New features of the latest version of the forum software

To exclude 'general chat threads' go to Account -> Settings -> Preferences and check the box
-> Exclude General Chat threads.

I like Aussie Stock Forums for its diversity.

dubiousinfo said:

Joe

The "New Posts" is good but has some shortcomings. If you dont log on from say Monday to Wednesday there will be hundreds of new posts when you login on Thursday morning. If you have only a little time to read a few and then log off, the next time you log on later that day, the only new posts are the ones since Thursday morning, all the old posts from Monday to Wednesday dont come up. It usually takes me a few logins to catch up with what I have missed, so a the ability to pull up all new posts in the last week would be great.

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Use "Recent Posts" instead



That will show pages of new posts, including those that you're already read, but they're displayed in grey, so easily identified and skipped.

pixel said:

Use "Recent Posts" instead

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Thanks for that. that actually looks better than "New Post".

Though you seem to have replied to a 10 year old post!

Wysiwyg said:

To exclude 'general chat threads' go to Account -> Settings -> Preferences and check the box
-> Exclude General Chat threads.

Click to expand...

Actually, that doesn't work anymore. It is a remnant from the old forum software. I have tried to replicate the same functionality with already available add-ons but it seems as though there will be some custom coding required to get it to work properly. I have been really busy with family (and in-laws) since the beginning of January but things have now slowed down so I will sit down soon and make a list of things that need to be done and start doing them one by one.

Wysiwyg said:

I like Aussie Stock Forums for its diversity.

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Me too.

Trembling Hand said:

Though you seem to have replied to a 10 year old post!

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So I have indeed
but better late than never

One new feature of the latest version of the forum software that I upgraded ASF to last night is that you are now able to start threads of different types. The types of threads that can be started are:

1. Discussion - The old school regular discussion thread that has been around since forums began. This is the default setting.

2. Poll - Poll options used to be integrated into discussion threads. If you wanted to start a thread with a poll, the poll configuration options were there when you started the thread. Now it is a separate thread type and needs to be selected when starting the thread.

3. Article - You can now publish a thread where the first post in that thread can be formatted as an article. That post will appear at the top of each page of that thread and all subsequent posts made to an article thread are considered to be comments on the article. This is perfect for someone who wants to create a detailed, content heavy article on a specific topic and invite comments from others on that article. The first post in an article thread has extended limits on the number of embedded media items and attachments, has a greater character limit to allow very long textual content to be posted, and has different styling applied to make it appear distinct from subsequent posts in the thread.

4. Question - When a thread author is seeking an answer to a specific question they may post a question thread. The first post is the question, and will be displayed at the top of each page of the thread above all other replies. Replies to the thread are considered to be answers to the question, any of which may be a possible solution. Users with permission to vote on threads and posts may cast a vote on each answer, which may help other users to determine which answer should be the solution. Question threads are considered to be unsolved until one answer is selected as the solution. This can be done either by the thread author, if they have permission to do so, otherwise a solution may be selected by a forum moderator or administrator. After a solution has been selected, the post selected as the solution will be displayed at the top of each page along with the question, and the thread will show as solved in its parent forum.

When you start a thread from now on, you will see this:



Simply select the thread type you wish to start and proceed to compose your first post. Any specific options relevant to that thread type will appear below the post editing box where they can be easily configured by the thread starter.

Anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into this new thread type system can watch this 15 minute video that was created by the developers of the forum software:



Alternatively, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Another new feature of the upgraded software is that those accessing ASF from a mobile device can now install a Progressive Web App that allows you to access ASF from an app rather than from a browser.

Please note that thanks to Apple not supporting PWA standards, only Android users can currently take advantage of this feature.

The forum experience is essentially the same, you just don't need to open a browser to access ASF. Just click on the app icon instead.

To take advantage of this feature, open the navigation menu on a mobile device, scroll down and click on "Install the App".

