New Forum Feature: Expand/Contract Posts!

[Thunderfall]

This is like the biggest hack I've installed to the forum so far. It lets you expand or contract posts in a thread by clicking the + or - sign in front of poster's name. There are also Expand All and Contract All links at the top of a thread.

You'll need to use IE for this cool feature to work. Have fun expanding and contracting!

 

[damunzy]

I like it. Noticed it right away. It's good for closing Starlifter's posts!!!

 

[Thunderfall]

Here are a few screenies:

Inside a thread:

-----------

-----------
Also, in your User CP's Edit Options page, you can choose to automatically shrink the posts you have read:
-----------

------------

too bad we have the Profile, PM, email, www... links above the posts. If they are at the original location (bottom of a post), it would show the first line of the post when you contract a post.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

That's probably the coolest new feature so far. TF, you're the greatest!

 

[damunzy]

Ah, the contract threads already read will be the best part!

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I love you!

er uh, nevermind. The feature is great though!

 

[Ren]

I don't like it that much, I can't see myself using it any time soon.

Edit 1: Don't get me wrong, I don't want it off, I'm just not really excited about it being there.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Hey, notice that tick button to the left of the date, on top of the expand/contact button in the poster box? It's showing who's online in the forums (and who's not).

I think.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

Cool! Now I can tell who's online without going to the fora's main page. Well, if I can see their post at least. Great job TF! Are you going to move the buttons so we can see the first line of the compacted posts? Great work so far!!

 

[Lucky]

Hmm, did you take the feature out again??
Or doesn't it work under Netscape?
But I dont't even have the option in USER CP anymore!
Could be useful, although I'm not sure I'll use it regularly.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Like TF had said in the 1st post, you'll need IE for it to work.

It's working great for me.

 

[Dell19]

Hmm I cannot see it being very useful...Do posts stay minimised if you refresh the page? No they don't...So I cannot really see the use of it unless you want to ignore a post, which is a rarity.

 

[damunzy]

I think the whole point is if you have the option in the CP set to shrink the posts previously read. The only problem with this is that threads are individually counted as individually read or even an individual forum, but the enitre fora is counted as read after a certain amount of time after your login. I had to disable this function b/c I could not get through all the new posts before they were counted as old....and then it was more of a pain to have to open the posts individually to read them.

 

[starlifter]

Well, I borke down and fired up MS IE to take a look... its a nice, unobtrusive feature. But since it requires MS only to work, I personally take a less than enthusiastic view of it.

If you will post the contact of the authors of the hack, I will contact them and explain about the evils of MS , and about the tentacles into the HTML world that MS is trying to co-opt.

Yes, leave it to MS to continue to add non-standard HTML tags to what is supposed to be a standardized non-biased work, and then use their monopoly power of the PC world to force users to use their own products... and hence force even more developers to fall in lock step with the MS stormtroopers.
And the sad result is when at the end of the process, the users of software, like TF, post something that (however unintentionally) brings the world one step closer to MS co-opting not just the OS and Browser and Server OS, but the very underlying standards and protocols. Soon it may be called the MS Internet, or MSTML.

Long live Netscape, Opera, and the remants of Mosaic et. al. And may Linux & Apple bankrupt M$!

Find some improvents that use Netscape only, or even better yet, cause MS browsers to crash. And then post: If users want a safe and secure browsing session, please download and use Netscape. It is free. hehe...

I will continue to use Netscape and do my little part to protest the MS Evil Empire.

 

[damunzy]

I am sure you have heard of .NET

And if the standards committe would get off their butts and start adding stuff then maybe MS wouldn't have to do it on there own...I don't support MS but I don't see anyone else out there doing as much for the browser (JavaScript sux0rs).

 

[starlifter]

by PH76:

And if the standards committe would get off their butts and start adding stuff then maybe MS wouldn't have to do it on there own.

There is a lot of truth in what you say, and in fact if Netscape were so dominant in the important Browser market (even though NS has no Monopoly power like MS does), I would (and did when they were) extol the virtues of relative competition. It might be a good thread in OT sometime .

 

[spycatcher34]

I'm sorry but what does this thing DO? I mean what's the point? Why would I ever want to use it?

 

[Alcibiaties of Athenae]

What she said. ^

 

[Thunderfall]

I moved those buttons (edit/quote, etc) to the bottom of a post. This way when you expand or contract a post, your mouse cursor remains at the expand/contract sign. You'll get used to it.

Are you going to move the buttons so we can see the first line of the compacted posts?

Just did that, but the first line still doesn't show up. I'll fix the problem soon.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by spycatcher34
I'm sorry but what does this thing DO? I mean what's the point? Why would I ever want to use it?

When you have read the reposnes in a thread, anticipate coming back for further posts, but do nt expect to reread on posts, you contract all, and the next time you vist the thread the old posts will be shrunk and the new ones full.
Never mind, it does not work that well, it does no hold after you log off.

I suspose the next best procedure would be to contract all when your return to the thread and then expand the new posts.