Unread posts minor nit....

This is the place to talk about our forums:
Questions about how to best use them, discussions about new features and things like that

Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » May 19th, '11, 21:44

I notice that on this forum (unlike others I use) when I click on View Unread posts I see the list of topics OK, however if I read a topic and the click Back on the browser it seems to remove the just read topic from the list, normally I go back to an unchanged list of Unread posts (at least on other boards). This is a trifle annoying as sometimes I want to re-read a post but cannot see it in the list. Can this be changed so the list of Unread Posts only updates if you actually refresh it?

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Postby ahmad » May 20th, '11, 04:05

Another observation (not sure if it's specific to this forum, or to this version of phpbb forums in general), if I click "post reply", start typing a reply then I want to check a point in the topic I click Back to see it, on clicking Forward, all the text I've typed is gone and the post area is clean, the same if I refresh the page.... this is a big annoyance, given that I can type a reply in bugzilla (which uses https://) and save the session in firefox, then continue typing as the text isn't gone from the report. The same applies if I "post reply" -> type some text -> refresh the page..
ahmad
 
Posts: 336
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 20:18
Location: Egypt

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby juergen_harms » May 20th, '11, 08:26

Yes, the "losing your draft" problem is quite annoying - often you want to check something while you are typing a reply.

I found the "Save draft" button quite helpful to minimize the risk while typing lengthy messages - but, also, a not quite perfect solution: to make it work for repeated saves, you always have to go through the restore procedure, even if you did not lose anything (for me, copy / paste to a plain text editor is more simple to handle).
juergen_harms
 
Posts: 130
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 22:36

Re:

Postby Max » May 20th, '11, 17:14

ahmad wrote:Another observation (not sure if it's specific to this forum, or to this version of phpbb forums in general), if I click "post reply", start typing a reply then I want to check a point in the topic I click Back to see it, on clicking Forward, all the text I've typed is gone and the post area is clean, the same if I refresh the page.... this is a big annoyance, given that I can type a reply in bugzilla (which uses https://) and save the session in firefox, then continue typing as the text isn't gone from the report. The same applies if I "post reply" -> type some text -> refresh the page..

Why do you need to click "back" to see the topic?
Below the reply text box there is a scrollable window with the past 50 posts in this thread. It's hard to imagine needing an earlier post than that, but if you do, contact a forum administrator and that can be changed in the Administrator Control Panel.
Image
User avatar
Max
 
Posts: 269
Joined: Apr 4th, '11, 09:16

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby Max » May 20th, '11, 17:21

broadstairs wrote:I notice that on this forum (unlike others I use) when I click on View Unread posts I see the list of topics OK, however if I read a topic and the click Back on the browser it seems to remove the just read topic from the list, normally I go back to an unchanged list of Unread posts (at least on other boards). This is a trifle annoying as sometimes I want to re-read a post but cannot see it in the list. Can this be changed so the list of Unread Posts only updates if you actually refresh it?

Stuart

If you're looking for threads containing your posts you can click the "View your posts" link on top of the page (right next to your messages).
Another way to do this is to look at the icons of a thread.
A blue icon means that there are no unread posts in this thread (or forum).
A red icon means that there are unread posts in this thread (or forum).
A red star in the icon means that you posted in this thread.
If you found a thread with new posts that you want to read you can click the little orange box, and that will take you to the first unread post.
Image
User avatar
Max
 
Posts: 269
Joined: Apr 4th, '11, 09:16

Re: Re:

Postby wobo » May 20th, '11, 17:31

Max wrote:
ahmad wrote:Another observation (not sure if it's specific to this forum, or to this version of phpbb forums in general), if I click "post reply", start typing a reply then I want to check a point in the topic I click Back to see it, on clicking Forward, all the text I've typed is gone and the post area is clean, the same if I refresh the page.... this is a big annoyance, given that I can type a reply in bugzilla (which uses https://) and save the session in firefox, then continue typing as the text isn't gone from the report. The same applies if I "post reply" -> type some text -> refresh the page..

