To the last unread message?

[jasona]

I seem obsessed on unread messages...

On other forums using this software there is often a separate link on each thread title around the words "last post" (on this forum these words are located by the name of the person who made that post, which is hot linked to their profile) which, if you click this, will take you to the oldest unread post in the thread. On this forum, you only get this functionality from the main index page, listing each forum and its most recent post, when you click on the relevant thread's title. I know I asked about implementing this on the last version of the forum--could it be cone more easily here? Its just a little cookie...here is some coffee to dunk it in.

[MikeEdgerton]

When you see the little gray button with the down arrow into it next to a thread clicking on it will bring you to the next unread message. Is that what you're looking for? If you hold your mouse over it you will get the message "Go to first new post".

[jasona]

YIB. Thanks Mike! There it was in plain sight. Its exactly what I was looking for.

[jasona]

...except, of course, it is still bound by the "all messages are tagged as read when I leave the forum" issue.

[JEStanek]

What I do is use the New Posts option at the top. Then when I'm done I click the Quick Links drop down then the Mark Forums Read option. Nice and tidy. except for those new posts in that interim period between selecting new posts and reading them all... just re click new posts, see where you're at then click Mark Forums Read.

Jamie

[jasona]

Thanks Jamie, but I am trying to PREVENT the forum from marking all forums read when I leave, which seems to be the default and I can find no setting anywhere to stop this. Basically, if I haven't read a post, I want the forum to know this so I can go to it whenever I please.

[Doug Hoople]

Thanks Jamie, but I am trying to PREVENT the forum from marking all forums read when I leave, which seems to be the default and I can find no setting anywhere to stop this. Basically, if I haven't read a post, I want the forum to know this so I can go to it whenever I please.

I'm with Jason on this. Marking things as read that haven't been read is very counterintuitive, and I've stubbed my toes several times already on being directed to a late post that looks like the frirst post.

I know there are things that we'll get used to here, and they'll be second nature to us before too long. But running all our navigation through the 'New Posts' link, requiring an all or nothing read of all unread threads on every visit, and having to remember to execute a 'Quick Links' marking gesture on every exit strikes me as a pretty inelegant burden for the gain of only half the desired feature.

Sorry to be a grump. I do support being on the new message board, for all of the good things that it brings the moderators and hosts, and for some of the good things that it brings us subscribers. I'd be remiss, though, if I didn't mention some of the things that bug me here.

No good deed goes unpunished! I wouldn't be complaining if you all hadn't given me a community I value so much!

[jasona]

Sooo, can I assume from the collective silence that has answered my question that there are no plans to change this setting (which I know to be possible from other forums I am on that uses this software)?

[Scott Tichenor]

If you're worried that I'm filing my nails and giggling at user issues whilst you await, that'd not be the case. I've been fairly overwhelmed every day for the past three weeks with requests and questions.

Why don't you take a screen shot of a vBulletin forum showing what you desire, as that will also show whether you're within in a topic thread area, the Cafe home page, or you've chosen new posts or another setting. There are a lot of different view settings and without knowing where you really are, we're taking guesses. The biggest issue with understanding user problems is usually not the problem itself, but really understanding what we're really dealing with and what the user is doing when this problem is or is not occurring. A screen shot will show what it is we're supposed to be seeing that we're not.

[MikeEdgerton]

Sooo, can I assume from the collective silence that has answered my question that there are no plans to change this setting (which I know to be possible from other forums I am on that uses this software)?

Could you PM me some information. First, what Browser and OS are you using and second, give me a link to a site where this works they way it should for you. We need to determine what is happening. I'm assuming that if the problem exists for you it exists elsewhere but we have yet to be able to duplicate it. Thanks.

[jasona]

If you're worried that I'm filing my nails and giggling at user issues whilst you await, that'd not be the case.

That is EXACTLY what I think you were doing. Nail filer.

Why don't you take a screen shot of a vBulletin forum showing what you desire, as that will also show whether you're within in a topic thread area, the Cafe home page, or you've chosen new posts or another setting. There are a lot of different view settings and without knowing where you really are, we're taking guesses. The biggest issue with understanding user problems is usually not the problem itself, but really understanding what we're really dealing with and what the user is doing when this problem is or is not occurring. A screen shot will show what it is we're supposed to be seeing that we're not.

