New user to the forum here, using the latest FireFox. I've found replies on here to be pretty wonky. Why are replies shown inline to the comment I'm responding to and also a second time at the bottom of the post? IMO it would be cleaner and more intuitive to just be inline with the comment I'm responding. Also, sometimes the reply won't appear inline with the comment until I reload the page - this makes it look like I've responded out of context, so I delete the post and needlessly repost it a second time.
Hi @nickyd. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this. Please provide a demonstration of the problem.
If you can do that by making a reply here on this forum topic, that would be ideal. Alternatively, if the problem only manifests while composing, but is not apparent from the published reply, then you can attach a screenshot that shows the problem.
@nickyd Two different forms of reply are available. A reply using the button on a specific message incorporates a link back to that specific message into your reply, so that other readers can view what it is you specifically replied to. A reply using the button at the very bottom is a generic reply to the entire thread, which is placed at the bottom with no added link-back - it is presumed that you're just carrying on the general conversation.
Does that help?
Also on the latest FF, everything is fine. Provide screenshots, and what extensions your FF have.
Look at post #13 on this thread:
Why is it shown at the bottom of this entire post like a generic reply to the entire thread? I intended it to be a reply to post #10, I used the "reply to this post" button and it does show there under the replies to that specific post. But why is it shown it in both places?
Very hard to know what you see without seeing it.
I see what you mean now. You are expecting Arduino Forum to work the same as platforms like Reddit or Hacker News, where you can create subthreads. For example:
https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/1jsod3d/how_do_i_get_the_output_of_this_battery/
We don't use Arduino Forum that way. A forum thread is more like a real life conversation, where we operate in a linear manner rather than wandering off down various rabbit holes in parallel.
If you are used to those other platforms, our approach might seem strange at first, and you are sure to encounter situations where it would be beneficial to be able to consolidate replies into a subthread. However, if you stick around I think you will find that our approach is actually superior in this context of a technical support forum.
Subthreads fragment a discussion, and tend to lead to off topic content. It is very difficult for a reader to get a full picture of a discussion when there are many deep subthreads. If people participate in a discussion without a complete understanding of what has already been said, they are more likely to add duplicate replies, which in turn make it even more challenging for participants to read the full discussion, thus creating a vicious cycle.
In many cases, if you find yourself wishing for a subthread capability, it indicates the discussion is going on an unnecessary tangent, or else that a separate topic should be created for discussion of that distinct subject matter.
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Yes, that's exactly what I meant.
I see your points about subthreads, though IMO this forum does feel stuck between the two approaches as replies are shown in two different places.
But this is not a hill I'm going to die on. If others have commented on this, then +1 the count from me. I guess I'll just have to better contextualize my replies on my own.
@nickyd it generally helps, if you're responding to some specific post, to also quote the exact portion you're responding to. That contextualizes better than the simple indentation method anyway, as everyone can see what it is you're taking issue with - or augmenting.
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I never see replies twice - Just links back to the "parent" message, if the reply was to a specific post. And an option to display the replies:
Is there perhaps some option that always causes the replies to be expanded inline? (I don't see it in the user preferences, but ...)
I took that to mean he saw two different "Reply" buttons, and he hasn't countered that interpretation.
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