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New post - different color?

Hi,

I manage a Vanilla Forum 3.3. But it's really annoying that there's nowhere to be found how to find the new posts. Automatically the posts aren't placed in discussions as new (there's an option to click when you post the post, but people miss that and don't click the right one). And besides, we have the categories as standard, as there are several older people who like the overview it gives. But then, there's no way to find the new post. No link 'new posts' or 'unread posts'. You have to open each and every category to see the 'new' term written next to the headline, which isn't doable.

Is it possible to change this? I have vanilla through my host Antagonist, and do not have much coding expertise. I've tried already to add some things to vanilla, and failed, because when you download some of those addons there's nowhere to be found how to do it in order to make it work for somebody who has no coding expertise... I barely know how to find the folders which contain vanilla forum in Antagonist...

Would be really helpful if somebody can help me out!

Thanks in avance

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Comments

  • KasparKaspar Moderator

    https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussions

    Show the discussions with latest comments, note the title is highlighted/bold when there unread comments and not when there is not.


    On your forum this may ofc differ depending on the theme used.

  • KasparKaspar Moderator

    This is handy for those wanting to land on /discussions when entering the forum

    https://open.vanillaforums.com/addon/userhomepage-plugin-1.0.1

  • KasparKaspar Moderator

    I missed this part in my quick skimming of your post

    "Automatically the posts aren't placed in discussions as new (there's an option to click when you post the post, but people miss that and don't click the right one)."


    Which theme do you use?

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    There is a deprecated feature which shows unread discussions. But you cannot rely on it being included in future Vanilla versions:

    /discussions/unread: https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussions/unread

  • I use Keystone theme (tried the different ones, none showed the unread categories, this one is to me the most readable), Cerulean (tried all the white theme options, none showed the unread categories, this one seems to give most overview).

    Okay, so I added a folder to the plugin map for the plugin you shared above, with the same name the folder has when you download it. Then I added the four (and second attempt also without the readme file) files in order to make another map to add the last file, just like the thing you download. But already with the first four files I get this error:

    "There is a symbolic link in that path. The path must be a full non-linked path."

    That link is perfect! Can I maybe just add a link to the menu with that link? Like, the menu on the right, which doesn't show on this vanilla forum by the way. I got a menu which has the options 'Categories/ Recent Discussions/ Activity/ My Discussions'. Would be perfect to add 'Unread' to this menu, with the link you just shared.

    Else I'll add a notification bar on top, I got the link to our homepage also as notification on top of the screen, because I don't know how to add it to the menu.

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    That is a very easy requirement, but hard to achieve for somebody without knowledge of Vanillas plugins. So here you are.

  • Thanks a lot! I can imagine it to be easy, somewhere a link which doesn't need to be there can be deleted out. But... as you say - its hard to achieve for me, without knowledge of plugins!

    But uhm... what you just shared, is it an addon or a plugin? When I try uploading it to the plugin directory I get the same error.

    "There is a symbolic link in that path. The path must be a full non-linked path."

    I thought Vanilla was supposed to be a bit easier, but I might need to reconsider my idea...

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    But uhm... what you just shared, is it an addon or a plugin? When I try uploading it to the plugin directory I get the same error.

    "There is a symbolic link in that path. The path must be a full non-linked path."

    1. It's a plugin. Nearly every extension you get from Vanilla is a plugin. Therefore, if in doubt, treat them as plugins.
    2. What stops you from using the search engine of your choice and search for that error? Really, I mean why even waste half a minute writing a complain here instead of doing copy and paste into a search engine?

    https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=%22There+is+a+symbolic+link+in+that+path.+The+path+must+be+a+full+non-linked+path.%22

    Fun fact here: the fifth link in the search results points to the antagonists support forum (and zero result in connection with vanilla). Obviously that's no Vanilla problem.


    I thought Vanilla was supposed to be a bit easier, but I might need to reconsider my idea...

    If you do, please be so fair to consider facts and not impressions.

    1. Thanks, I will treat them as plugins.
    2. Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I have actually searched rather a lot, and tried to understand the solutions which are available and found by me but they are very much not-understandable. I have even tried to edit the php with what I think is a hard link, but my solutions didn't work. So, again: sorry to bother you, no need to assume things about me, I'm just having trouble with Vanilla and was under the impression this forum is here to help. Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am, I'm sorry to have bothered people.
    3. The last comment about Vanilla being difficult: I had problems with my previous forum which was a free plugin in Wordpress, and love Vanilla thus far, much better. I just have troubles understanding anything which isn't already there, ready to be installed and managed. For a dummy like me it is still difficult, as I don't even know the difference between 'files' and 'directories', let alone php language. I try my best as I'm the most knowledgable in my organization when it comes to computers, it's just hard to catch up with people who are very knowledgable, like yourself. Especially when you want some things which aren't already standard available.

    I'm sad to see how fast I'm being judged here, by a moderator even. As if Vanilla isn't for dummy's, and I just shouldn't even try to make Vanilla work. I'm sorry to have caused impatience, but this really isn't okay. I understand people use this forum without even trying to solve the issues themselves, and that this can be frustrating. I'm not like that, don't judge everybody the same. I've worked for hours on this forum trying to solve this issue, and in the end I decided to post something here because I just don't understand the solutions given to me on the internet. It's sad that even the forum specially for helping out seems so impatient on people who aren't knowledgeable enough to understand the language used.

    Thanks for the help so far. I contact the direct admin, or Antagonist, in order to ask help for the error, as I understand this isn't a Vanilla problem. You didn't need to write that with such a tone - I just didn't know. I'm not attacking anybody, so please don't attack me for trying my best.

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    I admit it wasn't exceptionally polite. Sorry, it wasn't meant to be so rude as it obviously has been in your notion.

    I like helping, that's why as an answer to your question I provided you with a plugin to your question.

    I thought Vanilla was supposed to be a bit easier, but I might need to reconsider my idea...

    Sentences like that are not rare here and to be honest: I find them offending, unfair and demotivating. Sorry for taking it personal.


    Feel free to ask any questions you like. You'll see that although I might sound rude sometimes because I tend to use only a few words (in a language that is not my mothertongue), I'll try to be helpful at least.


    Some user of your hosting service had the same problem before, I'd assume, so looking at the forum might be already a help.

    But what I read, that error came up in connection with an uploader of any kind. Looks like you are using a web frontend for uploading. Most probably you have also received a FTP account. Use that for uploading. FileZilla is a good FTP client, though I prefer WinSCP (because it's smaller). When using FTP for upload, that error shouldn't come up.


    Please forget about that above posting, make a new start into this community and enjoy how supportive it usually is.

  • Just to let potential other readers know: I opened the plugin folder in the private area, not in the public area. Thanks to an employer of Antagonist who saw the problem when I send them the link where I tried uploading the plugins, the plugins are now functioning like they should.

  • @eelste hello. Judging is a good wonderful thing we all do everyday, a vital thing even for drivers and parents.

    Misjudging is another thing though, or is it prejudging. And this variation happens when we don't have all the facts (yet)... some fall into it via mere frail human haste, some via possible malice. And I myself in my not-so-good judging skill set, would think the latter is not where R_J hatched from. Seeing that R_J is probably the only person around here who would eventually be the one to thoroughly go through all the tunnels with you, patiently, until your issue is solved ..., I'd stick around a bit :)

    Also, as for titles, it used to be that moderators were paid, nah... not anymore, the modern open source system took care of all that ...

    Oh, but what on earth is here meant by "Antagonist"? As a part-time 500yr old playwright, I wonder if it is a good idea to intentionally hang around a person with such a title...

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