The reply system..

[Verifire]

Well, I wonder about a thing.. And so does some of my friends..
It's not really a big problem, but causes some confusion..:

When you read the topics and their replies, posts go from top and down, chronologically.

But if you write a reply, all you see is a blank page, and you'll have to roll it quite a bit upwards to get to the topic start and then all the way up to header before you find the box that's soon gonna be your post under a topic.

I.e: The posts are then turned the other way around from the usual, instead of the logic of having the reply-box opening after the last post or the topic you're going to reply to..

We're all using 1.1.11, and love the forums, but agree that this would have been much better if coded like in the above description.
Am I making sense? Could this be fixed in some way? If so, it would be really great, and the forums would be even better than they are..

I'd appreciate feedback from coders on this, if possible..

Regards from Verifire. 

[Arantor]

You might want to turn on quick reply... adds a box at the bottom of the page for quick replies - after the main content.

As for the full reply, the idea there is to give a decent editing area, with the immediately last reply below it, nearest the content. If you forced the full reply box after the main content, it does actually make the reply of posts that much more awkward to do in practice.

[Verifire]

As for the full reply, the idea there is to give a decent editing area, with the immediately last reply below it, nearest the content. If you forced the full reply box after the main content, it does actually make the reply of posts that much more awkward to do in practice.

Yes, I see that it's "compressed" and that the Reply field is a nice workspace, but it's the upside down thing that seems a bit.. ..weird..

I mean no disrespect by that, I'm just asking if it's possible to make the previous posts and your reply field just as it is now, only backwards, or in the same order as they appear on page before you hit "reply" and after you hit "post", instead of.. well. like i said..

[Arantor]

Well, you can reverse the order of posts to be newest first - it's an option in your profile (and can be set globally through Themes > Reset Options)

[Verifire]

I see.. Not really what I was aiming for..

That would actually look even stranger.. Everybody wants it like reading a book, but the question is if someone can make some code that changes the current setup so that you can write next "chapter" in the book just like you write the next lines in a book..

Don't mean to stress or pester here, but would appreciate an answer to if it's possible? I mean; someone wrote the code that put it "upside down", so to speak, so it should of course be possible to do it the opposite way instead..?

If so; who could do it?

[Arantor]

I don't really understand what you're asking, but it probably is possible if you can make it clearer. A mocked up screenshot of what you're trying to do would probably help more than us dancing round the issue.

[Kindred]

I am reading your request/description and I am distinctly unclear on what you are actually asking.

There is no "blank page" (or, at least, there should not be)

If I click reply, the reply box is at the TOP... and previous replies and the original post are listed under that in reverse chron order
Once I submit the reply, I am either taken back to the message index page or back to the topic, which lists the same way it did before, with your reply added to the bottom (under the default configuration)

So... no where in that does the system include a blank page or any need to scroll up (or down)

[spritzer]

How l read the post is that, posts appear under a topic from top to bottom that is oldest post first most recent post last. When you click [reply] as on here the header appears along with the reply box, which you have to scroll down a bit to then see the topic summary, here post go from last post to first post, but if you want to see the first post you have to keep scolling down, then all the way back to actually make a reply.

To me the current system makes sense as normally you are replying to the most recent post, and that is the one that appears below the reply box.

Have made that clearer or worse!

[Verifire]

Sorry I took so long in replying. Busy day.. Anyway:

This is what I mean. This is a mock-up collage of the result I'm looking for upon hitting "Reply".
[Right-click on pic and use magnify to see more detailed. I used this thread as an example..]



It should, theoretically, be possible to turn the chronology of posts when you reply, so that this box this is being written in, appears underneath the post(s) you're replying to.

That would look and feel very.. ..simple. 

I have gotten used to it as it is, but users and people I've headed into installing SMF instead of their old forums brought the issue up, and I have to admit: It feels so much more simple and logical.
Don't you think?

[Arantor]

Apart from forcing the user to scroll down to the very bottom after clicking reply...

You could try installing the WYSIWYG Quick Reply mod though to turn the quick reply into a full reply.

[Kindred]

hmmm... actually, I don't think (what you suggest is not the forum standard, either)

but... I suppose it could be done, if you find someone to re-code it for you...   but it will probably never be a standard option in SMF

[Verifire]

Thank you for all your replies and patience.

