Private Message size

DataMapper::UnsavedParentError: The source must be saved before creating a resource This is what I get when I try to send a game turn that's to big. I'm running a turn-based strategy game and using private messages to send the Game Status reports for each turn to the players and receive from them their Game Turn orders. This last Game Turn for two players the Game Status that I send went through but not for two other players. I'm coping and pasting into the messages from word documents for each player. These documents have all the information that needs to be sent to each player and is simply update for each turn. For the players it went through it comes to 2 pages in the word document. For the two players that I got the above message the word document came to three pages. I doubt it's a computer issue. Is there a size limit of some kind on private messages in Roll20? Very soon all the players Game Status reports will be 3 pages and more! Thanks Barry.

It might be a size issue but I think it's likely that the cultprit could be roll20 trying to interprit part of the large post as something other than just text, like as an API command if there are "!" exclamation posts or as rolls or something similar.

If you're using Chrome, you could try right clicking and choosing Paste and Match Style. There might be some strange control codes in the word document that are being copied over.

Also, if you're using Chrome, it might be worth trying the same post in another browser. I don't know anything about the internals of Roll20's PM system, but I know that Chrome isn't up-to-spec. with respect to large form data. In certain cases, it will simply omit any field in a form with more than a couple kilobytes of data.

When I've gotten this issue, it has been with a bookmarklet I use to fill in the forum post reply box for moderation of certain topics. That's certainly not an overly large bit of text.

I use Linux and it's LibreOffice that's being used. There are also 9 tables in the reports. I'll convert to .doc format and copy and past from that and see if one goes through. My browser is the latest version of Firefox. I'm back. Saved the document as .doc and copied and paste it into the private message and again I get the above message. Also all the Game Status reports have gone through until now and the only difference that I can see with those 2 reports is that they came to 3 pages. The other two sent for the same game turn were only 2 pages.

If you split the message into two pieces do they both go through?

Yes, after I pulled out what little hair I have left :) In the game at the end of each player's Game Status report there is GM notes. For the 2 players where it showed that funny message I sent in one private message the Main body of the report (about 2 pages) and in a separate message called GM notes sent that part. They both went through and as I said for the other 2 players the whole report with the GM notes went through. The only difference that I can see is for these two players their report with the GM notes comes to roughly 3 and a half pages in the word document. Copy and paste it into a private message and send it and Mr. Datamapper shows up. For the Game Turn that I send tomorrow I can do the same thing. But soon the main body of the Game Status report for all players is going to be 3 or more pages. For what the players send me for their Game Turn orders I doubt will ever be a problem. Just for all the information that I send them which I already warned those 2 players might have to be done by email which ironically I originally set up this game to be a PBEM format. Thanks for the help. By the replies it seems you don't think it's solely an issue of the KB of data that's sent.

Barry can you send me an email at <a href="mailto:steve@roll20.net" rel="nofollow">steve@roll20.net</a> of the exact text that won't send as a private message? Also, I was wondering if there isn't a better system to handle what you're trying to do. If you created inside your campaign a handout for each player and made it visible only to them, they could put in their long write ups and save them for you to review back and forth without having to send private messages outside of the campaign.

I looked at my sent box and opened the email that I just sent you. Ugh!! It don't look like that in the word document. Could it be formatting? Also I'll try doing a handout called Game Status Report for the player who's GSR I just sent and see if it loads. The whole game statue report loaded into a handout and looks OK. I'll inform the players that will be how each gets there own GS report each turn. Started doing it through private messages because one player asked if that was how they we're being done. I'm new and this is my first campaign so why not? Do it the handout way. After I copied and pasted the word document into the handout there was 4 or 5 lines of formatting text (font, font size, margins, etc) then the text I pasted in started. Thanks

Glad the handout is working for you.

I'm happy. Should have done it in the first place! I'm interested to know what caused those private messages to not go through the Roll20 system and exactly what that error message means. This is just out of curiosity. Thanks Barry