You can now also upload video and audio files. Just click on the three dots on the far right of the post edit toolbar, select the Video icon and upload video and audio files that are relevant to your post.

They can be inserted into posts as easily as images.

For those who like to add a little personalisation to their forum profile, this new version of the forum software has added a feature called Profile Banners.

To see how this works, just visit your profile by clicking on your user name and then clicking on the button at the top right that says, "Edit profile banner". You will then be prompted to upload an image file. Please choose one that you like (make sure it isn't too small) and then click "Okay".

You will then be presented with something like this:



To change what part of the image is visible on your profile, just put your mouse pointer over the image and drag it around until you have the image positioned just right, then click "Okay". As you can see, I have added an image of Paris.

That's pretty much it. Your profile will then look something like this (without the "Moderator tools" options):



It can also be seen when someone hovers over your user name anywhere on the forum.




You can come back and edit it, adjust it, delete it, or replace it at any time just by clicking the "Edit profile banner" button on your profile.

So just a bit of fun profile personalisation for those that are into that kind of stuff. If you have any questions about this feature, just ask.

Joe Blow said:

For those who like to add a little personalisation to their forum profile, this new version of the forum software has added a feature called Profile Banners.

To see how this works, just visit your profile by clicking on your user name and then clicking on the button at the top right that says, "Edit profile banner". You will then be prompted to upload an image file. Please choose one that you like (make sure it isn't too small) and then click "Okay".

You will then be presented with something like this:

View attachment 119798

To change what part of the image is visible on your profile, just put your mouse pointer over the image and drag it around until you have the image positioned just right, then click "Okay". As you can see, I have added an image of Paris.

That's pretty much it. Your profile will then look something like this (without the "Moderator tools" options):

View attachment 119799

It can also be seen when someone hovers over your user name anywhere on the forum.

View attachment 119800


You can come back and edit it, adjust it, delete it, or replace it at any time just by clicking the "Edit profile banner" button on your profile.

So just a bit of fun profile personalisation for those that are into that kind of stuff. If you have any questions about this feature, just ask.

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But Joe, the frog is jealous, the Paris picture is now taken: french stick and beret? Just kidding
Nice touch, thanks for your efforts

qldfrog said:

But Joe, the frog is jealous, the Paris picture is now taken

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There's no rule that says two people can't have a profile banner of the same city. Paris is a city of endless photographs. Who knows, I might change mine to Amsterdam next week?

@Joe Blow I'm curious as I've noticed something that I haven't seen before in an ASF thread.

@charlsie 's thread in the members section. Whenever I open it Post #1 is at the top of the every page I open.



Is this an anomaly or a new feature that may help keep the thread on topic?

This feature would be great in a journal thread as the initial aims or goals with trading plan would be at the top of every page.

peter2 said:

@Joe Blow I'm curious as I've noticed something that I haven't seen before in an ASF thread.

@charlsie 's thread in the members section. Whenever I open it Post #1 is at the top of the every page I open.

View attachment 139953

Is this an anomaly or a new feature that may help keep the thread on topic?

This feature would be great in a journal thread as the initial aims or goals with trading plan would be at the top of every page.

Click to expand...

The latest version of the forum software allows for different thread types, which can be selected when starting a new thread. You can choose "Discussion" (the thread type we all know and love), "Poll", "Article", and "Question". If you look at the screenshot below you can see I have selected "Article", which is the thread type that I think would be most useful in your journal thread example.

@charlsie actually selected "Question", which is similar to "Article" in that it keeps the first post at the top of each page of the thread as you would want when asking a question of the community. The difference being that thread readers can vote for whatever post they think answers the thread starter's question best by clicking the up arrow in the panel to the right of the post they wish to vote for. When the thread has run its course, the thread starter (or admin) can select a post as the "solution".




I will copy and quote the explanation for each thread type as written by the software's developers, as they do a better job than I could, especially at this time of night.

