Vertical Rollerskating

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Message 3779 (23. Oct. 2007 21:40) (Tree)

Robert
Question for Bernhard
Ok, it is official. I am a moron. I realize now that if I click on the original post, then I can just go down and click on each consecutive link. I did check out the all link and that is pretty cool, but the old way is fine now that I have realized my errors.

: : It is very possible I am not using the forum correctly.
:
: Which I doubt very much. At least I can read your posts ...
:
: : If someone posts a topic I would like to be able to click in order each response. It seems I need to go back to the main page and try to find out who responded next to what was said. In other words, sometimes I will click on a name and end up reading a post that was written before the one I just read so I read the same post with out the response. Make sense? Either way, sounds complicated.
:
: I have now implemented the total view which I suggested. You can get to it from the message view by clicking the "All" link on the header line. There is a similar "Tree" link on the "All" view which leads back to the message view with the reply tree below it.
:
: Can you try it out and give your feedback? Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Don't take it as negative when I do not program something immediately. Sometime I'm just missing the time or the correct idea.
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Replies

Robert: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 03:26)
 Bernhard, I don't know much about programming, but am wondering if the posts could be in order from start to finish and I could just click down the each response? I am just curious. This is only a question and definitely not a complaint. I only ask this because it would make it easier for me to read the posts while at work.lol You are the best bro, so don't even think I am complaining!
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Bernhard: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 09:24)
 : Bernhard, I don't know much about programming, but am wondering if the posts could be in order from start to finish and I could just click down the each response? I am just curious. This is only a question and definitely not a complaint. I only ask this because it would make it easier for me to read the posts while at work.lol You are the best bro, so don't even think I am complaining!

Robert, I think this is an interesting question you are bringing up. I have to go a bit in depth, however.

First, let me talk about the view this forum provides. This is a hierarchical view where under each discussion thread the associated answers are show, the most recent ones on top. The same goes for answers to ansers so that all in all we get a tree for each discussion thread. The advantage is that you can immediately see which message is an answer to which message and the structure of the discussion is obvious. Well, at least in theory. It requires that the users put their reply in the correct place, which is not always the case.

This brings up the second point. Most web discussion forums are based on a software called PHPBB, which doesn't follow this hierarchical concept. A discussion in PHPBB is just an unstructured linear flow of messages. The advantage is that a complete discussion thread can be read in cronological order in one page, the disadvantage is that the structure of the discussion isn't represented. Users of this kind of forum help themselves by indicating the poster, to whom they reply, by e.g. "@Robert".

OK, after this lengthy preliminary explanation, where do we stand with this forum? What can be achieved, is something similar to those bulletin board style forum: a linear view of each discussion thread, which can be obtained by clicking on a "all" link. I have been thinking about this. I have also sawn it implemented on a similar forum, photozone.de. There is also another feature which might be useful. You can see the content of a message by just putting the mouse pointer over the link in the overview. Something similar to what I have already implemented in the image browser. There you can get a thumbnail flyover on the list of numbers representing the images posted by a particular person. It works with the Firefox browsers but I haven't seen it working with MS's IntrusionEngine browser. Therefore I didn't advertise this feature on the forum. I also don't have the possibility to test with MS software since I don't use this (I wonder why there isn't a campain along the lines: "MS software? Just say NO!").

Well at the end of a long posting, I have to say that I am not sure if I exactly understood your requirememts (are you talking about a different per-thread view or about a different forum-view or maybe about both) and also not sure if I provided something sensible in the direction of an answer.
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Robert: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 17:10)
 It is very possible I am not using the forum correctly. If someone posts a topic I would like to be able to click in order each response. It seems I need to go back to the main page and try to find out who responded next to what was said. In other words, sometimes I will click on a name and end up reading a post that was written before the one I just read so I read the same post with out the response. Make sense? Either way, sounds complicated.

: : Bernhard, I don't know much about programming, but am wondering if the posts could be in order from start to finish and I could just click down the each response? I am just curious. This is only a question and definitely not a complaint. I only ask this because it would make it easier for me to read the posts while at work.lol You are the best bro, so don't even think I am complaining!
:
: Robert, I think this is an interesting question you are bringing up. I have to go a bit in depth, however.
:
: First, let me talk about the view this forum provides. This is a hierarchical view where under each discussion thread the associated answers are show, the most recent ones on top. The same goes for answers to ansers so that all in all we get a tree for each discussion thread. The advantage is that you can immediately see which message is an answer to which message and the structure of the discussion is obvious. Well, at least in theory. It requires that the users put their reply in the correct place, which is not always the case.
:
: This brings up the second point. Most web discussion forums are based on a software called PHPBB, which doesn't follow this hierarchical concept. A discussion in PHPBB is just an unstructured linear flow of messages. The advantage is that a complete discussion thread can be read in cronological order in one page, the disadvantage is that the structure of the discussion isn't represented. Users of this kind of forum help themselves by indicating the poster, to whom they reply, by e.g. "@Robert".
:
: OK, after this lengthy preliminary explanation, where do we stand with this forum? What can be achieved, is something similar to those bulletin board style forum: a linear view of each discussion thread, which can be obtained by clicking on a "all" link. I have been thinking about this. I have also sawn it implemented on a similar forum, photozone.de. There is also another feature which might be useful. You can see the content of a message by just putting the mouse pointer over the link in the overview. Something similar to what I have already implemented in the image browser. There you can get a thumbnail flyover on the list of numbers representing the images posted by a particular person. It works with the Firefox browsers but I haven't seen it working with MS's IntrusionEngine browser. Therefore I didn't advertise this feature on the forum. I also don't have the possibility to test with MS software since I don't use this (I wonder why there isn't a campain along the lines: "MS software? Just say NO!").
:
: Well at the end of a long posting, I have to say that I am not sure if I exactly understood your requirememts (are you talking about a different per-thread view or about a different forum-view or maybe about both) and also not sure if I provided something sensible in the direction of an answer.
  Write reply
Bernhard: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 21:01)
 : It is very possible I am not using the forum correctly.

