The discussion revolves around the feasibility of notifying users when a URL in their topic returns a 404 error. Tris20 highlights that this feature has been requested internally and could help maintain content integrity, though challenges like API keys or permissions may complicate implementation. Canapin references prior requests on the Meta Discourse platform, including a proposal for a script to detect and manage broken links via this thread. Tris20 acknowledges the existing interest and notes a potential internal URL tracking system, referencing a related discussion here.
This has been requested internally on two separate occasions. Essentially, sometimes a url might no longer be accessable. Perhaps someone moved the content somewhere else, perhaps the site is closed completely etc.
Would it be feasible to notify a user when a url in one of their topics returns a 404?
I can see an issue where some sites may require an API key to read the particular link, or some other permissions restrictions, so that would need to be factored in. However in general this would be quite a useful feature in ensuring content is renewed as soon as possible.