Last page...

[unixrevolution]

I've noticed a persistent problem on RFF with getting to the last page of a thread. It doesn't happen always, but often.

Tried Chrome, Firefox, IE.

Tried logged in or not logged in.

Tried different computers.

Same results. I click on the "Last page" and it takes me to the second-to-last page. I click "Next page" from there, same page. I click on the last page-number explicitly. Nope. I manually change the page number in the address bar. No dice.

What gives?

 

[jonmanjiro]

What gives?

Deleted posts in the thread not visible to members but still in the database nonetheless.

 

[BLKRCAT]

noticed this for a long time. Usually happens with extra long threads. I've always just assumed that "last" is actually last.

You could try changing your view option for posts per page. Perhaps a different amount will fit better with the maths when the posts get over a certain number.

 

[unixrevolution]

noticed this for a long time. Usually happens with extra long threads. I've always just assumed that "last" is actually last.

You could try changing your view option for posts per page. Perhaps a different amount will fit better with the maths when the posts get over a certain number.

I had tried assuming that. Unfortunately sometimes I get notified of a new post and can't go to the last page to view it.

I will try that and see if it helps. it'd be nice if this error could be cleared up.

 

[BLKRCAT]

I must be missing out on posts then! My RFF experience isn't complete!!

 

[jonmanjiro]

it'd be nice if this error could be cleared up.

It looks like my one liner above wasn't very clear. When someone deletes a post in a thread, it is not fully deleted. Instead it is "soft" deleted so still exists in the background and so is still included in the page and post count for that thread. As a mod, I can see these deleted posts. But there is no way you can change display settings to see these posts because regular users don't have the access permissions to see them. This means when you try to view the last page in a thread with enough deleted posts to fill a page, you'll only ever be able to see the last view-able page. In threads with lots of posts and lots of deleted posts, the deleted posts alone can fill two or three pages. So its not an error, its just the way the vbulletin software works unfortunately.

 

[unixrevolution]

It looks like my one liner above wasn't very clear. When someone deletes a post in a thread, it is not fully deleted. Instead it is "soft" deleted so still exists in the background and so is still included in the page and post count for that thread. As a mod, I can see these deleted posts. But there is no way you can change display settings to see these posts because regular users don't have the access permissions to see them. This means when you try to view the last page in a thread with enough deleted posts to fill a page, you'll only ever be able to see the last view-able page. In threads with lots of posts and lots of deleted posts, the deleted posts alone can fill two or three pages. So its not an error, its just the way the vbulletin software works unfortunately.

I can understand how that works. But unfortunately I think I remember seeing evidence contrary to this, where I got notifications of a new post and went to go look and it was on the next page but I couldn't go to that page to look. I also seem to remember posting, and having my new post on the inaccessible page, where even I can't read it.

But if you are saying I'm just imagining that and I'm actually definitely seeing everything, that's great news 🙂

 

[jonmanjiro]

I can understand how that works. But unfortunately I think I remember seeing evidence contrary to this, where I got notifications of a new post and went to go look and it was on the next page but I couldn't go to that page to look. I also seem to remember posting, and having my new post on the inaccessible page, where even I can't read it.

But if you are saying I'm just imagining that and I'm actually definitely seeing everything, that's great news 🙂

The latest post visible to regular members is always visible on the last visible page. Next time, ignore the page number and just check the date and time of the latest post you can see. It should be the same post as the one in the notification, or a more recent post.

 

[michaelwj]

I can understand how that works. But unfortunately I think I remember seeing evidence contrary to this, where I got notifications of a new post and went to go look and it was on the next page but I couldn't go to that page to look. I also seem to remember posting, and having my new post on the inaccessible page, where even I can't read it.

But if you are saying I'm just imagining that and I'm actually definitely seeing everything, that's great news 🙂

Could be a poll. A vote in a poll without a post will bump the tread but there will be no new posts. Not sure if a notification is sent with a vote though.

 

[unixrevolution]

The latest post visible to regular members is always visible on the last visible page. Next time, ignore the page number and just check the date and time of the latest post you can see. It should be the same post as the one in the notification, or a more recent post.

I have since checked this and found it to be true, but at one point I thought it wasn't, hence the thread. False alarm! :bang:

 

[rwintle]

Thank you for asking the question, and thanks to jonmanjiro for the detailed answer. This has puzzled me in the past too.