unread posts

joed · Jan 7, 2013

I couldn't find help or suggestion section so I will post this here. I have a problem with how the unread posts function works.
first problem. It resets too soon. If I go away for 5 or 10 minutes to review a link or something it resets. I think the time should be longer like 30 minutes or even hour. I can always mark everything read when I leave if I want
second more problem issue. If I come here and am not logged for what ever reason, my machine lost the cookie or something, as soon as I log in there are no unread posts. Everything is marked as read.

Don S · Jan 7, 2013

Re: unread posts

If it goes away on you, just go up to the blue nav bar just below where you log in. Click on quick links then todays posts.

joed · Jan 7, 2013

Re: unread posts

Thanks. That helps. But if a post 30 or 50 posts long it does not bring to next one that I have not read. Seems like a bug that only exist at this site. Don't have these issues at forum other sites.

MTboatguy · Jan 7, 2013

Re: unread posts

I run several systems like this and they work exactly the same way as this website works. I also do some programming now that I am fully retired for both this Vbulliten software and PHPBB software, I can assure you, there is no bug in that particular feature.

sccatfish · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

I agree with the OP. This forum will often mark everything as read before I even get through reading the posts I want to read, or if I visit the forum and leave for maybe 15 minutes. No other forum I visit will mark threads read like that. They remain marked as unread until I open them, I tell it to mark everything as read, or for a period of a set number of days.

MTboatguy · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

Normally once you click on the title of the message you want to read, your browser will mark the whole thread as read, this comes down to your settings in your browser. It does not matter if you have read the entire thread, only that you have opened the original thread. There are settings in your browser, there are settings in the software. If there is certain combinations set, then the action being mentioned in this thread will occur. With so many different combinations out there, it is hard to get a browser or a software package to work exactly like everyone wants. I see a lot of different issues happening and talked about on here, but many times it is a function of your browser as well as the various add on's we have in our browsers that cause perceived problems.

One way to avoid it, you can clear your history at specific intervals and then it will again show nothing read, but of course then you will have to login again, which shouldn't be a problem if you have set stuff up to auto log in, or saved your password in your browser.

joed · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

Normally once you click on the title of the message you want to read, your browser will mark the whole thread as read,

I agree that is normal and that is not the problem.
The problem is if you leave to view a video or some other link the forum times out before you return and marks everything else as read. This time out seems to be very low compared to other sites.

Or if you come here and are not logged in as soon as you log in everything is marked as read.

I do not have these issues at other sites I visit only here.

MTboatguy · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

Joed,

Your browser is what controls the "read thread" it does this based on the cookies that are set by this software, now there is a possibility that the software is not setting cookies correctly, or that your browser is not processing the cookies correctly. Now there are settings in your browser telling it how to process those cookies. What browser are you using?

sccatfish · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

Mine happens the same as Joed's, and as said before, this does not happen on other forums. If it's the browser, why would it only happen on this forum, and why would it happen on different computers and different browsers? Also, if the browser is what controls "read threads" then how do forums know what I've opened when I log on with a different computer?

MTboatguy · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

sccatfish,

you have to understand, each and every forum interacts with the browser you have on your computer, it does not matter that it works on one forum and does not work on another, ever single forum is configured by those in charge.. I know that I can set something up, the way I like it and based on my browser and it will react 100 different ways when 100 different people visit.

It is quite clear many don't understand interactive browsing. It is a crap shoot now a days.

there is no constant in the internet, when you understand that, you will be ahead of the game and not behind the power curve.

I have just got back into programing, but my wife has been doing this since 1996, things do not work the same for everybody.

joed · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

I am using FireFox most current version. Based on what you are saying about cookies I should be able to delete all my cookies and no posts should show as read. I do not believe it works that way. Cookies are only used to save my logon id. I am not forum expert but I believe the read posts is stored in my profile info in the forum database along with the last time I logged on.
It works the same on different PCs with different browsers, FF or IE.
Some forums I visit do not reset the read posts unless I actually read them or click the"mark all posts read" button.

MTboatguy · Jan 8, 2013

Re: unread posts

Okay Joed,

More power to you, I leave you to find the solution on your own, just know, I run firefox and don't have the problems you have, but have fun trying to figure it out.

Worrying about other forums has nothing to do with "This" forum.. Remember that as you try to work your way through this.

