I feel lost in space

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1

I still feel lost in space with this new Forum. Nothing is where it used to be.

For example, why can’t I always find something, next to each category, that says “Unread” followed by either the number of unread posts in this category or “0” if there are no unread posts? Sometimes I do see such a thing, but usually not. I never know for sure which categories, if any, have new posts.

Bill Smythe

1 Like
2

I believe you can set up email notifications for new posts. I have it set to receive email notifications whenever anyone posts in the US Chess Issues section.

3

Bill,
Not sure if the following is what you’re looking for.

To display the number of new items in a category:

  • Select your avatar (either the first letter of of your user name or a custom avatar if you created one).
  • At the bottom of the right hand side of the resulting menu, select Profile.
  • Select Preferences.
  • Select Navigation Menu.
  • Check the box “Show a count of the new items”.
  • Save Changes.

However, it seems that Discourse regards items from the past as new. To mark a category as read:

  • Select the category.
  • Select New.
  • Select Dismiss New.

Doing so should mark all the unread items as read.

Hope this helps,
Pete Klimek

4

In other words, go through a bunch of non-intuitive and obscure steps to make it show a count of unread items.

That’s why I feel lost in space.

Also, I wouldn’t want to mark a category as read unless it really is read. There might be something there I haven’t seen.

Bill Smythe

5

When I click on the ‘Categories’ tab on the top line menu, I get this:

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(I’ve turned off the left sidebar menu to simplify the image.)

This shows me the number of new and unread topics in each category on the left side. On the right side it shows me recent topics. A small blue dot means I have not read that category at all. A larger blue dot with a circle in it tells me how many messages there are in that topic that I have not read.

If I click on ‘topics’ in the left side bar I get this: (Again, I’ve turned off the left sidebar afterwards to simplify the image and scrolled it down a bit):

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Again, I see the list of recent topics, with a small blue dot to show the ones I have not read and a larger blue dot with a number to show ones I have unread posts in, and there’s a line marked ‘last visit’ that shows me where I left off last time, everything above that is a topic I either have not read or that has new posts in it.

It’s different, I get it. But I think it has the information you want.

6

I am now seeing either a New box or an Unread box (or both) with numbers telling me how many New and/or Unread posts there are, whenever there are any. This is an improvement. The blue dots help too.

Bill Smythe

7

We didn’t change any settings that would have changed how this looks, I think either you’re just getting used to it or finally found the right view.

8

Could be.

Bill Smythe