"New Posts" Doesn't Always Work

[LarryG]

Twice now, including this morning, I logged onto the forum, clicked the New Posts choice in the woodgrain menu bar, and rec'd a message saying there were no new posts since my last log-on and inviting me to click a search link for posts made within the last 24 hours.

There were, of course, a BUNCH of posts that had been made since I logged off around 4:00pm yesterday, so for whatever reason this command isn't always working properly.

Has anyone else experienced this anomaly?

[Tom Miller]

I think it's been working for me; at least I always get new posts when I come back. I've just started to use it in the last couple days. I make it a point to "Mark Forums Read" when I'm done, then close the IE Window when I'm done (rather than surfing on). But I never actually log out.

Regards,
Tom

[Copper]

Hmmm..... I usually don't log out either, but I just logged out and back in and all the "new posts" were gone. Looks like a bug, maybe? The quick workaround is to not log out, but if you're using a publicly accessible computer, that might not be an option.

[greencat]

I don't think the new posts are working like the recent posts were. I have been using the recent thread under the home screen. It seems to keep the most recent posts there.

[jbalders]

Here's are two possible scenarios where that will happen:

1) You open up your browser and go to BT3 Central, and then close your browser. You open it back up and go back to BT3 Central, and then hit new posts. There won't be any because closing your browser will have effectively done the same as logging you out and in. I think there's some "last visit" info stored in a cookie on your machine, and that gets reset when you close your browser.

2) You open your browser and go to BT3 Central, but before you get a chance to hit "New Posts" you get interrupted. You come back to your computer 16 minutes later and hit "New Posts" but there aren't any (or only a few). There seems to be a 15 minute inactivity timeout. If you haven't done anything on the site in the last 15 minutes, the site marks you offline and resets your last visit time, which is what is used to generate the "New Posts" list.

Jeff

[LarryG]

Here's a third scenario:

3. S**t happens, for no apparent reason.

I've had both of your scenarios happen to me. But in this case, both times it happened, I had followed my usual routine of logging out at the end of the day (around 4:00pm) and then logging back on the next morning (around 7:00am). In both cases there were lots of new posts that had been made during the ~15 hours I wasn't logged on, but the software still reported that there were none. Strange.

As I said, it's no biggie provided it's not happening a lot, to a lot of people. An occasional glitch, I can live with.

[jbalders]

True, how true.. S**t is always prevalent when you're dealing with computers.

You REALLY don't want to get me started on that topic though.

Jeff

[jnesmith]

Here's are two possible scenarios where that will happen:

1) You open up your browser and go to BT3 Central, and then close your browser. You open it back up and go back to BT3 Central, and then hit new posts. There won't be any because closing your browser will have effectively done the same as logging you out and in. I think there's some "last visit" info stored in a cookie on your machine, and that gets reset when you close your browser.

2) You open your browser and go to BT3 Central, but before you get a chance to hit "New Posts" you get interrupted. You come back to your computer 16 minutes later and hit "New Posts" but there aren't any (or only a few). There seems to be a 15 minute inactivity timeout. If you haven't done anything on the site in the last 15 minutes, the site marks you offline and resets your last visit time, which is what is used to generate the "New Posts" list.

Jeff

Those are the types of problems I've been having. Hit "new posts" and see that there are around 50 since last login; go to the kitchen to get a drink; wife swoops into the computer chair and heads to QVC.com; I remind her I called savsies, reclaim my spot and return to bt3central.com. Now, there are 2 "new posts".

[germdoc]

I'm gradually adjusting to the new look. For some reason it's taking longer than it should, maybe the synapses are worn out.

Is there any way to order New Posts by forum, or any other way to show new posts in a certain forum over the last 24 hours?

[Stan]

I also have a feeling I'm missing a lot of the new posts. When I logged in this morning, the 'home page stats' indicated there were 115 new posts. Click'ed the "New Posts" header link and only had about 36 posts available there for viewing.

Guess going through the indivicual forum areas looking for new postings would work, but sure time consuming.


Edited:

I'm really confused now. I tried the "Quick Links"/"Todays Post's" method. That brought up a list of 95 posts, and the 36 or so that were displayed in the "New Posts" method were splattered through that list. So it appears that random new posts are not being displayed for some reason via New Posts even though they chronoligically should be included.

[LarryG]

And then there were three.

It just happened again. Logged out last night as usual, logged in this morning as usual, clicked on New Posts, was told there were none.

What's the line from the James Bond novel -- "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action"?

I'm using Firefox as my browser. I suppose that COULD have something to do with it ...

[parnelli]

I'm using Firefox as my browser. I suppose that COULD have something to do with it ...

Firefox 1.5.0.1 here and having the same problem. Home page says 95 new posts, but brings up 32.

I'll try to pay attention next time to any details that might be helpful...

[sacherjj]

I also have a feeling I'm missing a lot of the new posts. When I logged in this morning, the 'home page stats' indicated there were 115 new posts. Click'ed the "New Posts" header link and only had about 36 posts available there for viewing.

You saw 36 THREADS available for viewing. These are all of the threads which received new posts since your last visit. 1 or more new posts occurs in those 36 threads. An average of almost 3 posts per thread.

[Thom2]

You saw 36 THREADS available for viewing. These are all of the threads which received new posts since your last visit. 1 or more new posts occurs in those 36 threads. An average of almost 3 posts per thread.

Okay, I think I got a grip on this now .... and it's been puzzling me since before this thread even started.

115 new posts could be 115 in 1 thread or 1 in each of 115 threads, I see no way to sort it out except to just go view all the threads that have new posts.

Another interesting thing that I've been noticing is that EVERY vote toward an open poll is also counted as a new post. I've seen the poll about the price of router bits show up numerous times as having new posts, only to open it and find out that there really isn't any new discussion, but apparently someone must have voted since my last visit.

As for you Larry, I have no answers, except maybe "don't log out???"

I hope this sheds a little light on the subject.