# links (wrongly) all appear "as read"



## Paf le chien

Hello to you all.

Since yesterday, I am experiencing a strange trouble :

when I cannect to a forum, all messages links appear to be "as read".

Then, during the session, new messages, as usually before, appear unread if new message(s) have been posted. So I'm back, after one hour to a "normal" situation for new threads I follow.

But if I disconnect then reconnect, I'm back to first situation : all links are flagged "as read" and I have to wait for new messages to return a normal situation.

This makes it, alas, quite difficult to follow my work.

Informations :

- It is true for any forum
- It is not true everywhere (the main forum page is OK)
- but forums are displayed "without new mwssages"
- I search the database but found nothing relevent
- it looks to me (but I can be wrong) like a bug, affecting only my account
- I'm using Mozila Firefox 1.5 and 2.0 and Ubuntu Linux
- Same problem with other browsers (ie.: konkeror) so it is neither a loal cache nor cookie problem, (I never use konkeror usually)
- Purging cache and cookies on Firefox leads to the same result
- I remember yesterday I was connected at the same time from two different computers  sharing the same IP address, using NAT (this may help, I think).
- I don't know where else to go to ask for help and I think a webmaster could find quite easely where the trouble is.


Hoping someone can help me out solve this issue.

Best Regard,

Paf le chien (which is my account on WR)


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## jann

hello Paf le Chien,

I have not observed this problem.  If I log out at 15:00 and log back in at 16:00, all threads modified between 15:00 and 16:00 appear in bold font with an orange envelope.   After I click on them and read them, the envelope turns blue and the thread title no longer shows in bold font.

However, when I open my subscribed threads list, some of the threads that have been modified between 15:00 and 16:00 will be bold (with a small arrow to go to the first unread post) and others will not be - even though there are new posts!  However, this doesn't bother me because they wouldn't be in the list if they didn't have new replies (subscribed threads with most recent posts from before 15:00 don't appear in the list unless I click "view all subscribed threads").

You say the problem makes it difficult to follow your work.  Does this mean that your subscribed threads with recent posts don't appear in your subscription list?  If your list is working properly, it should be an easy way to monitor threads with activity since you last logged in, even if you have the same bold/nonbold symptom that I have observed.

Jann


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## .   1

I am similar to Jann.
When I flip between the Cultural and English forums posts that I know that I have read are marked as though I have not read them.

.,,


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## LV4-26

I too have found the subscription list not to be always absolutely reliable.
I usually have the "remember me" box permanently checked. So that I needn't log in when I come here. I'm mentionning this because I believe this specific parameter does have an influence on the issue at hand.

If I've been, say, 24 hours or more without visiting the forums, I don't get all modified threads iin bold. I get the most recent ones but not those that were modified the day before. The latter do appear in the list, of course, but not in bold, even though one or more posts may have been added.

If I leave the forums for a relatively short time (say 10 minutes?) and come back again, it sometimes happen that all the top threads are marked unread (i.e. in bold) while I know for sure I've read all the posts (especially when the most recent poster is myself. ).

Having said that, it isn't much of a trouble really. The worst that can happen is that I miss an answer that was posted 1 or 2 days ago (I don't use the email notification). But, being aware of that possibility, I usually check more threads than just the bolded ones. (if I've been out a long time, that is).


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## Paf le chien

In fact, I experience quite exactly the same symptoms LV4-26 is talking about.

I, of course, can switch between "followed threads" and the forum itself, but I don't find it as easy as it was : switching always take time, and, as LV4-26 says, I have to check even "not bold" threads, as I cannot be sure there hasn't been an answer since last night.

I can live with it, of course, but it can make me miss some answers (something that I don't like ) and more, it worked perfectly up to two or three days ago. So I'm pretty sure something (I don't know what) happened very recently (bug ?) which is closely related to  accounts... 

Thank you all for your time and bearing at me,

PAF


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## jann

The other moderators tell me that the vB software is full of bugs, and that the read/unread threads feature is particularly problematic.  I don't know that the problem is specifically linked to you account... but since you have created this C&S thread, the issue is on the record!


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## Paf le chien

jann said:


> I don't know that the problem is specifically linked to you account... but since you have created this C&S thread, the issue is on the record!



Thank you very much, Jann. It clearly sounds as a bug to me...


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## savannah

Hey y'all...

For the record, I also just started to have this problem tonight.  (In addition to the quick reply problem I just posted about).  Neither has ever been an issue before.  Strange.


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## learning_grenglish

I know, usually, unread threads would blink in blue colour to indicate that the particular threads are still unread, when we log in after log out. But for a last few days, there is no such indication to unread threads in my control panel. I have to go through all threads and posts to find out if the thread is already read or not.

Is this technical problem in the site? Or Have someone (Perhaps hackers) been using my user_id illegally?

Please help me.


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## Jana337

It could be a technical problem.

What are your forum habits? Do you always log out or do you quit the forum by closing the browser window?

I don't know how to fix it but perhaps you could change your subscription mode from "instant e-mail notification" to "subscription with no notification" and than back? And yes, my fav panacea: clear your cache. 

A simple work-around: In your UCP, click on List Subscriptions. You will obtain a list of threads you are subscribed to ordered by the timestamp of the last post. Granted, new threads will not be in bold but it should not be very hard to recall when your last visit was and to click on threads younger than that. Definitely better than combing the whole forum for threads you are interested in.


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## learning_grenglish

I don't quit by closing the window. I would log out completely.


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## jann

Hello learning_grenglish, 

I assure you that it is exceedingly unlikely anyone has been using your username illegally unless you have given a friend your password.  Technical issues are much more likely to have caused the symptom you observed.

First, a number of other users have found the "read"/"unread" flags to be unreliable.  Actually, there was already a thread on this subject, and as you can see, I have merged your question into that thread.... so you might want to read back through the posts above. 

Second, our forum administrator made some changes on the server a few hours ago.  It's quite possible that these changes could have caused any particular symptoms you may have noticed today (though not in recent days, it is true).

Personally, I visit my control panel when I log in, where newly active threads are displayed.  For some mysterious reason, about half of them are usually listed in bold, but the other half aren't. When I click on the small arrow 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 in the bold title, I go directly to the first unread post in the thread.  This arrow is not present for titles that aren't bold, and clicking on the not-bold title merely takes me to the top of the thread. However, I am usually then able to click on "view first unread" which appears just below the "post reply" button at the top left.   It is a bit inconsistent, I agree...

(On very rare occasions, it says "no new subscribed threads" in my control panel and I don't believe it... then I check my list subscriptions page.  Sometimes, looking at the timestamps on the threads, it turns out that some of them actually have been active since my last login.  However, this bug is very rare.) 

Jann


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