Moderators or higher up....

[wdmagic]

is there a way someone can disable or remove the "reply to thread" button that is just above the textbox, after you have clicked it. After I have typed a great deal and I am ready to submit, its right there in big bold letters "Reply to Thread", I hit it and dang there goes all my typing because im supposed to hit the small print submit link on the bottom right. its very frustrating, I remember sometimes but when Ive got alot of stuff to type in im more worried about checking spelling, english, and correct use of code, and by the time im done not really paying attention to a button, im just looking for that word replay or submit. Ideally after its been clicked it should disappear or be greyed out and disabled, even a popup that says you are already replying and it doesnt lose all that typing.
Just an idea
thanks

[Heckler]

I can't count the number of times I have done exactly the same thing. Your signature line fits this case also... Undo! Undo!

I have had to re-type a post more than just a few times.

Once you hit "reply to thread" the first time... that button should then dissappear.

I echo your request... if possible... please fix this!!

[lester]

There is nothing to "FIX', its not broken. I'm sorry you dont like the layout, but i'm not prepared to make this change. It involves work that will create re-work for me each time there is a forum upgrade, i'm not prepared to commit to that.

[Charlie]

Nobody wants to make more work for you, Lester - but if the opportunity arises... I find this annoying too and have been caught by it more than once. Don't think of it as a fix, but rather a usability enhancement.

For me, the similarity in the titles is the issue, given "Post Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" are very similar, and "Reply to thread" is bigger and high contrast, it's an effort to not click it.
Would it be the same pain (or would it help) to change the text on "Post Quick Reply" to simply "Submit"?

A minor issue, not high priority, but I'm betting there are a lot more folks have done it than just us three.

[aratti]

I had the same problem twice. I just didn't report it before!

Al.

[Heckler]

Would it be possible to move (or duplicate) the button "Post Quick Reply" so that it is up next to the "Reply to Thread" button?
That way at least the user would be more likely to click that button to post their comments rather than clicking the "Reply to Thread" button by mistake a second time.

I assume you (Lester) are indicating that this Forum software is a canned software that, each time updates come out, would require you to re-patch the code.
Possibly, if that is the case, it would be better to forward this thread to the owner of the Forum code so they could include the "Fix" to the code directly.

It really is heartbreaking to spend some time replying to a post with techincal details, re-writing you comments to make them more clear, etc. etc. to then find that all your thought just evaporated into thin air.

[mackrackit]

Write your replies in a separate text editor and when you have it like you want, copy/paste into the forum. If something goes wrong then you still have what you typed.

[Demon]

I often CTRL-A CTRL-C, just to keep a backup.

Robert

[wdmagic]

I was just wondering, would it be hard to have it check the typed area for text before clearing it and notify user that this will erase the data?

Something like
Click on REPLY TO THREAD and if there is text in field...
"Are you sure you want to create a new reply, any changes will be lost"

also, if your sitting on the page after you have already clicked to reply, a little popup on the right pops up every minute or so and says "Auto-Saved" is there a way to access this? where is it saving this, and what is the save purpose if we cant access it?

[mackrackit]

This forum is provided to us for free. But people complain because they are not able to click on the correct button. What a bunch!

[Demon]

... if your sitting on the page after you have already clicked to reply, a little popup on the right pops up every minute or so and says "Auto-Saved" is there a way to access this? where is it saving this, and what is the save purpose if we cant access it?


Very true, I never looked to use this feature.

Robert

Edit: just noticed RESTORE CONTENT at bottom left of box.

[Charlie]

This forum is provided to us for free. But people complain because they are not able to click on the correct button. What a bunch!
I don't think anybody is complaining.

And to be clear, the Forum exists to promote the use of PBP, plain and simple, and nothing more. Any usability improvement furthers that goal, and is good for business.
This isn't a big deal for anybody - just a minor annoyance that is being pointed out. Clearly it impacts more than one person, including moderators. You should be thanking people for pointing these things out, not berating them for doing so.

Use a separate text editor? Now who's being silly?

[Demon]

Autosave worked perfect just now.

I had typed something several minutes ago, closed cell phone and did a few chores, came back to this thread, clicked REPLY TO THREAD again, clicked RESTORE and tadaa!

The text I typed earlier came back.

Autosave works perfectly, there is no need to modify the forum code.

Robert

[Heckler]

Am I blind???

Where is "Restore"?

[Demon]

Click REPLY TO THREAD, RESTORE AUTO-SAVED CONTENT is in border of box at bottom left if you have some saved text.

Type a reply, wait a bit, but don't post. Exit thread, come back in, reply, RESTORE should be enabled.

Robert

[wdmagic]

ok I was wondering if it was because I was using a older version of IE that I didnt see the restore, buts its there if I navigate away, so..

WooHoo, there is a way to restore your typed content if you hit the reply on accident, just navigate away from page as soon as it happens to prevent the page from autosaving the blank form, go back to thread and reply and restore content. This solved my issues and stress on losing text.

Thanks Demon for pointing it out where and when the Restore shows up. I had never seen it the way I browse pages. but now that I know its there and can restore my text, I will use it :)