Can't extend flat spot past the akrasia horizon

[dreeves]

Desiderata

Beta Give feedback

1. Does this want merged with Different off-by-one error with akrasia horizon #258?
2. Fix the bug
3. Discuss any implications, summarize what was wrong
4. Tweet the UVI

Via @cpcallen

Replicata

1. Go to the graph editor: https://graph.beeminder.com/
2. From the dropdown, select a do-more goal whose daily deadline is later than the current time.
3. Click on the Graph Editor tab.
4. If there is not already a red line checkpoint at the akrasia horizon, double-click on the graph to add one.
5. Drag the red line after the akrasia horizon down a bit. Or edit the row of the graph matrix. Either way, you're making the slope less than it's currently set to, e.g., if it's positive, set it to zero; if zero, make it negative.
6. Click the "Submit Changes" button.

Expectata

That it works, since we're not intersecting the pink zone.

Resultata

Error! Specifically:

ERROR! "Error: graph matrix can't get easier in akrasia horizon". Email [email protected] for more help!

Here's a screenshot from 2021-08-23_09:12:33 BST; the deadline for cpcallen/pomo is 6pm.

And another screenshot in 2022:

Nota Nebulosa

• This issue does not replicate for goals whose daily deadline has been passed.
• It also does not replicate for changes made past {akrasia horizon + 1 day}.
• It does replicate when using the old road editor, so maybe it's not actually a bug with the new road editor? [I'm no longer sure what old vs new here meant but I guess it doesn't matter now!]
• The "take a break" feature at https://www.beeminder.com/<user>/<goal>#stop doesn't have this problem. See further commentary from @cpcallen below.
• With take-a-break you can make the goal easier starting at the akrasia horizon for goals whose daily deadline has passed (i.e., goals whose logical "today" is actually shown with tomorrow's date against it), and that seems reasonable because the akrasia horizon is actually at today's date + 7, rather + 6.
• So it looks like the graph editor is enforcing one extra day of akrasia horizon compared to take-a-break.

Cognata

• Graph editor surprise when deleting penultimate row: changes final rate #236
• Different off-by-one error with akrasia horizon #258
• Graph editor won't allow goal to end sooner #196
• Red line that hugs the pink zone erroneously gives error #164
• https://github.com/beeminder/beeminder/issues/1643
• Graph editor failing most goal changes at the moment because of Rails 5.2 upgrade thing #261
• Graph editor can fail to warn of akrasia horizon violation #280

Verbata: off-by-one errors, falsely claiming things are easier within the akrasia horizon, baneful bugs,

[cpcallen]

Defectus Demonstrandum

(OMG, you are such nerds. I had to look up "reseminata"—and eight of the top ten Google results are Beeminder and/or @dreeves.)

[UPDATE: moved the replicata (we changed the term from "reseminata" to "replicata" -- long story!) to the top-level comment and the original commentary here]

I ran into the graph editor akrasia horizon inconsistency again yesterday, when I was unable to save the following change (specifically, the addition of an extra red line checkpoint one day past the akrasia horizon) in the new graph editor due to "Error: red line can't get easier in akrasia horizon":

AFAICT (and intend), the red line is in fact unchanged until the horizon, and I was merely extending the flat spot to run one more day past the horizon. (It gave the same error when, instead of adding an extra checkpoint for 2021-08-30, I moved the one from -29 to -30.)

Fortunately I was able to schedule this break without problem using the older "take a break" function on the main Beeminder site.

This seems even more clearly a bug in the graph editor than some of the previous cases which involved changes to the checkpoint at the akrasia horizon (but still > 7 days in the future at the time of making them).

[dreeves]

(OMG, you are such nerds. I had to look up "reseminata"—and eight of the top ten Google results are Beeminder and/or @dreeves.)

Ha, yes! We introduced it in a blog post a couple years ago. It was an uphill battle getting anyone else to use those terms but I think they've officially stood the test of time now (in Beeminderland, I mean; I don't expect they've spread elsewhere). If you like nerding out about onomastics, ask me about the reseminata-vs-regenerata debate sometime. [UPDATE: We resolved it! We went with "replicata".]

PS: Thanks so much for the gorgeous bug report!

[dreeves]

More screenshots from cpcallen:

If you try to delete the kink/knot in the red line on Dec 8, it says "Error: graph matrix can't get easier in akrasia horizon".

Workaround: set the red line to flat through Dec 8 using the take-a-break feature and then go back to the graph editor to dial it up to the slope you want.

Obviously that's a hideous workaround and we need to fix this!

[dreeves]

Related notes from Emerald Pham: