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Ok but that only fetches the codes from the US, so now a non-US resident will start with their zip code and end up with random ass place on the other side of th

by diath 7mo ago

Ok but that only fetches the codes from the US, so now a non-US resident will start with their zip code and end up with random ass place on the other side of the globe. Now not only I still have to fill in the fields, but also clear them first.

jen20 7mo ago
Obviously put country first, then whatever the equivalent of a ZIP code is second. In the UK, a post code gets you down to around 15-16 delivery addresses on average. No-one there really _ever_ needs to type an address.
- loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
  “Obviously” didn’t read the article. Not having to pick the country is literally the premise! “I type 90210. You now know I'm in Beverly Hills, California, United States. You didn't need me to tell you that. You didn't need a dropdown. You didn't need me to scroll past Turkmenistan.”
  - scottlamb 7mo ago
    "Obviously" the article is wrong, as pointed out by the grandparent of your comment (and several others in the comments). I won't violate the site guidelines by suggesting you didn't read it.
    - loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
      I did read it.
      - scottlamb 7mo ago
        Great. Pretty sure jen20 did too; they are replying to a comment pointing out the article is wrong and suggesting a compromise between the web default "enter all your address, then the zipcode" and the article's "you don't ever need to touch the country, state, or city fields" that is closer to working beyond the US. In that context, I find it strange and rude that you're suggesting they didn't read the article.
        loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
        You also suggested I hadn’t read it. “I won't violate the site guidelines by suggesting you didn't read it”. Only you did (saying you won’t say something and then saying it doesn’t really absolve you). I find you rude so I won’t reply to you anymore.
        Dylan16807 7mo ago
        They were pointing your own faulty claim back at you, in the hope that you would reconsider it. You should not be treating it as a standalone accusation, and it's not justified for you to get mad at them without getting just as mad at yourself.
  - n0w 7mo ago
    The author seems to have either misunderstood the API they're referencing or are assuming US only addresses. The specific endpoint they're calling seems to be for US specific zip codes. The point stands that this doesn't "just work" for global services.
- lsaferite 7mo ago
  Even in the US, once you have a zip and a name the post office can often deliver mislabeled mail. Results my vary by region though.
- collabs 7mo ago
  At that point, should we even show the whole form? Or should we only ask the country first and then based on the answer, decide whether to show a form? That way the form can be different for each country? I think auto full suggestion should be just that -- a suggestion, not validation.
  - throwaway173738 7mo ago
    Yeah, I’m thinking about how the address validation databases would for years correct my house’s address to point to a house in a cul-de-sac a block away. I could tell who was auto-correcting my address by which parcels arrived there. The USPS carrier knew too and he would ignore the address on some parcels. I eventually had to dig through a bunch of USPS documentation for their Address Element Correction database to find their helpdesk. Apparently places like Fedex use that database. So I agree as well, and I would be pretty angry if someone forced me to pick from a list instead of just trusting that I know my own address. Also as another aside I was a shipping clerk for a while and occasionally came across an address like “across from such-and such store halfway down the alley.” So the author is making a pretty bold assumption that there is such a thing as a standard address that can be auto-filled.
- zettabomb 7mo ago
  Yeah but, the article was specifically saying that you don't need to put in country because you can look it up by ZIP. That's obviously wrong, but apparently not to the author of the website.
- NicuCalcea 7mo ago
  Most British websites work like this website suggests, in that they ask for the postcode first, then give you a dropdown of all the addresses at that postcode. It works great, except my address is for some reason not in whatever databases these websites use. The building number is on the list, but not the individual flats. So I have to put in the postcode, choose something like "My address is not listed", then fill in the form manually. A few times it wasn't even offered as an option.
  - Stromanker 7mo ago
    It sounds like your address isn't listed correctly in the UK Postcode Address File (PAF).[0] There's a form you can fill in requesting a correction.[1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcode_Address_File https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcode_Address_File [1] https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-your-address https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-you...
    - NicuCalcea 7mo ago
      Will do, thanks!
  - tialaramex 7mo ago
    Somebody else mentioned the PAF. I should further clarify why your address might (might, this could just be a mistake) not be on there and why therefore almost any form should have an option to "do it the hard way" The PAF is about what the Royal Mail calls "Delivery Points" which are places they promise to deliver physical letters to. Inside my building for example every home has a front door, with a letter box, and letters literally get posted into my flat, but down the street there's a building with a rack of boxes set into the wall and post is delivered to your numbered box, and up the street there's a townhouse converted and all the mail just goes in one piles for everybody in that building. Many delivery points share a postcode, but because they know them all they actually all have unique numbers, and unlike a postcode they're not for humans so they get changed quite frequently as new buildings are constructed or working patterns change, if you examine your post carefully (in the UK†) there are two rows of fluorescent orange dots on the outside, these were printed by mail sorting machines shortly after the mail was received, one is an entirely arbitrary serial number and it designates that piece of mail for a very short period (say a few days) to enable statistical tracking for performance - if #213940202 entered the system in Glasgow on Monday, was in Portsmouth by Tuesday but wasn't delivered to someone's door until Friday the problem ain't in Glasgow. But the other one we're interested in here is the Delivery Point as a numeric code. If you don't have multiple addresses this row of orange dots will be identical on every item you've received for some time yet it's different on someone else's mail. † This trick was invented in Britain but is used (licensed) in some other countries because it's a good idea, however exactly what is encoded and so what it "means" may vary.
- hirvi74 7mo ago
  I have a better idea. How about we just let the users input their own addresses? These days, most browsers autofill addresses anyway.
iberator 7mo ago
I don't own a post code and permanent residence. It's a pain in the ass to find some local post code whole in rush etc silly idea

by diath 7mo ago

jen20 7mo ago

Obviously put country first, then whatever the equivalent of a ZIP code is second. In the UK, a post code gets you down to around 15-16 delivery addresses on average. No-one there really _ever_ needs to type an address.

loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
“Obviously” didn’t read the article. Not having to pick the country is literally the premise! “I type 90210. You now know I'm in Beverly Hills, California, United States. You didn't need me to tell you that. You didn't need a dropdown. You didn't need me to scroll past Turkmenistan.”
- scottlamb 7mo ago
  "Obviously" the article is wrong, as pointed out by the grandparent of your comment (and several others in the comments). I won't violate the site guidelines by suggesting you didn't read it.
  - loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
    I did read it.
    - scottlamb 7mo ago
      Great. Pretty sure jen20 did too; they are replying to a comment pointing out the article is wrong and suggesting a compromise between the web default "enter all your address, then the zipcode" and the article's "you don't ever need to touch the country, state, or city fields" that is closer to working beyond the US. In that context, I find it strange and rude that you're suggesting they didn't read the article.
      - loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
        You also suggested I hadn’t read it. “I won't violate the site guidelines by suggesting you didn't read it”. Only you did (saying you won’t say something and then saying it doesn’t really absolve you). I find you rude so I won’t reply to you anymore.
        Dylan16807 7mo ago
        They were pointing your own faulty claim back at you, in the hope that you would reconsider it. You should not be treating it as a standalone accusation, and it's not justified for you to get mad at them without getting just as mad at yourself.
- n0w 7mo ago
  The author seems to have either misunderstood the API they're referencing or are assuming US only addresses. The specific endpoint they're calling seems to be for US specific zip codes. The point stands that this doesn't "just work" for global services.
lsaferite 7mo ago
Even in the US, once you have a zip and a name the post office can often deliver mislabeled mail. Results my vary by region though.
collabs 7mo ago
At that point, should we even show the whole form? Or should we only ask the country first and then based on the answer, decide whether to show a form? That way the form can be different for each country? I think auto full suggestion should be just that -- a suggestion, not validation.
- throwaway173738 7mo ago
  Yeah, I’m thinking about how the address validation databases would for years correct my house’s address to point to a house in a cul-de-sac a block away. I could tell who was auto-correcting my address by which parcels arrived there. The USPS carrier knew too and he would ignore the address on some parcels. I eventually had to dig through a bunch of USPS documentation for their Address Element Correction database to find their helpdesk. Apparently places like Fedex use that database. So I agree as well, and I would be pretty angry if someone forced me to pick from a list instead of just trusting that I know my own address. Also as another aside I was a shipping clerk for a while and occasionally came across an address like “across from such-and such store halfway down the alley.” So the author is making a pretty bold assumption that there is such a thing as a standard address that can be auto-filled.
zettabomb 7mo ago
Yeah but, the article was specifically saying that you don't need to put in country because you can look it up by ZIP. That's obviously wrong, but apparently not to the author of the website.
NicuCalcea 7mo ago
Most British websites work like this website suggests, in that they ask for the postcode first, then give you a dropdown of all the addresses at that postcode. It works great, except my address is for some reason not in whatever databases these websites use. The building number is on the list, but not the individual flats. So I have to put in the postcode, choose something like "My address is not listed", then fill in the form manually. A few times it wasn't even offered as an option.
- Stromanker 7mo ago
  It sounds like your address isn't listed correctly in the UK Postcode Address File (PAF).[0] There's a form you can fill in requesting a correction.[1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcode_Address_File https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcode_Address_File [1] https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-your-address https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-you...
  - NicuCalcea 7mo ago
    Will do, thanks!
- tialaramex 7mo ago
  Somebody else mentioned the PAF. I should further clarify why your address might (might, this could just be a mistake) not be on there and why therefore almost any form should have an option to "do it the hard way" The PAF is about what the Royal Mail calls "Delivery Points" which are places they promise to deliver physical letters to. Inside my building for example every home has a front door, with a letter box, and letters literally get posted into my flat, but down the street there's a building with a rack of boxes set into the wall and post is delivered to your numbered box, and up the street there's a townhouse converted and all the mail just goes in one piles for everybody in that building. Many delivery points share a postcode, but because they know them all they actually all have unique numbers, and unlike a postcode they're not for humans so they get changed quite frequently as new buildings are constructed or working patterns change, if you examine your post carefully (in the UK†) there are two rows of fluorescent orange dots on the outside, these were printed by mail sorting machines shortly after the mail was received, one is an entirely arbitrary serial number and it designates that piece of mail for a very short period (say a few days) to enable statistical tracking for performance - if #213940202 entered the system in Glasgow on Monday, was in Portsmouth by Tuesday but wasn't delivered to someone's door until Friday the problem ain't in Glasgow. But the other one we're interested in here is the Delivery Point as a numeric code. If you don't have multiple addresses this row of orange dots will be identical on every item you've received for some time yet it's different on someone else's mail. † This trick was invented in Britain but is used (licensed) in some other countries because it's a good idea, however exactly what is encoded and so what it "means" may vary.
hirvi74 7mo ago
I have a better idea. How about we just let the users input their own addresses? These days, most browsers autofill addresses anyway.

iberator 7mo ago

I don't own a post code and permanent residence. It's a pain in the ass to find some local post code whole in rush etc silly idea