Default setting: return to thread or return to index?

[Antechinus]

Question for everyone out there: at the moment SMF is set to return you to the message index after posting by default. Personally I've always hated that, and I know quite a few other people aren't keen on it either. I prefer the other option, where it returns you to the thread itself after you post.

Now for 2.1 we can set it either way. Changing it is easy, so Norv and I figure it should be set by default to whichever option is the most popular.

Pick your preferred option and vote away. Feel free to argue with each other in the thread too. Just keep it clean. Default settings r srs bizness. 

[ApplianceJunk]

First to reply.

4th to vote: Return to thread automatically after you post.

Edited to add:

Looks like we have it 100%  4 to 0.

So it's been decided! We win!

Return to thread automatically after you post it is!

[Fustrate]

It irks me to no end when I get sent back to the message index. Back to the thread!

[Thantos]

Back to the index.  Once I've posted I'm done for the time being.

[Kindred]

Back to the index. Why would I want to go back to the message that's just finished reading and replying to? I want to move on to the next one.

[Fustrate]

Personally, I like to go back to the topic to see my post in context (to see how foolish I made myself look) and make a quick edit to fix a type that I didn't notice while posting.

[ApplianceJunk]

At least it's a option and one that is easy enough to change.

[IchBin™]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

[ApplianceJunk]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

So what happens after you post if we us Ajax?

[Norv]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

So what happens after you post if we us Ajax?

You stay on the thread! 

* Norv returns to the thread and edits: which is how it should be.

[Antechinus]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

So what happens after you post if we us Ajax?

You don't go anywhere at all, which would really annoy Kindred and Thantos. We gotta do this.

[Matthew K.]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

So what happens after you post if we us Ajax?

AJAX means no page loads for something using JavaScript, most likely jQuery $.ajax(); in this case.

[青山 素子]

It's a topic, not a thread. Some of you are team and former team. Get the terminology correct.

[Antechinus]

It's a thread.

[Chalky]

I always want to see my message after I've posted it so I've just voted to return to the thread.  A topic is a bar of chocolate.  Mmmmm.... 

[emanuele]

* emanuele is unsure...

* emanuele now goes to message index.

[Antechinus]

Well I hardly ever use post preview because I use quick reply a lot. Even when I use the full reply page, I tend to check my post in the editor and then just post it. 9 times out of 10 it's ok, but I like to see it posted anyway, just to make sure.

Also, I may want to reply to some other posts on the same page, but not want to cram all the replies into one huge post, so that means going back to the THREAD (nya nya) too. Bottom line is that most times I want to go back to the (wait for it) THREAD.

[Kindred]

You are all weird...  :p

[Thantos]

This setting is pointless if we get with the times and use Ajax to post.

So what happens after you post if we us Ajax?

You don't go anywhere at all, which would really annoy Kindred and Thantos. We gotta do this.

If you do Ajax posting (which I fully support) I'd be ok with staying put. 

[IchBin™]

Along with a checkbox option to not post via ajax but to return to the message index. Best of both worlds!

[Antechinus]

Which would mean we effectively would require an advanced quick reply to make Ajax posting worthwhile. Funnily enough, some people still want to argue against having an advanced quick reply in SMF..........................

[IchBin™]

Which would mean we effectively would require an advanced quick reply to make Ajax posting worthwhile. Funnily enough, some people still want to argue against having an advanced quick reply in SMF..........................

Another poll!!

[Antechinus]

Pfft. Let them eat brioche.

[emanuele]

Which would mean we effectively would require an advanced quick reply to make Ajax posting worthwhile. Funnily enough, some people still want to argue against having an advanced quick reply in SMF..........................

So the thing we were working on a while ago...
Well, it wasn't strictly ajax AFAIR, but it wouldn't be too difficult to put in ajax too.

[Antechinus]

Things that make ya go hmm.

[Norv]

Things that make ya go hmm.

Hmm.

[Antechinus]

So far, 76% of voters find the current default annoying and want it swapped around. That will annoy the other 24%, but it means we'll be three times less annoying, which has gotta be good for any software.

Plus they can just change it back in their profiles anyway.

[emanuele]

21 votes out of 250000 members...not that much...

[Chalky]

21 votes out of 250000 members...not that much...

I suspect that's because too many members only post when they have a problem they want resolving and don't bother to read anything else - including this poll.... 

[Antechinus]

Hey statistics are meant to be abused.

[Kindred]

see... I just don't understand the logic.

Why would you want to go back to a thread that you just finished reading and responding to?
When I post, I'm done with the thread, I want to go on to the next one. That seems only logical...... ( hmmm?)
If I'm afraid I mistyped something, then I re-read the message before hitting post.....
(I am warned if someone posts a message to the thread in between me starting and finishing, so that argument doesn't work either)


can someone explain, logically (not just preference, but actual logic) why you want to go back to a thread after your done reading and responding?

[Chalky]

For me there are various reasons for wanting to return to my message after I post.

I want to make sure the message is posted properly.
It doesn't do any harm to check for typos and formatting again - I can miss typos even after three previews, and sometimes it takes several goes before I'm content with the formatting.....
I want to see my message in the context of the rest of the thread, to check that I have answered everything I wanted to answer from the earlier posts.
I want to see my message exactly as others will be seeing it in the same context that they will see it.  In a way, it isn't really there until I do.
Sometimes, I want to click thanks on the post I'm answering only after I have posted the reply, so they don't think they're just getting a thanks without a full reply, or so they don't know I've seen their post before I've posted the reply.
Sometimes it's easier to wait for thanks and replies just by staying on the thread and refreshing the page.
Sometimes, very occasionally, I'm so proud of what I've posted that I want to sit and admire it awhile 

I could go on, but I think that's enough for you to be mulling over 

Edit:  Proof in action, I previewed this message before posting, then after posting I sat back and read it another few times.  Only after the second post-post reading, I spotted a typo, which I have now corrected, so I will save the changes and now re-read my post a few more times before moving on 

[Robert.]

