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Topic #1049: restored puzzles
By Norma Dee (norm0908)

#1: Norma Dee (norm0908) on May 23, 2022

Have we reached the end of the restored puzzles? It hasn't changed in several days.
#2: Valerie Mates (valerie) on May 24, 2022
I noticed that too, so a few days ago I dug into the code. The code selects the twenty puzzles by puzzle number: each day the first puzzle ID number increases by one -- and there's a gap of about four numbers at the top of the "twenty restored puzzles" section, so I think it's just working its way through that gap. At some point I calculated it would take I think it was either seven or nine years for the code to to work all the way through the restored puzzles. Anyway, if the list hasn't changed in another day or two I will go dig deeper into what's going on, but I think it's just the gap between the puzzle ID numbers.
#3: Valerie Mates (valerie) on May 24, 2022
Puzzles were only able to be restored if they were visible to the public. So the gap is from people's un-published puzzles, which used those ID numbers but were not published.
#4: Valerie Mates (valerie) on May 24, 2022
It didn't change today, either, so I checked the code again. It was doing "20 puzzles starting at 26135" last time I looked at this, and today it's doing "20 puzzles starting at 26137," so the ID number is moving forward each day, it's just working its way through a big gap between ID numbers between 26127 and 26138. It should start moving again in two more days. Then there's another gap right after that, so the restored puzzle list will stay put again for three more days.
#5: Norma Dee (norm0908) on May 25, 2022
Thank you for checking this out.
#6: Brian Bellis (mootpoint) on May 27, 2022
I wonder why there are such big gaps of unpublished puzzles (restored or otherwise). Hypotheses?
#7: Valerie Mates (valerie) on May 27, 2022
Just people starting on a puzzle and never publishing it, I think. Maybe someone was starting on a series?
#8: Brian Bellis (mootpoint) on May 27, 2022
A maker wanting to reserve their lucky number but it was still a few puzzles away?
#9: Joe (infrapinklizzard) on May 27, 2022
There are 6566 puzzles that are unpublished. Of those 182 are mine. They are either abortive ones, or versions of one that eventually got published.

Having 6566 unpublished puzzles out of the 35681 numbered puzzles means that nearly 1 out of 5 puzzles are unpublished. (18.4% to be exact)
#10: David Bouldin (dbouldin) on Jun 5, 2023
Looks like 32 of those are mine :)
...including three with four-digit puzzle ID numbers.
#11: Joanne Firla (JoFirla) on Jun 5, 2023
Not that my unpublished puzzles are causing a gap (because I just started making puzzles) I have unpublished puzzles because I have the ideas but haven't been able to figure out how to draw them yet. Maybe some of the unpublished puzzle makers have the same issue.

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