Extension:LiquidThreads/Notes

Some notes about LiquidThreads.

Links:

Note: LiquidThreads is being actively developed, so at times these notes may not be applicable. Please strike them as necessary.

Current issues

URL parameters seem long and awkward (e.g., &lqt_method=talkpage_new_thread)
Section anchors are named poorly (#lqt_thread_XXX); nobody knows or cares what lqt is; simpler language would be nice — update: 'nother example: &lqt_method=summarize&lqt_operand=330 operand? really?
Floating action box can be dizzying / aggravating when scrolling up and down
Header action buttons ([Edit↑] [History↑] [Delete↑]) seem awkwardly positioned
Thread index "Started by" column gives too much weight to original poster (perhaps remove the column altogether or at least make it optional)
No tooltip for the quote icon in the action box?
Icons are confusing (no idea what the pencil means and how it's different from the reply button, for example); both pencil and reply arrow mean write....
"Edited by other users" should be a link or something (it also gets covered up by the floating action box, which is a bit annoying)
There's a summary field for replies; not sure if that's necessary (perhaps pre-fill it?)
Need a graceful way to handle user signatures (~~~~)
Watch checkbox isn't clear whether you're watching the entire page or just the thread you're replying to
There appears to be non-optional em dash usage for signatures
Rounded corners won't be supported on older browsers (not sure they're good for a default; defaults should be as widely supported as possible, wikis can customize themselves)
Timestamp is really light currently (using #C0C0C0 currently)
Copying and pasting the timestamp of a reply is impossible with the floating action box
"Added to watchlist" message should probably be split for threads (you're not watching a page and its associated talk page...)
Perhaps add sortability to the "Last modified" column in the thread index
Search seems to be completely broken (tried searching for "love"; no results when there's clearly a "Love the small, dynamic post form" thread topic) — update: still seems to be completely broken; maybe the search index isn't being updated on lqt.labs.wm.o?
When summarizing a thread, there's a useless "Subject:" field (any changes are simply discarded) — update: still useless, though it seems to auto-fill now; should just be removed altogether
Summary is too similar to the original post; hard to differentiate between the two (even with the dark background) [I guess they shouldn't be in the same box???]
No ability to delete your own posts
No ability to delete others' posts
Deleting a post doesn't leave a marker in the thread (intentional? prone to abuse?)
No easy way to view log of deleted posts in a particular thread (I thought I saw a log somewhere.... can't seem to find it now)
Undeleting / restoring a post doesn't update "replies" count at the top of the page
No link from Special:Watchlist to Special:NewMessages (and vice versa)
LiquidThreads don't interact well with user renames (going to end up with nasty bot reliance; bad scene)
{{#UseLiquidThreads:1}}? what happens if a vandal removes this? Degrade gracefully (all threads apparently disappear)? Will these go into a special category ("Category:Pages with non-visible threads"?)? Reliance on AbuseFilter to prevent mischief?
Preview for summaries puts thread at all the way bottom (very easy to miss; should probably at least include the first section? or have a pointer to the bottom? or use some show/hide magic?)
Previewing replies doesn't show the reply in context of the thread (confusing as hell)
Summaries are signed; replies aren't (confusing for new users.... at a minimum should have a warning?)
Submitting a thread summary goes to the thread page; should maybe return to starting page?
All the "watch this page" checkboxes are confusing (don't know if you're watching just a summary, just a thread, the actual page, etc.)
Action box should never overlap with post content (http://pruebita.com/floating-overlap-is-evil.png) (see also: layout redesign idea 1 layout redesign idea 2)
Drop-down for threads per page (temporary)
Configurable number of displayed threads by count (per page [already filed], globally?, per namespace?)
Configurable number of displayed threads by timestamp (show all threads < 1 month on a talk page by default, or < 2 days) (per page? globally? per namespace?) [Might be a really good reason to cleanup ?action=info!]
