A suggestion on resurrected threads...

[redcarpetdrew]

Robert, is there a way to mark a resurrected thread as such? A different color or an addition to the thread header to avoid confusion such as is being observed on Kevin's Rheem Dryer thread. Yes, I know that the original post date of 2009 is there but there is still confusion among members who think he >just< found this dryer, especially since there is an active thread about one available in the L.A. area currently running as well. Just a thought...

RCD

 

[chestermikeuk]

Yes

Glad you brought that one up as I was just about to, having wanted that feature for some time in order to build / add history / pics / info etc to enhance existing threads, I have found myself frustrated and dismayed and viewing top threads finding its a historic one!!

Also some of the threads being resureccted here and on vac land are ones that should have stayed buried and are not relevant at all now!! Could contentious threads be coded not to be resurrected - more work for Robert I know but could pay off!!

I know you can click "all new threads" if upgraded and see whats new but I wonder how else it could work better...colour coded perhaps for each different sections, ie imperial, deluxe, super etc...

 

[rp2813]

RCD, I was thinking the same thing and had an exchange with Kevin via washer-mail.  He has since put up a post on the 2009 thread that may get the message across.  He said the date of the thread showed up in blue for him on his i-Phone.  I think that might be because he was the OP, not because his i-Phone is "smart."

 

I was thinking revived threads could have their dates display in a half-scale shade of gray or something, but doing that or otherwise flagging threads as de-archived could present a lot of work for Robert.  I have no idea on what would be involved.

 

[frigilux]

Guys....the original date of the thread is right there in bold print. It's not buried or difficult to find.

 

[rp2813]

Precisely Eugene, precisely. 

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hey guys, I'm sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, I've been so extremely busy lately. For the next few weeks I'll need you guys to be aware of that.

Here are the challenges with this:

I have no direct way of telling that something used to be in the archives. Everything has been opened up now. I could possibly do something by analyzing the creation date of the thread and if it's more than a six months or a year old, I can have an indicator in the thread itself saying "older thread" or something like that. Any suggestions?

If you guys see threads that shouldn't be brought back because they are controversial, just email me the thread numbers and I will close them. If a thread that is controversial gets reactivated, just mark it as offensive and I will deal with it.

I'm not going to have a ton of spare time in the next few weeks, but I will do what I can. I sure do appreciate everyone's patience.

 

[mattl]

I think a 6 month time frame would be reasonable.  A color change or perhaps an overlay of diagonal lines, not to strong of a color but enough to be noticed would be helpful.

 

[rp2813]

Matt, I was thinking along the same lines with a gray scale shading to help distinguish a revived thread.

 

[philr]

I also visited the resurrected thread after I saw the newer thread about the Rheem dryer (without seeing the note from Kevin in the newer thread). Like Tom said in the newer thread, I was curious to see the dryer top that opens so I enjoyed reading the older thread. I did notice it was an older thread but as I read the newer posts, I realized that many posters didn't! I hope my suggestion to keep old threads active won't become too unpopular because of that!

I don't have a suggestion on how to proceed to avoid confusion other than showing the original post date in a more visible way in the thread index. It's already visible but<span style="font-size: xx-large; color: #ff6600;"> making it big and bold </span><span style="font-size: medium;">would certainly help some people notice it's an old thread (but then it could be another source of discontent for others!). 

</span>

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Well, how about making the title of the resurrected thread and original post date in a color like that. Pretty hard to miss...

RCD

 

[countryguy]

Robert,

Since you can't easily distinguish resurrected threads, why not just put the date of the first post of all threads in a bold, highlighted colour so that it draws attention? The problem I have with new versus resurrected threads is that I don't think of looking at the date because I assume (inccorectly) that a new post is just that....new but if the date stood out prominently from the rest of the text then I'd be more inclined to look at it. Just a thought.

Gary

 

[frigilux]

Here's an idea: Let's all get in the habit of looking at the Original Posting date before opening a thread. It's as simple as that. There's really no need for additional colors, highlights, etc. Just look at the date.

 

[Unimatic1140]

OK I spent several hours working on an idea this morning and now I really need to get onto other things. I just moved the changes into the live system.

If any post inside a thread is more than 1/2 year old, the information bar on top of the post will turn yellow (as opposed to blue) and it will say how many days old it is.

This is the best I can come up with. Let me know if you notice any bugs.

Thanks everyone.

Here is an example:

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?10891_10~1

 

[vacbear58]

Works for me

Gosh Robert, with all this plus Vacuumland, how do you ever time for the day job, never mind such trivial items as sleeping.

Works OK for me so THANK YOU.

It does raise the point though that folks should think carefully before opening up old threads - have they anything to add to the knowledge in that thread?
Have they searched carefully to ensure that if they have some query on information contained in a thread that it has not already been answered somewhere else?

Its a useful tool, but lets use it responsibly to avoid ticking people off

Al

 

[petek]

That yellow bar and the days old showing really stands out. I think that's a winner.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

This change is very noticable and is the PERFECT answer Robert!  

 

THANK YOU for taking the time to make the change SO quickly!

 

You are beyond awesome and all of your hard work is greatly appreciated!

 

Kevin

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Just what the Web Master ordered!

Thank you Robert! Ahh, the things you could program if not for (or because of) those pesky users...

RCD

 

[turquoisedude]

Looks great Robert! You can see right away that a thread has been resurrected.

Thank you for the continued improvements and enhancements!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Threads

Nice on Robert - now lets build the best valuable library of recources to date!!

 

[rp2813]

An excellent solution completed as quickly as twitching one's nose (or so it appears to us end users), as usual.  Robert, we are all so spoiled.  Thank you for everything you do to make this site the Swiss watch of the entire worldwideweb.

 

[mattl]

I too think that is N excellent solution, simple and elegant. Odds are the coding was a bit of work, but Robert your efforts are much appreciated.