Quickly marking all topics as read

[nazpaz]

There may be an easier way to do this and it may be that no one else is geeky enough to care, but....

One feature I haven't found on this forum is a way to quickly mark all topics as read. A typical session for me here looks like this:

1. I click on "Active" to see a list of the most recent threads with posts.
2. I scroll through the posts and right click/open in new tab all the threads I'd like to read.
3. Once finished, I want to mark everything as read prior to reading the posts I've opened in new tabs.

As it is this is a three step process:
1. Click on the Open Roads Forum link to return to the top level of the forum.
2. Click on Mark all Topics in the Forum as Read
3. Click on the warning box that I definitely want to do this

I bypassed jumping through these hoops by installing iMacros (versions are available for IE, Chrome, Firefox). This addon allows you to record a set of actions, creating a macro of your keystrokes. I simply started iMacros recording and then jumped through the hoops one time. I then saved it as a bookmark. (This is on Firefox but it is similar on other browsers.)

Now, I go through the forum, and when finished, I click on the bookmark and let it mark everything as read in one click.

Your mileage may vary.

[pulsar]

Kiwi_too wrote:

pulsar wrote:

Kiwi_too wrote:
Logging in does all that.

Not really. Logout and the login, immediately, and you will see that nothing has changed.

What does automatically reset New posts / No new posts is inactivity on the forum. The length of inactivity is set on your preferences page in the Reset last visit: field.

If you are inactive on the forum, logged in or logged out, for a period of time greater than that specified in the Reset last visit: field, New posts icons will be changed to No new posts icons.

Tom

I have never tried that. Not sure I will, either. Usually I read and then close the browser and it marks everything from my previous session as read. Seems like a forum time keeping based on my last log in time.

It wouldn't cost you anything to try it. When you are finished for the day, log out and then log back in.

Another test would be to set the [i[Reset last visit: preference to 30 minutes. When you are finished. Leave the computer on and the forum open. Go for a walk, or whatever. For good measure, don't do anything on the forum for 45 minutes. When you look at the forum again the only New Post icons will be for posts made after your 30 minutes of inactivity on the forum.

Tom

[AllegroD]

pulsar wrote:

Kiwi_too wrote:
Logging in does all that.

Not really. Logout and the login, immediately, and you will see that nothing has changed.

What does automatically reset New posts / No new posts is inactivity on the forum. The length of inactivity is set on your preferences page in the Reset last visit: field.

If you are inactive on the forum, logged in or logged out, for a period of time greater than that specified in the Reset last visit: field, New posts icons will be changed to No new posts icons.

Tom

I have never tried that. Not sure I will, either. Usually I read and then close the browser and it marks everything from my previous session as read. Seems like a forum time keeping based on my last log in time.

[pulsar]

Kiwi_too wrote:
Logging in does all that.

Not really. Logout and the login, immediately, and you will see that nothing has changed.

What does automatically reset New posts / No new posts is inactivity on the forum. The length of inactivity is set on your preferences page in the Reset last visit: field.

If you are inactive on the forum, logged in or logged out, for a period of time greater than that specified in the Reset last visit: field, New posts icons will be changed to No new posts icons.

Tom

[wa8yxm]

I kind of wondered because I am viewing the forum in a browser on a Poor Computer (PC) and there is a button "Mark all as read" there is no "Do your really want to do this" dialog, it just does it, period. CLICK and done. However I see you are using an alternate Inferior Operating System (IOS, that is what it stands for right.. Linux being the SUPERIOR system, but alas I don't have that either).

Actually, that last bit is a joke.

[AllegroD]

Logging in does all that.

[1492]

Actually, iMacros has come in very handy. I've converted some MOD tasks into macros to make it a one-click operation.

One handy use is as a one-click Spam macro(bookmarklet), which I created that basically deletes an entire Spam thread, marking it as such for records. It reduces a four step operation down to one. But its main advantage is that it is fast, taking just a few seconds. In fact, have already had an instance with a familiar spammer who kept posting the same spam thread. Though each time he/she posted the thread, it was almost immediately zapped. I don't think the spammer could figure out why their thread was not showing up, and repeatedly re-posted it multiple times, eventually figuring out that the gig was up, and gave up. :W

Since the iMacros extension may be of interest to those using Firefox, I'll move this thread to the Technology Corner.

[1492]

Sorry, I missed the iMacros reference. But also use macros quite often as they do make repetitive tasks less of a nuisance.

[nazpaz]

1492 wrote:

In the forum's index page or in My Forums, click "Mark topics in all forums as read".

That's the link I'm talking about.

1. To click on it you have to first return to the forum index - that's one click
2. You have to click on the link I described and you pointed out - that's two clicks
3. You then have to click on the popup box that asks if you really want to mark them all read - that's three clicks

But no worries - I just posted the solution for those geeky enough to care.

[1492]

In the forum's index page or in My Forums, click "Mark topics in all forums as read".

[The_Texan]

My forum page has the following clickable link in the left hand side.....Sure works easily for me, with out all the hoops you laid out........

Mark topics in all forums as read