Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

[Jimmy G.]

I have been following the post on the Registration of 396 cars, in fact I have posted my car info there. However, I seem to be unable to read any new posts past a certain point. I noticed Mike M and others have posted but I cant find them on page 1 or 2. Is there something I am doing technically incorrect.

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Jimmy, Are you viewing the thread in "Hybrid"mode? There is a "Display" button at the far right of the gray top banner to switch modes.

In Hybrid mode when viewing very long threads with many posts, in the post list directory at the top(edit: embedded deep in the list of posts) there will be a line that states.....

"More replies below current depth....."

If you click that line you will see the additional posts. But it can be cumbersome to find the sequence of where you left off.

On very log threads I have found it is better to then switch Display mode to "Linear" mode so the order is never interrupted as in Hybrid mode.

I do recall in the past that John W may have increased that limit in Hybrid mode. Maybe he can increase again if possible. I'll drop Gary and John a note.

edit... John W increased the limit this afternoon to help reduce the confusion.

edit2... The Thread in question is this one:
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...-65-396-survey

Rich

[Jimmy G.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Learn something new every day Linear Mode works Thanks

[Mike T.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Rich, thanks for the heads up. I would open the Forum, find a new entry (in this case on the 396 Register thread) but when I scrolled down to the bottom of page 2 looking for the newest entry...'nothing'. I put in a question at the help desk about it and their answer did cover some of the issue, where someone posting might actually be addressing a post in the body of the thread, not necessarily at the end of the thread. Then their 'reply-posting' would be buried somewhere inside the thread. This Linear approach works better for me. Thanks again.

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Learn something new every day Linear Mode works Thanks

Glad to Jimmy. See notes below too.

Rich, thanks for the heads up. I would open the Forum, find a new entry (in this case on the 396 Register thread) but when I scrolled down to the bottom of page 2 looking for the newest entry...'nothing'. I put in a question at the help desk about it and their answer did cover some of the issue, where someone posting might actually be addressing a post in the body of the thread, not necessarily at the end of the thread. Then their 'reply-posting' would be buried somewhere inside the thread. This Linear approach works better for me. Thanks again.

Yes I believe when users reply to the thread post which is embedded deep inside using the "Reply With Quote" button, it puts their reply there instead of at the end of the thread. So you have to try to figure out where the last post is.

In this scenario I think it's best to use the far right "Multiple Quote" button.... which is to the right of the "Reply With Quote" button, that has a "+ sign box. This will add a checkmark to that button field. THEN click the top banner "Reply to Thread" button, compose the reply, then Submit. I'm pretty sure it will add the quoted text from the previous poster inside a new post, but this time it will place the reply post at the bottom of the entire thread. This will maintain order for others to see post sequence.

However, there is one caveat to this method. For some reason, that "Multiple Quote" button remains checked off after Submit. You have to go back into the thread and locate the button, click it again to uncheck the checkmark. If you do not, next time you post in that thread it will always add that quote,or multiple quotes if applicable, to your reply.

Also.....

One other tidbit I've learned today from a fellow member, regarding Linear Mode. I missed it. In your User Profile settings, there is a button to allow the user to select the chronological order of the thread posts. So when in Linear mode, you can set it to newest or oldest posts at the top. Also note this Display Mode selection(Hybrid, Linear(x2), Threaded)will be your Default setting. You can override it at any Thread at the Top gray banner "Display" Button.

Rich
PS I tried to do a copy paste of some nice screenshots but hungup the TDB editor so I'll try again later.
edit.... Added shots in new post.

[Dennis C.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

On very log threads I have found it is better to then switch Display mode to "Linear" mode, but the drawback there is that it now reverses the order of the posts, putting the most recent reply posts up top so you have to work backwards to catch up.


Rich

I have always read the board in Linear mode, however, my post read from top to bottom in order. I see the earliest post on top and scroll down to read the latest post.

[Mark F.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

In reply to Rich and maybe a question for someone who knows, as I've had the same problem he has had..."PS I tried to do a copy paste of some nice screenshots but hungup the TDB editor so I'll try again later."

I have tried to add a screenshot (small "snipit" from what's on my screen) and when pasted into the reply, a huge litany of HTML(?) pops up with no "picture" of what I have "snipped".

Is there a way to get a "cut-and-paste" screenshot into a reply; OR, does it have to be saved as a .jpg and then imported as an attachment?

thx

[Gary C.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Mark and Rich,

Sorry, there is no copy/cut and paste of a screenshot available is the vB software. Screenshots have to be saved to JPG and then inserted.

Gary
....

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

In reply to Rich and maybe a question for someone who knows, as I've had the same problem he has had..."PS I tried to do a copy paste of some nice screenshots but hungup the TDB editor so I'll try again later."

I have tried to add a screenshot (small "snipit" from what's on my screen) and when pasted into the reply, a huge litany of HTML(?) pops up with no "picture" of what I have "snipped".