And yes, I am being smart, because you don't want the help that you are asking for, you want to post a problem, then tell those who want to help they are wrong.

So be it, good luck.

toneeees · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

joed said:
I am using FireFox most current version. Based on what you are saying about cookies I should be able to delete all my cookies and no posts should show as read. I do not believe it works that way. Cookies are only used to save my logon id. I am not forum expert but I believe the read posts is stored in my profile info in the forum database along with the last time I logged on.
It works the same on different PCs with different browsers, FF or IE.
Some forums I visit do not reset the read posts unless I actually read them or click the"mark all posts read" button.

MTboatguy said:
Okay Joed,

More power to you, I leave you to find the solution on your own, just know, I run firefox and don't have the problems you have, but have fun trying to figure it out.

Worrying about other forums has nothing to do with "This" forum.. Remember that as you try to work your way through this.

And yes, I am being smart, because you don't want the help that you are asking for, you want to post a problem, then tell those who want to help they are wrong.

So be it, good luck.

Appreciate the help you are providing MTboatguy.

Joed, some forums do save the post read info to the database, we have this option but can not use it because of how large the forum is. The servers just couldn't handle the load. So we have to use the cookie system to store whether you have viewed a thread or not. When your session times out, it does mark all forums as read. I will look into extending the session length before it times out.

joed · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

Thank you. The timeout extension will be great improvement in my opinion.

I'm not trying to be smart but can someone explain to me how cookies can control what I have read when I change computers. How does a cookie move from one PC to another when the PCs are not even used on the same ISP or synced in anyway over the net?

toneeees · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

Cookies are only going to work within the same browser. My understanding, if you close or leave the page then it marks all forums read after the session ends. The cookie remembers when the session ended, and marks anything posted after that as unread. I could be wrong, but that is how I understand it. I will have to do some investigating now because I'm curious.

sccatfish · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

toneeees said:
Cookies are only going to work within the same browser. My understanding, if you close or leave the page then it marks all forums read after the session ends. The cookie remembers when the session ended, and marks anything posted after that as unread. I could be wrong, but that is how I understand it. I will have to do some investigating now because I'm curious.

Yes, after thinking about it more, this is what the problem comes down to. When you log off, it marks everything as read. This is the only forum I've ever seen that does this. After a certain idle time it logs you off and marks everything as read. This isn't a very big deal when I have time to read everything I want to read, but if I only read a few threads then have to leave and come back a couple hours later then it loses some of that.

sccatfish · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

MTboatguy said:
sccatfish,

you have to understand, each and every forum interacts with the browser you have on your computer, it does not matter that it works on one forum and does not work on another, ever single forum is configured by those in charge.. I know that I can set something up, the way I like it and based on my browser and it will react 100 different ways when 100 different people visit.

It is quite clear many don't understand interactive browsing. It is a crap shoot now a days.

there is no constant in the internet, when you understand that, you will be ahead of the game and not behind the power curve.

I have just got back into programing, but my wife has been doing this since 1996, things do not work the same for everybody.

I understand about cookies and interactive browsing. I understand each forum is set up differently. I visit several forums that appear to use the same software as iboats, and each one is setup differently. I just don't understand why iboats would mark everything as read when you log off (as it appears to be what the main issue boils down to). I see now that iboats does use cookies in this where others don't because of the volume here, but I would have no way of knowing this because everything gets marked as read here when I log off.

MTboatguy · Jan 9, 2013

Re: unread posts

Normally cookies are set in a certain way based on the username, I know with one of my large forums, I have it set up that way. That is not to say they can't be set to different ways, but normally most companies or people that run these types of forums do not even mess with the default cookie setting portion of their software. With the way I have it set up, it does not matter which computer or ISP you are using, the data is set when you sign in and updated in the database. For my forum that means, the database remembers you signed in, not the computer that you are on.

toneeees · Jan 18, 2013

Re: unread posts

The timeout time has been extended. I'm assuming the issue has been resolved. If you're continuing to experience this issue send me a PM or start a new thread.

unread posts

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Honorary Moderator Emeritus

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Fleet Admiral

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Fleet Admiral

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Fleet Admiral

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Fleet Admiral

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Fleet Admiral

Administrator

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Administrator

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Fleet Admiral

Administrator