Yellowbox

Q: Using the new-look forums, asking for positive comments

Dear Fellow Users,

 

I am starting a discussion on how to make the most of this revised website for Apple Support Communities. Please keep this discussion positive. Please confine complaints to one of the many negative threads.

 

Remember that many of these changes are the result of feedback to Apple. We may have got what we wished for.

 

Gains:

- Spell checker in the Reply box;

-

 

New ways of working:

- The blue dot has gone. I can't tell which discussions I have or haven't read.

Tip by deggie. In the home page of a forum, click to the right of the address bar of your browser, add /content at the end of the URL. Press enter. You will see three options across the page just above the threads: All Content, User Tips and Discussions. Click on Discussions. Threads with new content will have titles that are in bold. Now save that page in your browser bookmarks. For example, my bookmark for the 'Using Apple Support Communities' forum, shows this URL:

https://discussions.apple.com/community/using_apple_support_communities/content? filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~objecttype~objecttype%5Bthread%5D

 

And the view is Bold for unread

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-22 at 12.20.17 am.png

 

 

- The forums keep logging me off after a period of inactivity.

Good. That may stop the spammers posting multiple messages that have nothing to do with the purpose of a forum.

 

 

More gains or workarounds, anyone?

 

Regards,

Ian.

 

<Link Edited By Host>

Posted on Jun 21, 2014 9:55 AM

Close

Q: Using the new-look forums, asking for positive comments

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

first Previous Page 3 of 12 last Next
  • by PlotinusVeritas,

    PlotinusVeritas PlotinusVeritas Jun 22, 2014 1:51 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 6 (14,806 points)
    Jun 22, 2014 1:51 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Yellowbox wrote:

     

    . Illegitimi non carborundum .

     

     

     

    vox populi, et laudem odor mortis

    As for the site currently,....  bonitas non est pessimis esse meliorem

     

     

    To quote a movie   "You're polishing the brass on the Titanic".

  • by R C-R,

    R C-R R C-R Jun 22, 2014 3:24 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 6 (17,675 points)
    Jun 22, 2014 3:24 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Ian,

     

    Not trying to be negative but in the spirit of accuracy, note that we had the "Incoming Links" feature in the old format too. It was located on the upper right part of the page, along with the "More Like This" list, the Top Participants list, & the points legend. Personally, I think it is a minor step back to have it at the bottom of what can be very long pages where it is easier to overlook, but maybe that's just me.

     

    Also, the email notification workaround for finding new posts is not very useable for those trying to follow several active Communities because it can result in a flood of emails. This is particularly a problem for those users that have quota limits on their email accounts or do not have high speed access to the Internet. And of course, if you have a question relating to Mail.app or some other email client app not working, email notifications are not going to do you any good.

     

    On the positive side, it may have been mentioned & I missed it but the "in response to" line in the header of replies is (as it was in the last version) a clickable link to the post it is replying to, but it works better now (although not always perfectly). Likewise, auto-save for replies works much better now, although it too has a few bugs that hopefully will be ironed out in the coming days & weeks.

     

    And while it is still really too early to tell, I am at least hopeful that this new version will be much more stable than the last one, resulting in far fewer unplanned "we'll be back soon" outages.

  • by Yellowbox,

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Jun 22, 2014 4:55 AM in response to R C-R
    Level 6 (10,485 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 22, 2014 4:55 AM in response to R C-R

    Hi R C-R,

     

    Thanks for your positive reply.

     

    we had the "Incoming Links" feature in the old format too

     

    Oops, I never did notice that. Thanks. Maybe that now it is at the bottom in larger letters with its own space, even I will be able to find it (I usually go to the last post of a thread I am following).

     

    Incoming Links

     

    Also, the email notification workaround for finding new posts is not very useable for those trying to follow several active Communities because it can result in a flood of emails.

     

    Yes, I did worry about that. Maybe Frank Caggiano could advise. I am not sure how Frank's tip (for the old-look forums) will work in these new-look forums. Duh!

    Maybe Carolyn's tip to

    Open your profile then click Preferences then switch:  Email notifications for content I'm following ON.

    applies only to the content (discussions) being followed, and not the whole forum. Fingers crossed!

     

    I am at least hopeful that this new version will be much more stable than the last one, resulting in far fewer unplanned "we'll be back soon" outages.

     

    Yes, I think (and hope) you are right.

     

    Thanks again R C-R for being positive.

     

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • by Yellowbox,

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Jun 22, 2014 8:45 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 6 (10,485 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 22, 2014 8:45 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Dear Fellow Users,

     

    After a browse around this forum, I see many complaints that the new "fix it" solutions (such as add "/content" to an URL, or make a new bookmark) don't stick.

