why bother to maintain it?

I am very much in favor of making the use of the cache mandatory. There are things a user could do to get around that which is between the user and the Multi-czar.

Decades ago Jick once said that "The Mall is NOT the Game".

I can already hear the cries of "but I need an exact, up to date price". But if you buy and sell stocks and mutual funds in the United States you do not know the exact price at the moment the order is placed. At best you can bracket a transaction to that it does not occur unless the price is within bounds you have set. If it matters that can be implemented by scripts, in mafia, or both.

IMO.

 

[VeeArr]

What was the bug and when was it fixed?

The bug was the mall cache failing to populate if a search encountered an unknown item. It was fixed in #3799.