So I have this plane I uploaded. Let's call it Hawk 1a. It served in three different air forces. So I download it again, change the markings for air force 2 and upload it again as hawk 1b. Then I changed it again to the third air force and upload it as Hawk 1c
Now the web page for Hawk 1b and Hawk 1c should both list Hawk 1a as predecessor.
The page for* Hawk 1a* should now display a tag that reads: "Successors: 2 airplanes" *. Clicking on the tag should get you to a separate page named Hawk 1a's successors that list *Hawk 1b and Hawk 1c
However somehow I can not get this to work. When I download Hawk 1a change something and upload it again as 'Hawk 1b', hawk 1a's page does not change. Do I do something wrong? Should I delete my aircraft first or do I have to do something special when I upload this one for it to display successors?
I would really like to completely understand this because I would like to make a challenge and I need all 'successors' to the challenge plane to be displayed for everyone to see right away
Thanks in advance
@Sockdragger I am pretty sure if you make a successor to your plane it doesn’t show up, but if someone else does, then you can see it.
The way that the successor system works with the aircraft files is that:
1. You edit your plane, making changes to editor data. It may or may not have a predecessor url stored in it, which we will call A.
2. You enter and fill up the upload menu, and press the upload button. The following steps happen very quickly:
3. The editor data is uploaded to the website with predecessor url A.
4. The website checks the predecessor url. If it matches that of an existing plane, it is added to the plane webpage as auto credit.
5. The new url A', that was assigned to the plane on the website, is written back to the editor data as the new predecessor url.
.
This system has the implication that you must save your plane after uploading to store the new url. If you do not save your plane before loading another plane (including any versions of your plane saved before uploading), the predecessor url will be lost, and your plane's timeline will be broken.
.
If you understand the system above and have access to your aircraft files, you can set the predecessor url manually.
.
As for the successor list not updating, it is probably a bug or caused by slow database updates.
@HuskyDynamics01 technically AutoModerator is the most active, but does not comment, remove, ban, etc. just flags things for the actual mods
@Sockdragger Technically anyone in the Mods section can do it, though I believe crazyplaness and Mod are the most active.
@HuskyDynamics01 so far it work on one side: the new plane is listed as a successor to the old one but on the old plane's page it doesn't show up that the old plane has a successor now.
I hate to contact the moderator for every plane that I make a successor. But for now it is the only option. Do we have a handle for which to ping the moderator with?
Sounds like you're doing it right; not sure why it wouldn't be working. The successor system is based on the craft URL in the XML file (in non-technical terms, if you use the same cockpit part as what you downloaded, it should be a successor to that), so downloading it, making changes, and then uploading it should work fine.
You can always ping a site moderator in the comments and ask them to manually make it a successor if it doesn't work, though. Very helpful for challenge entries in particular.