I'm concerned about the system automatically CLOSING a topic if it has no posts for a while. On the old forum, I found interesting topics (using SEARCH) and was able to add a comment and ask a question there, which gave me the help I needed. If a topic is arbitrarily closed in only a few months... it means any older topic that someone FINDS, is going to result in creating a WHOLE NEW topic, to discuss that person's questions. That's a bummer.
LOL! The Forum just tried to redirect me to a topic that this one is SIMILAR to... and when I looked there, figuring I would add this comment there? IT WAS CLOSED by the system! So... it made my point for me.
The other side of the situation was that someone, possibly even me, was sometimes in a hurry and did not notice the original post of the thread was 3-4 years ago. Then they would try to get the original poster to respond to a question and they had disappeared years ago!
Paul
If you do need a topic to be reopened, you can click the icon at the bottom, then select "Something Else" as the flag type and add a message explaining why you would like the topic re-opened.
That will bring the situation to the attention of the forum moderators.
I understand about "not seeing the date", that happens now and then. I just know that sometimes an "old" topic has some useful info, and even if the original poster flew the coop a long time ago, others in the discussion can (and have) step in with answers. I've had that happen at least a few times, with the old forum. I guess I will just have to "pester the Admins" if an interesting "old" topic is worth addressing, again. 4 months may SEEM like a long time... but it really isn't. Some topics may have long delays between replies, responses, as people can't always check the forum often. Just a thought.
Well, I suppose, strictly speaking, that is true. However, that change came very late in the life of the old forum and was presented as an “anti spam” measure. Previous to that, relatively recent change, there was no such automatic thread closure.
There were also a slew of "me too" which often went to dead threads with topics that were nothing like the original.
They often had to be split off to seperate topics which could be a PITA if it had to also be moved too.
Certainly helped make my life easier and still does.
My only concern was having to create NEW topics, when I would have added onto an original one that addressed what I was working on. Very well, I get the point... it's set this way, and likely isn't going to change. Onward!
I just followed this hint and created a new topic.. this is no good idea.
In general it's a stupid idea to autoclose topics because things change and a forum is a collection of wisdom a little bit like a library so sometimes an old topic with a new insight can be very helpful.
IMHO.
I wanted to open the old thread again and give the user an answer and have accidentally opened a new thread. then I wanted to delete this again but somehow that does not work. now I have created an empty new thread that I can no longer edit...grmmpf. I like the new forum but the auto closing should be rethought and something oriented to stackoverflow.
I don't see the problem. You have such a usefull answer in your mind, that you think it's still worthy for the thread owner. You contact a mod, let the thread reopen - post the anwer (in the right thread). Job done.
As a programmer you must have come across ancient stack overflow topics (the old pages are well indexed by google) where someone added a supplement or "this is how it is done today" many years later.
No, i knever had problems with that function but it prevented me today to anser an old question.
I don't see any advantage of autoclose thus i suggest to remove it. IMHO
I've said this before, but this is a good opportunity to say it again.
Especially with the exhibition gallery, I don't agree with the (relatively new) policy of automatically closing threads. The items in there are not necessarily only of short term interest and people may come back years later with comments or suggestions.
Some of the projects I have put in there have taken several months to develop and document so hopefully these are also of interest to other users and may even add some value to the site or even more generally to the Arduino Ecosystem.
I quite like it when users respond some how to indicate they have found these contributions useful or event built a project based on such a design.
So, I find the arguments that these attract "me too" posts or pose a risk for spam posts as somewhat spurious and I believe that risk is worth taking even if it involves some moderator intervention from time to time.
Yes, I know that someone can always ask for a thread to be re-opened but the process of doing so would tend to inhibit otherwise welcomed comments. Some such comments land in my personal message box, once the thread is closed, so I could also ask for the thread to be reopened, then copy the users comment into the thread as a new post and direct him/her there to continue as required, but it just add to the complexity of it all.
Yes, I also know that there are more appropriate sites for posting projects (github etc.) but I'd have thought that , especially with the site going in the direction of a social media collaboration platform with all sorts of tricks to encourage participation and content creation (the plethora of badges, likes and other knick knacks) that automatic closing of threads was contrary to that philosophy.
Just my opinion, of course.
I would rather get a "rare" request to open than deal with they type of issues we used to see.
That said I am open to extending the time limit if we can get Arduino to do it ? @pert@alranel@dax1
The Forum just tried to redirect me to a topic that this one is SIMILAR to... and when I looked there, figuring I would add this comment there? IT WAS CLOSED by the system! So... it made my point for me. 
icon at the bottom, then select "Something Else" as the flag type and add a message explaining why you would like the topic re-opened.