Why do you need to click "back" to see the topic?
Below the reply text box there is a scrollable window with the past 50 posts in this thread. It's hard to imagine needing an earlier post than that, but if you do, contact a forum administrator and that can be changed in the Administrator Control Panel.

If you need to add quotes from another thread or check another post while compiling your post, just open up another tab with the forum and display the post you need to check or quote. No need to leave your editor screen.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » May 20th, '11, 18:28

Max wrote:
broadstairs wrote:I notice that on this forum (unlike others I use) when I click on View Unread posts I see the list of topics OK, however if I read a topic and the click Back on the browser it seems to remove the just read topic from the list, normally I go back to an unchanged list of Unread posts (at least on other boards). This is a trifle annoying as sometimes I want to re-read a post but cannot see it in the list. Can this be changed so the list of Unread Posts only updates if you actually refresh it?

Stuart

If you're looking for threads containing your posts you can click the "View your posts" link on top of the page (right next to your messages).
Another way to do this is to look at the icons of a thread.
A blue icon means that there are no unread posts in this thread (or forum).
A red icon means that there are unread posts in this thread (or forum).
A red star in the icon means that you posted in this thread.
If you found a thread with new posts that you want to read you can click the little orange box, and that will take you to the first unread post.


Yes I know all the ways round this, however it is not working as just about all of the other forums I frequent which use the same s/w, and it is annoying to have to go search for a thread which was on the screen and is no longer there!

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby juergen_harms » May 20th, '11, 20:17

This discussion has turned from "in this forum you quite often lose your draft" to "why do you need to go back to read your posts " (exagerating to make my point).

It is a fact: in any of the other forums I frequent, I practically never lost the draft of a post, in the Mageia forum that happens quite frequently. When I suspend typing a post, it is practically never to see what I (or others) said before in this specific thread - it is to check in threads, in other forums, or elsewhere whether my reply is based on sound facts: that is when my drafts have a tendency to go south. That is the point originally made by Ahmad, a point that needs an answer, and where the Mageia forum needs improvement.
juergen_harms
 
Posts: 130
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 22:36

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » May 20th, '11, 20:47

juergen_harms wrote:This discussion has turned from "in this forum you quite often lose your draft" to "why do you need to go back to read your posts " (exagerating to make my point).


Sorry but my original point was about losing the post from the unread list so I cannot go back to it.... the lost draft came along second. Both are valid points, losing the draft is annoying just as losing an unread post. Sometimes there are multiple posts about a subject in different theads and I want to read all before commenting, so I want to be able to go back to the same initial screen which displays all the unread posts, read all of them and then decide which one I want to return to and comment (or not). The missing draft is to me slightly less of an issue as some other forums do do this and I have gotten used to copying my text so I can paste it back when I return.

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby juergen_harms » May 20th, '11, 21:14

Agree, the "lost draft" issue was piggy-backed on your initial issue (and I agree with your point). Both issues have a common background and ask for improvements close to each other. Lets not fight about priorities (I do copy / pasting - but that is really not what you would expect a newby forum member to do when he drafts his first replies).
juergen_harms
 
Posts: 130
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 22:36

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby wobo » May 20th, '11, 22:10

juergen_harms wrote:... - it is to check in threads, in other forums, or elsewhere whether my reply is based on sound facts: that is when my drafts have a tendency to go south.

I know exactly what you mean and I used to have the same problems every now and then in other forums, also forums with same software (like mandrivauser.de). Until I changed my way to work to avoid such annoyances independent from any website setup or software configuration.

It's simple: I never leave my draft until I save it or send it. If I want to check other posts, URLs, the webcam of my neighbor's bedroom, whatever, I open a new tab in my browser to do that (IMHO browser tabs were invented to do just this: leave a page open and go to other places at the same time). After a while I asked myself why I had not understood this earlier.

