Resume thread reading?

[TheDabbinDave]

I'm not exactly how it should be worded, but how can I resume reading a thread on the last post I viewed?

Some of the threads I read are many pages deep and when I come back to the thread, I'm always stuck reading the last post. I don't want to read the thread backwards to get to where I left off yesterday or 3 days ago.

Is this a feature that needs to be added or does it just need to be activated within my board settings?

 

[Duke]

Either click on the "View First Unread Post" button within the thread itself or click on the orange "NEW" icon next to the thread title in the index. This will take you to the first new post in that thread since your last visit to the forum. It can't index exactly where you've been in each thread, however.

Also, in the main forum index, where it shows the latest post in each board, clicking on the thread title there will take you to the first unread post in that thread.

 

[TB]

Let me know if I'm misunderstanding you, but can't you just click on a sub-section (Site Feedback, The Rumble Strip, etc.) and then the

image next to the thread you're interested in? It should take you right to where you left off.

Damn, damn. Duke beat me. Again.

 

[TheDabbinDave]

On a few boards, I have learned the habit of clicking on an icon (such as the one near the name of the most recent poster) or the date of the last post and it takes me to the first unread post. Some boards have a setting where if you're active in a thread and there is a new post, the title will highlight (as it does here). But, the beauty of it is when you click on the title you are taken to the first unread post.

Honestly, if I could click on the title and be whisked away to the new post, I'd be happy as a clam. It would be redundant to the "new" button, which I have never noticed until you guys pointed it out......seriously. If the board software could support this, I think it would be a great addition for the threads being read or posted in.

Thanks.

 

[Duke]

But if you click on a thread title and want to read the WHOLE thread from the first post, what would you do?

On each forum page, there are various methods of getting to a thread in different ways:

1. Clicking the thread title takes you to the first post of the thread.
   
2. Clicking the NEW button takes you to the first new post since your last visit to the forum.
   
3. Clicking the word balloon next to the latest poster's name at the right takes you directly to the latest post.
   
4. Clicking on the number next to the thread title of multiple-page threads will take you directly to that page.

 

[TheDabbinDave]

But if you click on a thread title and want to read the WHOLE thread from the first post, what would you do?

This would only apply to new and unread threads. If one is already active in the thread, the option to go back to the first page is already in place.

I'm not being argumentative, I'd like to have this option available if I so chose.

 

[Dave A]

It's best the way it is, I never have had any problems clicking on the "NEW" icon and it's right next to the thead title so I'm struggling to understand the logic behind your problem here.

As it is, without going into the thread first, you are given a wider selection of choice of where to jump into the thread. I've read many threads with the "NEW" icon next to them from the start because I never read it the time I logged in before. It would be pointless changing it imo.

 

[Muzaffar]

Wow..... been here for well over a year only to realize this feature.

Also, I just wonder......

1. How long does the
   
   button lasts on a certain thread? Lets say that the thread was inactive for a while and the new icon doesn't appear any more, so how long does it take for that to happen?
2. Another thing is, if I were gone for a few days or weeks and the thread has gone through a lot of pages, would clicking the new button still goes back to the last post that I read since I last logged in?
3. If I did log in (but doesn't view the thread) would it still apply?

 

[Jordan]

On a few boards, I have learned the habit of clicking on an icon (such as the one near the name of the most recent poster) or the date of the last post and it takes me to the first unread post. Some boards have a setting where if you're active in a thread and there is a new post, the title will highlight (as it does here). But, the beauty of it is when you click on the title you are taken to the first unread post.

Honestly, if I could click on the title and be whisked away to the new post, I'd be happy as a clam. It would be redundant to the "new" button, which I have never noticed until you guys pointed it out......seriously. If the board software could support this, I think it would be a great addition for the threads being read or posted in.

Thanks.

Changing the target link of thread titles would present an inconsistent user interface, which I know I would find very confusing. Of course, if there is a new post in a thread, no matter where you "see it" (forum listings, My GTPlanet, search results, etc.), the "New" button is always visible and is only a few pixels away from the title. Just get in a habit of using that button, and clam-like happiness will always be just one click away.

EDIT: Sorry, Musa, I missed your post while I was typing mine. I'm very surprised that you are just now learning about this feature, did it never occur to you to click on it? All vBulletin forums have had this functionality for many years. To answer your questions, the button lasts until you either read the thread or your visiting session expires (which automatically occurs after 30 minutes of inactivity, or if you manually log out). For example, if you don't read a new thread, leave the site, and then return a few hours later (and no one has replied since that time), the thread will not be marked as new and the icon will not appear.

I should also point out to you and Dave that if you did click on a thread that contains new posts, on the left side of the top red bar, the "New" button also appears with the text "View First Unread Post".