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Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:26 pm
by motet
It looks like the software keeps track of what's been seen in that the icon on the left in the thread list has a star or not. But is there something to show me only new posts in a thread? I only find the thread title, which shows everything, and the little icon next to the last poster's name, which takes you to the very last posting.

I saw references in old postings to "new" and "unread" icons--was that the previous forum software or does that refer to the single link on the board inex page? I would like it to be on a thread-by-thread basis, since one is not interested in everything.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 9:10 pm
by Peter Thomsen
Motet, have you noticed this?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 9:14 pm
by motet
I have. That leads to a list of threads. Do the links in those threads then point only to new postings? Since I'm new, I don't have a sample to test. If you reply here, I'll try next time.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:24 pm
by Peter Thomsen
Clicking the link leads to the thread with the new post(s).
To see the new posts you have to, “manually”, yourself, go to the end of the thread.
NB:
Sometimes, in a long thread, the “thread end” is on Page 2 so that going to the bottom of Page 1 will not show the newest post.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:35 pm
by motet
OK, thanks, Peter. Having to do it "manually" is not so good, but I can probably live with it.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 5:19 pm
by motet
Peter Thomsen wrote:Clicking the link leads to the thread with the new post(s).
To see the new posts you have to, “manually”, yourself, go to the end of the thread.
NB:
Sometimes, in a long thread, the “thread end” is on Page 2 so that going to the bottom of Page 1 will not show the newest post.
Derrek on the Finale forums pointed out that there's a tiny icon that will show you only the new posts:
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Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:25 pm
by motet
For me, at least, the best way to visit the forum is by looking at View Unread Posts, which I get to by clicking Board Index and then clicking View Unread Posts. But if you then read a thread, the only way I've found to get back to View Unread Posts, is the two-step process of going to Board Index and then clicking View Unread Posts again (there is, mysteriously, a Back to Advanced Search which doesn't appear to be helpful). I guess I can use a browser bookmark to go straight to View Unread Posts, but am I missing something?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:43 pm
by motet
Is there a way to ignore a topic so that it doesn't show up in "View unread posts"? Say I'm not interested in "Why don't the Mac scrollbars work?" for example. An "ignore from now on" button?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:24 pm
by motet
Are the meanings of the little topic icons documented somewhere? What does the star mean? Occasionally there is an animated gif that emululates scrolling. I though perhaps that meant someone was writing a response, but that doesn't seem to be the case (see the "Who's here?").
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Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:04 pm
by Charles Lawrence
Don't know about the star, but the scrolling icon seems to indicate that there are more than one page of posts. You can click on which one you want to go to.

Looks like a red icon means the post is unread by the user, and a blue icon means it has been read by the user.

Looks like the star might mean that the user has posted in the topic.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:36 pm
by zuill
I also thought the star meant that you yourself had posted.

I have an additional question: I know that clicking the little icon to the left of the topic takes one to the unread posts, but once that is done, how does one get to the last post in that thread. In other words, when there are no unread posts. I can't find a way.

Zuill

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 7:41 pm
by motet
On the right, the tiny page next to the last poster's name.
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Apparently the scrolling icon means "popular", not multiple pages. I don't know what the precise definition of popular is, though.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:13 pm
by Charles Lawrence
Scrolling might mean "popular", but I only saw it on topics with more than one page of posts. That would imply the topic is "popular", no?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:57 pm
by motet
I saw two-page topics without the scrolling icon, so it may or may not take two pages to be popular, but the converse isn't true. Anyway, es macht nichts.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:06 pm
by zuill
3 Pages do. Maybe there is a magic number that triggers it. A number of replies, that is.

Zuill

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:22 pm
by motet
Looks like you're right. Found an online discussion:
The "hot" icons are used when the topic has as many replies as the "Popular topic threshold:" on the Post Settings page.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:33 pm
by motet
motet wrote:For me, at least, the best way to visit the forum is by looking at View Unread Posts, which I get to by clicking Board Index and then clicking View Unread Posts. But if you then read a thread, the only way I've found to get back to View Unread Posts, is the two-step process of going to Board Index and then clicking View Unread Posts again (there is, mysteriously, a Back to Advanced Search which doesn't appear to be helpful). I guess I can use a browser bookmark to go straight to View Unread Posts, but am I missing something?
Doy! Somehow I didn't notice the link I want in the blue area at the top of the page, which appears to be always present. I had been using the lower of the two shown here, which isn't always present.
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EDIT: apparently the administrator just added this. Thanks!

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:42 am
by Charles Lawrence
motet wrote:Looks like you're right. Found an online discussion:
The "hot" icons are used when the topic has as many replies as the "Popular topic threshold:" on the Post Settings page.
Where is the Post Settings page where such a threshold is uncovered?

BTW, I have seen multiple page posts with no scrolling icon too, but just recently, as well as a scrolling icon with only one page.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:58 am
by miker
That may be an admin setting, not for us mortals.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:08 am
by Charles Lawrence
miker wrote:That may be an admin setting, not for us mortals.
Hey Mike,
Maybe you can find out what the threshold is. Would be nice to know. But, as Motet said somewhere recently, It makes no difference. It is what it is, and that's that.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:21 am
by motet
I don't like to see moving things on the screen, and it doesn't seem like a very useful feature, so if I were King I'd set the threshold to 9999.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:10 am
by motet
So what makes a post "new", as opposed to "unread"?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 4:24 pm
by Charles Lawrence
Now I see a large green check in the post icon. What does it signify? Is there not a guide to this forum software that explains all this?

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 4:34 pm
by Peter Thomsen
Charles Lawrence wrote:Now I see a large green check in the post icon. What does it signify? …
The large green dot with a check mark means “Problem Solved”.

I think that this is a new forum feature, and Scott (= the forum administrator) has just explained to me how I can mark a thread with the “Problem Solved” icon.

Re: Forum basics

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 5:13 pm
by zuill
I have always been bothered by "problem solved" indicators as there might be other solutions that discussion could bring out. I have often solved problems other ways and look to see how others have solved problems other ways. Just because the OP has the immediate problem solved doesn't mean the best or one-and-only solution has been discovered.

Zuill