Restructure the repl.it URLs to allow for a permanent unchangeable link to that repl (unless of course the repl gets deleted). Also, to maintain the title in the URL you could optionally add text after the <repl id> (similarly to how stackoverflow handles titles.)
URL Scheme change:
http://repl.it/@<user-name>/<repl-title>/
changes to:
http://repl.it/<repl-id>/[optional-title]
Example:
http://repl.it/@AaronNBrock/Array0-vs-Array01/
changes to:
or
http://repl.it/3jsc0/Array0-vs-Array01/
& then which ever link is clicked, as long as it starts with repl.it/<repl-id> it redirects to the correct repl.
Pros:
There wouldn't be as much pressure to name the repl the "right" thing. (As you may know, naming is one of the hardest parts of programming.)
It would allow more confidence when embedding/sharing repels on sites or forums since you don't have to worry about the owner renaming it & the link dying.
Shorter URLs
Cons:
The URLs wouldn't look as nice.
In any event, I really love repl.it. Thanks so much for your time, I'd be happy to talk more about this idea!
~Aaron N. Brock
While we don't have plans to add a permalink, we will be adding repl redirects, so renaming a repl won't break previously shared links. Hope this helps when it's out!
@Tim Chen: But what if you create repl "Foo" and rename it to "Bar". A few weeks later, you create another repl called "Foo". Whill the link to foo go to the bar repl, or would it cancel the redirect to bar and correctly go to foo?
@Vandesm14: Redirects are overridden if a new repl is created with that url.
Thanks Aaron for your feedback, It used to be this way in the past, before introducing user profiles. We're creating a language for sharing and ownership for Repls, and having usernames are important in the URL link. It's not only for shared Repls but also it'll unlock many design decisions in the future.
@Haya: That doesn't make sense, internally you must have some ID associated with each repl, the ownership & or ownership design can change but that ID can still point to that repl.
@aaronnbrock: you are right there is a repl ID, but we would like to surface the username instead, it's something that will help us in introducing code collaboration, and smart search in your dashboard.
@Haya: Okay, well in any event, the url scheme could change to:
http://repl.it/@<user-name>/<repl-id>/[optional-title]
Which is what twitter does.
@Haya: Certainly, it's listed in the "Pros" section, but there are a few other reasons.
1. It allows me to quickly create a post & send it to someone without the pressure of picking a name, since I'd be able to edit it later.
2. It would allow more confidence when embedding in stackoverflow since I don't have to worry about the creator/myself changing the name and breaking everything.
3. It makes the URL much shorter, especially when it comes to programs with unwieldy class names like "EnableableModuleClassifier". (This is also why I'd like to remove the username from the URL as well)
4. As @AngelicaLim pointed out 404 errors are a common issue with code submission.
"http://repl.it/3jsc0" just makes me happy inside...
This isn't really a "reason" but most web apps like this use permanent URLs, look at Twitter, HasteBin, Regexr, PasteBin, StackoverFlow, Reddit, 4chan, Facebook... etc. Post Titles are rarely used in the URL, of that list only Stackoverflow & Reddit have titles in the URL & in both cases they are optional.
& As mentioned in the post, the only down side I see is a messier looking URL.
@aaronnbrock: Can you tell me why it matters to you? and how it will change your experience using Repl.it if we added the repl-id to the URL? is it for search purposes? or something else?
@aaronnbrock: thanks for breaking it down for me :) and thanks for mentioning this. I'll see what I can do about it :) you totally have a point 👍🏼 keep up the great suggestions coming
@Haya: So, how's this coming? This feature is still the main reason I don't use repl.it in my stackoverflow answers.
I also have a lot of students accidentally submitting links that end up as 404's, because they decided later to give it a title.
Hi @aaronnbrock & @AngelicaLim, just wanted to give an update - we added redirects for repls, so if you have a rename a repl, the old URL will redirect to the new URL (unless, of course, you make a new repl with the old name). Hopefully this solves a lot of issues. We'll soon also be adding a route that incorporates the repl ID so you can have a "true" permalink. Unfortunately repl IDs are UUIDs so they are long and unsightly. Let us know if you have any feedback or run into any issues.
@Tim Chen: Thanks for the update, Tim!! I just gave it a try right now, but still face the 404 issue, see: https://repl.it/repls/BewitchedDistortedOperatingenvironment
To reproduce:
1) Create an anonymous repl by using a non-logged in browser session. Go to https://repl.it/languages and select Python3
2) A repl will be generated with prefix https://repl.it/repls/, e.g. https://repl.it/repls/BewitchedDistortedOperatingenvironment
3) Log into your repl account using the same browser
4) Now, the same repl will have the prefix https://repl.it/@username, e.g. https://repl.it/@AngelicaLim/BewitchedDistortedOperatingenvironment?language=python3&folderId=
5) Try accessing the anonymous repl link from 2)
Expected:
The repl should work as the original in (2) or forward to the repl link in (4)
Observed:
The repl is Not found (404)
@AngelicaLim: Ah - the only exception right now is with anonymous repls - it should work with named repls otherwise :(
Anonymous repl redirects should be coming shortly!
@Tim Chen: Got it, thanks! Happy to test it out when it's released!