"Start a new thread" box is confusing; seems like you could type in a new thread topic in the place where search is (similar to InputBox); perhaps make "start a new thread" a proper button and put it on a different line?
Add ability to protect a thread
Page protection should apply to the threads
There's no "redirected from" text for moved headers
"Last modified" column in the thread index needs white-space:nowrap;
RC feed is showing raw HTML (<a></a>) for thread moves
Overlap of long thread titles with the interface
"Link to / More" is confusing; they're at the bottom of the post, but the thread action links are above; needs better UI to indicate which post you're acting on
"Start a new discussion" is still confusing next to an input bar
"Summary" field isn't auto-filling until preview (using AJAX editing, at least)
Need rigorous testing with JS disabled
"Last modified" column in the thread index needs a white-space:nowrap; applied to it
Is "/reply" localizable yet? I know there's a bug about this and I thought it was fixed, but this wiki seems to indicate it's not (or the default has bad capitalization); need to investigate
"It's possible to post a hierarchical reply, you just use "Reply" in the menu for a particular post. It's possible to move threads into a hierarchical structure if you like. The point is that by default discussions will go linearly." → ugh, massive confusion here; needs to be re-thought
Auto-filled summary discards user input after preview (if the user wants to change it for whatever reason); either make it non-editable or change current behavior to not eat the user's changes
Any reason the thread index is limited to a certain width? May make more sense to give it 100%...
From the IRC RC feed: <snitch> Euku moved <a href="/wiki/Thread:Talk:LiquidThreads_testing/abcdefhg" title="Thread:Talk:LiquidThreads testing/abcdefhg">Thread:Talk:LiquidThreads testing/abcdefhg</a> from <a href="/wiki/Talk:LiquidThreads_testing" title="Talk:LiquidThreads testing">Talk:LiquidThreads testing</a> to <a href="/w/index.php?title=Talk:User_talk&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Talk:User t; http://liquidthreads-labs.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:log/move
- Cross-reference with on-wiki RC feed and try to figure out where the brokenness is
<title> not updating post-save using AJAX editing (referenced on this page)
Child threads don't get restored automatically when the parent thread is restored
Updating thread titles doesn't enter Special:Contributions or the RC feed (vandalism vector); it is logged in the full thread history—not sufficient, though
"Summarize" thread function doesn't use AJAX editing
"Change subject" link can be clicked an infinite number of times
"Change subject" "Save/Cancel" buttons overlap with thread action links ("History", etc.)
"More" --> "edit" --> make a change --> save --> sends user to the wrong section anchor
(bugzilla:21024) Add ability to make a thread sticky
(bugzilla:21024) Add ability to sink ("archive") a thread
(bugzilla:20536) Watch thread link needs more AJAX
(bugzilla:17114) Close disc-page for new threads
(bugzilla:19337) Some way to lock a thread to new posts
(bugzilla:19580) Make threads collapsible
(bugzilla:19975) Fix paging for LiquidThreads discussion pages
(bugzilla:20004) LiquidThreads search supports only Lucene
(bugzilla:20536) LiquidThreads thread-level commands need some lovin'
(bugzilla:20541) LiquidThreads notifications and watchlist notifications need to be unified
(bugzilla:20542) Experiment with embedding LiquidThreads discussion forums on other random pages (CodeReview etc)
(bugzilla:20545) Add AJAX-triggered inline search for LiquidThreads threads
(bugzilla:20579) Per-talkpage history function for LiquidThreads
(bugzilla:20589) LiquidThreads thread splitting and merging should be drag n drop
(bugzilla:20642) LiquidThreads tab customisation does not play nicely with Vector Skin
(bugzilla:20644) Messy 'new messages' pages
(bugzilla:20649) Inconsistent thread history display for thread view
(bugzilla:20684) Add feed for Special:NewMessages in LiquidThreads
(bugzilla:20890) LiquidThreads should store read/unread status for all messages for all users
(bugzilla:20909) LiquidThreads hasn't been tested on RTL
(bugzilla:20929) Show signature in preview
(bugzilla:20930) Lack of paper trail for thread splitting and merging