I voted for the first option. I totally agree with Sabrinova, so that's why I voted for the first one.

[emanuele]

can someone explain, logically (not just preference, but actual logic) why you want to go back to a thread after your done reading and responding?

In my opinion is logic if you post from the quick reply. You write your post without previewing it, then when you post it would be nice to see it "in context" (and fully formatted, just to be sure).
From the post page is less strictly needed because you can quickly use the preview, but from time to time is useful.

[Norv]

Sometimes, very occasionally, I'm so proud of what I've posted that I want to sit and admire it awhile 

Haha, nice one!

------------

IMHO it's just natural, for people to use the forum functionalities differently, for a variety of reasons of their own. For one, it's not obvious anyway where do they want to go next; I see in some discussions, that people mention continuing reading *not* the board, but the unread replies (or recent unread). So perhaps taking them away from the topic to land on the message index of the board is not at all, necessarily, what they were going to do next, it's assuming a style of using the forum which just isn't that common.
Of course, they can always pick the board from the linktree, if that's what they want: the choice is there.

Basically, it seems to me the question is when exactly do people finish with their posting action. When they post or when they see the post in context, and choose what to do next. Looks like the latter. Thank you all for the votes and discussion.

---------

Motoko,
Yes, SMF uses 'topic', but hey, it's not like we don't understand each other if we use 'topic' and 'thread' interchangeably.

[Kindred]

thank you Sabrinova...   I still think that you are all weird and illogical, but I guess my logic follows a different path.

[Antechinus]

If the weird people outnumber you four to one, what does that say about you?

[IchBin™]

People with Genius are always outnumbered?

[kat]

Aren't we just?

[Thantos]

If the weird people outnumber you four to one, what does that say about you?

The world is screwed

[Chalky]

It seems the debate has reignited HERE and I, being a clean freak, decided to reply on the original thread 

Personally, I don't even think the option should be offered -- it should go back to the topic listing and that's that. If members can't be bothered to Preview their post (useful for catching accidental smileys!), why should others suffer?

Don't you dare take away the option and force me back to the topic!  I may not want to go there!  Usually the first thing I do after posting is go to the Who's Online to see if anyone's reading it yet 

I preview, in fact I usually preview at least twice before submitting my post.  It doesn't mean I could live with not seeing my post in situ after submitting.  Another important consideration that I didn't mention last time is the line spacing.  When you preview your post, you see it taking the whole width of the screen, but after you post, the avatar and all the stuff to the left knocks the line spacing out.  Many times I have realised only after posting that on the finished topic view, my smileys, in-line attachments, etc, appear on the wrong lines, or with the wrong spacing, and have had to edit even just to manually add line breaks so that all the bits and bobs are aesthetically optimised - I hate the spacing being "off"!

It has nothing to do with lazy, in fact if anything, it's much more work to keep adjusting your post, before and after submitting, in order to get it just right.

Another consideration is that I have been known to preview the message, then navigate away from the page, thinking it has been posted when it hasn't.  Seeing the posted message in situ is another check that I really did hit the "Post" button 

It's all a matter of personal preference of course, but this is mine, and as preferences go, it's a strong one! 

[Arantor]

Don't you dare take away the option and force me back to the topic

Um, that's not what he's saying. He's saying to take away the option and just go back to the list of topics (i.e. what SMF does by default)

[青山 素子]

Another important consideration that I didn't mention last time is the line spacing.  When you preview your post, you see it taking the whole width of the screen, but after you post, the avatar and all the stuff to the left knocks the line spacing out.  Many times I have realised only after posting that on the finished topic view, my smileys, in-line attachments, etc, appear on the wrong lines, or with the wrong spacing, and have had to edit even just to manually add line breaks so that all the bits and bobs are aesthetically optimised - I hate the spacing being "off"!

Keep in mind that the defaut SMF theme is fluid. Someone with a different resolution or different browser width than you (or even different fonts!) will see it differently. If you need absolute control over layout, make a PDF and post that.

[Chalky]

Don't you dare take away the option and force me back to the topic

Um, that's not what he's saying. He's saying to take away the option and just go back to the list of topics (i.e. what SMF does by default)

Um, yeah, I meant topic list, not topic - doh!  See, sometimes two previews plus seeing it in situ just isn't enough    Scrap the jargon, I want to see my post after I post it 

[Kindred]

I reiterate my original statement regarding you folks...   you're weird.

[Chalky]

I reiterate my original statement regarding you folks...   you're weird.

We might be weird, but according to the poll up top, we outnumber you

[IchBin™]

I reiterate my original statement regarding you folks...   you're weird.

We might be weird, but according to the poll up top, we outnumber you

Just goes to show why there's so much prozac going around. 

[kat]

The lunatics have taken over the asylum!!!

[Chalky]

The lunatics have taken over the asylum!!!

Oi!  I'm not crazy, I'm just a different kind of normal 

And I say back to view the topic after you post is THE way to go!  Not through can't be bothered, or narcissism, though maybe a little compulsion is involved somewhere   

[kat]

I often see typos, there, rather than in "Preview", for some reason.

Senility, probably.