Apart from forcing the user to scroll down to the very bottom after clicking reply...

You could try installing the WYSIWYG Quick Reply mod though to turn the quick reply into a full reply.

Well.. Hrmm.. Eeh.. the scroll-thing could probably be made so that it actually opens up the reply-window, eh? Eh? Nudge, nudge?

But anyway;, the problem is that we all use it as the forum in combination with xbtit, and then it opens up at the bottom of the page where all the posts to which you're about to add another is.. ..and you have to scroll.. upwards.. <sigh.. poor, poor us.. LOL>

But: "WYSIWYG Quick Reply mod"? Are you kidding? No. Never even heard about it. Can you point me with a link? The one I see in the mods department that turns quickreply into a smilie/bbcode reply isn't for 1.1.11, but 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.6..?

And:

but... I suppose it could be done, if you find someone to re-code it for you...   but it will probably never be a standard option in SMF

Now, that's just plain lack of initiative and anti-evolutionary. I mean; here I go on, post after post, pasting together the PERFECT layout for SMF, and you just.. just.. I'm.. Aaaarrgh... ..Naaaw. I'm just kidding with you. Nearly just kidding. Very close to just kidding..   

V. 

[illogical27]

As it was  me that initiated this query let me try to clarify.
The way this current forum works is fine, I.E. I read the thread get to the last post and decide to reply.
I am then presented with the reply box directly in front of me and type my reply, OK as it should be......but on our forum doing the exact same thing, I don't see the reply text box I see the last post, I.E. the page loads and presents the bottom 1st and we have then to scroll upwards before we see the reply text box, the exact reverse of how it is working here, so as I said in the origional post on our forum, we have a glitch.
Here's what I posted.

This could be a glitch with SMF or I suppose it could be my machine so does anyone else find the following;
Click to reply to a post and the page that loads loads from the bottom, I.E. I see the bottom of the web page and have to scroll up in order to see the reply text box .

The responses were that it was common to all, so can anyone cast any light on this or point us in the right direction.
Forum is here;
h**p://***.genesis-sp.org/smf/index.php
Thanks for your time.

[Kindred]

I'd say that's a glitch in your system due to either your theme or a mod, since I have never seen that behavior on any version of smf....

[illogical27]

I'd say that's a glitch in your system due to either your theme or a mod, since I have never seen that behavior on any version of smf....

I suspect it's the theme I've set as default, I'll try reverting back to a standard theme and see what happens, if this is the case then we just have to live with it.

[Verifire]

Well, no it's not due to theme.

I'm straight-lining one theme only on my xbtit, one of the standards, and it's been done properly, I assure you.

I get the same result as illogical27. Could need some løooking into, since smf is the glove that's recommended to the xbtit hand..

[Kindred]

what is xbtit? I went tot the xbtit site, but it was distinctly unclear what it was...   are you running a portal or something?   Did you confirm that your problem actually happens with the default theme?

As I said, I have never heard anyone ever describe what you describe, on ANY installation of SMF.....   so there has to be something custom about your implementation......

[Verifire]

xbtit is the world's best software for communities who want to borrow files, i.e. films and books etc from each other.

It's otherwise known as a tracker for torrents, but the word is getting obsolete since it doesn't have to track down these files via the site anymore, but can rely solely on magnet-links, which searches communities linked together through torrent-clients for a match in a certain code implemented in the .torrent-file instead of via the site itself.

Xbtit software implements smf as the recommended forum-part to make the site as a whole into a living community.

So, I guess you should be proud of that. You are the chosen forums for incredibly many communities via this Xbtit-team.. 

[Plantsman]

My alteration to the topic layout simply through personal preference was to  change the order from  first post at the top to last post at the top; a simple procedure in admin.  Regarding the reply box surely the reply button is the route to take as it is conveniently placed to show at the top of the thread and also at the bottom; one click and you have your reply box.

[Verifire]

Thanks a bunch, I appreciate it, but the reply-box and topic-list open, it's just it opens showing the bottom of the page instead of the reply-box, so you're kind of sitting there thinking; "weird how long it takes to load this page..?"