Posts made since last visit...

[gregoing]

Hey. I have a quick question for our technical admins. Obviously on the forums we have these buttons that turn orange when a post has been added since our last visit. If I have to sign off for any reason (including computer woes) without being able to read all those posts, the forum no longer shows those forums/topics as being unread when I sign in later. I'm wondering if there's any way we might be able to make that the case (maybe aa a preference we could add). (And I hope I came across clearly!) OK - let me know. Thanks!

-Greg

[Angoid]

Hi Greg,

I take it that what you're after here is a way of retaining the list of unread posts? So if you exit the forum (for whatever reason) and then come back, and then click on "Posts since your last visit" it stil shows up the ones you haven't read?

There may be a MOD at phpBB for this; I'd need to research it to find out. However, it could cause the opposite problem in that you end up with so many unread posts that you cannot keep track of them all!

Let me know if I'm on the right tracks there ... Chris may have an "off-pat" answer for this.

[gregoing]

Hey, Angus. Yeah, that's what I was wondering - if we could retain the list of unread posts if someone happens to sign off before reading them all or clicking "Mark all topics read."

-Greg

[Grania]

If that is possible I'd back it all the way - I'm forever having computer problems and having to struggle to identify what I haven't read It would be great if it was possible to retain a list

[nessieq]

Me too! One of our computers is incredibly tempermental and it drives me mad when I can't see what I've read and not It'd be fantastic if there was such a list!!

[Beth]

Me three! It would be nice to have this feature... especailly for those of us that jump on the forum before heading to work and are only able to read a few threads and not the whole forum.

[Angoid]

Me four! Sometimes I close the browser window by mistake and then come back, only to discover that the list has been zapped

I'll research it and see (a) whether there's an existing MOD to do this, or (b) if it might be possible to knock one out myself

[ChrisRLG]

Yes there is a mod for this.

BUT, I have tried twice to install this on my own board - failed both times.

The reason may be that I have other mods to the board that conflict, where you do not have those installed, so will not run into that problem.

One extra thing to be aware of.

phpBB is in the process of launching a new complete version - phpBB3.

When that comes out ALL mods to the board would need to be completely re-written.

Back to the read topics mod.

Is two versions, one that uses cookies on your own computer - which is nice UNLESS you use more than one computer (work -home - church - etc), in which case you will find yourself reading the same topic 2 or three times

The other that stores all the info in the forum database - it was this version I tried to install on my forum.

Another thing to remember - all the mods that are installed - they :-

1. Can slow down the forums preformance. Depends on the mod and what it does. In this case it would need to do at least two or three extra DB searches or data recalls for each page you go to.

2. Complicate any security updates. The more done the harder security updates become.

So although a mod is found that you would like - remember they all have downsides to them.

As a rule if you get any of the other forum software packages (say IPB) you get a fully featured package with bells and whistles that you never need and never use. They have a memory and speed hit on performance.

phpBB went the opposite direction, provided the minimum for the forum, and provided mods for installing for any features you decide you would like. phpBB in a virgin state is very fast and much smaller memory footprint because of that. BUT a heavy moded board would probably be slower than the equivilent from other forum software.

Just as a thing to note, I have other forum software running at other domains - even with the more heavy bloated software to start with, most of them have ended up moding thier version because it still did not do everything they needed.

It seems the programmers can never think of all things that might be required, so I prefer the phpBB type of approach

[Kosma [PL]]

As they said: Every program under development at MIT expands until it can read email.

For me the solution to the Unread Posts problem is simple: do not open the forum if you know you will have to leave the computer in a few minutes. This way you won't miss anything. Also, use the 'watch for replies' option to watch the topics that are important to you.

By the way... reading *everything* is some kind of addiction. ;-)

As for the forum mods, I'm against them. They make the forum slow and bloated, not to mention problems with security fixes. I know some of the functionality may sound and look really cool, but it's usually not very useful nor really needed.

[Grania]

For me the solution to the Unread Posts problem is simple: do not open the forum if you know you will have to leave the computer in a few minutes. This way you won't miss anything. Also, use the 'watch for replies' option to watch the topics that are important to you.

By the way... reading *everything* is some kind of addiction.

I do see what you mean Kosma, but some of us have the problems that

A. - we don't know that we WILL have to have to leave the computer in a few minutes; for example if someone calls you away and you have to go.

B - Speaking from personal experience, computers don't help! My PC has a habit of turning itself off at irregular intervals, or my internet connection cutting out without warning (those on msn with me will testify to this) which means I have to wait about 15 minutes sometimes for it to reboot, by which time I have totally forgotten what I have and have not read on the forum.

Finally, some people might resent your last comment. It is not a case for all of us that we have to 'read everything' - although it helps the moderators if they do. I don't know how much you read on the forum, but for some of us there are a lot of relevant threads to check - it makes life a lot easier if we can go away and come back at will without losing hte data

[nessieq]

For me the solution to the Unread Posts problem is simple: do not open the forum if you know you will have to leave the computer in a few minutes. This way you won't miss anything. Also, use the 'watch for replies' option to watch the topics that are important to you.

By the way... reading *everything* is some kind of addiction.

I do see what you mean Kosma, but some of us have the problems that

A. - we don't know that we WILL have to have to leave the computer in a few minutes; for example if someone calls you away and you have to go.

B - Speaking from personal experience, computers don't help! My PC has a habit of turning itself off at irregular intervals, or my internet connection cutting out without warning (those on msn with me will testify to this) which means I have to wait about 15 minutes sometimes for it to reboot, by which time I have totally forgotten what I have and have not read on the forum.

Finally, some people might resent your last comment. It is not a case for all of us that we have to 'read everything' - although it helps the moderators if they do. I don't know how much you read on the forum, but for some of us there are a lot of relevant threads to check - it makes life a lot easier if we can go away and come back at will without losing hte data

couldn't have said it better myself- plus

C) at times i've not read all the topics on the forum, missed a few out and come back to look at it a few days later to find that someone's been adressing me and I've had no idea. Then I get worried people assume i've been ignoring them- when i've just been ignorant!!! It's so easy to unintensionally insult someone- i know that sounds ludicrously paranoid, but it could happen!

D) some of us enjoy being addicted to the moya forum

However, Chris, if there's no solution there's no solution, as simple as that.. thank you for researching this option for us.

[ChrisRLG]

There is a solution - but every solution comes with a price (Not money but other costs)

The price for MWR (my forum) of having lots of mods done is that when a security update comes out - where a un moded board can be updated within 30 minutes, it might take me some 5 hours of coding which I might not be able to do for a week.

All the time that the board is not updated it is open to hacking of one sort or another.

[nessieq]

There is a solution - but every solution comes with a price (Not money but other costs)

The price for MWR (my forum) of having lots of mods done is that when a security update comes out - where a un moded board can be updated within 30 minutes, it might take me some 5 hours of coding which I might not be able to do for a week.

All the time that the board is not updated it is open to hacking of one sort or another.

aaaah- i gotcha now. Well, it's not worth the sake of 5 hours for some extra ease for the rest of us!! Thanks for making that clear, i get so confused when you guys talk technical

[Grania]

Thanks for the clarity My eyes tend to go funny when the techincal stuff starts but that makes perfect sense

[Angoid]

There are mods that could be useful / good fun to have around but like the rest of us I don't always have those 5 hours to reinstall them after each and every forum upgrade.

Upgrades are important because they contain security fixes; it will only be a matter of time before a hacker discovers your insecure forum and attack it.

But of course, if you do the essential updates and then bring the forum back up, with the intention of making the mods over the next few days as and when time allows, you'll get people asking where they are......