Forum Technical Help

[Doralyn]

OK, I'm Baaacck!!  And it worked.  Thanks for the feedback Laura and Will.  When I brought up the forum just now, I was indeed still signed in, and as you both said, I appeared to be off line in the interim, which I was!  I suspect that the phrase "during the last 15 minutes" used at the botton of the index page where who's online is shown in a list, may be why I didn't show immediately to have left the forum because I was active during the beginning of that 15 minute interval. 

What I meant by the time thingys. Laura, was the small print beneath a post on the old forum that told you how may times someone had edited a post, in great detail, day, time, number of times like a "big brother" watching all you do.

[CLC]

  Peggy and i were checking that out the other day. We discovered that even if you leave the forum up on your desk top, if you don't click anything on the page for 15 minutes, you are then "off line"

[Laurad]

Well, we're learning all the time and it was an interesting exercise. I just assumed that shutting down all the browser windows would log you out immediately, but not so. Now I know that it seems there might be a 15 minute interval while you will still appear to be online, even when you are not.

I wonder if the incrementing time at the top takes that time into account also. Would most of you prefer to see that gone? I will find out if I can remove it - I think Judy found a solution, but I just didn't have time to do it. Each modification I make takes a lot of time investigating, sometimes practicing on a test Forum, then doing it here.

Interesting that you and Peggy tested it, Chris.

Doralyn, I had forgotten about that time thingy (how many times you had edited your post) at the bottom of every post one modified. It was a feature of this Forum, but I removed it early on 

[Jwnix]

I seem to have trouble figuring out how to set up SAVING the PMs I send....can someone help me please?

[CLC]

you have to click the little box that says save to sent? maybe draft? each pm u save

[Laurad]

jwnix, two ways. One is that every time you compose and send a PM - right at the bottom of the PM compose window there is a check box which you can tick or untick depending on whether you want to save the sent message or not.

Second and probably better way - go to your own Profile Settings, click on "Personal Message Options" on the left side and then you will see two check boxes:-

  Save a copy of each Personal Message in my outbox by default.
  Show a popup when you receive new messages?

Check them as you desire.

Hope this helps 

[Jwnix]

  Save a copy of each Personal Message in my outbox by default.
Hope this helps 

thanks.  I thought the OUTBOX was where they hang out until the recipient picks it up and was looking for SENT file. you have clarified it,...much appreciated.

[Laurad]

Every Forum software seems to work it's own peculiar way  we just have to get used to the way each one works. Unfortunately we cannot actually tell when a PM has been read.. but is that a bad thing? I find it quite intrusive for the sender to know when I have actually read the message, so I do not mind. 

[Jwnix]

I have such limited experience with forums, that my "data base" of knowledge of how they work is not very large. 

I think the only advantage for knowing if sent mail was opened, is a clue that it got to the person.  then if you don't hear from them, that is a clue in itself.  sometimes. 

[chipmunk]

I'm having a lot of trouble getting into the threads.  I wanted to post on the Chat thread this morning and the page opened and part of it was Doralyn's pictures of the trains which I know was either posted on mon. or tues.  As I scrolled down the dates of the posts went backwards instead of forward.  This also happened when I tried to post on the Maine V discussion. 

I have had this problem since we opened the new Forum.

I also have to type in my password every time even though I've checked 'Forever".

Could it be something to do with me joining the new forum.  I remember that when you joined the new forum, you rec'd acknowledgement from Judy and then she sent out a second acknowledgement, I never got the 2nd acknowledgement.  This is driving me crazy

[Doralyn]

chipmunk, go to your Profile, and under Look and Layout Preferences make sure you have not checked the box requesting that the most recent posts are displayed first or on top of the page.

I also have to type my password twice, no matter which sign-in place I use, the upper corner, or the pop-up sign-in screen.  It is maddening!!!  I've even tried changing my password, no help, nothing works.  It's a puzzle.

[Laurad]

Doralyn, thanks for helping chipmunk. Hopefully the order in which the pages are displayed correctly.

After some investigation with Doralyn, we discovered that if you actually log out, then yes, you will have to re-enter your username and password each time. Doralyn, are you logging off each time still? Have you tried just closing the window and then returning to the Forum later? I rarely log off unless I'm on someone else's computer and I'm never asked to re-enter username and password. I have the option of "forever" set also.

If you're not logging out and you had clicked on the "forever" option, then we need to look at it all more closely. I doubt it's a problem with the Forum software, it could be a cookies setting on your computer, or internet options. If you can try to explain what happens in more detail, then maybe I can help work it out for you.

chipmunk, I checked your account settings and they are just like every other member's settings. I think the system should have sent you a confirmation email when you were accepted, but even if it did not, that should not affect your logging in process now.

[Doralyn]

Laura, I don't usually log off during the day, even when I use the window for something else, and often at the end of the day I will not log off, but just close the window.  The next day when I rebout, then I have to sign in again.

Here's another question.  If I close the window during the day, and I have selected "show online" will I still show as being online at the forum?

[chipmunk]

Thanks Doralyn ,  I have changed my Look and Layout preferences and hopefully that will work.

Thanks Laura, I just thought it might be the problem,

[Laurad]

chipmunk, are your problems resolved? I hope so. 

Doralyn, I don't really understand why you're having the logging in and out issue. Is there any chance you could test it all on another computer, just to narrow it down to whether it's a problem with your computer or your status on the Forum? Do you have to re-enter your username AND your password each time or just your password? Could there be a security setting in your browser that prevents it from remembering passwords, or a security setting on the computer? Do you have problems staying logged into other Forums?

I usually just close all the windows and shut the computer down at night, but never have to re-enter username or password, unless I specifically log out.

I think that whatever online status you set at any given time, that may be what it is next time you log in. I think we ascertained that if you are showing as "online" and shut the window without logging off, you will appear to be online still for a period of time - I am not sure how long, we would need to carry out further tests. However, I think that if you actually log off, then you will not appear to be online, but once again, you need to run tests to see if you want to know for certain.