The case of the disappearing post

March 19, 2002 4:33 AM

In Metatalk, when I hit Preview and then Back to edit the post, the post disappears.
posted by ParisParamus to Bugs at 4:33 AM (27 comments total)

Can I just mention that four of the last nine posts to 'bugs' have been by PP, and none of them have actually been bugs?

I leave it to others with more patience to explain this latest...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:08 AM on March 19, 2002

Why would you hit back to edit a post? The preview allows you to edit it on the same damn page...
posted by revbrian at 5:10 AM on March 19, 2002

not in Metatalk.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:26 AM on March 19, 2002

That's funny. It works just fine for me!

This second line was typed in preview.
posted by revbrian at 5:51 AM on March 19, 2002

Line one in MeTa.

Line two in Preview one.

Line three, it seem s to work for me.
posted by bjgeiger at 6:17 AM on March 19, 2002

A real and related bug, not to say bastard, for me is that I can only check one link at a time. I copy and paste but the moment I click on a link and then hit "Back" it always times out, on MetaFilter and MeTa. So I have to paste and chance it, by just proof-reading and not checking if the other links work - or make additional comments for each of the other links. The second is easier, but must be very annoying for other users.

Funnily enough this doesn't happen when I'm on the notalentassclown server(it takes much longer to preview, but never times out)or when the page is rendered as static. I'm on 2K Pro/IE 6. Anyone know of a cure, i.e., what's this notepad that people sometimes mention? Or is that just a nice name for the cut-and-paste function?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:13 AM on March 19, 2002

I think PP is talking about posting a thread, not a comment. In that circumstance on MeTa, I don't get a preview editing window either. But so what...I learned a long time ago to edit my posts in another application and then paste them to this site
posted by bingo at 8:17 AM on March 19, 2002

BTW...this is thread #1984. Shhhh...Big Brother is watching.
posted by ColdChef at 8:53 AM on March 19, 2002

What happened to the one MeTa post per week restriction?
posted by anapestic at 9:43 AM on March 19, 2002

Miguel: to check your links, why not open them in a new window? (Holding down shift, or right-clicking and choosing the appropriate option, is the way to go on my machine - your mileage may vary.) This eliminates any need for the "back" button.
posted by gleuschk at 9:59 AM on March 19, 2002

PP ran out of FPP's to whine about, and is now focusing on his browser. Lets send him to redmond to straighten gates out.
posted by quonsar at 10:02 AM on March 19, 2002

Thanks gleuschk, I'll try that. I've never dared "open" anything in a new window before. But then I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, following a response by rodii to a plea of mine about comments I'd lost in preview:

"Sometimes browser knows best."

The words still rankle. So that when I read good old Paris's post(In Metatalk, when I hit Preview and then Back to edit the post, the post disappears) half of me wanted to get my own back and answer along the lines of "Well, at least something's working". ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:16 AM on March 19, 2002

Or, Miguel, you can always change your prefs in MeFi and have links "always open in a new window". It works quite well, and you can click on three or four at a time while still reading comments on the original thread. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for MeTa (matt?).
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:35 AM on March 19, 2002

Hey, that wasn't aimed at you! I distinctly remember some self-deprecating preamble to that. But back to the topic. This is kind of a bunny, but I can't believe no one has done it yet:

In Metatalk, when I hit Preview and then Back to edit the post, the post disappears.
posted by ParisParamus to bugs at 4:33 AM PST

"That's not a bug, it's a feature!"

[rimshot]
posted by rodii at 11:39 AM on March 19, 2002

I feel so stupid. I think I now understand why they call this Windows. But thanks all the same, Ufez.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:17 PM on March 19, 2002

Paris, I've had the exact same problem you're describing using Netscape 4.7x. I got rid of it by manually deleting my browser cache files. Hope that helps.
posted by MrBaliHai at 1:31 PM on March 19, 2002

I thought since pp had posted so many bug reports that he was the designated MeTa beta tester or something.
posted by Lynsey at 1:46 PM on March 19, 2002

stop doing that then. problem solved.
posted by jcterminal at 3:16 PM on March 19, 2002

I second MrBaliHai's suggestion and can corroborate it for Windows 2000 & XP, IE 6. A lot of weird things happen whenever my cache is full.

Not enough fiber, maybe.
posted by Hildago at 4:40 PM on March 19, 2002

Am I a celebrity yet?
posted by ParisParamus at 4:45 PM on March 19, 2002

You are in my book, Paris. Not only have I locked your cellphone number in a Banco de Portugal vault; I'm now able to post multi-link comments like this, thanks to the help received on this outstanding thread of yours! ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:15 PM on March 19, 2002

RUN FOR THE HILLS! Cardoso has figured out the multi-link-post!
posted by eyeballkid at 5:19 PM on March 19, 2002

Ah yes! From now on, the worst Memepool post will seem like a thank-you note from your aunt. Bwahahahaha!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:25 PM on March 19, 2002

Why is the bad man laughing like that, mommy? Mommy....?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:55 PM on March 19, 2002

Put down the cigar and back away slowly, Miguel. Why don't you try on this nice white jacket with the long sleeves?
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:59 PM on March 19, 2002

(puts backs paris' browser) "humhahummhahumm"
posted by clavdivs at 8:36 PM on March 19, 2002

Without wanting to encourage slackness, why the need to check links? If correct then they will appear in the visited link colour when previewed.
posted by southisup at 11:48 PM on March 20, 2002