Threads automatically being marked as read

[Ledgem]

Greetings all,

I'm not new to vBulletin-based forums, but this is one thing I've never been able to figure out about MacRumors: unread threads are marked as being read very aggressively. Based on the timing it seems as if all posts in all sections of the forum are marked as read every time my session expires (although I can't say for certain, since I am set to auto-login). Other forums that I use tend to mark posts that are a month or more old as being read, but they don't clear the posts between logging in and out.

This is pretty disruptive to me, since I navigate the forum primarily through thread subscriptions and the User Control Panel. If threads are automatically marked as read, I don't see them in the control panel.

I've looked over my account settings a few times, but can't find any setting that would adjust this behavior. I feel that I must be missing it. Can anyone guide me to the right place?

[r2shyyou]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Greetings all,

I'm not new to vBulletin-based forums, but this is one thing I've never been able to figure out about MacRumors: unread threads are marked as being read very aggressively. Based on the timing it seems as if all posts in all sections of the forum are marked as read every time my session expires (although I can't say for certain, since I am set to auto-login). Other forums that I use tend to mark posts that are a month or more old as being read, but they don't clear the posts between logging in and out.

This is pretty disruptive to me, since I navigate the forum primarily through thread subscriptions and the User Control Panel. If threads are automatically marked as read, I don't see them in the control panel.

I've looked over my account settings a few times, but can't find any setting that would adjust this behavior. I feel that I must be missing it. Can anyone guide me to the right place?

To my knowledge, you're not missing any option to control this and I, too, have been frustrated by this before.

Like you, I refer back to User CP to see which threads that I've interacted with have developed further. However, and this morning is a perfect example, when I check User CP at home in the morning but don't have time to review all "newly updated" subscribed threads before leaving for work, they disappear (i.e. are marked as read) by the time I log in at work.

A little bit frustrating, for sure.

[tigres]

This also happens to me, more often than not.

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by r2shyyou

To my knowledge, you're not missing any option to control this and I, too, have been frustrated by this before.

Same here. If I find a long thread I want to take the time to digest and form a long reply, I have to drag a link to the desktop and come back to it later (after reading all new posts)... otherwise by the time I complete my reply to the post everything else is marked read.

[Slow Programmer]

Glad to know I am not the only one with this issue. This is the only site that I visit that does this.

[Ledgem]

Can the staff do something to change this?

I guess I'll also mention that the "read thread" behavior is a bit off in other ways, as well. When I view a thread and then exit it, the posts are still marked as unread (unless my session expired while I was in the thread). Again, that's behavior that I've only encountered here.

[SandboxGeneral]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Can the staff do something to change this?

I guess I'll also mention that the "read thread" behavior is a bit off in other ways, as well. When I view a thread and then exit it, the posts are still marked as unread (unless my session expired while I was in the thread). Again, that's behavior that I've only encountered here.

I'll make sure the admin's see this thread and we'll see if it's something that can be adjusted.

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Can the staff do something to change this?

I guess I'll also mention that the "read thread" behavior is a bit off in other ways, as well. When I view a thread and then exit it, the posts are still marked as unread (unless my session expired while I was in the thread). Again, that's behavior that I've only encountered here.

I've seen both issues for quite a while now. I stay logged in most of the time, only sleeping my Mac when I'm away. When I check in the morning, if I click on any MR forums page before checking User CP, frequently the list of updated threads is empty. I then have to click "View all Subscribed Threads" to see what was updated since I last checked, by checking the times.

When the New Subscribed Threads list is populated, I frequently Command-click all the threads on the list to open them in tabs, then go through them. After I finish, I refresh the User CP page, to find several have not been marked as read, even though I just read them. I find that in some cases, I have to open a thread multiple times before the thread is finally marked as read.

On another note, which I believe I've mentioned before, it would be helpful if a subscribed thread would only be marked as unread if the last post in that thread was made by someone other than me.

[r2shyyou]

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

I've seen both issues for quite a while now. I stay logged in most of the time, only sleeping my Mac when I'm away. When I check in the morning, if I click on any MR forums page before checking User CP, frequently the list of updated threads is empty. I then have to click "View all Subscribed Threads" to see what was updated since I last checked, by checking the times.

Yup, this can make things a bit harder to keep up when it happens. In these instances, I try to keep a mental note of the last thread that I recall checking and then work my way up from there.

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

When the New Subscribed Threads list is populated, I frequently Command-click all the threads on the list to open them in tabs, then go through them. After I finish, I refresh the User CP page, to find several have not been marked as read, even though I just read them. I find that in some cases, I have to open a thread multiple times before the thread is finally marked as read.

I've resorted to doing this pretty often now, too. I don't recall this being an issue in the past but it seems, at least to me, like it's gotten worse in the past few months. But maybe I just haven't been paying as much attention as nowadays.

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

On another note, which I believe I've mentioned before, it would be helpful if a subscribed thread would only be marked as unread if the last post in that thread was made by someone other than me.

This one, too, used to not be an issue as far as I can recall but lately I've seen it crop up pretty regularly. It seemed to happen almost every time today. I'd post in a thread, then return to User CP only to find that it was bolded as if there'd already been a new post, which there hadn't been (not counting my own post).

Some odd behavior that, as I noted before, I don't recall seeing in the past.

