Import of archived comments and possible Time snapshots?

[markusd1984]

First of all @mattwright324, well done on this useful app and UI!

The fact that people delete comments just because they don't like some replies (and re-post their comments) or even entire videos being deleted, requires a proper comments archive solution. :)

However I don't see a way how to import archived comments unless I missed something? Perhaps any plans for this?

I think this would be by far the most powerful tool if it could save different time stamps of an entire video comments with replies, with an easy way to select different snapshots for later review. (It doesn't need to have a highlight for comparison of changes, all though it would be ideal hehe). Imagine!

[mattwright324]

Thanks @markusd1984!

Currently there is only export functionality. I had not thought of an import feature before this. I recently implemented the export function from issue #13. This is definitely something I need to think about.

Another user had some similar thoughts, not of importing but about deleted comments. I may be wrong, but I feel that it would be a very tricky thing to get right. Based on your description, this could be achieved by creating a group, refreshing, exporting (archiving), then deleting all the data. The next time you want to archive you start over and refresh with new data, export, and delete again? If you don't delete beforehand, comments that have been deleted will still be in the database and the exported data will have it in the second export. I don't store a grabbed date on individual comments and if I did it still wouldn't be clear when factoring in potentially botched refreshes (ran out of quota), internet goes out, a video disables its comments at a later date.

Import functionality sounds doable. Detecting deleted comments and/or doing so efficiently may not be.

[markusd1984]

Awesome, yes! Deleting probably should only occur when refreshing, so that otherwise it remains in the app available.

Besides an File Import for the Export command, it could also have a Saving/Archiving snapshot in time button, that would save a condensed JSON (to maintain the replies structure), for which than an entry ideally becomes available under "Group Select", to load a different snapshot (clear db & load).
A delete option for this probably would also be useful then.

Not sure what you meant with you don't store a grabbed date? As I see all comments/replies already got timestamps, which are also in the JSON output.

Don't worry about integrated comparison features. they are only a really nice to have, while ultimately having the functionality to actually import or save and select different date/time sets within the app are far more itself useful and provide huge value, as even just manually comparing some individual comments/replies within that would be quiet easy and possible that way (which otherwise currently aren't anywhere else possible as far I know).

_hypothetically though, the only way I could think of for this to work is on the basis of selecting two different snapshots, which first loads the newest data-set, then compares all comments/replies from the older snapshot based on the date/timestamp (ideally with match of the user name, in case somebody could post a comment/reply at the exact timestamp :D ) which then could highlight comments/replies in a different color or indicate somehow which are either 1) newly added or 2) deleted.
Being able to also compare the actual content to detect and highlight comments/replies that have been edited would not be as important and probably far too complex.