HP Forum Archive 03

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New forum features Message #1 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 July 2000, 10:00 p.m. Based on the discussion below, I've added a new feature and a new way to browse the forum. You've probably already noticed the new feature - the word (new) which is displayed in a brighter shade for the newest messages. Currently the newest 15 messages are marked in bright red and the next 15 in dark red. For those of you who visit frequently and would like quick access to an unthreaded (newest posts on top) view, I've created: http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/dforum.cgi I haven't linked this in yet because I want to see how it works out. It shows about two days of articles. Please let me know what you think of these.

Re: New forum features Message #2 Posted by Viktor Toth on 20 July 2000, 10:32 p.m., in response to message #1 by Dave Hicks Dave, Beautiful, I only have one comment. Because the new unthreaded view uses different URLs, messages you've read through the threaded view don't show up in a different color here and vice versa. If it were possible to use identical message URLs in the two views, that'd be most convenient. Thank you for the very quick response to our concerns! Viktor

Re: New forum features Message #3 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 July 2000, 10:39 p.m., in response to message #2 by Viktor Toth Currently, if I use the same URL, that will mean that any time you click on a "return to the index" link, that you'll be taken back to the main. (If you only pressed back from posting or viewing, you would come back to the daily index but I think that might be confusing.) I can't think of an obvious work-around for that one (except something using cookies perhaps.)

Of course I could put a note saying Message #4 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 July 2000, 10:43 p.m., in response to message #3 by Dave Hicks PRESS THE BACK KEY TO GET BACK on the daily forum page. Would it be better to have that limitation but with the visited links in the right color?

Re: Of course I could put a note saying Message #5 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 July 2000, 10:48 p.m., in response to message #4 by Dave Hicks I've put up a version that works with the same URLs but you need to press BACK to get back to the daily view. Which do you prefer? http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/forum.cgi?daily

Re: Of course I could put a note saying Message #6 Posted by Viktor Toth on 20 July 2000, 11:10 p.m., in response to message #5 by Dave Hicks Dave, Wow. In the time it took to clean out half a cup of tea from inside my keyboard (courtesy of my otherwise favorite cat, Marzipan) you've not only responded to my query, you even put up a new test version on your site! I am suitably impressed. Personally, I VERY MUCH prefer this new version. The reason is simple: I've never actually used the Return to Index link, so partial loss of its functionality is of little concern to me. I always use the Back button (or better yet, just the Backspace key.) But I think there's a solution that'd satisfy almost everyone (everyone that is with a Java-enabled browser.) Just use href="javascript:goHist(-1)" as the URL for the return link, and it'll return the user to wherever he or she came from. It is equivalent to pressing the Back button in your browser. Viktor

Re: Of course I could put a note saying Message #7 Posted by Dave Hicks on 20 July 2000, 11:46 p.m., in response to message #6 by Viktor Toth I went out to mow the grass and thought of a couple of ways that might work but they're complicated so I think I'll let people try this out for awhile. The javascript solution isn't quite right because you can easily get more than one page away from the index (reading follow-ups and posting/previewing etc.) I'd also like to avoid Javascript for portability. One of the forums I read requires me to turn Javascript off to read it reliably and I don't want to be forced to turn it back on here if I don't have to.

Re: Of course I could put a note saying Message #8 Posted by Viktor Toth on 21 July 2000, 6:09 a.m., in response to message #7 by Dave Hicks Dave, Re: more than one page away from the index... you're right, I haven't thought of that. As for the Javascript solution, I understand and agree with your concern, I just thought that the loss of the Index link isn't that big a loss in the first place, and the Javascript solution would restore even that for many people. Well, whatever solution you choose, your efforts are very much appreciated! Viktor

Re: New forum features Message #9 Posted by Andrés C. Rodríguez on 21 July 2000, 10:35 a.m., in response to message #1 by Dave Hicks The option that ends with "daily?" seems to be very good!. Thank you very much, Dave: I appreciate your care and effort. The Museum is a very good web site, in a lot of ways!

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