Discussion thread

This is the default, traditional thread type, used for general, unstructured conversation.

Discussion threads are generally shown with the original post first, and subsequent replies are shown sequentially afterwards. If a forum is set to display 20 posts per page, the second page of the thread will show the 21st post at the top.

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Poll thread

Polls are a special type of discussion thread that also contain a poll - a multiple-choice question posed by the thread creator upon which other users may vote to express their choice.

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Article thread

Sometimes, threads are less about discussion and more about imparting knowledge. In these cases, article threads allow the first post in a thread to be afforded special treatment.

The first post in an article thread has extended limits on the number of embedded media items and attachments, has a greater character limit to allow very long textual content to be posted, and has different styling applied to make it appear distinct from subsequent posts in the thread.

Subsequent posts made to an article thread are considered to be comments on the article. At the point that the comments extend beyond a single page, a compressed version of the article will be shown at the top of each page, rather than being shown only at the top of the first page as would be the case with a discussion thread.

Click to expand...

Question thread

When a thread author is seeking an answer to a specific question they may post a question thread. The first post is the question, and will be displayed at the top of each page of the thread above all other replies.

Replies to the thread are considered to be answers to the question, any of which may be a possible solution.

Users with permission to vote on threads and posts may cast a vote on each answer, which may help other users to determine which answer should be the solution.

Solutions

Question threads are considered to be unsolved until one answer is selected as the solution. This can be done either by the thread author, if they have permission to do so, otherwise a solution may be selected by a forum moderator or administrator.

After a solution has been selected, the post selected as the solution will be displayed at the top of each page along with the question, and the thread will show as solved in its parent forum.

Click to expand...

If you have any questions, just ask. Otherwise, please have fun with the different thread types.

peter2 said:

@Joe Blow I'm curious as I've noticed something that I haven't seen before in an ASF thread.

@charlsie 's thread in the members section. Whenever I open it Post #1 is at the top of the every page I open.

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so i've marked Frugals post as an answer and we'll see what happens

charlsie said:

so i've marked Frugals post as an answer and we'll see what happens

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Actually you've marked your own post as the solution, but it quotes the post by Frugal that I think you are referring to.

Well this is interesting, I can change my forum Username on or after a specific date next year. Never noticed that before.

Craton said:

Well this is interesting, I can change my forum Username on or after a specific date next year. Never noticed that before.

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I've set it so people can change their user names once every ten years. I'd prefer that they didn't, especially those with lots of posts and a high profile (mostly because it gets confusing), but it is permitted as there may be genuine reasons for a change.

Ok, if I wanted to start another journal thread I could use the "article" thread format and this would display the 1st post (with the goals and limitations) on the top of every thread. I will keep the 1st post short so that it displays everything when copied.

Is this correct ? @Joe Blow

OR I could use the "question" thread without actually asking one and when the journal either reaches it's goal or busts out, the end result could be marked as the "answer" and the thread closed. This would display the 1st post at the top of each thread to remind readers of the goals.

peter2 said:

Ok, if I wanted to start another journal thread I could use the "article" thread format and this would display the 1st post (with the goals and limitations) on the top of every thread. I will keep the 1st post short so that it displays everything when copied.

Is this correct ? @Joe Blow

OR I could use the "question" thread without actually asking one and when the journal either reaches it's goal or busts out, the end result could be marked as the "answer" and the thread closed. This would display the 1st post at the top of each thread to remind readers of the goals.

Click to expand...

Either would work. With the "question" format you would have the voting panels on the right hand side of each post where people could vote for specific posts. The article format would work also, and there are additional formatting options for this thread type so your first post looks more like an article than a regular post, if you want it to. Either way, the good news is that if you change your mind I can change the thread type after the fact as easily as editing a thread title.

So just got for it. It can be tinkered with as you go if necessary.

If you've got a spare 15 minutes, this YouTube video on thread types by the software developers is definitely worth your time.