Yes, you may say that this is not answering broadstairs' or your question. But it explains why this is a non-issue for me.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby juergen_harms » May 20th, '11, 23:23

Well, and thanks - that what forum discussions are for: I simply had not thought about opening a second browser window. Good advice, I will make it a habit - much better than copy / paste (and not an issue any more for me too :roll: )
juergen_harms
 
Posts: 130
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 22:36

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby ahmad » May 21st, '11, 01:52

broadstairs wrote:
juergen_harms wrote:This discussion has turned from "in this forum you quite often lose your draft" to "why do you need to go back to read your posts " (exagerating to make my point).


Sorry but my original point was about losing the post from the unread list so I cannot go back to it.... the lost draft came along second. Both are valid points, losing the draft is annoying just as losing an unread post. Sometimes there are multiple posts about a subject in different theads and I want to read all before commenting, so I want to be able to go back to the same initial screen which displays all the unread posts, read all of them and then decide which one I want to return to and comment (or not). The missing draft is to me slightly less of an issue as some other forums do do this and I have gotten used to copying my text so I can paste it back when I return.

Stuart

Sorry about that, I didn't intend to hijack the thread; I just thought that both issues may have the same cause, so that my post might be one more clue about the problem.

@Jurgen, you can also middle click the Back button in Firefox, it'll open the thread in a new tab.
ahmad
 
Posts: 336
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 20:18
Location: Egypt

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby Germ » May 21st, '11, 13:26

broadstairs wrote:Sorry but my original point was about losing the post from the unread list so I cannot go back to it....


Why not open the link from the unread post page in a tab instead of the original window?
Starting in 1999: Mandrake > Mandriva > Mageia
Linux User #274693
User avatar
Germ
 
Posts: 571
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 13:16
Location: Chelsea, Oklahoma USA

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » May 21st, '11, 18:35

Germ wrote:
broadstairs wrote:Sorry but my original point was about losing the post from the unread list so I cannot go back to it....


Why not open the link from the unread post page in a tab instead of the original window?


Nice idea but I dont always know I want to re-read an unread post when I first open it, usually its something in a subsequent post makes me want to go back and read an earlier one. Just dont know another forum which does this....

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby wobo » May 21st, '11, 19:12

broadstairs wrote:Nice idea but I dont always know I want to re-read an unread post when I first open it, usually its something in a subsequent post makes me want to go back and read an earlier one. Just dont know another forum which does this....

Hmm, my experience is quite the contrary, I don't know any forum which keeps a post marked as unread after you read it. Actually this is the meaning of a list of unread posts: listing unread posts, not posts you already have read. In simple words: the thread has a tag or is listed in the database as unread. Once you read it, this tag is taken away or the ID of the thread is erased from the list of your unread posts in the database. It's only logical that the post is no longer showing in the list of unread posts.

But I may have a better solution for you:

Open the link "View active topics" in the Board index view. It shows all active topics within a timespan you can define at the bottom of the page. In this link you will find unread posts marked as red. After you read the post it will turn to normal color but it will stay in that list of active topics (easily accessible, the problem you wanted to solve). I put the link to active topics in my bookmark bar and I'm using it all the time.

This way I see all new topics and recently read topics are still on my screen. Try it, IMHO it's the best way to use phpbb3 if you don't want to miss anything.
For convenience of the users who use this view in mandrivauser.de I've place a link to mark all forums read on that page as well, so they can first read all the posts they want, then with one click mark all others as read.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » May 21st, '11, 19:39

You miss the point, I know if I click on Unread posts again it will not show up. However this is not what I am doing. I first click on Unread Posts, the view a post and the use the Back button on Firefox but when I do this the list of unread posts is updated to remove the one I have just viewed. This does not happen on other forums.

