# Forum Jump vs. Directory Tree



## fenixpollo

A suggestion for our omnipotent Administrator:

The Forum Jump is a useful tool and I use it often.  However, I prefer to use the Directory Tree at the top of the page to change forums.  This is because I am usually already at the top of the page, and because it's quicker to click once on a link than to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click twice on the drop-down menu.

_Yes, I realize that this is taking convenience to the nth degree, but I'm going to continue anyway.  _ 

In the >Spanish >Specialized Terminology forums, the directory tree doesn't allow me to jump between the Medical and Legal sub-forums.  This is the only place in the Forums where the directory tree isn't useful to me.  

My suggestion: Can you add the Medical forum to the Legal forum's directory tree, and vice versa?

Thanks for your consideration and helpfulness.


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## mkellogg

Hi Mr. Pollo,

I see what you are saying.  The tree only shows the single branch, and not the other branch.  You have to click on Specialized Translations and the other subforum to navigate.

Hmmm. I can't do anything about it now, but a new version of the vBulletin forum software is due out in about a month.  I'll look out for some hacks that might allow us to show other branches of the tree.  It sounds useful...

Speaking of the forum jump menu (on the bottom right of most pages), I have been considering getting rid of that menu.  It it big and slows page load time.  I've been wondering if anyone uses it.  Please speak up, if you do!

Mike


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## timpeac

mkellogg said:
			
		

> Hi Mr. Pollo,
> 
> I see what you are saying. The tree only shows the single branch, and not the other branch. You have to click on Specialized Translations and the other subforum to navigate.
> 
> Hmmm. I can't do anything about it now, but a new version of the vBulletin forum software is due out in about a month. I'll look out for some hacks that might allow us to show other branches of the tree. It sounds useful...
> 
> Speaking of the forum jump menu (on the bottom right of most pages), I have been considering getting rid of that menu. It it big and slows page load time. I've been wondering if anyone uses it. Please speak up, if you do!
> 
> Mike


 
Didn't know it was there! But no, I can't see myself using it a lot in the future.


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## cuchuflete

I only use it rarely, and wouldn't miss it. Also, among things to get rid of...how about the little box to the left of Forum Jump: Posting Rules. It's just information that might tell an unregistered visitor what they cannot do! They will still try to do it, and get the same error message without that box showing up.


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## meili

I rarely use it.  Will be okay with me if it be taken away.


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## ILT

I've used it twice in six months, and definely would not miss it


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## Jana337

meili said:
			
		

> I rarely use it.  Will be okay with me if it be taken away.


Same here.

Jana


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## fenixpollo

Now I feel REALLY bad for having started this off, because I actually *like* the Forum Jump. 

I just now came to this thread from my user mailbox. If not for the forum jump, it would have taken me an extra move to get here. Not that it's a major thing, and perhaps the Jump is less useful than it is big.... But anytime I lose functionality, it's not usually a _good_ thing.


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## garryknight

I used it once just to try it out when I first came here and never used it since. Might it be useful if this thread contained a poll?


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## timpeac

garryknight said:
			
		

> I used it once just to try it out when I first came here and never used it since. Might it be useful if this thread contained a poll?


 
Shall we have a poll to find out?


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## gotitadeleche

I use the Forum Jump at least as much as the directory tree. I find it useful.


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## panjandrum

I use the Forum Jump just as often as I use the tree thingy at the top. Depends entirely which is nearest.
I also use the UCP a lot, and New Posts, and List Subscriptions.
So, I would be completely unconcerned if the Forum Jump vanished. There are lots of other very convenient navigation paths so I wouldn't miss it, after a while


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## cuchuflete

Panj's word is definitive in my book, but I've added a poll for those who are other than completely unconcerned

Cuchu

If you click on the % data on the right side, you may see who voted for each option, just in case you like maintaining grudge lists, or want an opening to PM a potential friend: "Guess what!  We voted the exact same way in that all important Comms & Suggs poll."


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## jorge_val_ribera

Personally, I only use the directory tree on the top of the page. I wouldn't miss the forum jump, either, nor the little "forum rules"  box.


