I like the way that new posts since my last login show up in BOLD. This helps me to see at a glance where the action is.
My problem is that I am a very slow reader, especially when trying to digest some of the DEEPER posts.
When I stay on the same post for a while (I am not sure how long), all the new posts get set to "read" and no longer show up in BOLD. I do not always get to read all the new posts before they get marked as "read".
I would like to be able to choose a date and manually set all posts before that date to "unread" again so they show up in BOLD.
I have used the quick link for "today's updated threads" and that works OK, but I do not always get to check in every day and sometimes I miss some interesting posts. Having them in BOLD just helps me. I can see the new posts together with all the other posts. My personal preference.
Right now our system is set up based on timeouts for "cookies" which keep track of when you were online last and what is new since you last logged in.
The current timeout period is 15 minutes. So after 15 minutes of inactivity, all unread posts are automatically marked as read. This is the default for the forum package and we haven't modified it.
We have a lot of options. We can increase the timeout limit or do away with the cookie timeout and let the database track what you've read and what you haven't.
If we let the database handle it, you will need to read every unread thread in order for the bold highlighting to go away on the thread. It's a little bit more processor and space intensive to go this route, but we seem to have plenty of horsepower on the site. Not a bad feature though. I try to read everything, but I'm sure I've missed a bunch of posts.
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Bagger
1-H "Because of questions of all kinds, reams of additional detail must be made available - but separately, and probably endlessly." Homer Kelly
Thanks for the response. I was not sure if you were waiting for a response from me on this or not, but I thought of another reason that I would like to be able to pick a date and reset all posts prior to that date to unread:
Sometimes I only have time to take a quick glance at the forums, but do not have time to read all the new posts. Then, the next time I come back, all the posts that I did not get to read before are now marked as read.
I am pretty ignorant when it comes to website programming. Can you overwrite the cookies based on a date the user enters? I do not care how it is accomplished really. This is just something that I have wished for many times and thought I would throw a line out and see if anyone else had wished for the same thing.
I don't think we can do anything with the cookies. Sounds like a custom feature we would need to develop. So setting a date to go back and look at unread posts might be doable, but isn't something we could turn on "out of the box". The "cookie" resides on your computer, not ours and I have no idea how all of the mechanics of those things work.
Like you, I'm interested in feedback. Maybe we could put up a poll or something.
Thanks,
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Bagger
1-H "Because of questions of all kinds, reams of additional detail must be made available - but separately, and probably endlessly." Homer Kelly
Sounds like a custom feature we would need to develop. So setting a date to go back and look at unread posts might be doable, but isn't something we could turn on "out of the box". The "cookie" resides on your computer, not ours and I have no idea how all of the mechanics of those things work.
This is something that would need to be custom (do-able but custom). Also, you would have to set that date everytime you come to the site since the next "last visit to LBG" is the "current visit to LBG".
Is there a way to modify the 'view posts in last 24 hours' search to allow a date entry? 'view posts since X day'? Or even a view posts in last week/month might do it.
At least that would get back all the potential posts that are unread, although not in bold and marked as such.
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I would like to be able to display Threads instead of Posts. A quick link for "Updated Threads since Date" could work.
Many times, on the "Today's posts" link, there are MANY posts in the same thread. I think if it went back any further than one day, it would be a very long list and would not serve the purpose I am interested in.
Is there a way to modify the 'view posts in last 24 hours' search to allow a date entry? 'view posts since X day'? Or even a view posts in last week/month might do it.
At least that would get back all the potential posts that are unread, although not in bold and marked as such.
Yes, this is also possible.
There is also the option Bagger mentioned in his first post about turning on database tracking of read/unread threads. We haven't used that feature before, but is supposed to only mark a thread read after you've viewed the last page of the thread.
I would like to be able to display Threads instead of Posts. A quick link for "Updated Threads since Date" could work.
Many times, on the "Today's posts" link, there are MANY posts in the same thread. I think if it went back any further than one day, it would be a very long list and would not serve the purpose I am interested in.
elliskit, there's a "today's update threads" link on the quick links menu that should give you what you're looking for.
elliskit, there's a "today's update threads" link on the quick links menu that should give you what you're looking for.
bambam,
I have used the "Today's Updated Threads" link and I like that. What I would like to be able to do is to enter a date (to go back further than today) and view threads updated since that date.
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