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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
 Posted - 08/20/2006 : 08:04:00
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Ok, Dave, you asked for suggestions on more forum coding stuff.
How about adding the Message Inbox sign and the Forum Chat sign under the Active Topics page?
Edited to add:
Oh... the Message Inbox was already there. But the Chat Sign isn't.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 08/20/2006 08:05:02
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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dglas
Skeptic Friend
Canada
397 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2006 : 20:44:18 [Permalink]
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| How about letting us go directly to the last post in a thread from the frontpage and showing the last poster in a given thread from the frontpage.... |
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- dglas (In the hell of 1000 unresolved subplots...)
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The Presupposition of Intrinsic Evil
+ A Self-Justificatory Framework
= The "Heart of Darkness"
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 04:18:33 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by dglas
How about letting us go directly to the last post in a thread from the frontpage and showing the last poster in a given thread from the frontpage....
Or why not take it a step further...
When you go from Active Topics to an active thread, an icon that links to the first post after the time indicated in the Active Topics Since dropdown-list. Kind of "first unread post in the thread" but actually not keeping tabs on what posts I've read. Just the time my last visit (which is stored in my SFN-cookie?).
Example: in this thread we have three posts before this one. When I enter the Active Topics page, the "Since" dropdown list shows "Last Visit 08/20/2006 20:15:12"
If I click the "go to first unread post icon" it should bring me to dglas post since it was written after 20:15:12.
It should also work for the "Last Hour" options. |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
| Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 08/21/2006 04:20:09 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 21:01:08 [Permalink]
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Well... Hmm... This is embarassing...
After reading these last two suggestions, I said to myself, "why don't I just see if I can't get a last-post function working on the Active Topics page, first?" Imagine my surprise as I looked at the code and discovered that there was already such a function implemented, it was working! And here I was, clicking the last page button for threads I was interested in...
So maybe I shouldn't be tinkering around with the code so much, since I'm obviously unfamiliar with the functionality of the damn site!
[Runs and hides in shame]
Seriously speaking: dglas, the front page has some other problems which need to be addressed first. While I'm feeling more confident, I'm not feeling that confident. Mab, after looking at the way the last-post arrow works now, I can say that your suggestion will require adding more database queries, which is another subject I'm not feeling up to just yet.
The chat sign was a snap. Even the band-aid I just slapped on My Files to close a gaping security hole was easy (though rather brutal). Toss me more softballs, folks. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 21:14:51 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
Seriously speaking: dglas, the front page has some other problems which need to be addressed first.
One was the first things I posted here was to ask if those handy "last post arrows" could be implimented on the front page. I don't believe I ever did get a response. They would be nice, but they aren't necessary I suppose.
One feature I would like to see implimented, though again it may be too difficult to be feasible, is to keep edits from bumping topics both on the main page and on the most recent posts list. It makes me self-conscious to correct a single word hours later. Seems like I'm just trying to get to the head of the list or something.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 21:50:13 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by H. Humbert
One was the first things I posted here was to ask if those handy "last post arrows" could be implimented on the front page. I don't believe I ever did get a response.
Try again in another couple years.  quote:
They would be nice, but they aren't necessary I suppose.
Well, really, they should be the default behaviour on the homepage, if you think about it. I'm trying not to.quote:
One feature I would like to see implimented, though again it may be too difficult to be feasible, is to keep edits from bumping topics both on the main page and on the most recent posts list. It makes me self-conscious to correct a single word hours later. Seems like I'm just trying to get to the head of the list or something.
Don't worry about "head of the list" issues. My biggest problem with letting users edit their own post hours after the fact is that it's just confusing to see the last post was by H. Humbert only to find out that the real last post was by someone else entirely. Then I've gotta go looking for the teeny-weeny text which says "edited" to confirm my suspicions about why your name is showing up last when you weren't really the last post.
But, before changing anything, I'd like to get some more feedback on the whole "edit issue." When I became staff here, I was rather opposed to any editing abilities for regular users at all, for fear of abuse (someone saying something, then later claiming "I never said that" after editing their original post to remove the offending language). In the last couple of years, though, I can only vaguely remember one incident, which was embarassingly caught by other people quoting the later-edited text. Dummy. But our "worst" members, who might be inclined to abuse the feature, don't seem to.
And, of course, there's the simple fact that when someone else posts after a post has been edited, the "last post" confusion vanishes, so in a high-volume thread, seeing a wrong "last post" isn't much of a reliable signifier that someone has changed something.
On the third hand, I know that some other forums will allow editing by normal users for only a short length of time. And some disallow it altogether.
Anyone else have thoughts on editing posts? I'll look into the change requested from the coding end, maybe tomorrow. I'm just looking for more-general comments on the subject, too. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 22:41:42 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
Anyone else have thoughts on editing posts?
Actually, one of my biggest gripes about The Panda's Thumb and similar blogs is the inability to edit one's posts (I have a bad habit of not proof-reading my text before I post it.) However, this is slightly offset by the fact that you don't need to join the site or "sign in" to make a comment.
The place I post most often apart from here is the IMDB, which has an extensive array of message boards. Users can always edit any post they make any length of time after they post it. Due to the high traffic volume there, "bumping" threads is a much more common practice to get threads noticed. Edits do not bump threads, only new posts. Maybe it's because it's what I'm used to, but that system always seemed to make the most sense to me.
As far as people altering their posts to save face--it does happen occasionally, although not often, and anyone who engages in such behavior quickly gains a reputation of being a liar. Most people find it isn't worth it, as you actually come out looking worse in the end than if you had just admitted making a mistake.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 08/21/2006 22:42:34 |
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