Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Anything about use of this forum : NOT about cycling
thirdcrank
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by thirdcrank »

I suspect that having numbered posts on here would simply increase the tendency not to read the whole thread before diving in. As threads get longer, that's almost inevitable but I fancy this would have that effect on quite short threads.

Anyway, we are presumably talking about more work for fonant and in the absence of comment from that quarter it may be a futile discussion.

If extra work is no problem, then I presume it's possible for a link to the quoted thread to be embedded (if that's the right word) in the quote on the new thread. ie Clicking on "X wrote" would take you straight back there.

(If any of this repeats something already written which I have missed, sorry.)
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admin
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by admin »

There is an extension available which adds post numbers to threads: https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/exte ... st_numbers

The main issue is that while post IDs are fixed for all time, the sequence number of a post in a thread might change. Posts can "appear" for a new Forum member after they've been approved, and posts can "disappear" if they're deleted.

So using post sequence numbers for referencing is not going to be 100% reliable: post #5 could become post #4, thus confusing everyone following a reference to "post #5". Where as using a link to a post will always link to the same comment whatever happens later.

I can see some small benefit, but with some small problems. So I'm not currently convinced it's a useful change.
simonhill
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by simonhill »

Admin: Thanks for your comments. As I have already said, I am happy to withdraw this request.

When I made it I thought it was:
Simple to implement;
Simple to use and understand; and
Would be uncontroversial.

Well we can't get 'em all right!

Thanks to everyone who contributed, especially to PH for the info that each post is a separate addressable entity.

I'll now quietly creep back to the touring forum where my posts are probably more useful.
Psamathe
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Psamathe »

simonhill wrote:......
I'll now quietly creep back to the touring forum where my posts are probably more useful.

Do keep coming up with ideas for improvements. Don't be put off just because this one was not universally agreed with. Even the best ideas can always be improved with input from others. Just because people did not all agree with this one does not mean they wont agree with other thoughts you have i.e. don't take others disagreeing personally.

Ian
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Tangled Metal »

Yes, agree with Psamathe. Keep giving ideas. As possibly one of the most critical I have to say i appreciated your suggestion. It got your idea out in the open to be discussed. It has given the admin information on what the general population think of this idea. Even if possible they know it isn't universally approved of or disapproved of. The idea might be improved on by a later post and it gets implemented in an improved way.

Positive thread because it is about improving the forum.
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by admin »

Ditto: please do keep suggesting ideas for improvements! But remember that the Forum is run on a tight budget.
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