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## elroy

I never scroll down further than the last forum on the main page - unless I want to check how many members we have. 

I had never noticed the forum jump before this thread.  I always use the directory tree, no matter how far down on the page I am.

It's just what I've gotten used to.


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## Sev

Well I see I'm the only one to use regularly the Forum Jump. Btw I chose "without it, I'll die".  Basically, nearly each time I'm at the bottom of a page I use it, so that's quite often....but if you want to get rid of it for some reasons (if is slows down pages download), you can.....just come to my funeral


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## SILSEP

Hi!

I don't use Forum Jump at all, indeed I didn't know where it was!

I use the directory tree at the top all the time, I really found it useful.


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## gotitadeleche

Sev said:
			
		

> Well I see I'm the only one to use regularly the Forum Jump. Btw I chose "without it, I'll die".  Basically, nearly each time I'm at the bottom of a page I use it, so that's quite often....but if you want to get rid of it for some reasons (if is slows down pages download), you can.....just come to my funeral



No Sev, you're not the only one. I use it all the time too. If I am at the bottom of the page (which I am every time I finish reading that page) I use the forum jump. I don't guess I would *die * if it goes away, but I would miss it.


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## mkellogg

Felixpollo, Sev and others,  I don't plan to get rid of it anytime soon.  Hopefully it will become an option in the User Control Panel someday.

Gotita also has a good point: navigation at the _bottom_ of the pages is helpful.

Let's see what happens with the next version of this vBulletin software due out in a month or so.

Mike


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## asm

When I voted I misunderstood the concepts of directory tree and forum jump. I think that the jump featuer is a good one, I need to get used to it to use it more effectively. I think it has some advantages over the tree. However, I have survived so far with no "jumping."



			
				fenixpollo said:
			
		

> A suggestion for our omnipotent Administrator:
> 
> The Forum Jump is a useful tool and I use it often. However, I prefer to use the Directory Tree at the top of the page to change forums. This is because I am usually already at the top of the page, and because it's quicker to click once on a link than to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click twice on the drop-down menu.
> 
> _Yes, I realize that this is taking convenience to the nth degree, but I'm going to continue anyway. _
> 
> In the >Spanish >Specialized Terminology forums, the directory tree doesn't allow me to jump between the Medical and Legal sub-forums. This is the only place in the Forums where the directory tree isn't useful to me.
> 
> My suggestion: Can you add the Medical forum to the Legal forum's directory tree, and vice versa?
> 
> Thanks for your consideration and helpfulness.


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## garryknight

I wonder how many people know about tabbed browsing. It can remove the need to use the Forum Jump and the Directory Tree. Using Firefox, I go to the WR Forums front page then middle-click on a forum that I want to browse. When the list of posts in that forum comes up in a new tab (i.e. a new window embedded in the main Firefox window), I middle-click on the small downward-pointing arrow icon to the left of a thread to start reading the newest posts in that thread - and by middle-clicking the thread opens in yet another tab, so there are 3 open.

When I've finished reading the thread I close the latest tab which leaves the list of posts at the top ready for me to read the next one. When I've finished all of the new posts in that forum, I close the tab containing the list of posts, which leaves just the one tab open with the list of forums. So I middle-click on the next forum and continue in this way.

I only tell you all about this as tabbed browsing made my life a lot easier and I thought some of you might like to try it. Hope it helps someone.


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## panjandrum

AHA.
Never thought to mention that.
I often have several WR windows open so that I can read all of a thread, or look at another one, while composing a reply. This is probably definitely not the same as the Firefox feature that *garryknight* describes, but it is very useful. Saves a lot of hopping around.


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## Whodunit

Sev said:
			
		

> Well I see I'm the only one to use regularly the Forum Jump. Btw I chose "without it, I'll die".  Basically, nearly each time I'm at the bottom of a page I use it, so that's quite often....but if you want to get rid of it for some reasons (if is slows down pages download), you can.....just come to my funeral



OMG, almost everyone's against that useful feature at the bottom of every post window. Every time I finished my reply, I click on "Submit Reply", and automatically I'm directed to the bottom (say my reply) of the page, so I'm much closer to the Forum Jump than to the Directory Tree. I really often (actually almost always) use it to "actualize" the page. Let's say I finished a reply in the German forum, so I click on Forum Jump>German and the German forum page is actualized; so I can see what's happened there in the meantime. I find it totally useful.

