Add UCP setting: Posts in reverse-chron order

[crabpaws]

Issue 1: Post order settings

Reading by chronological or reverse-chron post order is a personal preference. Personally, I prefer reverse-chron. If it is a personal preference across topics, options for it should be present in the UCP, not just at the forum level. (I don't understand the per-forum utility of this setting -- perhaps it's a vestige of when IPB used to be one big forum?)

Allow me to share with you this gripping exchange with one of my users in my 5-day-old site's support topic (oldest post first, emphasis mine):

--------------
USER Posted 23 March 2011 - 07:01 AM

I am having trouble reading posts since they appear in an ascending fashion rather than a descending manner. HOpe I'm wording this correctly.

In other words, the original poster's message is at the bottom and all responses stack up (ascending order) re: the last response is at the top.

I've checked to see if I can reverse this format in my settings but I can't seem to find anything that will allow me to view threads/posts in a manner that feels natural to my brain.

The current format really messes with my mind and I find it very difficult to force my brain into operating in a manner that feels unnatural.... :blink:

Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me?

I would sincerely appreciate some assistance when anyone gets a chance. No rush.

--------------
ME Posted 23 March 2011 - 11:19 AM

...I know EXACTLY what you mean. This has been the subject of my most frustrated messages to the software support staff.

May I quote your post in communications with them?

You can change the order of posts to reverse chronological (which is what you and I want), but it is a forum-by-forum setting (which doesn't make any sense, it should be in your user settings). Here are the instructions:

1) "Read this first" is a forum, containing topics. At the top of this page, you will see breadcrumb navigation that says

> Forums > Getting started > Read this first > How to use this site -- Questions and answers

2) In the breadcrumb navigation, click on Read this first. You will see the list of topics in this forum.

3) Scroll down to the bottom of the topic list. In the blue bar, in small type, you will see

Click here to show filter options

4) Click on that line of text.

5) Set Sort direction: Z-A. (It doesn't make sense that means reverse chronological, but it does in this software.)

6) Make sure to put a check next to Remember filters. If you don't, you'll have to set this every time you visit.

7) Click on Go.

You have to do this for each forum, many apologies, it's the software. They may listen to my feedback and change it.

--------------
USER Posted 23 March 2011 - 12:07 PM

...Thank you so much for getting back to me on this. I know how frustrating this problem is for me and I can't imagine how much worse this is for you since, you have to read everything that comes through.

I'm only reading sporatically and it's not pleasant nor relaxing in any way to have read posts in an ascending fashion.

In regard to your request: By all means use my post to send to the support staff if it will assist in getting this changed/worked out.

Perhaps other members could share their views on this. This may allow you to present numerous complaints to the software support staff. There is power in numbers (lol)

I have printed out what you have posted and I'll see if I can follow the instructions, although, IMHO, I believe members should not have to go through figuring out such things, especially when they are in the throws of WD.

The software support staff should realize that forums need to user-friendly rather than stressing the user. (lol)

Again, thanks for getting back to me on this. Good luck with this and let us know how things go.

========end of selection========

I'm sure you can see the problems in this. She looked in her UCP settings! It stresses the users and wastes my time in composing detailed instructions to do something that is the opposite of intuitive.

And yet the setting is in the ACP to make the *entire* site post order reverse-chron, which also doesn't make any sense. As one of your kind support people said, "... I've never come across a site where the posts were displayed in reverse chronological order." That's right -- because it's a *user* preference!

Issue #2: Post renumbering

Now, there's another issue in this reverse-chron business: When the posts are displayed in reverse-chron, the *numbering* of the posts changes, the most recent post becoming #1. This is very disorienting.

Persistent ordinal numbering of posts is helpful. A dynamic ordinal number has what utility???

Persistent numbering has additional utility as a reference to a post. Compare these two processes:

1) I start a new post in a topic, typing in a reference to earlier post #4 in my text. I add my post. Readers of my post can scroll to post #4 to see what I'm referencing, then scroll back to my post to interpret it.

2) I open post #4, I click on a link, I copy the URL, I go back to the topic, I click on the Reply button, I paste the URL, I compose my post. I add my post. Readers of my post click on the URL to post #4, read the post, go back to the topic page, find my post, read my post again, synthesize the information from two different pages, and interpret my post.


Please include a UCP setting for post order and persistent ordinal numbering of posts in 3.2. Thank you.

PS .Nuno mentions a UCP setting for reverse-chron order in his wish list

[crabpaws]

Apologies, I'm as confused as the user when it comes to ordering posts in a topic.

I misunderstood instructions from support. The order of posts in a topic is not set per-forum. It's set for the entire board only, from the ACP?

Changing post order to chron or reverse-chron is not under the user's control at all?

It should definitely be a preference in the UCP instead of the ACP. Why is the reverse-chron option even in the ACP?

[Sensi]

Hi there!

We are having the same problem on our board... Users complaining about an option that was available on our previous board.

I would totally agree with Crabpaws for this is a user preference and the option should be available to users.

What I don't get is that it's possible to filter Topics in the order you wish but not the posts within a topic?

I personnally prefer to keep the order chronological but such a personnal preference should be available to users without spending hours looking for this option that doesn't exist on the board.

Is there anyone from the team to reply to this thread and give us more details on whether this issue is being considered or if we need to tell the users to forget about their preferences and do as IPB dictates us to do?


