Go to First NewPost

[qlajlu]

Perhaps someone in the Admin circle could clear up what I have now perceived as an misunderstanding on my part. I have always understood that when perusing a forum, I could click on the down arrow in a thread's title (the icon that shows, "Go to First New Post" when you mouse over it) and I would be transported to the first new post in that thread that I had not yet read. That does not always work for me.

As an example, this thread on nation wide frequencies was started this morning. By the time I saw it there were already 16 posts in the thread, all with today's date. I had not read anything in that thread and when I clicked the down arrow I was taken directly to post #11, clearly going past the first unread post for me which would have been post #1. Even threads I have read, if that thread explodes into a full blown "conversation" before I visit it again, I am taken way past the last post I read in that thread.

I have noticed this result all the time in all forums that I read. At least it is consistent in keeping me confused, but when I open a thread I'm not sure I have read, I click the down arrow trusting to taken to the first post I have not read yet, whether that is the first post or the 89th post.

Do I not understand what this "first unread" or "first new post" utility is supposed to do? I'll admit to being a little perturbed at times over this.

[MaxMan1986]

Originally Posted by qlajlu

I have always understood that when perusing a forum, I could click on the down arrow in a thread's title (the icon that shows, "Go to First New Post" when you mouse over it) and I would be transported to the first new post in that thread that I had not yet read.

Your understanding is correct, or at least that's the way it works for me on this forum and on many others. I don't know why it's not working that way for you; perhaps someone else can shed some light on that.

[qlajlu]

Originally Posted by MaxMan1986

Your understanding is correct, or at least that's the way it works for me on this forum and on many others. I don't know why it's not working that way for you; perhaps someone else can shed some light on that.

It also works for me on other forums I frequent. This one has me baffled and that is why I ask. I've run through my User CP over and over, but haven't found a setting that may influence it - OR - I've looked right at it and haven't recognized it.

So, ...if it works for you, why isn't it for me?

[Chauffeur6]

vBulletin can be setup with one of three different methods to "remember" what an individual user has or hasn't actually read (Thread/Forum Read Marking Type). Unfortunately, RR is not setup using either of the two superior database methods, instead it relies on a cookie which determines your last visit (Inactivity/Cookie Based). This method is very basic and based only on a set amount of time (default is 15 minutes) since your last activity/interaction with the forum. After that period of time has passed, vBulletin marks everything as "read" from that point, even if you haven't actually read a single thread/post. In fact, if you log in, then walk away for 15 minutes, when you come back you'll find that everything has been marked as read, and the "You last visited:" time/date will show the time when the cookie expired and was reset. You will also notice this happen if you take a long time writing a reply or reading a thread, you will automatically be reset after the cookie time has expired.

The ideal way to setup vBulletin is to use the database to track individual users and which threads/posts they have actually read. Unfortunately, it's very server intensive, which is probably why Lindsay chooses to stick with the basic cookie method instead. If you've been on other vBulletin boards that use the database methods, you'll notice it keeps track of what you have read regardless of your last login time. You should also notice that the "New Posts" link on those boards won't show threads you've already read, whereas here on RR they remain on the list, only they are not highlighted or bolded anymore.

So in a nutshell, vBulletin on RR is not optimized to track what you have read, it only knows when you last logged in, and for how long you stayed active. After the default period of time passes, it marks everything as read, thus negating any benefit the "Go to First New Post" function would otherwise have. That function will instead go to the first new post since your last login, even if there were 10 posts you never read, it will jump past them.

Make sense?

Thread/Forum Read Marking Type
This option controls how threads and forums are marked as read. The options are:

1) Inactivity/Cookie Based - once a user has been inactive for a certain amount of time (the value of the cookie timeout option) all threads and forums are considered read. Individual threads are marked as read within a session via cookies. This option is how all versions of vBulletin before 3.5 functioned.
2) Database (no automatic forum marking) - this option uses the database to store thread and forum read times. This allows accurate read markers to be kept indefinitely. However, in order for a forum to be marked read when all threads are read, the user must view the list of threads for that forum. This option is more space and processor intensive than inactivity-based marking.
3) Database (automatic forum marking) - this option is the same as a previous option, but forums are automatically marked as read when the last new thread is read. This is the most usable option for end users, but most processor intensive.

Perhaps now that RR has moved to a better system of servers, Lindsay will finally enable the "Database (automatic forum marking)" method so we can take better advantage of the vBulletin features.

[qlajlu]

This is not how it is working for me. I appreciate the integral details of vBulletin programming res6cue_dot_com, but apparently we have a hybrid or something because when I click on the "Remember Me" check box I do not get "timed out" as rapidly as you indicate. I have taken as long as three-quarters of an hour to compose a post because of having to open different windows to check/verify information and I have not been timed out.

That still does not answer the questions as to why I am unable go to the next unread post and I would like an Administrator to look into this. Surely I'm not the only person experiencing this. If I am, how do I fix it? If it does involve cookies, what must I do to bring them into line?

[Chauffeur6]

I'm not sure you're following what I'm trying to say. The "Remember Me" checkbox has nothing to do with the "New Posts" indicators/reset, it only controls whether you remain logged in or not (login cookie persistence). Read this bit again, it addresses your question:

Inactivity/Cookie Based - once a user has been inactive for a certain amount of time (the value of the cookie timeout option) all threads and forums are considered read. Individual threads are marked as read within a session via cookies.

Once the cookie expires, the board marks ALL posts on the entire board as being already read for your account. That means that the "Go to First New Post" feature will not function as expected because the board has no way of knowing what you've actually read, as it doesn't individually track posts/threads except during an active session. So instead of the expected behavior, which is to go to post #1 in your example (because you hadn't read any of the thread previously), it jumped to post #11 which was the first "new" unread post since your current active session began.

To see for yourself, go to a thread you have never opened/read previously that has been around for a while with a fair amount of posts in it and that contains some new posts from today. Now, take a look at the little old/new icons just to the left of the post time/date. The ones that are orange "new" have been posted since your last active session ended, the rest of them will appear blue "old".

[qlajlu]

Okay, that I understood. Thank you.

So basically, unless I stay on the board the whole day long, I'm screwed in my expectations. Fair enough.

[Chauffeur6]

No problem, sorry if I got a bit too technical in my first post, I just wanted to explain the entire system/process in detail.

Basically, yes, unless you interact with the board every few minutes, it will eventually consider you inactive and mark everything as read. At that point, you really have no way of easily jumping to posts you haven't read, unfortunately.