Subscriptions and Merging Threads

[WildCowboy]

I currently have things set up so that any thread I reply to is added to my Subscribed Threads so that I can easily monitor topics I've made a contribution to. However, I occasionally stumble upon a thread that I had forgotten about and has disappeared from my Subscribed Threads. Invariably, this thread has been merged with another thread, which I assume is what causes the loss of subscription. It doesn't seem to matter if the thread I subscribed is the "merger" or "mergee"...my subscription is lost.

Is there any way to retain subscriptions when threads are merged?

 

[Doctor Q]

I currently have things set up so that any thread I reply to is added to my Subscribed Threads so that I can easily monitor topics I've made a contribution to. However, I occasionally stumble upon a thread that I had forgotten about and has disappeared from my Subscribed Threads. Invariably, this thread has been merged with another thread, which I assume is what causes the loss of subscription. It doesn't seem to matter if the thread I subscribed is the "merger" or "mergee"...my subscription is lost.

Is there any way to retain subscriptions when threads are merged?

Are you sure about this? I did some tests just now and vBulletin seems to do the right thing in all cases.

After threads were merged, I ended up subscribed to the resulting merged thread when I had previously been subscribed to either or both of the original threads. Although I am in a different member class than you (so perhaps vBulletin is more polite to me) I don't know why member class would matter for this, so it seems that it should do the right thing for you too.

If I'm wrong, I don't think there is any setting we can make to change it.

 

[WildCowboy]

Yep, I'm sure. It's happened quite a few times..most recently today, when "Windows Vista causing Windows Vista problems???" was merged into Hilarious !!! Windows Vista anyone ?, which I had already posted in.

My subscription to thread was lost, and I only noticed it when it popped up in a New Posts search. I then manually subscribed to the merged thread.

That's strange that it works for you. Anyone experiencing this problem? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[Doctor Q]

According to the makers of vBulletin, thread subscriptions are NOT moved when threads are merged, so your experience with the merged thread (the one whose thread number disappears) is apparently to be expected.

But since the thread number of the target thread (the mergee) does not change, I have no idea why a previous subscription would not remain.

 

[WildCowboy]

Thanks for the update, Q. I guess I've only had the problem when the thread I've been subscribed to is the one that is eliminated after the merging.

Out of curiosity, is there a policy on which thread becomes the mergee? In the example I described above, I posted in the thread that was started first, but it apparently became the merger. So I guess it's not necessarily based on time, but is it based on anything...number of posts, number of views, moderator preference, flip of a coin, etc.?

 

[Kernow]

In relation to that thread which was merged, I was one (probably of several) that reported there were two threads going on about the same topic. The thread I reported was the one which was deleted and merged into the other thread. I thought I had checked which was created first and reported the later one, but could well have been wrong.

I'm not pretending that I got the thread merged, but I would imagine that a mod would act on a report received (if it appears reasonable), and that's possibly what happened in this case.

 

[Doctor Q]

Out of curiosity, is there a policy on which thread becomes the mergee?

Threads generated by new front page and Page 2 stories, and MacBytes posts, must always be the target. When neither thread is one of those, the older thread is almost always the target.

 

[WildCowboy]

Sorry to bring this back to the top, but I found a great instance of this bug. Here is the thread about the time curiosity coming up on Wednesday. There was an original thread, consisting of posts 1-13 on this topic. I posted in the thread and was automatically subscribed to it.

Then, a few hours later, stubeeef posted a similar thread (post 14 in the merged thread). I also posted in this thread (post 18), and was of course subscribed to it. Doctor Q merged the two threads last night (and also deleted my comment about multiple threads in the "second" one). But even though I was subscribed to BOTH threads that were merged, I am not subscribed to the now-merged thread.

A bit of a PITA when you go looking for something in your Subscriptions that's not there.

Edit: Oh goodie...we've merged it again. I didn't even get a chance to subscribe to the first merged one to see if it would hold for a second merge.