     

    Perhaps they don't stick because clicking on the "Return to <whatever forum>" button at the bottom of a discussion returns us to the default view. For example:

     

    Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 1.40.53 am.png

     

    takes us to the default view.

     

    Instead, use the back button in your browser to return to the previous forum view (your chosen view).

     

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • by Yellowbox,

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Jun 22, 2014 9:47 AM in response to deggie
    Level 6 (10,485 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 22, 2014 9:47 AM in response to deggie

    Hi Deggie,

     

    Your helpful and supportive post (where I awarded you a gold star) has been removed from this thread and the gold star was returned to me. I am not sure what is going on, but thank you for your support. Here is the gold star returned to you.

     

    Regards,

    Ian

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jun 22, 2014 10:04 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 22, 2014 10:04 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Ian (pardon my use of realName, but you posted it) ;-)

     

    Great resource for workarounds (you know my true feelings)

     

    If you've got kids, you will see the humor/sadness in the following scenario...

     

    You buy your son an old car. He's used to borrowing your Cadillac for dates. He's sooo happy to have his OWN CAR! To start the car requires that he open the hood, bang on the battery terminal, jiggle the distributor cap, place one spark plug wire over a hose, pour a little gas in the carbeurator (no air filter BTW) and pull an electrical lead just right. OK, shut the hood, go get in the car, shut the door, turn the key = nuthin. Repeat. OK car starts. To get her in reverse to back out of the driveway, he's gotta count clicks of the shift lever because the gear indicator is broke and always shows "N". Count clicks again for Drive. Now, to keep it running at a stoplight, he's gotta count clicks on the shifter to find neutral, then rev the engine rpms to keep from stalling (don't forget the Mason jar with gas in it in case it does). He finally gets to his girlfriends housefor his hot date and shuts her off. Goes to the door. Ding dong. She opens the door and gasps "OMG! It's Soooo Beautiful" (car has a great paint job, wheels and tires). He opens her door, helps her in, closes the door. Then, he has to go through the "start the car" routine all over again. He's got grease and grime on his hands and clothes when he gets in to start her up. Nothin. Starts to get out, when his hot girlfriend says "Tommy, I just CAN'T be seen in this piece of junk!<-not her actual word) -- We're through!" She gets out and storms in the house. Tommy cries real tears.

     

    Funny as H*** to you, but tragic as H*** to him

     

    Maybe they get back together, maybe not... but Tommy still has his NEW CAR!!!

     

    Question... Do you break down and tell him your sorry? Do you fix his car where it really is a Rockin Ride? Do you call his hot girlfriend and explain in an effort to put things right?

     

    It's parable - Vini, Vidi, Vici

     

    JJordan (JJ) aka CCC

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jun 22, 2014 10:27 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 22, 2014 10:27 AM in response to Yellowbox

    BTW Ian,

     

    All these workarounds are for the Helpers, right? The questioners are not likely to be regular community participants, right?

     

    Many helpful tips. Some of these things seem a little rudimentary for veterans (referring to "use the Back Button" for instance)

     

    More Helpful regarding the "/content" issue, perhaps:

     

    Use the /content page as a kind of menu...

     

    Control+[click the link] = opens in a new tab

     

    do ones bizness

     

    Close the tab

     

    Voila, back your makeshift menu

     

    Reload the page (Optional)

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jun 22, 2014 10:51 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 22, 2014 10:51 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Ian,

     

    You said:

     

    Gains:

    - Incoming Links at the bottom of this discussion is how I found a similar thread by ChitlinsCC. Hi CC, great minds think alike.

     

    - The Search feature automatically updates as you edit the search terms.

    - Advanced Search automatically updates as you refine the search criteria.

    - Advanced Search now allows you to choose only those questions that have been answered (but not necessarily 'Problem Solved')!

     

    First thanx for the acknowledgement, either I'm confused, you're confused or the SiteWare is confused...

     

    I do not recall (early signs of Dementia?) making that post. As a matter of fact, I would Love to know how to access "Advanced Search". I have even tried a plain search (in the TabBar) for the term "advanced search". Buncha hits, none relevant to ACS.

     

    HowTo would be great!

     

    With advanced search would I have had to try and remember where I saw the above reference. Does it search PostText?

     

    CCC aka JJ

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jun 22, 2014 1:23 PM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 22, 2014 1:23 PM in response to Yellowbox

    On the MyStuff (Your Stuff) page...

     

    Don't know if it is a gain or just the first time for ME

     

    The List Actively Updates right before your very eyes! No Reload, nuthin.

