This relates to groups having a limit on the number of contributions allowed in a day/week/month time frame. This was controlled on exact 24 hour intervals before the window allowing further additions was again opened. With this revision, the next open day starts at midnight, the next week starts Monday, and the next month on the first.

For '1 per day' the old coding meant the user had to wait for a full 24 hour interval before being able to add again. Now, '1 per day' means what it says. For example, following an addition at 11am Monday, it will allow one at any time Tuesday whether 2am or 11pm. This will be for the day local to the user.

For '1 per week' it was a problem, especially for contests. If a user added to the group later than usual one week, meaning an addition would not be allowed the following week until the full interval of 7x24 hours had elapsed. This led to the messy solution of having a setting of say '6 per month'.

I have revised the coding that checks for additions during the time frame. It now notes the current day in the user's timezone, and works out the Monday starting that week. So for a Friday contest, a late addition on the previous Friday, or even Saturday, would not prevent an addition this Friday. Because it checks for additions in the current week from Monday.

If this explanation is hard to follow, you might imagine the programming headaches, and why the original developers went for the easier method of fixed 24 hours based intervals.

The 'per month' option is now on a calendar month basis, replacing what was a fixed 30 day interval no matter what the month. In the case of say '3 per month', whenever the additions were made during the current month, no more are allowed when the count reaches 3. But from the start of the next month, it will check for additions in this subsequent month, ignoring any in the previous. Thus meaning additions are allowed when previously needing a 30 day interval.

So for administrators of groups that had to work around the old implementation, they can consider changing the setting under 'Limits and moderation'.

Rob Stamp (ima Webmaster)