Messages read/unread

[Edna]

Is there any chance that the server-based method of marking messages read/unread will ever return? I know that it went away to lighten the server load, but I find the cookie-based system to be annoying. I'm frequently interrupted while browsing the forum. When I come back a couple of hours later, the cookie has been reset, and I have to try to remember the last time/date I logged on in order to determine which messages I haven't read yet.

Edna

[NerfTW]

Change how long cookies are stored by your browser, and make sure you've logged in before reading. I've never had the problem you mention.

[Emperor Tippy]

The one thing I really want back is the little pop up box when you get a new message. Well that and Quick Reply.

[Zeb The Troll]

Of course! Change how long your browser keeps cookies!

Wait, there's a setting for that? I have Edna's problem all the time. I thought it was just something I had to live with.

And I miss Multi-Quote the most.

[Emperor Tippy]

And I miss Multi-Quote the most.

Yeah, thats another big one. Not as big because I just open all the replies I want to quote in new tabs and copy/paste them into 1.

[NerfTW]

Of course! Change how long your browser keeps cookies!

Wait, there's a setting for that? I have Edna's problem all the time. I thought it was just something I had to live with.

And I miss Multi-Quote the most.

I was just taking a wild guess, but go into your options on your browser, on Firefox, in the privacy tab, there's a section on cookies, change it to "keep until they expire". That will keep them from resetting when you close your browser session.
I have no idea how to change them on Internet explorer, the only options seem to be "accept" and "don't accept".

[Zeb The Troll]

Rats. I use IE. Not that I don't like FF, but that's the one Alarra uses when she's on my computer.

But anyway, don't the cookies expire after a couple of hours? I thought that was the root of the issue. If I check my usercp and see that I have ten threads with new posts in them, then leave the computer for three hours sitting at that screen, come back and refresh, unless someone posted in those threads after, I'll not have those threads there anymore. And that's in both browsers.

Moreover, if someone posted in a subscribed thread just after I checked it, I might miss it on the refresh because it will have timed out past what the boards want me to be aware of. I always check the time of the last time I checked and then list all of my subscribed threads just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I wish there was a way to not have to do that.

Heck, a better example, if I check the boards and then go to bed and someone posts in a thread right after I leave but no one posts afterwards, I would like for that thread to still show up as having new content when I come back after sleeping. (And would like to have said that without it being a run-on sentence, but there it is :smallcool:)

[Shhalahr Windrider]

But anyway, don't the cookies expire after a couple of hours?
Nope.

If you don't use the "Stay Logged In" option, you've got fifteen minutes.

If you don't, well, I'm seeing expiration times in August, 2008 on most of my GiantITP cookies, plus a couple set to December 1969, which I believe would indicate permanence.

Occasionally, I do experience a glitch that erases all "last viewed" data, and I have to start from scratch. But it's a pretty insignificant annoyance where I'm concerned, since lately I only really do much with threads I'm subscribed to and here in Board Issues. So it's pretty easy to track.

[Zeb The Troll]

Nope.

If you don't use the "Stay Logged In" option, you've got fifteen minutes.

If you don't, well, I'm seeing expiration times in August, 2008 on most of my GiantITP cookies, plus a couple set to December 1969, which I believe would indicate permanence.

Occasionally, I do experience a glitch that erases all "last viewed" data, and I have to start from scratch. But it's a pretty insignificant annoyance where I'm concerned, since lately I only really do much with threads I'm subscribed to and here in Board Issues. So it's pretty easy to track.I wonder why it's happening to me then. I do stay logged in. I don't get "new" posts in subscribed threads that are more than 2-3 hours old. And the issue I'm having is with subscribed threads.

EDIT: An example, I am subscribed to Werewolf Central and Indurain's Heal/Hurt Heal/Hurt game. In the former Shadowcaller made a post at 9:19 and that thread was in my "New Subscribed Threads" list at the top of my user cp. Castaras made a post in Indy's game at 8:42am and that thread was not in my "New Subscribed Threads" list, even though I've not checked that thread yet.

[NerfTW]

But anyway, don't the cookies expire after a couple of hours? I thought that was the root of the issue. If I check my usercp and see that I have ten threads with new posts in them, then leave the computer for three hours sitting at that screen, come back and refresh, unless someone posted in those threads after, I'll not have those threads there anymore. And that's in both browsers.


That's probably the issue right there. You're considered logged in that entire time, so the "new posts" start counting from when you logged out, or refreshed. So any posts made in the meantime are being considered "viewed".

[Edna]

Change how long cookies are stored by your browser, and make sure you've logged in before reading. I've never had the problem you mention.

That doesn't make sense to me. If I understand things correctly, giantitp.com sets the cookies on my computer that tell it when I last visited, and marks posts read/unread according to the date/time in the cookie. I don't see how I can control that in any way

I am always logged in. My cookie preferences in Firefox are set to "ask me every time," and giantitp.com is allowed to set cookies, which should be the equivalent of "keep until they expire."

When I look at the cookies that are stored for giantitp.com, most have expiration dates far in the future. Two (bbsessionhash and bbthread_lastview) automatically expire "at end of session." I presume those are the two that affect read/unread threads.

Edna

[Zeb The Troll]

That's probably the issue right there. You're considered logged in that entire time, so the "new posts" start counting from when you logged out, or refreshed. So any posts made in the meantime are being considered "viewed".:smallconfused:

Wait, so in order to get an accurate listing, I have to log out when I have to leave the computer and log back in when I'm ready to view again? That's even more ludicrous than just checking my entire subscribed threads list when I get back just to make sure.

Besides, I thought it wasn't supposed to mark them as "read" until, you know, I've actually read them. Why is there a time limit at all? If I leave for a weekend, every new post from the time I shut off my computer to the time I come back should be on there. Or if I just leave my computer on for a couple of days while I'm gone with the website up. Not just the ones that are less than 2 hours old.

[Zherog]

Besides, I thought it wasn't supposed to mark them as "read" until, you know, I've actually read them.

vBulletin - the software that runs the forum - has two different ways to track whether or not you've read a thread.

1) It stores the info server side, updating the database for each thread you've looked at and when
2) It uses a cookie to compute your last visit, and calculates against that

When the forum first came up, we used #1. (The WotC forums still do; so if you frequent that community, you can use that as an example.) As you might guess, the first method is much more accurate at reflecting what you have and haven't read; it's also much harder on the server, because it has to update a table in the database every time you look at a thread.

Because of the impact on the server, GitP at some point changed from #1 to #2. The cookie is much less accurate at tracking the information, because if you sit idle long enough your "last login cookie" gets updated, and suddenly a bunch of threads you have read now appear to be read.

[Zeb The Troll]

Yeah, I was here for the software switch and the subsequent whittling of tools for the sake of read and admin sanity. I'm not bothered that they did it, I was just excited for a moment that maybe there was a way to change at least that one thing. Apparently there isn't, so I'll go back to the way I've been doing things and that's cool.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

You don't have to do a full log out. Just make sure your browser's not sitting on a forum screen.