And every time I'm on the top of a forum window and want to actualize the main page, I use my marvelous mouse with its funny scroll wheel which I can press and pull my mouse on my desk down to the bottom of the page. And ... hey presto ... I'm so close to the Forum Jump feature.   

Well, now I'm waiting for the same conclusive arguments on the category tree.


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## cuchuflete

Daniel, there is a difference between saying something doesn't matter very much, and being against it.   





			
				Whodunit said:
			
		

> OMG, almost everyone's against that useful feature at the bottom of every post window.



I use Safari or Firefox, tabbed browsing.  I have a single button mouse.
When I open WR, I open tabs for each of the forums I regularly visit.  When I get a PM, it opens in a new tab.   Navigation is quick and easy.  The only exception to that is the one Fenexpollo mentioned- the ST sub-forums.  Those require an extra two mouse clicks.  Oh, life is so very difficult.


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## Whodunit

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Daniel, there is a difference between saying something doesn't matter very much, and being against it.



Oops, yes, sorry. I think not everyone is against it, but all who voted "kill it quickly" are against it, aren't they?


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## cuchuflete

Not necessarily....they may simply believe that the greater good of the  entire population of foreros, including modem users, is better served by faster screen loading.  Remember that this thread is at least in part about how to navigate quickly.   It may be a little faster for  some to use  forum jump, but at what time cost to the modem connected  foreros?




			
				Whodunit said:
			
		

> Oops, yes, sorry. I think not everyone is against it, but all who voted "kill it quickly" are against it, aren't they?


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## Whodunit

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Not necessarily....they may simply believe that the greater good of the  entire population of foreros, including modem users, is better served by faster screen loading.  Remember that this thread is at least in part about how to navigate quickly.   It may be a little faster for  some to use  forum jump, but at what time cost to the modem connected  foreros?



I believe I could get used to the category tree in a few days, so I wouldn't really die or "disparticipate" because of the disappearance of the forum jump.


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## cuchuflete

What's the past participle of disparticipate?   Nor am I a disciple of disparticipation.  Thanks for being open-minded.  As Mike indicated, it doesn't  look like you will have to relinquish jumping around any time soon.

If you use Windows, and your screen freezes, are you a ski-jumper?


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## Whodunit

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> What's the past participle of disparticipate?



disparticipated   



> Nor am I a disciple of disparticipation.  Thanks for being open-minded.  As Mike indicated, it doesn't  look like you will have to relinquish jumping around any time soon.



Okay, sounds good to me.   



> If you use Windows, and your screen freezes, are you a ski-jumper?



I suppose so, although I use Windows but my screen doesn't freeze that often.


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## fenixpollo

mkellogg said:
			
		

> Felixpollo, Sev and others, I don't plan to get rid of it anytime soon. Hopefully it will become an option in the User Control Panel someday.
> 
> Gotita also has a good point: navigation at the _bottom_ of the pages is helpful.
> 
> Let's see what happens with the next version of this vBulletin software due out in a month or so.


I'm glad that the ax isn't going to fall on this feature quite yet.  I never realized it before opening this thread, but now I know just how much I use the forum jump -- I use it more than the directory tree!  

I think that the Tree should get as much beefing up as the new vB update allows -- whether or not the forum jump stays, but _especially_ if it goes away.

Thanks, everybody, for your participation, your opinions and your interest.


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## cuchuflete

Lies, damned lies....and statistics:    26 votes in the poll, of which 9, or almost a third,
use the feature with some frequency, or are rabidly in favor of it [ 2 people].

Four voters didn't know of it...that's about 15%.

