How to keep forum from marking all threads read when I haven't viewed them yet?

[kevinsky18]

I find that if I come onto to this forum and read a couple of threads and log off the forum marks all the threads read regardless of whether I've read them or not.

Anyone know how I can stop that from happening?

[rv8ch]

How timely! I was just moaning about that to myself when I saw your post! I'm sure there is not much we can do as users of the software, but perhaps there is a configuration option that could be changed or perhaps an update to the software that DR could apply.

[RVbySDI]

This has been discussed before. Do a search on previous threads to find any threads on this topic.

My answer will not fix the problem but here is what I do.

1. When I go to the website for the first time for the day I read the home page.
2. Once I have read everything of interest on the home page I click on the Today's Posts button. This takes me to the recent threads that I have not seen since the last time I was on the forum. Once I do that I can see all the recent threads I have not read.
3. Once I decide to read a particular thread I click on it and read the contents of the thread.
4. Now comes the part that makes the difference. Instead of clicking on the Today's Posts button again I simply click the web browser's 'back' button until I am back to the original list of the threads. By doing this I am simply going back to the cached page of the threads I originally viewed that have all of the original threads with the bolding.
5. I continue to view various threads with this method until I am satisfied that I have read everything of interest.
6. Once I have done that then I will finally click on the Today's Posts button again and all of the threads will then be updated to show what I have or have not read by 'unbolding' all the threads that I have already seen.
7. Usually by this time there have been several new postings that then are bolded and at the top of the list that I haven't read or seen yet.
8. From then on I know that anything that is bold and at the top is something new that I can watch.

Not sure if this will work for you but it does alright for my needs.

[smoore]

"Logging out" of these types of boards is usually a matter of closing the browser. You could dedicate a window to minimize or use browser tabs until you are done reading.

Another workaround, unfortunately.

edit: oh yeah... I copied the "Today's posts" link to my bookmarks bar (rarely used it before March). Very quick and easy.

[DeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by smoore

"Logging out" of these types of boards is usually a matter of closing the browser. You could dedicate a window to minimize or use browser tabs until you are done reading.

Another workaround, unfortunately.

edit: oh yeah... I copied the "Today's posts" link to my bookmarks bar (rarely used it before March). Very quick and easy.

That 'Todays Posts' URL is:

www.vansairforce.com/community/search.php?do=getdaily

Note that once you are there the URL has changed, so if your intent is to save it as a bookmark you might have to type it in manually.

Hope this helps!

b,
d

PS: I use the Today's Posts almost exclusively.

[idleup]

I am also suprised with forum software that is so feature enhanced that they do not have an optional module you can install that will allow you to have a check box next to each thread on the 'new posts' page so its not an all or nothing proposition to mark them read. If you dont check the forum all the time it is unlikely you will get through all the threads under the 'new posts' page in a single sitting... but that is what you have to do in order to make it work correctly.

- Matt

[kevinsky18]

I go to a number of other forums for my car and other hobbies. They are all running this forum software and they don't have the same problem.

On my car forum, also run by VBulletin, if I read half the new posts and leave, when I come back the posts that I didn't read are still bolded and waiting for me.

This is obviously a settings issue or possibly a version issue. I hope one of the moderators has time to look into it.

Following a 10 step program just to keep track of which posts I've read just isn't going to happen.

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by kevinsky18

This is obviously a settings issue or possibly a version issue. I hope one of the moderators has time to look into it.

Following a 10 step program just to keep track of which posts I've read just isn't going to happen.

Give Doug a chance to look into your request when he gets off jury duty....the poor guy's been stuck on it 10 hours a day since Monday, and sounds like he's still there. Us Moderators don't have the keys to this vehicle, or understand how it works....we just very, very occasionally (like 0.01% of the time) step in to keep the peace...

And the way I do it is just a two step process. Always enter the forums with "Today's Posts", and leave a thread with my browser "back button". Simple solutions for a simply guy like me.

Paul

[RVbySDI]

Hey Kevin, my post was only eight steps! And to be honest I really do pretty much what Paul just said he does. I just wanted to spell it out in detail as to the thinking behind it all. It really isn't that big of a deal to view the posts this way.

[kevinsky18]

Ack jury duty. . .:P