Forum not always remembering read messages

[DynamicSpirit]

Usually the software on this forum is pretty good at knowing which messages I've read, so if I click on a thread, it automatically takes me to the first unread message - which is great. However, I've noticed that if I click on a thread that I haven't viewed for some months, it seems to forget that I've already part-read that thread, and takes me to the very first message instead. Is this a general issue? And - forum mods - is it fixable?

 

[XAM2175]

If I remember correctly the explanation I read a while ago (and that I now cannot find), it's because the "remembering" is done not by the forum host but rather by cookies placed on your device, and these cookies expire after a month. Once you've opened a thread and found that your position has been forgotten you can click "Jump to new" at the top right of the first post in the thread and you'll be taken to the first post made within the last month.

 

[Mojo]

The data on what posts that you have unread is deleted automatically after 30 days. Hence, if you click on a title for a thread you have not visited in a month, it will take you to the first post, because it doesn’t know where you are. Data older than 30 days will always be marked as read.

 

[edwin_m]

It didn't used to do this. Prior to a recent upgrade clicking on a thread I haven't looked at for a while would take me back to a post maybe a month ago. The usual reason for me to do that would be because someone else has posted recently, so this would usually get me to that recent post which would be what I wanted to see. Now I have to go to the end of the thread and backtrack until I see the big jump from a recent post to an older one, which is a bit tedious if lots of people have replied to the recent post meanwhile.

If there's any chance of restoring the old functionality then I'd certainly be in favour.

 

[XAM2175]

Now I have to go to the end of the thread and backtrack until I see the big jump from a recent post to an older one, which is a bit tedious if lots of people have replied to the recent post meanwhile.

Have you tried this?

Once you've opened a thread and found that your position has been forgotten you can click "Jump to new" at the top right of the first post in the thread and you'll be taken to the first post made within the last month.

 

[Mojo]

It didn't used to do this. Prior to a recent upgrade clicking on a thread I haven't looked at for a while would take me back to a post maybe a month ago. The usual reason for me to do that would be because someone else has posted recently, so this would usually get me to that recent post which would be what I wanted to see. Now I have to go to the end of the thread and backtrack until I see the big jump from a recent post to an older one, which is a bit tedious if lots of people have replied to the recent post meanwhile.

If there's any chance of restoring the old functionality then I'd certainly be in favour.

Depends on what you mean by “used to do this,” we have been on xenForo since October 2017 and this has been the setting for all of this time.

 

[edwin_m]

Depends on what you mean by “used to do this,” we have been on xenForo since October 2017 and this has been the setting for all of this time.

I know it's difficult to keep track of when things happened, but I'd put money on the change being more recent than that!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

If I remember correctly the explanation I read a while ago (and that I now cannot find), it's because the "remembering" is done not by the forum host but rather by cookies placed on your device, and these cookies expire after a month. Once you've opened a thread and found that your position has been forgotten you can click "Jump to new" at the top right of the first post in the thread and you'll be taken to the first post made within the last month.

I don't think that is quite correct: Certainly, there will be cookies on your device and they may well be deleted after 30 days, but I would expect their purpose is limited to telling railforums who you are, so it can automatically log you in. I'm pretty sure that the cookies won't directly list which messages you've read - because if they did, they would only be able to say which messages you'd read *on that device* - and that's not my experience: I regularly read railforums on both my phone and my PC - and I find (for recent threads) railforums correctly shows me the first unread post, even if I'd last read that thread on the other device. That's only possible if which posts I'd read is stored on the server, and presumably linked to my account.

 

[Mojo]

I don't think that is quite correct: Certainly, there will be cookies on your device and they may well be deleted after 30 days, but I would expect their purpose is limited to telling railforums who you are, so it can automatically log you in. I'm pretty sure that the cookies won't directly list which messages you've read - because if they did, they would only be able to say which messages you'd read *on that device* - and that's not my experience: I regularly read railforums on both my phone and my PC - and I find (for recent threads) railforums correctly shows me the first unread post, even if I'd last read that thread on the other device. That's only possible if which posts I'd read is stored on the server, and presumably linked to my account.

Yes that’s right, it’s stored on the database, but only for 30 days.

 

[XAM2175]

Well, at least I got the one-month part right, hah. In my defence I've only ever used the site on this one device!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Yes that’s right, it’s stored on the database, but only for 30 days.

Thanks! Out of interest, and if it's not prying too much, why is it set to 30 days? Is it because of some limitation in the Xenforo software, or is it more to do with, not wanting to store too much data?

 

[edwin_m]

Yes that’s right, it’s stored on the database, but only for 30 days.

I don't dispute the setting being set to 30 days, but what has changed is what happens to when visiting thread you have not visited over that period. Previously it would show (I think) the first post younger than 30 days, now it just shows the first post in the thread however old.

 

[Mojo]

I don't dispute the setting being set to 30 days, but what has changed is what happens to when visiting thread you have not visited over that period. Previously it would show (I think) the first post younger than 30 days, now it just shows the first post in the thread however old.

It’s always (since we have used this software) taken you to the first post in the thread if you haven’t viewed in over 30 days. There did used to be a black dot that displayed this information, but can now be accessed by clicking the button as described above.

 

[johntea]

On a similar note is there an option so a confirmation would pop up if I accidentally clicked a sub forum icon...it currently marks everything in the sub forum as read straight away which is quite annoying if I’ve accidentally clicked it with my fat fingers!

 

[A Challenge]

On a similar note is there an option so a confirmation would pop up if I accidentally clicked a sub forum icon...it currently marks everything in the sub forum as read straight away which is quite annoying if I’ve accidentally clicked it with my fat fingers!

There has been, but again I'm not sure if it was since the new software, though I think it was in the early days.

 

[Steddenm]

Is anybody else getting the above error when trying to look at the notifications?

Am using a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G with Android 11 (Chrome)

 

[Mojo]

It occurs when the page you are viewing is old (ie. you may have left the tab open from some time earlier).

 

[Steddenm]

It occurs when the page you are viewing is old (ie. you may have left the tab open from some time earlier).

Ah OK thanks.