14 hardly ever use it or want to be rid of it  ~ a little over half the voters

If this were a democracy, the jump would be gone.  Luckily for some, this is a highly enlightened monarchy


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## garryknight

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Four voters didn't know of it...that's about 15%.


But how would they vote now that they know about it?


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## cuchuflete

garryknight said:
			
		

> But how would they vote now that they know about it?



According to the poll, it was more important to them to mention their prior or current ignorance or indifference than to make a statement about the value of the feature.   I would say this indicates that they don't think it's a particularly important feature.  Am I jumping to conclusions, or perhaps not seeing the forecast for the trees?


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## garryknight

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> I would say this indicates that they don't think it's a particularly important feature.


Once people know how to do the basics of whatever they need to do (i.e. navigate, read, reply) they're only likely to explore the rest of the interface when a problem comes up. The fact that these people didn't know about one or both of these features indicates that they haven't had any problems with navigation.

And the fact that WR's interface has built-in redundancy in having so many navigation methods isn't a bad thing, IMO. The more ways there are to skin a cat, um... the more worried the cat's are going to get... 

I sometimes wish we had a Devil's Advocate smiley that I could use when asking questions like my previous one.


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## Kelly B

Well, the poll closed, so since I cannot add just add myself to the "whuzzat?" category, I'll publicly state that I had never seen it before, that I'm very pleased to know it is there, and that I am confident that I will use it in the near future.
So there.


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## cuchuflete

Kelly B said:
			
		

> Well, the poll closed, so since I cannot add just add myself to the "whuzzat?" category, I'll publicly state that I had never seen it before, that I'm very pleased to know it is there, and that I am confident that I will use it in the near future.
> So there.



I'd be happy to re-open the poll for you KB--just send me a PM if want to vote.  I'll even add a Whuzzat category, and one for "Have never used it but plan to".  However, why not use it a few times before you decide how you want to vote?


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## panjandrum

Funny bit of a analysis there?
I worked out that 22 of the 26 votes were positive.
2 would die without it;
14 said it was nice, although only 7 of these were regular users;
6 noble and self-sacrificing voters would be prepared to lose it if that made refresh quicker for some.


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## garryknight

panjandrum said:
			
		

> 6 noble and self-sacrificing voters would be prepared to lose it if that made refresh quicker for some.


Possibly more than 6. I voted for "Nice feature...hardly ever use it" but I'd be prepared to lose it if necessary. Some of the voting options were about who uses the features, and some were more about who needs it. The options weren't mutually exclusive.


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## cuchuflete

I've worked out that we need a poll about the meaning of "positive"

  		 			What's a forum jump? unaware does not = positive










*2* 	7.69%  	 		 			You mean that sport the Romans did?  unaware does not = positive









*1* 	3.85%  	 		 			Absolutely critical, I'll die without it!
positive









*2* 	7.69%  	 		 			Nice feature...I use it once in a while. positive









*7* 	26.92%  	 		 			_Nice feature...hardly ever use it. neutral to negative...if it were positive usage would be >hardly ever_









*7* 	26.92%  	 		 			Thoroughly unimportant..didn't know it before this thread. not positive









*1* 	3.85%  	 		 			If if slows page refresh, kill it quickly.not positive
  I detect 9/26 positive votes.  Thats about 35%.   The remainder were ignorant, indifferent or negative.



			
				panjandrum said:
			
		

> Funny bit of a analysis there? or here->
> I worked out that 22 of the 26 votes were positive.
> 2 would die without it;
> 14 said it was nice, although only 7 of these were regular users;
> 6 noble and self-sacrificing voters would be prepared to lose it if that made refresh quicker for some.


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## garryknight

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> I've worked out that we need a poll about the meaning of "positive"


Hmmm, maybe.



			
				cuchuflete said:
			
		

> What's a forum jump? unaware does not = positive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2*     7.69%                           You mean that sport the


The rest of your post showed up here as being full of these img tags rather than the images that I expect you intended us to see. [Gosh, does that sentence make sense? At the moment I'm too tired to tell. But I think it says what I mean...] In any case, I'm not sure I got the point. But, like I said, I'm tired.


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