[htdig-dev] Current Status as of snapshot 3.2.0b4-20021103

[Geoff H. <ghu...@us...>]

STATUS of ht://Dig branch 3-2-x

RELEASES:
   3.2.0b5: Next release, tentatively 1 Dec 2002.
   3.2.0b4: "In progress" -- snapshots called "3.2.0b4" until prerelease.
   3.2.0b3: Released:  22 Feb 2001.
   3.2.0b2: Released:  11 Apr 2000.
   3.2.0b1: Released:   4 Feb 2000.

(Please note that everything added here should have a tracker PR# so
we can be sure they're fixed. Geoff is currently trying add PR#s for
what's currently here.)

SHOWSTOPPERS:
* Mifluz database errors are a severe problem (PR#428295)
-- Does Neal's new zlib patch solve this for now?

KNOWN BUGS:
* Odd behavior with $(MODIFIED) and scores not working with
   wordlist_compress set but work fine without wordlist_compress.
   (the date is definitely stored correctly, even with compression on
    so this must be some sort of weird htsearch bug) PR#618737.
* Not all htsearch input parameters are handled properly: PR#405278. Use a
   consistant mapping of input -> config -> template for all inputs where
   it makes sense to do so (everything but "config" and "words"?).
* META descriptions are somehow added to the database as FLAG_TITLE,
   not FLAG_DESCRIPTION. (PR#618738)

PENDING PATCHES (available but need work):
* Additional support for Win32.
* Memory improvements to htmerge. (Backed out b/c htword API changed.)
* Mifluz merge.

NEEDED FEATURES:
* Field-restricted searching. (e.g. PR#460833)
* Return all URLs. (PR#618743)
* Handle noindex_start & noindex_end as string lists.
* Quim's new htsearch/qtest query parser framework.
* File/Database locking. PR#405764.

TESTING:
* httools programs: 
  (htload a test file, check a few characteristics, htdump and compare)
* Turn on URL parser test as part of test suite.
* htsearch phrase support tests
* Tests for new config file parser
* Duplicate document detection while indexing
* Major revisions to ExternalParser.cc, including fork/exec instead of popen,
  argument handling for parser/converter, allowing binary output from an
  external converter.
* ExternalTransport needs testing of changes similar to ExternalParser.

DOCUMENTATION:
* List of supported platforms/compilers is ancient. (PR#405279)
* Add thorough documentation on htsearch restrict/exclude behavior
   (including '|' and regex).
* Document all of htsearch's mappings of input parameters to config attributes
   to template variables. (Relates to PR#405278.)
  Should we make sure these config attributes are all documented in
  defaults.cc, even if they're only set by input parameters and never
  in the config file?
* Split attrs.html into categories for faster loading.
* Turn defaults.cc into an XML file for generating documentation and 
  defaults.cc.
* require.html is not updated to list new features and disk space
   requirements of 3.2.x (e.g. phrase searching, regex matching,
   external parsers and transport methods, database compression.)
   PRs# 405280 #405281.
* TODO.html has not been updated for current TODO list and
   completions.
* Htfuzzy could use more documentation on what each fuzzy algorithm
   does. PR#405714.
* Document the list of all installed files and default
   locations. PR#405715.

OTHER ISSUES:
* Can htsearch actually search while an index is being created?
* The code needs a security audit, esp. htsearch. PR#405765.