How to keep "unread" notifications in the forum?

Started by Alberth, Mon 15/12/2014 17:28:39

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Alberth

Ever since I started reading this forum, I have a silly problem with the "unread" notifications. Let me explain what I mean.

At the top-level "Adventure Game Studio | Forums" page, there are blue cups at the left of sub-forums that have unread news for me. For example, in "Adventure Game Studio | Forums » Community » General Discussion" has a blue cup next to it, and upon opening it, there are 3 threads marked with a "new" icon at the moment. I can select one, and read the new posts, no problem.

However, after reading the new posts in one thread, I get out by clicking at "Adventure Game Studio | Forums" or "Adventure Game Studio | Forums » Community", as it works that way at other boards.
At this point the blue cup next to the "General Discussion" forum is gone! No indication at all that there are still 2 threads with unread news. If I ignore that, and open the forum anyway, the two remaining threads marked as "new" are still there as expected. Is there any way to make the blue cup stay until I have seen all new posts?
The disappearing blue cup makes it very difficult to make sure I have seen all news.

I have tried a few things (reading newest post first or reading latest post first, for example), but none of it fixes this problem. The problem seems to be too simple to exist, I am probably missing something trivial, but I cannot figure out what :(

Am I the only one with this problem?, how do you handle this?

Cassiebsg

I basically always use "Show unread posts since last visit.", and once I read one post I just use the browser's back button.
Works just fine, only down is that you can't see edited posts. But you can't  see those either with any other method that I know off anyway, except for manually open the threat to check for any editing.
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Darth Mandarb

The good news is; you're not missing anything!

The bad news?  This is how it's designed to work!

The blue cups (on the board list page) simply indicate activity in that board since you last visited that board (not threads in that board).  There are hundreds of pages of threads (20 per page) in the General Discussion board and it's highly doubtful a person has viewed EVERY single one of them!  So if it worked how you were thinking it did, the blue cup would certainly always indicate 'new' activity in each board.

Alberth

@Cassiebsg: I tried "unread posts" for a while, but found it too complicated as you don't have thread context any more.
Back button does work, but "read" status isn't updated iirc. Not a big problem though, you usually remember what you just read :)

Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Mon 15/12/2014 17:59:10The good news is; you're not missing anything!
Bummer, I had hoped there was something I missed :(

Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Mon 15/12/2014 17:59:10The bad news?  This is how it's designed to work!
I was somewhat afraid of that. Well, at least I can now stop trying to find a solution, as there is none, apparently.


Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Mon 15/12/2014 17:59:10There are hundreds of pages of threads (20 per page) in the General Discussion board and it's highly doubtful a person has viewed EVERY single one of them!  So if it worked how you were thinking it did, the blue cup would certainly always indicate 'new' activity in each board.
I have, as in, the very first time I visited, I clicked "marked everything as read" (at the top-level, covering all boards thus). As a result, unless someone actually posted something new, I should not have any activity.

Cassiebsg

Quote from: Alberth on Mon 15/12/2014 18:21:20
@Cassiebsg: I tried "unread posts" for a while, but found it too complicated as you don't have thread context any more.

What do you mean by "don't have thread context"?
You can see all previous posts on that thread, you can see what sub-forum it's posted under and who and when the last post was done... So I must be missing something in what you mean by that.
I use this function in all forums I visit and (apart for dumb forums out there, it works without a glitch). As I said, the only posts I may miss, are those that get edited.
Don't think any forum has a solution for those, as far as I know. :(
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Alberth

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Mon 15/12/2014 18:58:57
Quote from: Alberth on Mon 15/12/2014 18:21:20
@Cassiebsg: I tried "unread posts" for a while, but found it too complicated as you don't have thread context any more.

What do you mean by "don't have thread context"?
:O  That link may be useful, thanks :)
I thought you meant the link at the bottom "View the most recent posts on the forum." in the Forum stats. The latter has the problem I described, as it really only shows the new posts.

Darth Mandarb

It's interesting to me how differently people can see the same thing.

Personally, the way it works makes perfect sense to me! 

I want to see (on the main page) if there's any new [board] activity since the last time I viewed the individual boards. 
I can see there's nothing 'new' in the GiP without having to load the board. 
If I do enter the board I can, then, see any new activity in each thread based on the last time I viewed the individual threads.

I do see what you're saying as well, though I wouldn't want to constantly have to 'mark all as unread'.

Cassiebsg

Quote from: Alberth on Mon 15/12/2014 19:07:07
I thought you meant the link at the bottom "View the most recent posts on the forum." in the Forum stats. The latter has the problem I described, as it really only shows the new posts.

Oh, that one.
Think I've used it once or twice, useful only if you are not logged in, since then you can't use the last visited link on the top. I don't like it either, so I if for those few times when I check the forum without logging in, I just remember when I was last here (normally is "yesterday before I wen to bed"), and then look for any posts that are made after that, board by board (first check if there's one post in the sub-forum, cause otherwise no point going in).
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Alberth

Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Mon 15/12/2014 19:08:50I do see what you're saying as well, though I wouldn't want to constantly have to 'mark all as unread'.
Don't you have the problem of deciding what old threads to skip at the bottom then? (No new posts in them since your last visit, but still "new" as you didn't mark them as read the last time.)

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