Thanks in advance.


PS: Don't see my last sentence as an offensive comment. It seems quite logical to me that a reply is given, even if it's not the one expected... I could understand that there is not enough demand for such functionnality or that no one from your team would consider the chron-reverse order worth it or again that you might implement it later, but an answer is the least you guys can do, right?

[SECTalk.com]

Bump. Users being able to order posts within a topic would be a great addition.

[DINO1980]

was this ever looked into?

[John Gooding]

We get complaints periodically that posts in a topic are in the wrong order. Half our members want them in chronological order and the other half in reverse-chron. Changing this is an admin function affecting everyone and is not a user preference. People keep harking back to the days when we were on Simple Machines and it was a user preference. Any likelihood that Invision Power will introduce a user preference?

[GreenLinks]

If IPB implements this please make sure to set this as an option to enable/disable globally. Adding something like this to front end users choice can create chaotic situation on big boards.

[DanMc]

We just moved our Forum over from SMF .. and yes this is very frustrating.. Anything new on how to order Posts

[Charles]

This is not something we are currently planning to implement.

[DanMc]

This is not something we are currently planning to implement.

I think I made a mistake .. a very big Mistake moving to IPB

The More I use IPB the More I see how SMF had soo many more options , Installing Mods was one click, you could set your forum up ANYWAY you liked it ..and your Members could make adjustments anyway they liked it.

Charles it is completely Unbeliveable that you would say that "This is not something we are currently planning to implement." It is JUST AN OPTION not a either or .

When I google this issue I see maybe a 100 posts asking this same question all requesting this option and IPB response is ..essentially to ignore the requests ? essentially a flippant answers that you're not interested in offering it

So from an Official response they IPB isn't interested.. do any MEMBERS have a Mod for this ?

Pardon my Rant..just very frustrating to supposedly upgrade from FREE SMF to a IPB and IPB dosent support even BASIC options like letting users determine whether they want to see the last post first ..

[Charles]

I am really not trying to upset you :)

This topic was made in 2011 and like 4 people have indicated interest in reverse post order. It's not something on our to do list when it has so little interest.

[DanMc]

I am really not trying to upset you :smile:

This topic was made in 2011 and like 4 people have indicated interest in reverse post order. It's not something on our to do list when it has so little interest.

Sorry Charles..just frustrating.. seems like such a small request.. it was so NORMAL before .. This is the first forum software I have used that does not offer the ability to let users decide which order they want posts.. the "interest" is far greater than you think..The interest is not the forum owners it is the TENS of thousands of Forum USERS that want this option

[DanMc]

A Nice little "Filter" posts link on each Forum/Category and let the user determine the order

[crabpaws]

Interest in this feature seems to persist. The count of those posting in this topic is not relevant, given that a strong effort has been made to discourage such interest.

[bfarber]

I disagree. This topic was started in early 2011 and no staff replied to it until early 2014 - that means it went 3 years without any such "discouragement".

I think it's important to realize sometimes that individual sites have specific needs that may not align with the majority. In those cases you might need something custom developed. We can't provide every option for every site everywhere or the software would end up a bloated unfocused mess.

[ZakRhyno]

I disagree. This topic was started in early 2011 and no staff replied to it until early 2014 - that means it went 3 years without any such "discouragement".

I think it's important to realize sometimes that individual sites have specific needs that may not align with the majority. In those cases you might need something custom developed. We can't provide every option for every site everywhere or the software would end up a bloated unfocused mess.

But having a one click install via the ACP does sound like a good idea. I mean if you can just click it and it auto installs like Wordpress does it does make life a little easy(er). I mean a person buys it, downloads it, unzips it, uploads it, installs it. Having a auto installer would make things quicker.

[Aiwa]

There is an auto upgrader in your client area now.

http://www.invisionpower.com/support/guides/_/install-and-getting-started/using-the-auto-upgrader-r269

Having this in the ACP has been discussed at length before, there are other topics out there.

[bfarber]

But having a one click install via the ACP does sound like a good idea. I mean if you can just click it and it auto installs like Wordpress does it does make life a little easy(er). I mean a person buys it, downloads it, unzips it, uploads it, installs it. Having a auto installer would make things quicker.

That has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, which is about a setting per-user to order posts in reverse order.

[mrenkema]

I am a bit confused. My customer asks for the same thing. I though one could do this in the ACP -> Forum Mgt and then postable settings. (So not user-defined, but Admin defined).

But I cannot reverse the order of the replies (posts). This is correct? Please reply, any answer is ok. Just that we know it can or cannot be done.

thanks, marten

Edit ......

Well, you guys got me there .... Postable settings is about Topics order and not about posts/replies.

To me a Topic has posts (replies) and a forum consists of Topics
(topics = threads)

Correct?

[Pazmanyi]

This is not something we are currently planning to implement.

I relized after the upgrade that the post order is out of version 4. If I knew it in advance I didn't do the upgrade, but I would never think that I get less with an upgrade than before. Missing Post order is a great problem for me too. Since I use version 4 members keep complaining about it, because they got used to the reversed order during the years and because of it the activity of the users decreased in a visible amount, because the forum is a lot harder to use. If the developers started the development of this function it would be meaningless now, because probably when it would be ready it couldn't undo the damage the lack of it made. It is my fault I didn't tested it in advance, I just tought to write it down.