Customizing SMF > Mod Requests
[PAID] Thread view (AKA tree view)
rbeuker:
Hi all,
It makes me a little sad that there's so many negative energy going on here! The actual topic is not really discussed in my opinion. But let's stay positive! At least have a look at my humble image I made tonight <coughs>--it took me 1 hour to make that. I don't think I'll ever make it as a graphical designer :P
--- Quote from: Kindred on July 25, 2011, 06:48:21 AM ---Tree view discussions are so.... umm.... last decade.
--- End quote ---
I don't want to attack you, but I do think someone should say that that's not really an argument in a discussion. To me it sounds like saying something like 'I am no longer using emails, that's so... last decade'. :P Don't get me wrong, it goes without saying that it's perfectly ok to have certain feelings about something, but I don't think anyone's personal feelings should be presented as a real argument in a discussion. Anyway, I really wanted to address your next statement:
--- Quote from: Kindred on July 25, 2011, 06:48:21 AM ---However, first and foremost, tree view threads discourage community participation. They result in multiple side conversations that essentially
exclude others by their very nature.
--- End quote ---
Could you please elaborate on that? How, in your opinion, does tree view threads discourage community participation?
I was also using the internet in the last decade, and the decade before that, so I know tree view (or threaded view as I like to call it) very well. In my experience, threaded view actually boosted community participation, because it was much more clear where the discussion was going, who were responding to whom, and so on. I personally don't really like all these long topics we have nowadays, where someone could ask a question on page 5 and the first reply is somewhere down on page 26... Do you recognise this situation, or... ? ;)
By the way, having a tree/threaded view does not necessarily mean that the complete messages would have to be shown like that. A little map thingy (in addition to the existing flat view), that just shows the subjects date/times and usernames and shows who has responded to whom would already be great. Here's a little example I have made from (part of) the other topic:
So let's presume this is one of these long topics--with a map like this it would be instantly obvious that someone (on page 26) has replied to the question you also were about to ask. Of course the map could show more information, e.g. the first 100 characters of the post itself.
I guess the biggest challenge to implement this (I agree it should be in a mod first), would be to have a Reply button not to the entire thread, but Reply buttons below every message in a topic. Maybe some hidden quotation could be used, I don't know... ???
Anyway, I'm still hoping someone would like to work with me to make such a mod. I cannot program it, sorry, but I'm good at testing. :D
Thanks,
Ronald
Suki:
I will not add anything to the discussion.
I just wanted to say that I'm interest in making this as a modification, no time frame given of course and absolutely no promises it would be a well coded mod :P
--- Quote ---I guess the biggest challenge to implement this (I agree it should be in a mod first), would be to have a Reply button not to the entire thread, but Reply buttons below every message in a topic. Maybe some hidden quotation could be used, I don't know...
--- End quote ---
That's IMO the easiest thing to do :P
I find it more difficult the edit/delete messages part.
Kindred:
As several of us have already said - This is not a frequently or widely requested update.... So get someone to code it as a mod. If it becomes popular, it may be considered for addition to the base code.
(so, it is good that you posted in mod requests. :) )
To elaborate on my statement about participation -
Yes, tree view discourages participation as a whole/community and encourages ONLY personally directed responses.
You have a whole bunch of side conversations between individuals rather than a common conversation chain.
Bloc:
But usually the discussion DO tend to get in one-one, and often people doing one-of one with different people using quotes.
Threaded view isn't that far off then, its more like collecting the quotes in realtion to each other and showing only titles(as it must be to have a good "map".
I can't really see this a any kind of killer for participation, not when thats what we do right now anyway. If one replies in a general fashion, well, then the map show that too. Most importantly though, you could filter easier out what to keep reading.
For coding it/tempalting it I see that the "map" would need to fetched first, meaning getting titles and the "glue" between whats replied to, then one post which is what you want to read. Obstacle here is thats its more clicks back and forth..although a hybrid would be nice, that topic's posts are fetched/shown as now, but you select which main "branch" to show from a sidebar with the "map".
rbeuker:
--- Quote from: Miss All Sunday on July 28, 2011, 05:53:21 PM ---I just wanted to say that I'm interest in making this as a modification, no time frame given of course and absolutely no promises it would be a well coded mod :P
--- End quote ---
Thank you a lot for considering to make this modification! :D No rush of course, and do let me know when you need some input or testing done. :)
--- Quote from: Miss All Sunday on July 28, 2011, 05:53:21 PM ---I find it more difficult the edit/delete messages part.
--- End quote ---
As for deleting: would it make it easier if deleting a message will also delete all its decendants? So for example in the picture I added to my 1st post: if you'd delete Kindred's message then my (rbeuker's) message would be deleted also. Otherwise you'd get orphans. ;)
Or totally remove the delete message option. Instead you must use the split topic function and only have a delete topic (= whole thread) function. Hmmmm...
Just some thinking out aloud here. ;)
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