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby wobo » May 21st, '11, 21:15

broadstairs wrote:You miss the point, I know if I click on Unread posts again it will not show up. However this is not what I am doing. I first click on Unread Posts, the view a post and the use the Back button on Firefox but when I do this the list of unread posts is updated to remove the one I have just viewed. This does not happen on other forums.

Stuart
Sorry for my slow understanding, you are right, I just tested it here and on mandrivauser.de (also running phpbb3). It is exactly like you described. Hitting the Back button in mandrivauser.de shows the list with the post still marked as unread. I did not understand because I never worked that way.

Of course, still my description of using "active posts" would solve your problem because even if the "unread" mark goes away after reading the post will still be in the list on your screen, not vanishing form the list as is with the "Unread posts" list.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby roadrunner » Jun 5th, '11, 10:01

broadstairs wrote:I notice that on this forum (unlike others I use) when I click on View Unread posts I see the list of topics OK, however if I read a topic and the click Back on the browser it seems to remove the just read topic from the list, normally I go back to an unchanged list of Unread posts (at least on other boards). This is a trifle annoying as sometimes I want to re-read a post but cannot see it in the list. Can this be changed so the list of Unread Posts only updates if you actually refresh it?
I find this a trifle annoying too and this is the only forum I visit which behaves this way.

.\\artin
- Mageia6 - 64-bit - Plasma 5.8.7 -
- AMD A6-6400K APU -
- 8Gb RAM - nVidia 8500GT GPU -
User avatar
roadrunner
 
Posts: 71
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 16:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » Jun 7th, '11, 08:44

Can we actually get something done about fixing this please? Now Mageia is live I am finding it more annoying. I look at the unread posts each visit and with more forum entries I now find more and more that I need to re-review a thread from the list as some folks dont search before posting and we get duplicate posts. As others have said it is the only forum I have found which behaves this way, it is just not logical.

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby maat » Jun 7th, '11, 09:51

I think this is more due to a browser issue than to a forum issue.

The forum is set up without something special as far as "unread topics" are concerned : just the very standard phpbb3 behavior.

By the way if you reload a page after having read a topic it seems normal that it's not considered "unread" anymore

Or there is something i did not get ?
maat
 
Posts: 307
Joined: Feb 13th, '11, 00:23

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby blas » Jun 7th, '11, 10:41

I also think it is browser related. I'm on chromium and if I click back, the topic I was reading is still there, only dissapears if I reload (which is quite normal imho).
blas
 
Posts: 20
Joined: May 5th, '11, 22:16

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » Jun 7th, '11, 11:06

Yes you could be right - at least in part. I use Firefox almost exclusively and when I hit back the topic disappears, however I just installed Opera and it does not happen there. What is strange is that it is only the Mageia forum which does this, Mandriva and others which I use and have the same software to do the forum do not exhibit this problem. Yes ofcourse if you reload the page then yes the topic is no longer unread but I am not doing this (at least not deliberately unless Firefox is).

Stuart

Just tested Chromium and it has the same issue as Firefox.....
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby broadstairs » Jun 7th, '11, 13:47

Just compared Mandriva and Mageia forums for unread posts. On Mandriva the url ends with an &sid parameter which I think could have something to do with it, Mageia does not use this. I have checked another couple of phpbb forums and the ones I use all have the &sid parameter on the end of the unread posts url and do not exhibit this problem.

Stuart
broadstairs
 
Posts: 47
Joined: May 14th, '11, 19:02

Re: Unread posts minor nit....

Postby doktor5000 » Jun 7th, '11, 18:58

Maybe you have just differing settings for cookies for both pages or both browsers?
Cauldron is not for the faint of heart!
Caution: Hot, bubbling magic inside. May explode or cook your kittens!
----
Disclaimer: Beware of allergic reactions in answer to unconstructive complaint-type posts
User avatar
doktor5000
 
Posts: 17629
Joined: Jun 4th, '11, 10:10
Location: Leipzig, Germany

Next

Return to Discussions about forums

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron