Auto Delete Cache

Hey,
I just found autoptimize 2 days ago and I love it. I had just gotten the email about the cache being large (around 650 mb), and I have PLENTY of disk space, so I am unsure as to why I would want to clean it about once a day (which, judging by today, will be about how often it fills up). I have a new site, with little traffic besides bots so far. once humans arrive,the cache may fill MUCH quicker.

Perhaps you could make a blog post about WHY one *should* clear the cache and maybe further explain the “Canary in the coal mine” analogy as it pertains to the cache (leaving it or clearing it). I know what the reference is, I just don’t understand how it applies to cache notifications, the warning to delete the cache, and why it is so important to clear the cache.

Thanks in advance for an explanation if one comes, and a huge thank you for the plugin; it proved itself IMMEDIATELY once deployed on my test site. It made it on the main site in under an hour, I think. So thanks and very well done!

yeah, i guess i needed to hear it 2 different ways to understand what you meant…

if i read between the lines, I am reading that whatever I am doing, I am creating too much gas in the mine too quickly (especially since the site really doesn’t have any human interactions just yet), and taking the canary outside for some air is like putting my fingers in the dyke (to mix metaphors) as clearing the cache is only a temporary solution

in other words, i guess I am asking this: is that fast of an accumulation of cache an indication that I am doing something wrong, either in configuring your plugin or in the way I manage my site?

i do use some sophisticated behaviors such as using powerful plugins like context aware sidebars and plugin logic to control what content certain classes of visitor see and also what plugins are active on any particular class of pages, which could effect your x page to y page analogy in a big way, exponentially multiplying the alphabetic variables in your equation

if a large cache is a side effect to such micromanaging of content delivery, but if i have plenty of space for the cache to reside on, is this a bad thing? is this the same as the canary dying without being taken outside?

or is the very rapid large cache more of an indication of bad coding and/or implementation of desired outcomes?

in other words, is the large cache simply a side effect of design decisions and inevitable, and as long as i have the space, let it be, or is it something i need to get to the root cause of immediately because something is potentially very wrong with my infrastructure, either in the way I have structured things or in the way I have configured your plugin?

thanks again for your response. i DID read your blog post, but i needed to hear it in a different way as that 1st post didnt click with me as to why you were using that analogy. your subsequent answer here clarified it somewhat, but the basic crux of my question remains; is a huge cache a bad thing if you have the space to handle it and/or your structure seems to need this?

your plugin rocks. anyone on the fence needs to just test and disable whatever else they were using, then install yours and test. they can uninstall yours and put the old one back, but if they see the results in the tests like i did, they would be foolish to do so. thanks again!

exclude the per-page or per-request changing variables from being optimized

any tutorials, faqs, or howtos about this point?

i appreciate all of your help, btw.

Thank you.

I am going to leave you with a plugin that can completely solve page specific problems that your plugin causes

well, your plugin doesnt actually cause them, it just manipulates data in a way that that data may cause problems

anyway, i mentioned it before, but last night i found a problem with your plugin and another plugin i had installed.

while the link you posted would most likely be a solution to those more technically competent than myself, it is more than i can handle. but i already had a solution. it works efficiently for non site specific issues, particularly on page specific issues; it is a plugin called “Plugin Logic.”

I initially got it to help lower requests on my home page by deactivating unneeded plugin calls, but soon found another side effect. A plugin borking an unrelated page? Deactivate it on that page if it is not being critically used.

Instead of offering support that vaguely helps an iggy like me, perhaps this may be a very blunt, but also very elegant solution for novices such as myself. Deactivate your plugin on specific pages or ranges of pages and specific problems are instantly solved.

You gave me an awesome plugin. I am giving you a tool for your arsenal! I hope it helps. Thanks again