Impossible to start reading unread thread from first post

[Trekkan]

Glad I read this thread finally... this explains a lot. I get how it works, I don't have any confusion now. Now... please change it. =) Or at least make it an option or something.

Here's how I use my own forums (Currently vB, DB thread marking is on) and why this current method doesn't work for me.

I go to my forums and essentially cherry pick what I want to read. Let's face it, I can't possible be interested in every post of every thread of every forum I have.

After I've read what I've found interesting, I click "mark forums read". Now, I have zero unread posts. When I revisit my forums throughout the day, if that number changes, I know something is new, I go look and repeat the above process.

I like having that "Unread posts" counter at 0, it's just the way I think and it "works" for me.

Sometimes, I don't read a thread and will mark it as read. Later on, if a thread is a little more popular in it's replies, I might check it out to see what's going on (is there something that needs moderation, etc?). Currently in xF, I would end up somewhere in the middle of the post. This sucks for someone who uses the forums like I do.

Now, all that being said, I really do like being able to click the thread title and go to the first unread post, but ONLY if it's really the first unread post from my perspective (not 28 days or any other number).

 

[dutchbb]

as to the screen shot that fine with me, but stil clicking on a thread title does not work as intended.. If ie never read a thread it should take me to page one post one not the middle of a thread on the last page.. this isnt a cookie expiring it hapens on new threads to.. I do not like this in the least..

Could it be that you like Paul click on "Mark all forums read" sometimes? This also makes the system think you have read all threads at that point in time and sends you to newer posts should you visit those threads at a later point. This actually works as designed, so it's probably not a bug but just the way it is designed that some do not like.

 

[Ahmed]

Thread title should take user to the thread (the first post) not to the middle of the thread (to some post), the thread title is related to the first post, so the discussion in a thread may lead to another discussion that has nothing much to do with the first post. And it's weird enough to go to the middle of a thread that you never read rather than when land on a post that has nothing to do with the title of the thread.

 

[FredC]

Could it be that you like Paul click on "Mark all forums read" sometimes? This also makes the system think you have read all threads at that point in time and sends you to newer posts should you visit those threads at a later point. This actually works as designed, so it's probably not a bug but just the way it is designed that some do not like.

Nope never, not once the forum moves to fast to even bother.

 

[Paul M]

I can click on the date, as can my forum members, which generally speaking are not high tech at all, if I wanted to start at the beginning.

I know I can click on the date, thats not the point

I dont want to start every thread on the first page, I dont want to land in the middle of a thread ive never looked at before. I dont want to have to think "have I looked at this thread before". I dont want to swap and change what I click on all the while. I want to click on the title, always, its a pretty simple requirement.

Yes [to who ever asked] I use "mark all forums as read" all the time, I know that partly causes this issue, because the system uses a global "forum read" date.

The fact remains, as it works atm, its very irritating to a lot of people, clearly not just to me.

The system itself records when you have actually visited a thread - therefore it could very easily work properly.

When you click on a thread title it should ;

1. Take you to the last read post, if you have previously visited the thread.
2. Take you to the start if you have never previously visited the thread.

I really cant explain it any simpler, and Im probably wasting my breath, so I'll leave it at that

The answer to my original question would appear to be "no more thought has been given to it" and by the sound of it, thats not going to change.

 

[Shelby]

I always thought it was a strange feature to plop me down in the middle of thread with no bearing. But whatever. I can see this thread has gotten off topic completely and so I'll go ahead and depart the thread since it has completely left the origial topic of flamingos and peanut butter.

 

[FredC]

We havent went off topic the thread title did.

 

[Peggy]

lol.

It's gone o/t a few times, but keeps coming back around.

 

[kilcher]

There are some areas where the date is not clickable. I think search is one of them.

 

[dutchbb]

Nope never, not once the forum moves to fast to even bother.

Hm you should test it specifically and see if it really is a bug, but I do believe it's either because of automatic read marking (after x-days) or read marking by the user.

 

[jtallen123]

Personally I think this needs to be a user selectable option as I can see some people might like this and others may hate it.

 

[AdamD]

Heh, I have read this thread before and posted in it, to
I just clicked the thread title and was taken to the first post.

 

[Paul B]

Heh, I have read this thread before and posted in it, to
I just clicked the thread title and was taken to the first post.

If the thread was marked as read, either by opening the last page or marking the forum read, then that is the correct behaviour.

 

[Daniel77]

I have read every post in this thread. I understand the 28 days, and then all forums are marked as read whether you actually read them or not. I also find it annoying that I would have to explain to every single member how to read the first post in a thread that is older then 28 days. Clicking on a thread title to a thread you have never read should always take you to the very first post. I understan dit is only for threads that ae older than 28 days, but every time a new member signed up you would have to explain this to them.

 

[Mike]

We are going to experiment with some changes to this soon.

 

[Daniel77]

We are going to experiment with some changes to this soon.

I am so glad to hear that. This is honestly the only thing I have found that I dislike about XenForo.

 

[Floris]

After having used XenForo for quite a bit now, going back to a vBulletin forum where it's done the old way, you end up feeling frustrated getting the same old posts in your face over and over again, or having to scroll to find where or what.

I am glad XF does it this way.

 

[Daniel77]

If a person has never used a XenForo forum they would not understand why they would not be able to go to the first unread post when they click on the thread title, even though they have never read it before.

Moderators would be spending a lot of time simply teaching new people how to do it, when the moderators time would be better spent prosucing new content.

 

[danielwerner]

I am so glad to hear that. This is honestly the only thing I have found that I dislike about XenForo.

I agree, I'd rather have a small icon at the end of the thread title or something, and clicking on the title always takes me to the first post.

Glad you're changing it.

 

[dieketzer]

i am somewhat at a loss about this.
i was damn positive people on my install would complain about this new way of opening threads. but they havent.
of course i have the read age set to like 4 months, so they havent experienced the 'marked as read' feature yet...
i hate it less today than i initially did.