[Resolved] "Today's Posts"/"What's New" when not logged in

[johnb]

The other day I noticed that the "Today's Posts"/"What's New" views are not accessible when not logged in, although the "Forum View" is, of course, visible.

Perhaps this is intentional but I thought it worth mentioning as without the "Today's Posts" view it is probably harder for people who might be interested in the forum to get a feel of what goes on.

Just a thought.

[kernelbogey]

Agreed with M1. I've also just found that although there were three pages of new posts earlier this morning we're now back to one. Unless I'm mistaken, of course!

[Bryn]

I think you will find that the "New" of "New Posts" refers to threads in which new messages have appeared since you last accessed the site as logged in member.

[kernelbogey]

Thanks Bryn: that answers both then doesn't it?

[Bryn]

Only if my observatrion in correct.

[johnb]

kernelbogey,

What you mentioned is a different issue.

As things are at present, people who aren't logged in can access the forums from the 'top level' (clicking on individual sections and reading the posts) but they cannot view the "Today's Posts" or "What's New". ("Today's Posts" changes to "New Posts" when you log in.)

I was just wondering whether it might be helpful for people who are not members to be able to access the "Today's Posts" view to help them get a feel of the forum prior to deciding whether they wish to join.

It was just a thought, nothing more.

[Mark Sealey]

'What's new' means new for 'you'. The forum has to know who 'you' are to be able to tell you :-)

[johnb]

Sorry Mark, I don't want to be a nuisance.

I just noticed that some other forums powered by vBulletin enable people who are not logged in to view "Today's Posts" and/or "What's New" (as does vBulletin's own forum). Some don't. Some don't show that option at all.

I'll shut up now.

[Mark Sealey]

johnb,

Not a nuisance at all :-)

From the FAQ:

There are two ways to quickly view recently created or updated threads.

If you are not logged in, the 'today's posts' link will show a list of all threads that have been created or updated in the last 24 hours.

If you are logged in, the 'Today's Posts' link will change to 'New Posts', which gives you a listing of all threads that have been created or updated since your last visit.

The administrator can also set up the forums so that each thread you read is marked in the database. If this option is set, then new threads (or threads with new posts) will not be marked as read until you have actually read them.

There is a built-in time limit to this, however, that will automatically mark all threads as 'read' after a set number of day, whether you really have read them or not. The default setting is 10 days, but the administrator could make this higher or lower.

If there's a consensus, then we could do that, I suspect.

[johnb]

[I]There are two ways to quickly view recently created or updated threads.

If you are not logged in, the 'today's posts' link will show a list of all threads that have been created or updated in the last 24 hours.

The point I was trying to make is that this doesn't appear to be the case at the moment. When I am logged out and try to access the 'Today's Posts' link (which, by the way, only shows under "What's New" when I am logged out) I get the following message:

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. You are not logged in. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page and try again.
2. You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation

.

I had assumed that either there was a glitch in the system or you had decided to turn off the "Today's Posts" for people not logged in. I seem to remember that they used to be visible for people not logged in - but I might be wrong (I often am).

Of course I might be doing something silly - perhaps someone else could log out and check whether they experience the same.

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm being a pain in the butt. (But then what's new?)

[johnb]

Just to confirm that, at present, you CANNOT view 'Today's Posts' when not logged in, in spite of what the FAQ says.

I've tried both Firefox and IE8, in case it was a browser problem.

[french frank]

Just to confirm that, at present, you CANNOT view 'Today's Posts' when not logged in, in spite of what the FAQ says.

I've tried both Firefox and IE8, in case it was a browser problem.

Will give this a proper check tomorrow. I had looked at the settings but couldn't immediately find where to alter it.

[johnb]

Thanks ff.

By the way, I'm not saying that "Today's Posts" should or shouldn't be visible to non-members. I just wanted to make sure that it is a conscious decision rather than something that has happened inadvertently.

[french frank]

I think the default is that guests/members not logged in have the 'New Posts' link, not 'What's New?' But I'll check what 'New Posts' reveals. Ideally, they should be able to see all threads except those in a private forum.

[french frank]

johnb

You are - as you well know - absolutely correct, and what Mark quoted from the FAQ is, um, questionable :). But that is at odds with Mark's comment that the What's New? list means the posts that are new to 'you', and therefore can't be displayed if 'you' aren't logged in.

Nothing is actually hidden from guests but they have to click on the individual forums to see the latest posts. It's a bit off-putting to be told 'You're not allowed to see this'. There may be a way round it but I'll have to burrow a bit deeper. I haven't found a solution as yet.