Maybe a really stupid question.

[Fabian]

Hello

Everytime I open up an existing thread, I am landing somewhere in the middle of it.
Neither the end nor the beginning. 😕
Is it me or is there a system behind it I don't understand?
How do you get to the beginning of a thread in the first place?

Thanks

Fabian

 

[rover]

Hmmmm,

The first time I open a thread it generally takes me to the first post. After that when I re enter the thread it takes where I left off, or if there are a number of pages since I last checked in, somewhere latter in the thread.

Sound like what you are experiencing?

 

[Fabian]

Unfortunately not.

When I open up a thread I NEVER get to the the first post.
Maybe its the browser? I am using firefox.

 

[Kim Coxon]

I think it depends more on the settings within the forum. Some forums will take you to the last post you have actually read. This one takes you to the last one that was posted since you last logged on with an element of a time delay. Even if you haven't read a post, it will assume you have if it was available the last time you logged on.

Kim

 

[Matthew Runkel]

I'm glad you brought this up as I had wondered if I was the only one who finds this to be the prinicpal quirk of the forum's interface. I think each thread in the thread list should have a link to the top of the thread. The reader will always know whether a thread is new to him and, if it is, would normally choose to start reading at the beginning rather than somewhere in the middle as determined by forum settings. There is obviously no advantage to arriving in the middle of a discussion and then having to scroll up and click the link for the first page.

If it is possible to offer "start of thread" links for each thread on the main thread list pages, that would increase the readability of the forum. In my opinion, it makes no sense for the forum software to make the assumption that Kim describes, and an ability to to override the assumption and navigate directly to the start of threads would be a great addition.

 

[kaiyen]

That's weird. When I click on the thread title (not the little arrow for the last post), I _always_ start at the top. For all threads, in all forums. There does not seem to be a setting in the CP to control that. I am also using firefox.

weird.

allan

 

[back alley]

on the user cp page...

Thread Display ModeHere you can choose the display mode for threads. For a full explanation of the modes, please view this help page.
Linear - Oldest First Linear - Newest First Threaded Hybrid Thread Display Mode:

not sure if this helps...

 

[sf]

Hmmmm,

The first time I open a thread it generally takes me to the first post. After that when I re enter the thread it takes where I left off, or if there are a number of pages since I last checked in, somewhere latter in the thread.

Sound like what you are experiencing?

you can specify where you want the forum to bring you upon opening threads. It's in the user control panel.

 

[kaiyen]

Joe,
I switched mine to all 4 settings, and I see no change. Not sure if those having problems will, though.

George - I looked, but must have missed it. Where is it?

allan

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

With me, I always begin with the first post if I've not contributed to it, unless it's a very old post, then for some reason it begins at some magically-arrived-to post number. Also, if there's a post after yours, and you come back, and there's an attachment you want to view, and come back, it annoyingly resets you back to the post right after your last post, not where you were just browsing.

So...it's a mystery.

I've also noticed that there's a very very annoying "feature" where if you want to use special characters (in Windoze machines), if you start typing <Alt>-any number, then the site takes you to pages you never intended. It's the behaviour of this site with any browser on Windows, whether it's my PC or not.

Maybe the latest version of vBulletin has all of these Easter Eggs taken care of?

 

[kaiyen]

Gabriel,
Hey, you just clued me in on some cool features.

alt +1 > forums
alt +2 > new posts (!!!sweet!!!)
alt +3 > different view of current thread. Loses the skin, perhaps?
alt +4 > search
alt +5 > FAQ

that seems to be it. I find the new posts one very useful. I don't like actually using my mouse if I don't have to.

allan

 

[Pherdinand]

it is the same for me. I thought to complain about it as well🙂
SOmetimes it is indeed related to my previous visits to the thread but nmot consistently...

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Gabriel,
Hey, you just clued me in on some cool features.

alt +1 > forums
alt +2 > new posts (!!!sweet!!!)
alt +3 > different view of current thread. Loses the skin, perhaps?
alt +4 > search
alt +5 > FAQ

that seems to be it. I find the new posts one very useful. I don't like actually using my mouse if I don't have to.

allan

Well, yeah, that's great (the new posts feature is nice) 🙂 . But they could have used another key (<CTRL> maybe?, or even <ALT>-Fn), because <ALT>+num is used for special character mapping; not-so-good design (if you're outside English-speaking countries...) imvho.

 

[kaiyen]

Gabriel,
Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive in any way. I hope I did not offend.

allan

 

[Matthew Runkel]

The "thread display options" settings in User CP control how each thread is presented to you (e.g., oldest post to newest, or newest to oldest). As far as I can tell, there is not a setting for where you will be taken within a thread (however you have chosen to have it presented).

George, can you describe the steps for the control panel option you refer to?

 

[BILLC]

The Russian camera forum always takes me to the first post but this active thread list is random. I will look at a thumbnail and then use the back button and end up ?? I use Mozilla, old version, and I thought it was my machine. Thanks for bringing this up.
Bill

 

[kaiyen]

Oh. Is this happening to folks specifically on the active threads module? I nav via forums or the new posts only, almost never via the active threads.

I do notice that I jump to a spot when I use the active threads one, though it seems to always be the last one. Perhaps I just don't pay enough attention, though.
allan

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Gabriel,
Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive in any way. I hope I did not offend.

?? 😕 You weren't. I'm trying to figure out what I said to make you say that... 🙁

 

[kaiyen]

Just being careful, that's all. One never knows what'll come out of threads on RFF 🙂.

it's all good,
allan

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

We're good then. 😛 Now let me go reload my mouser (aka Mauser) --kidding!-- 😉