[arn]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Greetings all,

I'm not new to vBulletin-based forums, but this is one thing I've never been able to figure out about MacRumors: unread threads are marked as being read very aggressively. Based on the timing it seems as if all posts in all sections of the forum are marked as read every time my session expires (although I can't say for certain, since I am set to auto-login). Other forums that I use tend to mark posts that are a month or more old as being read, but they don't clear the posts between logging in and out.

This is pretty disruptive to me, since I navigate the forum primarily through thread subscriptions and the User Control Panel. If threads are automatically marked as read, I don't see them in the control panel.

I've looked over my account settings a few times, but can't find any setting that would adjust this behavior. I feel that I must be missing it. Can anyone guide me to the right place?

I can change a setting. I wanted to be around when I did, since it is said to be more server intensive.

I'll test it out.

arn

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by arn

I can change a setting. I wanted to be around when I did, since it is said to be more server intensive.

I'll test it out.

arn

Thanks!

Will the settings change just extend the time for the auto-mark as read... or is it off now entirely?

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by arn

I can change a setting. I wanted to be around when I did, since it is said to be more server intensive.

I'll test it out.

arn

Thanks, arn. I appreciate your taking the time to look into it.

[arn]

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

Thanks!

Will the settings change just extend the time for the auto-mark as read... or is it off now entirely?

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Thanks, arn. I appreciate your taking the time to look into it.

I've turned it on.

These are the options

1) Inactivity/Cookie Based
Once a user has been inactive for a certain amount of time (the value of the cookie timeout option) all threads and forums are considered read. Individual threads are marked as read within a session via cookies. This option is how all versions of vBulletin before 3.5 functioned.

2) Database (no automatic forum marking)
This option uses the database to store thread and forum read times. This allows accurate read markers to be kept indefinitely. However, in order for a forum to be marked read when all threads are read, the user must view the list of threads for that forum. This option is more space and processor intensive than inactivity-based marking.

3) Database (automatic forum marking)
This option is the same as a previous option, but forums are automatically marked as read when the last new thread is read. This is the most usable option for end users, but most processor intensive.

I went from #1 to #3.

arn

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by arn

I've turned it on.

These are the options



I went from #1 to #3.

arn

Now it appears to be worse. I just logged out and back in to clear cookies and now over 100 threads, with last posts over a week ago are now showing as unread. Even when I read them, they remain unread.

[Comeagain?]

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

Now it appears to be worse. I just logged out and back in to clear cookies and now dozens of threads, with last posts over a week ago are now showing as unread. Even when I read them, they remain unread.

You'll want to mark all threads read when youre done for the day. After a few days I think you'll come to like it.

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by Comeagain?

You'll want to mark all threads read when youre done for the day. After a few days I think you'll come to like it.

They should be marked as read as soon as I read them, no? I finally got them to clear after re-opening all 177 threads again. It should mark them as read as soon as I read each thread. Also, it would help if there was a way to select all unread threads and mark them as read, without opening each one.

[Comeagain?]

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

They should be marked as read as soon as I read them, no?

Yep. And it'll remember your spot in a thread, regardless of what device you use. Especially useful for Tapatalk users.

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by Comeagain?

Yep. And it'll remember your spot in a thread, regardless of what device you use. Especially useful for Tapatalk users.

I also notice that before I would see a list of recent threads, such as for today, with the read threads in normal text and the unread threads in bold. That made it easy to go back to a recent thread, whether it was read or not. Now, as soon as I read a thread, it comes off the list completely, so now I have to go to "View All Subscribed Threads" to see recent threads that are marked as read. In other words, the New Subscribed Threads now only shows threads marked as unread. While this may work well for some, it's actually a step backwards for my workflow. If you only subscribe to a few threads, it's probably not a big deal, but when you deal with tens of thousands of subscribed threads, it makes a bigger impact.

[arn]

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

Now it appears to be worse. I just logged out and back in to clear cookies and now over 100 threads, with last posts over a week ago are now showing as unread. Even when I read them, they remain unread.

It looks like you have to get to the last page for them to be marked as unread.

arn

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by arn

It looks like you have to get to the last page for them to be marked as unread.

arn

I have my default thread view set to open newest posts first, so I'm always looking at the end of a thread.

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

Now it appears to be worse. I just logged out and back in to clear cookies and now over 100 threads, with last posts over a week ago are now showing as unread. Even when I read them, they remain unread.

Same here, threads from a week ago that I've read, posted I. Etc. are showing up as unread....

[Macman45]

Its getting stranger, threads from way back which are marked resolved, and contain no new posts are surfacing as unread...Hope the feedback helps.

[arn]

Originally Posted by Macman45

Its getting stranger, threads from way back which are marked resolved, and contain no new posts are surfacing as unread...Hope the feedback helps.

Guessing there may be some transition oddity. Can you mark all as read and start anew?

arn

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by arn

Guessing there may be some transition oddity. Can you mark all as read and start anew?

arn

That's pretty much what I've done with my own, but the problem seems to be more global in nature...I will persevere...Some of the threads are really old, at first I thought Spammers were to blame, but no new posts appear.

----------

FYI, threads from as far back as January 1 are appearing as unread, but contain no new postings. I've pretty much marked mine resolved, but they reappear too....It's an odd glitch.

[NewAnger]

I tend to stay away from forums that have this cookie setup. I've run several boards in the last ten years and have always used the #1 option to have threads marked as read after a certain time.

I really wish it would get changed back to the way it was yesterday.