"View new posts" function.

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Carlisle 8
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"View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

I am a regular user of the function, which is a great way to ensure that I don't miss reading any item which is of interest to me. Sometimes, when I've been too busy to visit the site for a while, there can be a number of pages of new posts awaiting me. When I don't wish to read them all at one sitting, an option open to me is to print out the unread pages, for later use.

* Why does the system take 8 A4 pages to print out one ATDB page, instead of reproducing the neat two lines to an item listing shown on my screen? Is it just the way the programmer wrote the program?
* Is there a method by which I can choose a better format?
* If not, is it possible for an Administrator to have the program improved and is an Administrator prepared to do so, please?

This evening, I had four pages listing new posts. I had logged on using "Log me on automatically each visit". I went away for about an hour and when I returned, my "View new posts" pages had disappeared and I could not recover them using the history function.

* Is there anything that I can do to save such a loss, in the future?
* Or is it a system fault?
* If it is a system fault, does an Administrator consider it possible to fix the fault?
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

Are you using the print view before printing the list?

It is the printer icon below the search box on the top-right.

Hope it helps.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

Thank you, T1200, for your prompt reply. I'm afraid, however, that I'm really mystified, because there is no printer icon below the search box on the top-right! The only icon is comprised of a down pointing V, an A, then an up pointing V. I clicked it, in case it was the icon to which you referred, but there was no effect.

Have you any answer, please, to the second series of questions in my original posting?

Thank you.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

You don't have a little envelope icon nor a printer icon? :shock:

It won't appear under all situations - for example, it's not available when replying to a topic.

Could you see if it is there when you view the actual topic (in case that's not what you did before)?
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

A printer icon is there in connection with this topic, but it does not appear on the "View new posts" pages. Remembering that it was those pages that I want to print in a "good" layout, I await your next advice!
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

Ah, the penny drops. Let me sit on that one for a bit.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

If you change board styles back to the old subSilver2 theme, then it prints vastly better on paper.

That is probably why a print version was introducted into the Prosilver theme, although they obviously didn't anticipate people would want to print the "View new posts" results.

Go into your User Control Panel, select Board Preferences then under Style (or whatever it is) select "SubSilver2". Is that a satisfactory resolution?

Also, with regards to saving the results of the "View new posts" search at a particular time, save the actual search results page(s) to your hard drive. Say File and then Save Page As (in Firefox, will be similar in Internet Explorer), then you can simply open that page at a time convenient to you and all those links will still work. Beware though that you will need to save each page of results individually to your hard drive, for example if there are six pages of search results, you will need to open each page in your window and then manually save it.

If, instead of printing, you decide to save the search results at a particular time, as I've mentioned above, then you can still use the new theme.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

Great! The old style gives a much better printed version.

Just one question now remains. Can you explain to me why the "View new posts" pages disappear, as described in the second part of my first posting? As things stand, I'm concerned that such pages will suddenly disappear on me. (It has happened before.)

Hopefully, you've gone to bed now! Please answer my remaining question when it is convenient for you to do so. Many thanks for your help.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

Carlisle 8 wrote:Great! The old style gives a much better printed version.

Just one question now remains. Can you explain to me why the "View new posts" pages disappear, as described in the second part of my first posting? As things stand, I'm concerned that such pages will suddenly disappear on me. (It has happened before.)

Hopefully, you've gone to bed now! Please answer my remaining question when it is convenient for you to do so. Many thanks for your help.
The "view new posts" search result is constantly changing. Each time somebody makes a post on the board, the topic they posted in will go to the top of the list. As many people post on here at the same time, that list will change vastly in just half an hour during peak periods.
Carlisle 8 wrote:This evening, I had four pages listing new posts. I had logged on using "Log me on automatically each visit". I went away for about an hour and when I returned, my "View new posts" pages had disappeared and I could not recover them using the history function.
"Log me on automatically each visit" will not prevent the "view new posts" function from updating itself. Does what I wrote above (quoted below) answer that question?
T1200 wrote:Also, with regards to saving the results of the "View new posts" search at a particular time, save the actual search results page(s) to your hard drive. Say File and then Save As in Internet Explorer (Save Page As in Firefox) then you can simply open that page at a time convenient to you and all those links will still work. Beware though that you will need to save each page of results individually to your hard drive, for example if there are six pages of search results, you will need to open each page in your window and then manually save it.

If, instead of printing, you decide to save the search results at a particular time, as I've mentioned above, then you can still use the new theme.
Or have I misunderstood? I wasn't exactly sure what you meant by "suddenly disappear on me". Best of luck!
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by boronia »

I have found that the initial "view new posts" list will update with newer posts added each time I "refresh/reload" the page.

However, it seems that (presumably) if the connection to the server gets broken for any reason, then whatever stores the records of what posts are "new" is reset, and then only the newest posts since the reset will be displayed. I often have two or three of these forums running simultaneously, and find some are more stable than others in retaining data. ATDB is one of the better ones; I have often shut down my browser, then restarted it later and still get the same "new posts" listings as previously.

Hope this makes sense, I don't know the technical issues involved.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

T1200 and boronia. I do know about newer postings being added to the top of the "View new pages" list. In fact, I use and appreciate the facility.

I mentioned that "Log me on automatically each visit" was on, to show that the problem was not due to an automatic log out.

I wonder whether boronia was right, in wondering whether the disappearance of my "View new posts" pages when I went away for about an hour, could have been due to a break in the connection with the server. T1200, do you consider that to be a likely explanation, despite the fact that I was logged on "Log me on automatically each visit"? If so, I can avoid the problem by using one of your two alternatives. (The old style printout, or saving to my hard drive.) I intend to do one of those, in future, if I intend leaving my computer.

