# Why are all threads marked "read?" **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 23, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880 "2008-09-23T19:13:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/1 "2008-09-23T19:13:32Z")
Ever since the upgrade, whenever I read a thread in a forum and click back to the main page, all of the threads are marked as “read,” not just the one I _did_ read. Where do I fix this problem? I’m guessing it’s a setting in my User CP, but where? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/2 "2008-09-23T19:43:51Z")
I would love to know this as well. It’s kind of annoying. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/3 "2008-09-23T19:47:21Z")
It’s a vBulletin global setting – only the admins can change it, I think. I’ve been complaining about it in a couple other threads, and got an “I’ll ask Jerry” response from TubaDiva. This was a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/4 "2008-09-23T20:20:29Z")
I’ve found that as long as I use the back button from what I’ve read, they aren’t marked read. Of course, once I post, that changes things. I agree that it’s annoying; I’m sure it’s on the list with 5,000 other things for Jerry to do sometime. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/5 "2008-09-23T20:39:44Z")
So long as it’s not just me! Jerry, put this on the far-back burner. You’re busy enough as is. I’ll adjust. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/6 "2008-09-23T22:31:43Z")
This problem seems to be fixed for me, today anyhow. ETA: No it’s not. Sorry. Never Mind. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/7 "2008-09-23T23:02:13Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I’ve found that as long as I use the back button from what I’ve read, they aren’t marked read. Of course, once I post, that changes things. If you use the back button, but don’t reload, the previous page comes from your cache and reflects the state of the page at sometime in the past; static. If you reload (automatically or manually), it should update. Is that what happens? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/8 "2008-09-24T17:53:32Z")
Another vote for “Damn, this is annoying,” since I’m a big fan of “go to first unread.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/9 "2008-09-24T18:10:54Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Another vote for “Damn, this is annoying,” since I’m a big fan of “go to first unread.” Add another vote to that. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/10 "2008-09-24T19:02:46Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > If you use the back button, but don’t reload, the previous page comes from your cache and reflects the state of the page at sometime in the past; static. If you reload (automatically or manually), it should update. Is that what happens? Yes, that is what happens. If the “reset timer” is set to a duration longer than zero (many forums set it for a few hours; one forum I frequent has it set for one week (!)), when the page updates after a reload, threads with unread posts remain marked as such until the timer expires. Before the upgrade, it was set to something like 15 minutes. Right now the SDMB apparently has it set to zero. Click on any forum link, even a link to page 2 of whatever subforum you’re on, and all threads are marked as read. TubaDiva suggested a workaround, by opening threads in separate tabs, leaving the thread list page open in the original tab. Of course, this still only works with page one. And, if you want to read more than one subforum, better open all the subforums you are going to read in separate tabs first. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/11 "2008-09-24T19:11:58Z")
Just missed the edit window – I should clarify that all threads in the particular sub-forum you’re reading are marked as read. I’m not sure if that carries over to the other subforums – I haven’t checked specifically for that, and I seem to remember it happening both ways, and that can’t be right.😕 As such, the last sentence in my previous post may not apply. But it couldn’t hurt.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/12 "2008-09-25T00:25:12Z")
If by “marked read” you mean no longer in bold type, the bold doesn’t indicate “unread”, it indicates “new”, so it only shows for threads added or updated since the last time you opened the page. If you leave and come back, it updates the status for the new “last time”. The only read/unread difference that I can see is the colour change for the link text on previously visited threads, which is actually controlled by your browser history settings, not by vBulletin. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/13 "2008-09-25T01:19:24Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > If by “marked read” you mean no longer in bold type, … Dunno about anyone else, but I mean the open/closed envelope to the left of the thread title. Open = unread or new content; closed = read or nothing new since my last visit. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/14 "2008-09-25T01:46:02Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Dunno about anyone else, but I mean the open/closed envelope to the left of the thread title. Open = unread or new content; closed = read or nothing new since my last visit. Yes, that’s how read and unread threads are distinguished for me as well. (I’ve always thought the iconography was backwards – the closed envelope should indicate something that hasn’t been read yet – the envelope is still sealed. But I digress.) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/15 "2008-09-25T11:48:42Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I’ve always thought the iconography was backwards – the closed envelope should indicate something that hasn’t been read yet – the envelope is still sealed. But I digress.) I’ve always thought the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/16 "2008-09-25T15:04:48Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Dunno about anyone else, but I mean the open/closed envelope to the left of the thread title. Open = unread or new content; closed = read or nothing new since my last visit. The description of the thread icons at the bottom says only “new” for the open envelope, not “unread”. As far as I can recall, this is the same as the old version of the software. This would make sense, as most visitors want to know whether there is anything new posted since their last visit, aand wouldn’t care that any threads they didn’t bother to read or manually flag as read on their last visit are still unread. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/17 "2008-09-25T17:13:49Z")
I think there’s something else going on here, as Jerry had set the “database read marking limit” to 10 days. 10 DAYS. There must be something else going on that is making this setting irrelevant. Again, it’s a Jerry solution as I can’t find anything to fix this. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/18 "2008-09-25T17:33:41Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > There must be something else going on that is making this setting irrelevant. > > Again, it’s a Jerry solution as I can’t find anything to fix this. Thanks for the update. Hopefully Jerry can get time to look at this soon. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-all-threads-marked-read/464880/19 "2008-09-26T04:46:32Z")
> [@RobuSensei](#): > > Yes, that is what happens. > > If the “reset timer” is set to a duration longer than zero (many forums set it for a few hours; one forum I frequent has it set for one week (!)), when the page updates after a reload, threads with unread posts remain marked as such until the timer expires. > > Before the upgrade, it was set to something like 15 minutes. Right now the SDMB apparently has it set to zero. Click on any forum link, even a link to page 2 of whatever subforum you’re on, and all threads are marked as read. > > TubaDiva suggested a workaround, by opening threads in separate tabs, leaving the thread list page open in the original tab. Of course, this still only works with page one. And, if you want to read more than one subforum, better open all the subforums you are going to read in separate tabs first. This is my default reading style. I started doing this because I found the original 15 minute setting too short.