OK, I can shoot some screenies of how threads are displayed as unread, then I could close and reopen the browser and show what they look like when they've been automatically marked as read, but am uncertain what this will demonstrate. Ditto showing similar screen captures from other forums where my cookies are set properly. What I really need to figure out is how to find the option that marks everything as read at the end of a session, and turn it off. If I haven't opened the thread, I want it to remain as unread in perpetuity. I have so far been completely unsuccessful in finding any sort of options like that in my CP, and would not if it is a global setting anyway.

As for where I am, its within a forum index (say, Mandolin Cafe Message Board > Miscellaneous > General Mandolin Discussions )

[Scott Tichenor]

I'm going to test something here and place some documentation so when the server collapses, Dan can come read this and smack me.

Issue here appears to be the board setting on how thread and forums are marked as read. There's a more database intensive setting and I'm going to use that and cross fingers that this will be more to our liking. May take awhile to propagate out but I think I can rebuild on the fly.

Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> General Settings -> Thread/Forum Read Marking Type -> Database (automatic forum marking)

Essentially, changing from setting 1. to 3.:

Thread/Forum Read Marking Type
This option controls how threads and forums are marked as read.

1. Inactivity/Cookie Based - once a user has been inactive for a certain amount of time (the value of the session timeout option) all threads and forums are considered read. Individual threads are marked as read within a session via cookies.

This option is how all versions of vBulletin before 3.5 functioned.

2. Database (no automatic forum marking) - this option uses the database to store thread and forum read times. This allows accurate read markers to be kept indefinitely. However, in order for a forum to be marked read when all threads are read, the user must view the list of threads for that forum.

This option is more space and processor intensive than inactivity-based marking.

3. Database (automatic forum marking) - this option is the same as a previous option, but forums are automatically marked as read when the last new thread is read.

This is the most usable option for end users, but most processor intensive.

[Scott Tichenor]

This was a pretty big change. You'll notice almost everything is showing up ans unread now, and you all have an enormous listing for "new posts". To resolve that, the support center I'm reading says if you select "mark forums read" in the quick links, from this point forward, all new posts/threads will show up for 14 days in new post search status regardless of what computer you're accessing from as long as you're logged in. I think this is a more desirable setting.

Or you can do nothing and you'll still wake up tomorrow just fine, assuming you started out that way.

[jasona]

Thanks very much Scott! I really appreciate the effort.

[MikeEdgerton]

Now I'm not seeing the new posts right. Fixing one seems to have broken my ability to see the new posts.

[jasona]

Did you mark the entire forum as read after Scott reset the read marking? I did, and now its working like it should from where I am sitting.

Sorry you are having issues now.

[Avi Ziv]

This is much more to my liking as well. I was really baffled before how from one visit to the next unread posts would disappear from my "unread" list. I also read the forum from 3-4 different computers and the cookie-based operation made my "state" look different from every computer. So far I like this

Thanks!!
Avi

[man dough nollij]

My Cafe is behaving very strangely now. I hit the "New Posts" button, and the list that comes up starts with a post from an hour ago. I've posted twice in the last hour, so mine should be at the top of the list. If I go to the forums where the new posts are, they are at the top of their respective threads, but "New Posts" isn't seeing them. Is there some latency in the search engine?

[JEStanek]

Man dough nollij,

Mine works the same way. I believe the new software setting figures (is configured to) if you posted in it, it ain't new. If someone posts after you, it'll be in the list of New Posts.

Jamie

[man dough nollij]

Thanks Jamie,

I guess there's just not a lot of traffic going on right now. I'm used to that-- I'm in UTC+11 here, so it's going on 3PM Wednesday here when it's 10PM (EST) Tuesday there. It makes calling the states interesting.

Edit: I see how it is now. "New Posts" is a different search than it used to be on the old board, and the first settings on this one. It really is an "unread threads" search, so my own posts are gone from the list because they are considered read. Yep.