How to improve your experience with Apple Support Communities ( ASC )

Here is my Apple Support Communities ( ASC ) work flow...

1. Login. You need to login first. ASC requires you to be logged in to see you prior posts
2. At present February 24, 2017, Safari doesn't remember your password in the new signin panel. To get the old signin panel where Safari does remember the password use this link old apple login with supplied password thanks WZZZ for this tip [ may not be working in the future. Did work for me on Mar 6, 2018 ]. Chrome, Firefox and Waterfox do remember your password with the new signin panel [ If in their database ]. Another option for Waterfox is explained here: Re: new password not saved on these forums
3. Block the automatic 30 minute logout. Unless you do something every thirty minutes you get logged out. The forum software waits to tell you this as long as it can to keep you in suspense ;-) . At one point, filling out a reply is the exception to the thirty minute window.
4. Start an auto reloader. Thanks to ChitlinsCC
5. Use the My Suggestions page as way of staying logged in. You Open a web browser tab. Invoke the My Suggestions page. Leave running. Go do your work in other tabs. This leaves you logged in.
6. Run an autoreloader. Suggestions:

• • Safari = SafariTabReloader
  • Firefox = ReloadEvery: "Reload web pages automatically"
  • Waterfox = my Auto login and signin to ASC script. See: Adjust the format and layout of ASC Web Pages
  • Others = Reloaders | Cerberus - Support Center

1. Reply technique

• • Open a new browser window. Pick some discussion. Open a reply window. As long as this reply window is open, you will stay logged in. The 30 minute times is reset as needed by the ASC software. [ May no longer be working on July 18, 2020 ]

1. I open another window to do my normal ASC browsing. This leave an entire window for auto-reloading.
2. I use tabbed browsing. From a list of discussions, hold down the command key then click on the link. You get two tabs this way. The original window will keep where you have been.
3. I have a bookmarks to goto the discussions that I have participated in.
4. Adjust the ASC web page layout:
5. For FireFox, Waterfox and other web browsers,
6. I run with Hiroto's modification to user content. This is the only way these forums are readable for me. How to adjust the format and layout of ASC Web Pages:
7. https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-750
8. Read and answer my old posts. I kind of memorize the time I last posted.
9. How to avoid password hassles [ January 2017 ]:

• • Apple is in the process of implementing a new password panel. Note, whether or not you will get the new or old panel is a toss up [ weather in Cupertino? ]. Seems that the new panel prevents passwords from being saved. In Safari and iCab passwords will not be retrieved so that you will have to enter you password every time. In Firefox, Chrome, and Opera your password will be retrieved if your password for ASC is already in the password database. There is an addon for Waterfox to let you add passwords to the password database.
  • "'Remember this browser' option that can be checked when entering the 2-step code when logging into the site." by FoxFifth

1. How to avoid password hassles [ April 2018 ]:
2. Use Firefox or Waterfox for your web browser. I had to switch to Waterfox to run my Javascript additions. I recommend Firefox unless you need to run some customized javascript that doesn't work in Firefox 57 +. I'll assume you want to use Firefox as your web browser. You need to have Firefox save you asc login password. That means using the old asc login to save your password. See above for the old login link. The old password login may not work. This means running an old version of Firefox before 57 so you can run "saved password editor" which will allow you to edit in your password. There may be some trick to editing in your password.
3. Once you have your password saved and working with ASC, you can upgrade to the latest version of firefox.
4. To find you way around the communities, I use Turingtest2's "Site map of Communities and Categories"
5. Site map of Communities and Categories
6. I use the Waterfox web browser, a Firefox clone. Waterfox is the classic firefox browser without all the new coke stuff. [ In the late 80's coke changed their formula to taste like pepsi. People didn't like it and coke went back to the classic taste. ]
7. I recommend you get another apple id for asc. Do not attach a credit card to this id or remove your credit card after you create the id. Use it only for asc. This means you do not need to worry about all that security stuff like two factor login.
8. To have ASC log you into the page of your choice or to avoid the Welcome signin bug [ August 13, 2018 ], I use a method developed by ChitlinsCC. Begin reading about the technique with this post:
9. Re: Is this community nothing but endless bugs??

Robert