Flat view and Threaded view

[left eye]

Would it be possible for threads to be viewed via the two options as a DPR, 'Flat view' and 'Threaded View'.

Currently here all posts in a thread are open or 'flat'. The alternative to contain posts in a threaded 'tree' of post titles only, works well over on DPR.

...i.e. the thread tree is shown under the selected open post, with replies nested into branches (or 'children'), and the selected open post can be moved forward (or back) to the next (or previous) response in the branch (up or down in the tree with forward & back arrow buttons).

Also within that threaded tree, we can see which posts we've read and those we haven't, via the reply title being greyed or not.

Similarly, in the list of all threads in a forum, we can see which threads we've fully read and which we haven't, and which we have partially read (maybe becuase a new post has been added).

See attached screenshots of the Thread list in a Forum and the Post list in a Thread.

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Many thanks for the support and the great work you are doing here!

 

[dirk]

Would it be possible for threads to be viewed via the two options as a DPR, 'Flat view' and 'Threaded View'.

No, this forum software can only do flat view.

 

[left eye]

...ok.

In the list of Threads in a forum, can the title of the Threads previously read (by me) be differentiated from those I have not read?

i.e. those I have not opened before, the title bright/contrasty as now, and those threads I've visited before more grey. Often I might want to go back to a thread, so within a long list seeing that I've viewed it before will identity that is the one I want to open again (or not as the case may be).

 

[dirk]

Yes- Click on the navigation bar at the top on "what's new". Unread = bold.

There is also a subtab right next to it "new posts".

It's easiest to see the difference between these two functions "what's new" and "new posts" if you click "Forums > Mark Forums Read" then come back in 30 minutes and click "Forums > New Posts" and "Forums > What's New".

"New Posts" shows only a list of unread threads with post activity since your last visit.

"What's New" shows all post activity in reverse chronological order, including read threads. Threads with new post activity are indicated with bold titles.

So "New posts" is unread posts. "What's new" is read and unread posts.

 

[left eye]

...ok I can see the bold, ..just, very hard to see.

Any chance you could slightly grey the (not-bold) titles of threads read, and keep the bold unread titles as there are - contrasty. Would help, clarity is everything.

 

[dirk]

Changing font colours is not as easy as it looks at first sight. Specific font types and colours are used in many different places and if you chnage one for one place you influence at the same time the fontsize or colour in another spot, where it should not change.

Of course I could now start to code this software individually, but I can tell you from experience, that this only will lead to a mess as soon as you update the forum software. So because of this I do not hack the standard code of forum software anymore.

I heard it the first time by the way that it is hard to see. But maybe another option would help: If you change the background colour on the upper right hand corner. Is this then better for you?

 

[left eye]

..the CSS would not be difficult (i have done this customisation coding many times on Wordpress sites, would take about 10 minutes to code, check and get live). You can target the item with CSS, which might be 'title' or 'h1' and even to specific pages or to styles or weights such as bold, then add the modifier of the text colour to override the global value. It can be done.

If this flexibility isn't part of the growth of this forum I don't think I'll be staying. Unfortunate as the base operation and look is ok, just needs taking forward to improve it.

 

[dirk]

If this flexibility isn't part of the growth of this forum I don't think I'll be staying.

I think that is a wrong assumption or interpretation.

You have to understand that I can not fullfill every single individual wish. You want to have a change, which never was requested in all my forums and is just your personal preference. I think it is understandable that I can not cook here every meal individual

Dpreview had also many thing someone did not like. But this is not a reason to react this way. I think sometimes we just need a little bit time to get used to new stuff.

There is an old saying: You can satisfy a few people and you can satisfy many people but you can not satisfy everybody.

 

[left eye]

...ok I take your point and fully appreciate that the larger picture is of greater importance than my specific (maybe non-) issues of readability.

Maybe a poll might be of benefit, to see if the readability of read and unread threads is clear enough to others?

 

[left eye]

...also I see that you are running this site via WordPress - which does offer a threaded view to comments, and is immensely flexible in this regard - to customisation of this.

Whatever template you are using you can customise it and add a threaded view to it (in functions.php).

I think most people coming from DPR will want a threaded view, it's not difficult to implement. Perhaps it's time to add it, in 2023 we need this and more, in 1980 we didn't, time moves on.