Stuck inside comment previews

January 4, 2006 6:33 PM

Please include a link to the thread itself when stuck inside comment preview mode.
posted by nixerman to Feature Requests at 6:33 PM (26 comments total)

Small pony: when you're stuck in the comment preview mode there's no clear link to the thread itself. The address bar URL is the post comment URL. Can we make the time stamp in the:

posted by nixerman to feature requests at 6:33 PM PST [!]

line a link to the thread itself?
posted by nixerman at 6:35 PM on January 4, 2006

Whaaaat? You are in the thread itself, what more could you want? Do you want to link within the thread? Then grab the link from the timestamp of the comment you want to link to. Do you want to link to the thread, instead of a comment? Then find a comment and strip off the pound sign and trailing stuff. What is your point man?
posted by caddis at 7:06 PM on January 4, 2006

Where is this happening? Describe what exact URL you are at, what button you clicked, then what URL you end up at, so I can try recreating it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 7:48 PM on January 4, 2006

1. Enter a thread.
2. Begin posting a comment.
3. Hit the preview button.
4. Post the comment. (optional)

You're now stuck in the 'Comment Preview' mode. This is fine but there's a small problem: in this view it's not possible to easily get the URL of the thread itself. Sometimes it's nice to be able to [Right Click]->[Copy Link] when, for example, you want to send a link to the thread through email.
posted by nixerman at 8:09 PM on January 4, 2006

I think nixerman means the line he quoted should have the thread link on the time, i.e.

posted by nixerman to feature requests at 6:33 PM PST [!]
posted by hangashore at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2006

Or rather, #4 above shouldn't be done at all. Stop at #3.
posted by nixerman at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2006

Yes, hangashore's got it. Sorry for the confusion.
posted by nixerman at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2006

Uhm, the timestamp already has the thread URL in it. It just has the #commentnumber string on the end.

Example (from nixerman's last post):

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/mefi/10955#277016

Just strip off the "#277016" and you have the URL.

And if that's not what you're talking about, color me confused, and pour/pack/dose me a double of whatever it is you're having.
posted by loquacious at 8:33 PM on January 4, 2006

loquacious, yes I know each comment's timestamp already has the comment permalink that includes the thread's url. I'd like for the timestamp initial post itself to have the url for the thread. Yes, I'm that lazy.
posted by nixerman at 8:49 PM on January 4, 2006

Hmm, I'm confused.

/hits the preview button

You can copy the link from the timestamp above the "Comment Preview:" header. Just remove the "#whatever" from the end, if you want (it's not strictly necessary)

It would also be nice if we could have the live preview still even after hitting the 'official' preview button.
posted by delmoi at 9:05 PM on January 4, 2006

er, I guess my last comment was redundant. Stop being so lazy.
posted by delmoi at 9:06 PM on January 4, 2006

So in the midst of writing comments, you often find the need to copy the URL of the current thread?
posted by smackfu at 9:14 PM on January 4, 2006

Could someone code up some ajax that will wipe my ass for me? And not just with toilet paper, maybe some of those nice flushable wipes? TIA
posted by puke & cry at 9:15 PM on January 4, 2006

Just strip off the "#277016" and you have the URL.

No, you're not getting it. Follow nixerman's first 3 steps and then look at the URL displayed in the field at the top of the browser. What I see is this:

"http://metatalk.metafilter.com/contribute/post_comment_preview.mefi#comment"

That does seem like a minor bug, and while I can't recall the specifics right now, there have indeed been times when I've thought it would have been nice to have the normal thread URL there instead.
posted by mediareport at 9:44 PM on January 4, 2006

smackfu, yes, that's exactly the problem. In the midst of previewing comments I'd like an easy way to grab the URL of the current thread. I don't think it's particularly unreasonable. Timestamps already serve as permalinks in comments. It'd make sense for post's timestamp to serve as a thread link in both the thread itself (and probably also on the front page though that's a separate issue).

Sure, laugh at me now. But someday you'll see that my way is the right way. And then you'll pay.

I also don't like how on the comment preview page there's a big 'OR' in between the 'Post Comment' and 'Preview' button. This isn't 1989 and we don't need literal interfaces anymore! The 'OR' jumps out at me and throws off my edit->preview->edit loop. But that's another battle for another day. Oh yes, another day.
posted by nixerman at 9:47 PM on January 4, 2006

puke & cry hits it dead on. Though delmoi's suggestion (still have Live Preview even after you hit the Preview button) is a good one that I hope mathowie considers.
posted by SuperNova at 11:07 PM on January 4, 2006

In the midst of previewing comments I'd like an easy way to grab the URL of the current thread.

Open a new tab/window. Navigate to the thread in question. Copy. Paste.

Aside to puke & cry: sorry, can't won't help you there.
posted by mmahaffie at 4:52 AM on January 5, 2006

mediareport writes "That does seem like a minor bug,"

Ah, yes, this has bit me too though I can't remember the cirumstances either.
posted by Mitheral at 6:39 AM on January 5, 2006

Is that clear enough?
posted by delmoi at 8:49 AM on January 5, 2006

Sorry, I only have paintbrush at work.
posted by delmoi at 8:50 AM on January 5, 2006

That's not a suggestion, that's how things are right this moment.
posted by delmoi at 8:52 AM on January 5, 2006

Bold line work. Frenetic, almost childish script juxtaposed with mechanical type-setting. Arrestingly simple palette.

Breathtaking, really.
posted by cortex at 9:09 AM on January 5, 2006

delmoi, as I said earlier, I know how to determine the thread URL from a comment permalink. It'd be nice though if I didn't have to do this transformation manually and the thread simply included a link to itself. It'd also make it easier to jump out of comment preview mode and back to the normal thread itself. It'd also make the site more consistent since timestamps everywhere would be links. It'd also make the Baby Jesus stop crying. For a little while.

Good work on the graphic though.
posted by nixerman at 11:40 AM on January 5, 2006

We got it, delmoi, before the graphic, but I guess what I was wondering is why previewing takes you off the URL for the page you're actually on. Again, it seems like a minor bug, and it's a minor thing to notice it and comment.
posted by mediareport at 6:07 PM on January 5, 2006

Er, nevermind. A couple of other sites with comments do a similar (though shorter) version of the same thing. Sorry for being dense.
posted by mediareport at 6:35 PM on January 5, 2006

Okay. Well, it seemed like some people didn't seem to get it. Oh well.
posted by delmoi at 2:06 PM on January 6, 2006