T1200. My "suddenly disappear on me" expressed my concern that "View new posts" lists might suddenly disappear while I was actually using them. Any comment on that? Perhaps I should just wait and hope that that doesn't happen?
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Fleet Lists »

Carlisle 8 wrote:T1200. My "suddenly disappear on me" expressed my concern that "View new posts" lists might suddenly disappear while I was actually using them. Any comment on that? Perhaps I should just wait and hope that that doesn't happen?
Yes I have seen that happen too. I have not been able to find a reason for it.

Normally they disappear as you say after a disconnect which is correct but there is the occasional time that they seem to disappear as one is using them.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

OK I understand now.

That is because the search function on this board is still broken - basic functionality is still there, but it is unreliable and usually crashes after you navigate a few pages of search results or use it a few times. The "view new posts" function uses the search function to provide its results.

Ken changed a few settings for me that now causes the search function to crash instead of it bringing the rest of the board down with it (the probable cause of our frequent crashes the when the software was first upgraded).

The function is still not making a complete database of the topics on this forum.

I'll keep checking with phpBB about it...I have been a bit caught up with my studies recently.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by boronia »

Last night I logged onto the Board about 7pm and I got my "new posts" normally. I left it running for a while and did not log off, but when I came back about 10pm, the oldest "new post" showing was about 9pm, so at that time it must have "reset".

I will watch it again tonight.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by boronia »

I had a "new posts" reset again this morning without logging off, after about 4 hours of inactivity.

Just as an aside, what is classified as an "Active topic"??

Does one become "inactive" after a determined period of time??
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

A different question about the same function. Until a couple of days ago, once I'd read an item listed on a "view new posts" page, the lines inside the circle at the left of the title of the item would change from red to grey, indicating that I'd read the item. Now they don't! I didn't change any settings. Is it a system problem, or is there something I can do to get the facility back?
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

Hit F5 on your keyboard.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

Sorry, T1200, but your reply is much too succinct for me! When, where and why should I hit T5?

Another thing and no offence intended, but is what you suggested based upon an assumption that I use crappy Microsoft? I've just mentioned that, in case it is relevant. I run Mac OS X 10-4-11.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

The F5 key on your keyboard refreshes the page in an Internet web browser, and as far as I know performs the same function in both Windows and Mac OS environments. And no I don't assume you use Microsoft - I do because it's cheaper than Apple proprietary hardware which I can't afford. In fact, I used to use an iMac G3 quite extensively to browse the web because its version of Internet Explorer was far superior to the version found on Windows PCs. Now that I have a new Wintel I have stopped using the Mac.

Back on topic. If the "View new posts" page isn't showing the links you've already clicked as being read, hit F5. Beware though that this will also update the contents of the list and change to include topics recently replied to.

It is normal for a page not to update itself (particularly links clicked) when you hit the "Back" button, and I don't understand how it would have done that for you previously unless you were just clicking the "View new posts" button each time.

No offence taken - hope it helps.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by boronia »

Pressing F5 has the same effect as using the "reload current page" button on the browser menu bars.

As for updating the "unread" indication in "View New Posts", on the old board this would not occur until the page was refreshed, as you state. However, now when I read a topic and just use the "back" button to go back to the new posts lists (which takes me back to the same position on the page), the unread indication has cleared.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

Thank you, T1200 and boronia.

T1200's para. 2. I hit T5 when reading a particular thread and subsequently while on the view no posts page, but neither action had any effect on the unread indication.

T1200's para. 3. When the reading of a thread was causing the unread indicator to show "read" for me, I WAS just hitting the back button to return to the "view new pages" listing, to select the next item to read. That facility "just happened", with no input from me. That is why I was both sad and mystified when it suddenly stopped happening, after operating reliably for a long time. I bet that you're really mystified now, T1200!

boronia's last sentence. I have been using Prosilver throughout. (I did return briefly to Subsilver 2 to print out a "v.n.p." listing, as advised by T1200, but surely that can't have caused a problem?) So, here is the $64 question! Why does what boronia described in his last sentence still work for him, but no longer work for me? (It is exactly what used to happen for me.)

I realise that all of this is "small beer". Nevertheless, I'd like to get a very much appreciated function back. I'd also like to clear the mystery! T1200, have you any suggestion as to who in Administration might have the answer? Ken, perhaps? Thanks again.
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by boronia »

Carlisle 8 wrote:Thank you, T1200 and boronia.

So, here is the $64 question! Why does what boronia described in his last sentence still work for him, but no longer work for me? (It is exactly what used to happen for me.)
Somewhat mysteriously, today this is not happening. Topics are again remaining "unread" until I refresh the page. :shock:
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

If you are still labouring on a dial-up connection, do not read any further.

Otherwise...

The problem is nothing to do with the forum software, it is a setting in your web browser. Here are instructions to fix the problem under Internet Explorer 7:

Click Tools ->Internet Options
In the box that pops up, you will see some options for Browsing History.
Click Settings
Where it says "Check for newer versions of stored pages" select "Every time I visit the webpage"
Say OK to both boxes.

It appears the equivalent option in Firefox does not work...have I found a bug??
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by Carlisle 8 »

Thank you again, gentlemen.

I have ADSL, so no problem there.

Safari is the Mac web browser. I've waded through all of the Safari preferences and settings, trying to find something equivalent to what T1200 described for Internet Explorer. I found nothing, but that could well be due to my non recognition of the terminology used. Can any Mac user help me, please?
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Re: "View new posts" function.

Post by T1200 »

In no way are these links recommended or endorsed by myself. Always virus scan files before you run them. :mrgreen:

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17776
Use the disable website cache feature.

OR

http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/computing/os ... cache.html

Sounds like either should work, but I have no idea whether they actually will. I've never used Safari, although it is actually available for Windows PC users.
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