Hello...

Not sure if others have problems with the forum but heres what I do.

1. Navigate to forum URL on Monday
2. Last logged in time shows as 16-sep-2005 22:18 (for example)
3. Notice groups/threads with yellow icon showing new.
4. Start reading stuff threads.
5. Get distracted leave browser on forum home page or message page

Observed: Come back later and click home. Notice last login time show's 19-sep-2005 18:18. But I never logged out or left site. So, now I don't get new since last login threads marked any more.

Expected: I assume this happens cause my session times out. Perhaps in the short term the session timeout can be extended?

Requested: It would really be nice if the forum could remember our last message read in each thread/group. Each time I click into a thread update the last date read for each thread. At the least maintain this info in the cookie, as I assume you are maintaining the last login date? This way even if the session times out I don't loose my "new stuff" markers.

Ever better maintain message thread read statuses/date on your server. This way even if I use multiple computers to access the forum it still remembers where I was.

I know you're busy with the beta at this time, but this little problem makes it hard to keep up to date with the forum. Perhaps I'll have to subscribe to the forum RSS for now.

BOb

This is already on the list of features to be added soon (as in: keep the last login time on the server for the whole forum, not per forum/thread. Now it's stored in a cookie)

The thing is that it has to determine when a session starts. I for example want to see all new threads since my last session started. Your example of a re-started session isn't solvable unless indeed the info is kept per forum.

Now it assumes you've seen all new things in your last visit, so when the session re-starts, the old 'new' things are not new anymore. Which indeed might not be the case: it can only say that when you actually viewed the forum, is that what you're suggesting?

Otis wrote:

The thing is that it has to determine when a session starts. I for example want to see all new threads since my last session started. Your example of a re-started session isn't solvable unless indeed the info is kept per forum.

Right hence the underlying problem. At least if you extend the session timeout this would be less of an issue.

Otis wrote:

Now it assumes you've seen all new things in your last visit, so when the session re-starts, the old 'new' things are not new anymore.

Understood.

Otis wrote:

Which indeed might not be the case: it can only say that when you actually viewed the forum, is that what you're suggesting?

What I was saying was, as a simple fix rather than storing a single "Start of Session" datetime, store a "Last clicked in thread" datetime. you could store a cookie for each thread. Maybe expire it in 30 days.

This would allow you rather than displaying new since last login indicators the following indicators:

1. New message, show on all messages in the thread with a later date than last forum datetime.
2. New message in thread, show on thread if any messages would have new message idicator.
3. New messages in forum, show on forum if any threads have new message indicator.

I can't imaging moving session start date from site to thread would change much, because you must be doing the majority of the code anyway. The only difference is you would read a different cookie for each thread rather than the single cookie. If the thread's cookie doesn't exist you just assume all messages are new.

So, each time the user clicks into the thread, you will read the last datetime from that thread's cookie and update it with the current datetime.

Does that make sense?

Then, later you can just migrate the system to store the info in the user profile rather than a cookie. Although, if you are going to make the changes this seems like the easiest part espesially with LLBLGen ( ).

BOb

Oh,

One other suggestion. It woud be nice if you add the bread crumb links to the bottom of the thread view as well as the top.

After reading new messages in a thread I always have to scroll back up to the top to return to the list of threads, or the home page.

BOb

pilotboba wrote:

Oh,

One other suggestion. It woud be nice if you add the bread crumb links to the bottom of the thread view as well as the top.

After reading new messages in a thread I always have to scroll back up to the top to return to the list of threads, or the home page.

That's why there is this little 'top' link below each message . But the breadcrums at the bottom are indeed also on teh list.

I've added your suggestions to the forum todo. Thanks

I also want to give a suggestion.

How about ordering the View active threads by date and time. Not sure what it is ordered by now.

wayne wrote:

I also want to give a suggestion.

How about ordering the View active threads by date and time. Not sure what it is ordered by now.

A different ordering is planned It's now per forum, per date

Hi frans

i notice that the forum is showing me posts going back to about 2 months - And my Show threads of is set to ...last week.

Making me read old posts - very wierd. That is how i came down on that photo of yours.

Wayne

wayne wrote:

Hi frans

i notice that the forum is showing me posts going back to about 2 months - And my Show threads of is set to ...last week.

Making me read old posts - very wierd. That is how i came down on that photo of yours.

Wayne

If the limiter for the forum returns less than a treshhold (I believe it's set to 5), the last 50 postings are shown, so a forum is never empty.