     

    Neat. (That is if I am not still in Wonderland)

  • by R C-R,

    R C-R R C-R Jun 22, 2014 4:35 PM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 6 (17,675 points)
    Jun 22, 2014 4:35 PM in response to ChitlinsCC

    ChitlinsCC wrote:

    As a matter of fact, I would Love to know how to access "Advanced Search". I have even tried a plain search (in the TabBar) for the term "advanced search". Buncha hits, none relevant to ACS.

     

    HowTo would be great!

    I was puzzled about that too. I found the answer sneakily obscurely hidden in the last line of the Tutorials overview page (emphasis added):

    Use advanced search features

    If you can’t what you’re looking for with the Search or Ask a Question bar, try an advanced search. Click Search near the upper-right corner of any communities page. Type your search terms and press Return. Then use the advanced search tools to find what you need.

    Not the most intuitive thing in the world, is it?

     

    BTW, a couple of other tips of variable usefulness I have gathered from other users:

     

    • I copied the actual URL of the Tutorials overview page & pasted it above. As you can see, it was automatically converted to the new ASC style link. That's fine here, but sometimes you might want to show the actual URL (like https://discussions.apple.com/community/tutorials). There are several ways to do that but the easiest one (also not at all intuitive) is to type command+z (undo) immediately after pasting in the URL & it is auto-converted.

     

    • If you use the "/contents" workaround but are not seeing new or updated discussions bolded in the list ("details") view, it probably means you are still on the blue default "All Contents" tab. For some odd reason, nothing is bolded in that view. Clicking the "Discussions" tab will get you to the bolded list. You can include that in a browser bookmark with the additional suffixes like Yellowbox mentioned in his first post, but be aware that for some things, like the Categories (subtopics) in some of the Communities (for example Mavericks > Using OS X Mavericks), you will have to create a separate bookmark for each of them because the default for each of them currently is the "All Contents" tab.

  • by R C-R,

    R C-R R C-R Jun 22, 2014 5:21 PM in response to R C-R
    Level 6 (17,675 points)
    Jun 22, 2014 5:21 PM in response to R C-R

    Something very weird is going on in this discussion. A "martin from" posted the following a few minutes ago & I tried to reply to it but got a "not authorized to post in this discussion" error when I hit the "Reply" button. After refreshing the page, that post was gone, but I cannot see any reason why it would have been deleted for a ToU violation.

     

    Anyway, below is the "recovered" reply. Hopefully it will post & be of some help to martin & maybe others...

    martin from wrote:

    Ok I give up. How does one find 'Your discussions' ?

    There is no "Your Discussions" as such in the new format. However, as has been mentioned, the "/content" suffix added to ASC URLs will get you something more like the old format.

     

    For instance, I am using this to get to a list of all the discussions I have participated in:

    https://discussions.apple.com/content?filterID=participated~objecttype~objecttyp e%5Bthread%5D

     

    Obviously, this is not something I want to type in every time I want to see that list! So the workaround I use for that is to create a browser bookmark (which I named "My Discussions") with that URL as its address. I have done the same thing for quite a few other ASC links, so to keep things from getting out of hand I created a folder named "ASC" in Safari's "Favorites" bar & I keep all those links in it.

  • by PlotinusVeritas,

    PlotinusVeritas PlotinusVeritas Jun 22, 2014 5:39 PM in response to R C-R
    Level 6 (14,806 points)
    Jun 22, 2014 5:39 PM in response to R C-R

    About 60% of this thread was AX'd  yesterday eve

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Jun 22, 2014 5:45 PM in response to R C-R
    Level 7 (26,134 points)
    iCloud
    Jun 22, 2014 5:45 PM in response to R C-R

    Am I missing something? I can find all of "My Discussions" when I go to Content>Participated....Was the question being asked looking for something different?

     

    GB

  • by martin from,

    martin from martin from Jun 22, 2014 6:11 PM in response to R C-R
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 22, 2014 6:11 PM in response to R C-R

    Thanks RC-R. Also, as Gail from Maine says above, you can go Content> then in list that comes up on left side down the page, participated etc.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jun 22, 2014 6:31 PM in response to R C-R
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 22, 2014 6:31 PM in response to R C-R

    R C-R, same result for me. Hard to believe that his post was considerd to be offending anyone's sensibilities.

     

    If martin is still here after being sent to the Jailhouse, I believe you mean the YourStuff Page.

     

    It is associated with your AppleID. For instance mine is here James Jordan (rollover to see the URL)

     

    When you are logged-in, it is titled "Your Stuff | Appple Support Communities"

     

    I guess it replaces the oldSite 'personalized' page, although it can't be tailored like th old one.

     

    I use as a kind of base camp.

     

    Command+Click[whateverLink] and it opens in a new tab. close the tab when finished there to go back to camp

     

    Hope this helps ya morgan ?????

first Previous Page 3 of 12 last Next