(bugzilla:20931) Hook edit for LiquidThreads post-edit updates
(bugzilla:20932) LiquidThreads editing toolbar does not work
(bugzilla:20933) LiquidThreads should have more display preferences
(bugzilla:20934) LiquidThreads has no support for RTL
(bugzilla:20935) LiquidThreads placeholders have no pointer to the new page
(bugzilla:20955) Restore quoting syntax
(bugzilla:20956) Menu does not work for thread permalinks
(bugzilla:20957) In-place editing of thread subjects
(bugzilla:20958) Threads in multiple places
(bugzilla:20961) Per-page configurable thread limit
(bugzilla:20965) LiquidThreads: API for creating and replying to threads
(bugzilla:20968) PLURAL support needed in JavaScripts
(bugzilla:21001) Blocked users cannot post to their own talk page.
(bugzilla:21021) LiquidThreads new messages should display the talk page each message is on
(bugzilla:21024) Ability to sticky, bump and bury threads
(bugzilla:21029) LiquidThreads toolbox prevents clicking or highlighting of content
(bugzilla:21055) Should be an option for whether or not to bump a topic when editing/replying to a thread
(bugzilla:21056) Make "Started By" column disablable
(bugzilla:21057) Moved thread notice breadcrumbs should assume the sort-key of the moved thread.
(bugzilla:21058) Reports that multi-level reply counting is not working correctly
(bugzilla:21067) Fully AJAXify post and edit cycle
(bugzilla:21170) Using liquid threads should't remove the edit tab, just change it
(bugzilla:21184) Within-session method of reattributing anonymous posts.
(bugzilla:21185) New Messages overflows horizontally
(bugzilla:21186) Dynamically loaded post/reply/edit forms lose changes on page transition
(bugzilla:21256) API should support &action=edit&section=new regardless of whether LiquidThreads is used on the page
(bugzilla:21268) LiquidThreads treats discussions on transcluded subpages as different discussions
(bugzilla:21319) Infinite recursion in Thread::loadAllData()
(bugzilla:21379) Notification to Special:NewMessages on talk page header change
(bugzilla:21380) Cannot get to 'old style' talk page history from talk page
(bugzilla:21381) PHP Fatal error: Call to a member function topmostThread() on a non-object
(bugzilla:21384) E-mail by empty sender
(bugzilla:21393) You have new messages. There are no new messages for you.
(bugzilla:21445) Headers not parsed in TOC
(bugzilla:21446) Need skin specific CSS for skins in the standard product
(bugzilla:21452) Information missing in thread history
(bugzilla:21457) Spammed by thread traffic
(bugzilla:21458) IE7 apparently unable to display edit box at nesting level > 9
(bugzilla:21462) Posting an reply to message at Special:NewMessages breaks the view
(bugzilla:21466) Exception: Post 50 has contaminated reply 50
(bugzilla:21507) Thread moves are logged to IRC in user language
(bugzilla:21531) Menu overlaps thread title
(bugzilla:21541) Pre-save transform not applied to LiquidThreads signatures
(bugzilla:21553) Remove LiquidThreads customisation of recentchanges
(bugzilla:21554) Missing second-level replies in thread permalink view
(bugzilla:21586) Should add logging table entries for thread actions
(bugzilla:21605) LiquidThreads: "This message has been edited" should have history link and last modified date
(bugzilla:21608) Only display thread fragments on Special:NewMessages
(bugzilla:21609) AJAX for post editing in LiquidThreads
(bugzilla:21610) Merge "new messages" with "my talkpage"
(bugzilla:21611) Preview button sometimes missing in action (editing a post with LiquidThreads)
(bugzilla:21612) Remove username from LQT titles
(bugzilla:21625) New Section Link
(bugzilla:21626) edit tools break LiquidThreads AJAX forms in IE
(bugzilla:21630) LiquidThreads needs testing under obscure skins
(bugzilla:21635) LiquidThreads data is not imported from database dumps
(bugzilla:21636) Toolbar overlaps horizontal rule
(bugzilla:21637) Infinite scrolling on LiquidThreads discussion pages
(bugzilla:21640) LiquidThreads revision storage breaks when serialised object size exceeds 65,555 bytes
(bugzilla:21648) LiquidThreads signatures present a difficult-to-revert vandalism vector
(bugzilla:21649) Remove signature button from toolbar
(bugzilla:21651) Call to undefined method ThreadDiffView::show()
(bugzilla:21652) Thread toolbar command list takes up too much space
(bugzilla:21670) Moving a thread leads to empty page (PHP Fatal error)
(bugzilla:21686) page "edit" link not working
(bugzilla:21687) Cannot edit new contributions any more.