Is there a way to get a "cut-and-paste" screenshot into a reply; OR, does it have to be saved as a .jpg and then imported as an attachment?

thx

Mark, Yes I'm pretty sure it has to be saved locally as a jpg (or equiv) file then upload as a Image or Attachment. When I did that copy paste from my email with images, it created a enormous text file in Base64 format. Base64 takes the binary format and converts it to text. In the editor, it shows the images properly but after Submit it did the conversion with a error popup.

It crashed the TDB editor software when it converted the images to Base 64, and I got a error that I exceeded the 100,000 character limit!!!! Says I had like 563,000 characters. So I tried to set the cursor to highlight the text to delete and it hung up. I kept getting "Not Responding" errors in the window. I didn't want to loose the data and I managed to retrieve some of it and resubmitted the post.

So yes, best to save screenshots and insert as a Image later.

edit.... Yup Gary beat me to it.
============================================

I have always read the board in Linear mode, however, my post read from top to bottom in order. I see the earliest post on top and scroll down to read the latest post.

Dennis, Yes I learned that earlier and described it in my last post in the last paragraph. I'm going to add the screenshots showing this there too now that I have them saved.

============================================

Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Here are the screenshots explaining the prior discussions regarding changing Display Mode and Linear Order of Posts. Thanks to (insert name here) for his help with this.

Rich
=====

1) When logged in, go to your USER PROFILE.

User_Profile.jpg

2) Next, on the left side, go to SETTINGS ----> GENERAL SETTINGS.
My_Settings.jpg

3) Finally, find the THREAD DISPLAY OPTIONS and see if LINEAR - OLDEST FIRST is set as your default. You can change it to NEWEST FIRST. You can also change to Threaded or Hybrid mode here to set the Deafult if desired.

Thread_Display_Options.jpg

And here is the button to change Display Mode when inside a thread. But notice it doesn't give you the 2 orders for Linear Mode. That's only done in the Settings process explained above.

Display_Mode.jpg

==========

[Mark F.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

GC - thank you and I understand completely. Not all software packages can do everything you're used to doing in other applications. I snipit more stuff than I probably should, but it's so convenient to have everything in the body of an email (or document) rather than having to open up an attachment in a separate application.

RM - thx and I get it now. Same huge-length text and TDB "wall-of-text" happened to me.
BTW - nice screenshot explanations of how to get the linear mode functioning, too. I like those purple squiggly arrows!

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

GC - thank you and I understand completely. Not all software packages can do everything you're used to doing in other applications. I snipit more stuff than I probably should, but it's so convenient to have everything in the body of an email (or document) rather than having to open up an attachment in a separate application.

RM - thx and I get it now. Same huge-length text and TDB "wall-of-text" happened to me.
BTW - nice screenshot explanations of how to get the linear mode functioning, too. I like those purple squiggly arrows!

Mark, I can't take credit for the screenshots. A buddy emailed them to me. He's a expert at that stuff and asked me to post them if I'd like to.

Rich

[John W.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

The Hybrid Mode has been the default viewing mode for as long as the TDB has been running. I am reluctant to change it as this is the first comments I have seen about being hard to navigate. If we change the default to Linear it may confuse long time users who are accustom to the Hybrid view.

I will try to add more information in the FAQ on the different modes and how to change them to clarify the description. Not sure how many users ever look at the FAQ though.

[Richard M.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

The Hybrid Mode has been the default viewing mode for as long as the TDB has been running. I am reluctant to change it as this is the first comments I have seen about being hard to navigate. If we change the default to Linear it may confuse long time users who are accustom to the Hybrid view.

I will try to add more information in the FAQ on the different modes and how to change them to clarify the description. Not sure how many users ever look at the FAQ though.

John, Yes you make a good point regarding the FAQ page. But at least if users question this type of issue again we can point them to it.

I used to run Hybrid for years until the post order got confusing due to posts embedded in the middle of threads when replies were made using the "Reply with Quote" button on embedded posts. This resulted in out-of-sequence reading sometimes, compounded by the "More replies below current depth..." "feature". So I switched to Linear to keep the posts sequential. It put ALL replies at the end of the thread.


But just thought of something. Is there a way in the vB software to force a reply to the end of the thread when using "Reply with Quote", to a embedded post, when in Hybrid Mode? Basically emulating Linear mode only on replies. Likely not as it's probably hard coded but just thinkin'.

Rich

[John W.]

Re: Reading Post Problems - Am I the Only One

Rich,

There are two ways to reply to a message. At the bottom of the message there is are normally three options, Reply - Reply With Quote and Multi Quote this message. Any of those options reply only to the message you are reading and that is what throws the thread out of alignment. At the bottom of all of the messages is the button +Reply to Thread. This is the one users should most often use. It puts the message at the bottom of the thread, answering the message in the first message of the Thread.

As you read down through a thread you will find times that you want to answer someone else's reply rather than the question or comment in the first message. This is how logic should work, with threads within threads as different users bring up side issues and such. Many threads cover a lot of things by the time 50 or 60 messages are included. This thread is a good example.