# Problem children / punch list for fixes / TIPS AND TRICKS **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044 "2020-06-22T01:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/202 "2020-06-22T17:14:47Z")
I am also using Discourse classic, and I see the “2 Replies” thing at the lower left under any post that has replies. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/203 "2020-06-22T17:19:52Z")
I sent this via email but one never knows where email ends up these days: Hey Jenny - The “Forum Jump” links in the footer are incorrect. They are relative links like “c/main/cafe-society” but they should be absolute links “/c/main/cafe-society” Without that first / in the URL, the url will be appended to the current page’s URL: [https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-confederate-flags-be-banned-from-nascar-events/855321/c/main/cafe-society](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-confederate-flags-be-banned-from-nascar-events/855321/c/main/cafe-society) With that first / in the URL the link will come after the host, as you want [https://boards.straightdope.com/c/main/cafe-society](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/main/cafe-society) ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/204 "2020-06-22T17:25:20Z")
“Less than optimal?” Did you take a look at my avatar? 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/205 "2020-06-22T17:26:58Z")
A lot of problems switching over? I expected that. A lot of problems being solved _very_ fast? A pleasant surprise. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/206 "2020-06-22T18:04:00Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > I am also using Discourse classic, and I see the “2 Replies” thing at the lower left under any post that has replies. You’re right; I see it know. On Classic it is barely grey text on a white background, until moused over, and then it is nice and easy to read. I blame Apple for the UI trend of hiding elements until you put the mouse on them. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/207 "2020-06-22T18:41:36Z")
Apologies if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but is there any way to change the column of posts from fixed width to variable? When viewing the board on my desktop, I end up with a lot of whitespace on each side of the posts. It’s not the end of the world, but it would be more visually pleasing and easier to read if the posts filled the available space as they did on vBulletin. This may be a tweak that has to happen within a theme, if it’s even possible at all. But given the impressively rapid improvements being made to Sam’s Simple Theme, I thought I’d throw this out there. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/208 "2020-06-22T18:43:14Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Apologies if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but is there any way to change the column of posts from fixed width to variable? When viewing the board on my desktop, I end up with a lot of whitespace on each side of the posts. It’s not the end of the world, but it would be more visually pleasing and easier to read if the posts filled the available space as they did on vBulletin. > > This may be a tweak that has to happen within a theme, if it’s even possible at all. But given the impressively rapid improvements being made to Sam’s Simple Theme, I thought I’d throw this out there.  It needs to be done with a theme. I use an auto-zoom extension to automatically zoom the page in by 20%, so that helps some. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/209 "2020-06-22T19:16:29Z")
Maybe it’s right under my nose somewhere and I’m just missing it. But how does one start a new thread? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/210 "2020-06-22T19:17:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Maybe it’s right under my nose somewhere and I’m just missing it. But how does one start a new thread? Main way is to open a forum and click the New Topic button. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/211 "2020-06-22T19:19:49Z")
Oh, there it is. I didn’t see it; and of course it doesn’t say New Topic on it. It’s just an orange circle on the lower right with a plus sign on it. But thanks for the hint that I was looking for a button someplace. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/212 "2020-06-22T19:21:20Z")
It looks different in different themes - color, shape, location. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/213 "2020-06-22T19:25:51Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Oh, there it is. I didn’t see it; and of course it doesn’t say New Topic on it. It’s just an orange circle on the lower right with a plus sign on it. Tha fuck? I’ve never seen that. What device/browser are you using? I want to add that to my FAQ. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/214 "2020-06-22T19:27:46Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > What device/browser are you using? Firefox on a Mac desktop. Material Design Theme. I think some of the problems many are having are indeed that we’re not all seeing the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/215 "2020-06-22T19:28:17Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I think some of the problems many are having are indeed that we’re not all seeing the same thing. Oh definitely. Sooooo many options. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/216 "2020-06-22T19:29:54Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Firefox on a Mac desktop. Material Design Theme. Ok, I see it now. Is that typical for Macs? ETA: same thing on PC. So it’s gotta be the theme. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/217 "2020-06-22T20:08:34Z")
What\_Exit, what is that search supposed to do? Is it to help me with the lack of subscribed threads?[quote=“What\_Exit, post:184, topic:911044, full:true”] Try this search link: [https://boards.straightdope.com/search?expanded=true&q=in%3Atrackig](https://boards.straightdope.com/search?expanded=true&q=in%3Atrackig) [/quote] Also, do I really have to quote the post to attach my reply to that post? I read that if I didn’t it would just attach to the poster not the post. What? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/218 "2020-06-22T20:27:20Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Also, do I really have to quote the post to attach my reply to that post? I read that if I didn’t it would just attach to the poster not the post. What? No, just click Reply and type away. It will attach properly whether or not you quote the post. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/219 "2020-06-22T20:31:19Z")
I was bothered by the threading feature that lets people reply to someone’s post without quoting it. When you read the following post in the normal unthreaded view, it’s not necessarily responding to the message directly above, which I found confusing. But then I noticed that (in Sam’s Simple Theme, at least) there is an icon in the upper right corner of the post that indicates which poster this post is responding to. That made it much easier to follow the conversation. SST also neatly answers at least one of my other complaints by showing the names (instead of the avatars) of the OP and last poster. I don’t know about you, but knowing the OP is a good sign of whether I’ll be interested in this thread, and I found the row of avatars other themes display basically useless for that purpose. Here’s my request: can we have a dark version of SST? I find Vincent’s theme quite attractive and easy to read, but it wasn’t easy to use. A dark version of Sam would be the best of both worlds. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/220 "2020-06-22T20:32:24Z")
I came here to say, clicking mean using the mouse, which is stupid, when my hands are already on the keyboard, but now I realize that I can no longer click the “Reply” button and have it in a new tab. That’s critical functionality for me, because I can leave what I’m replying to in a new tab while continuing to read the thread before I decide whether or not I really do want to reply. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044/221 "2020-06-22T20:36:39Z")
Not impressed by the search feature. I’ve try finding an old thread of mine from 2013 and could not find any results no matter how I put it in. I believe it was called “Ask the guy who was stabbed in the heart”. I search under my user name (Si\_Amigo) and a combination of words in the title but no luck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-children-punch-list-for-fixes-tips-and-tricks/911044.md?page=12)