(bugzilla:21688) Operlapping header and links
(bugzilla:21689) Reduce screen clutter by page index.
(bugzilla:21690) Allow users to set thread paging limit with preferences or view options.
(bugzilla:21691) Header lost ability to use pre-save wiki syntax
(bugzilla:21692) personal edit toolbar lost
(bugzilla:21693) Do not rearrange page content.
(bugzilla:21694) signatures duplicated.
(bugzilla:21695) Image overlapping text "wigger"
(bugzilla:21696) Avoid unnecessary images
(bugzilla:21697) Avoid unnecessary lines
(bugzilla:21698) Recompactify text in support page
(bugzilla:21699) LQT edit does not preserve "Watch this page" state
(bugzilla:21700) Restore "minor edit" selector.
(bugzilla:21701) Preview button is missing sometimes.
(bugzilla:21702) wasted screen space by series of links on separate lines.
(bugzilla:21703) Duplicated edit toolbar
(bugzilla:21704) needless link list overlaps images
(bugzilla:21705) All sections made identical
(bugzilla:21706) message incorrectly refering to "talk page"
(bugzilla:21707) message having wrong link
(bugzilla:21708) remove gray dates / times
(bugzilla:21721) LiquidThreads "delete" link displays when the page doesn't exist
(bugzilla:21722) LiquidThreads URL parameters and section anchors are ugly
(bugzilla:21723) LiquidThreads thread action links need tooltips
(bugzilla:21724) LiquidThreads thread summaries are unsigned
(bugzilla:21725) Link to link for LiquidThreads summaries doesn't use JavaScript
(bugzilla:21726) LiquidThreads "/reply" in page title should be localizable
(bugzilla:21727) LiquidThreads "start a new discussion" interface is confusing
(bugzilla:21728) LiquidThreads AJAX reply doesn't increment replies counter until refresh
(bugzilla:21729) LiquidThreads oldid links for replies have a bad interface
(bugzilla:21730) LiquidThreads "Fragment of a discussion" link uses an unnecessary section anchor
(bugzilla:21731) LiquidThreads "thread" tab doesn't take the user to the thread
(bugzilla:21732) LiquidThreads has confusing interaction with "watch" feature
(bugzilla:21733) LiquidThreads replies non-optionally add the thread to the watchlist
(bugzilla:21734) LiquidThreads posts don't catch manual user signatures gracefully
(bugzilla:21735) Standard LiquidThreads reply shouldn't have a "summary" input (or it should be auto-filled)
(bugzilla:21743) Strange reaction to subject blanking
(bugzilla:21756) Do not waste screen space with useless trash
(bugzilla:21757) Triple edit bar
(bugzilla:21758) edit bar appears six times
(bugzilla:21759) LiquidThreads should allow "mark unread"
(bugzilla:21852) Ability to modify redirects
(bugzilla:21880) LiquidThreads "start a new discussion" jumps down too far
(bugzilla:21901) LiquidThreads "start a new discussion" exhibits strange behavior
(bugzilla:21902) LiquidThreads new thread causes missing table of contents
(bugzilla:21903) LiquidThreads namespace names (Thread, Summary, Summary talk) cannot be localised
(bugzilla:21904) LiquidThreads thread titles obscured by thread action links
(bugzilla:21909) Please describe some LiquidThreads messages to allow better localisation
(bugzilla:21920) LiquidThreads "more" link is not accessible to keyboard

Resolved issues

~~You can add a summary of your summary? Yo dawg...~~
~~I think summarizing a thread now accuses me of editing someone else's post~~
~~Non-admins have a delete link~~
~~When you initially click reply, the edit toolbar doesn't appear (appears after previewing, though)~~
~~Perhaps remove "minor" checkbox altogether for replies?~~
~~No tooltips for the icons in the floating action box~~
~~&section=new doesn't add a new section, it modifies the header (this is confusing and kinda nasty)~~

Fixed, but not deployed

Thread index "Replies" column can be confusing (only counts direct replies to the original post) (rev:57427, rev:57428)
(bugzilla:20535) Display LiquidThreads permalink address in a dialog (rev:57427)
Cursor focus after hitting "start a new discussion" should be the subject field (rev:57428)
(bugzilla:21020) Page moves don't move the threads (rev:57455, rev:57483)
(bugzilla:20663) Orange bar of death when watching things (rev:57515)
(bugzilla:20663) Put "new messages" into the tooltips "new messaages (4)" (and add a special class for bolding when it is > 0) [related: bugzilla:20103] (rev:57515)

Raw notes

Commented out (though feel free to peek if you're bored).

Other notes

Edit problematic user signatures?