Request for comments: new feature

[John Robinson]

I've been tinkering with a new way to do self-search. It will display the comments as if they were in a thread, but only displays those comments addressed to you or posted by you.

Have a look at it here:

Last 100 posts involving you -- in reverse chronological order, like latest posts

New posts to you (since last time you checked) -- in forward chronological order, like a normal thread

I think this should be listed in forward chrono order, but that might make browsing your self-search awkward.

[facedown]

Very cool!

[SuperLuminal]

Fantastic!

[aruanan]

These features are very nice; however, if they are to be the sole means of self-search then one is in trouble if one is looking for something he has posted longer ago than 100 posts. Thanks. Also, let me say that the break up of the thread into groups of fifty is VERY nice since one doesn't have to wait FOREVER on a modem connection for a huge thread to load. Thanks for that, too.

[catpuppy]

Thumbs up. For us dial-a-web types, everything is light years faster. Great job!

[Quix]

But if you can opt out of it--a toggle switch or various options switches--WHY NOT have it available for those who want it?

[Travis McGee]

When you think FR can't get any better....

BRILLIANT!

[Billie]

That was another one of the comments I was going to make. In Self Search, I want to see WHO I made "reply #57" TO in a particular thread! And I do hope that when we visit a thread we've been pinged to and read that reply PLUS any others AFTER it that are made to us, that in Self Search ALL of them will show "visited", so that we don't think we have yet another NEW message we haven't read. (Am I being clear?! I'm not too sure I'd understand what I'm talking about if I didn't already know!)

AND......while we are in the "new look", why are the "options" in the reply below the name of the poster so much more prominent than the NAME of the poster replying?

[Sandy]

My self searches are showing all sorts of comments to me that aren't actually to me. I assume this has something to do with the new mass-flagging feature. Correct? Are you planning on keeping that feature? I can tell right now that it's going to be abused to no end and extremely annoying.

Also, can you fix it so that we can see who we're replying to when we look at self-search? All I'm seeing right now is #x from Sandy.

[Mama_Bear]

DITTO!!! to what you said in #207.

[Billie]

Oh, Sandy, DITTOS! DITTOS! DITTOS! I can't tell you how many of us have that same feeling (it's going to be abused and mis-used and terribly maddening not knowing all those replies are flags and how many we have to wade through in order not to miss a personal reply.) And I know that I just agreed with Physicist above on wanting to know "who" it is we're replying "to" in self-search! Sorry, John.

[tiki]

I like it.

[aristeides]

I take it we can only address members in good standing? That means disabling indexing "addresses" like "condidit".

[Mama_Bear]

Seems there is no middle ground here. People either think these changes are "brilliant, great or cool" - or they think, they are a "an annoyance and a really bad idea." Group me in the later camp. :-(

I currently have in my self search about 10 flags to the same thread by the same person using this "all" feature. Personal replies to me (which I don't want to miss) are getting buried under all of these useless flags. I know you aren't finished with these changes yet, but you asked for comments. Those are mine, for what it's worth.

[CathyRyan]

You have done a great job with the changes and the site looks wonderful. Could you change the All reply feature it is fustrating to go and check a reply only to find it is a general comment? Could you maybe add an ignore feature? There are some people I never want to hear from again as long as I live(or at least till I cool down). I am sure some others feel the same way about me too. ;)

PS. Maybe add spell check...I can dream. :)

[John Robinson]

Where should last go? To the last comment on the entire thread, or the last comment on the page?

[steveegg]

The first part is something that John's toying with including in the final version. IMHO, he can bury it.

The remainder is a function of the current placeholder program, and is addressed by the self-search links at the start of this thread. I'd rather see that go live, but failing that, I'd like a return to the old self-search.

There is a workaround that seems to work; head to any other "Latest" page (either the latest posts or latest replies), pull down the "Articles+replies", type "to:Billie" (sans the quotes) in the search box, and click Search. That'll get you the "to" half of self-search, and ignore the "all" flags.

[steveegg]

Flagging you to a work-around for the "all" feature. Just type "to:<your screen name here>" and you've got the "to" part of the old-style self-search without the annoying "ALL" problem.

[Billie]

There is a workaround that seems to work; head to any other "Latest" page (either the latest posts or latest replies), pull down the "Articles+replies", type "to:Billie" (sans the quotes) in the search box, and click Search. That'll get you the "to" half of self-search, and ignore the "all" flags.

In other words, just ignore the automatic "Self-Search" and search for "your own self" the way we search for anybody or anything else, huh? Big improvement. :^( I haven't checked to see if the "-or from: Billie" works. Guess I will.

I'm having a WHOLE LOTTA HANGING going on here - trying to type a response and my computer just hangs up - havn't noticed it anywhwere else online.

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try it. :-)

[steveegg]

Bingo. Self-search is in a state of flux right now. IMHO, John went to a placeholder too early, and erred in including an active "all" function (would have prefered the beta self-searches above as a placeholder). Of course, since he's half-vampire (as are all programmers-VBG), he'll probably get around to correcting this about 9 pm CDT. Don't bite my head off for this John :-)