Which I doubt very much. At least I can read your posts ...

: If someone posts a topic I would like to be able to click in order each response. It seems I need to go back to the main page and try to find out who responded next to what was said. In other words, sometimes I will click on a name and end up reading a post that was written before the one I just read so I read the same post with out the response. Make sense? Either way, sounds complicated.

I have now implemented the total view which I suggested. You can get to it from the message view by clicking the "All" link on the header line. There is a similar "Tree" link on the "All" view which leads back to the message view with the reply tree below it.

Can you try it out and give your feedback? Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Don't take it as negative when I do not program something immediately. Sometime I'm just missing the time or the correct idea.
  Write reply
Robert: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 21:40)
 Ok, it is official. I am a moron. I realize now that if I click on the original post, then I can just go down and click on each consecutive link. I did check out the all link and that is pretty cool, but the old way is fine now that I have realized my errors.

: : It is very possible I am not using the forum correctly.
:
: Which I doubt very much. At least I can read your posts ...
:
: : If someone posts a topic I would like to be able to click in order each response. It seems I need to go back to the main page and try to find out who responded next to what was said. In other words, sometimes I will click on a name and end up reading a post that was written before the one I just read so I read the same post with out the response. Make sense? Either way, sounds complicated.
:
: I have now implemented the total view which I suggested. You can get to it from the message view by clicking the "All" link on the header line. There is a similar "Tree" link on the "All" view which leads back to the message view with the reply tree below it.
:
: Can you try it out and give your feedback? Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Don't take it as negative when I do not program something immediately. Sometime I'm just missing the time or the correct idea.
  Write reply
Bernhard: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 21:59)
 : Ok, it is official. I am a moron. I realize now that if I click on the original post, then I can just go down and click on each consecutive link. I did check out the all link and that is pretty cool, but the old way is fine now that I have realized my errors.

Ah, don't be so harsh with yourself! I believe that programmers and normal people think differently. To a programmer, a tree data structure at one point just becomes natural. But probably there was some time when this programmer still was a normal person and tree weren't that natural (I don't mean natural trees, they are of course, well, natural ;-)).

At least I had some fun building this "All" view and maybe someone will find it useful sometimes.

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claudine: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 22:20)
 Wow, thats cool Bernhard! I must learn more programming. ;-D But on the last one when I click ALL, I get warning, warning, opps lol?

: : Ok, it is official. I am a moron. I realize now that if I click on the original post, then I can just go down and click on each consecutive link. I did check out the all link and that is pretty cool, but the old way is fine now that I have realized my errors.
:
: Ah, don't be so harsh with yourself! I believe that programmers and normal people think differently. To a programmer, a tree data structure at one point just becomes natural. But probably there was some time when this programmer still was a normal person and tree weren't that natural (I don't mean natural trees, they are of course, well, natural ;-)).
:
: At least I had some fun building this "All" view and maybe someone will find it useful sometimes.
:
  Write reply
Bernhard: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 22:38)
 : Wow, thats cool Bernhard! I must learn more programming. ;-D But on the last one when I click ALL, I get warning, warning, opps lol?

Thanks for spotting this bug! Should be fixed now. :)
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claudine: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 22:58)
 : : Wow, thats cool Bernhard! I must learn more programming. ;-D But on the last one when I click ALL, I get warning, warning, opps lol?
:
: Thanks for spotting this bug! Should be fixed now. :)

No problem, I need Raid, my computers infested at times lol!
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Bernhard: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 23:04)
 : : Thanks for spotting this bug! Should be fixed now. :)
:
: No problem, I need Raid, my computers infested at times lol!

I don't believe it will help much against bugs. Maybe some insecticide?
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claudine: Question for Bernhard (23. Oct. 2007 23:12)
 : : : Thanks for spotting this bug! Should be fixed now. :)
: :
: : No problem, I need Raid, my computers infested at times lol!
:
: I don't believe it will help much against bugs. Maybe some insecticide?

Well, if it would help in if, else if, else age-entitement statements, I would get it. :-(
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