Viewing replies in forum

(I like to post memes!) #1

Help! I’m getting confused reading replies when folks don’t quote what comment they are replying to. Is there a way for replies to be indented to the original comment from which the poster replied?

#2

As far as I know it will only display as flat.

One way to make it easier for others to read is to use the reply button on a specific comment, rather than the one at the bottom of the page.

Another helpful tip is to include “@ username” in a reply if you aren’t quoting.

(Richard Morris) #3

And you can do a pull quite by starting your post by selecting some of the text in the post you are replying to. And then you get a clickable link that jumps you to the full post.,

(Carol Hawkins) #4

,[quote=“richard, post:3, topic:2905, full:true”]

And you can do a pull quite by starting your post by selecting some of the text in the post you are replying to. And then you get a clickable link that jumps you to the full post.,
[/quote]

Showoff :grinning:

#5

Yes, that’s IF people remember to do it.

(I like to post memes!) #6

Exactly, @carolT!

(Larry Lustig) #7

Actually, the forum is both flat and threaded.

All the comments to the topic appear under the topic. But if someone replies to a comment then the reply appears in two places – at the bottom of the “all comments” list, but also in an initially-collapsed (hidden), and indented section under the replied-to comment. It’s labelled X Replies (where X is the number of replies) with a downward pointing chevron (arrow) that you can click to expand the comments in place. Therefore, Carol, immediately under you comment it says 2 Replies V and I can click on that to see richard and CHawkins replies in the context of your comment (and when I post this reply, it should say 3 Replies).

(Guardian of the bacon) #8

The key seems to lay in using the proper reply button. Hopefully it will clear up as users become more familiar.

(Larry Lustig) #9

Yes, you can reply to the topic (under the original post and at the bottom of the page) or to a comment (under the comment itself). If you quote, you automatically are replying to the thing (topic or comment) that you’re quoting.

(Guardian of the bacon) #10

FB threads that blew up got so convoluted with hundreds of replies, people hopping in replying to replies in mid conversation that you could really miss a lot. Good luck finding that thread a day later.

#11

Yes, I think I saw this last time I was on my laptop. I’m on my phone 99% of the time and “desktop view” is a hassle to use with my limited screen real estate.

(I like to post memes!) #12

I love the What did you eat today? topic. However, the replies are getting out of control. How can we encourage those users to use the quote function so that readers know what post they are replying to? Or will this just happen as folks become more familiar with the forum?

(Jacquie) #13

@Ketoberry I don’t think you’re limited to only using the quote function. You can reply directly to that person’s post or direct it to them using @ before their name.

(I like to post memes!) #14

@Jacquie You are correct, however in this topic with so many replies, using the quote function gives the reader the context to the reply:

Screen Shot 2017-01-06 at 11.34.26 AM.png833×410 48.5 KB

(Jacquie) #15

I haven’t had a problem so far though I think you’ve got a good suggestion. How are you at herding cats?

(I like to post memes!) #16

@Jacquie
inferred :heart_eyes: I’m out of love for four more hours!

(Keto Krazy) #17

@Jacquie
“How are you at herding cats?”

(David) #18

Do you know if there’s a way to get the replies automatically expanded?

When I’m browsing on the site on the laptop in particular I would like to see the replies nested under the comment they were replied to.

(Larry Lustig) #19

I do not see that option in user preferences.

I’m looping in our Discourse rep @sam (Sam Saffron) to see if he has an answer or would consider adding an “Always Expand Replies” option in the future.

(Sam Saffron) #20

Not yet, but we may have to build something for an enterprise customer that deals with this situation better. Will update you.

Quite a few discussions on meta about this for example:

https://meta.discourse.org/t/getting-rid-of-stream-duplication-when-expanding-reply-to/21227