Last modified: 2010-09-06 10:03:37 UTC
LiquidThreads is full of bugs. Since it does not come with any way to turn it off, this means lots of unusable talk pages. Taking http://translatewiki.net/wiki/Support as an example, here are some obvious problems just from glancing at the page: * One of the threads has "-1165" replies. * In their collapsed state, threads are displayed completely wrongly. As a small example, this thread: - Gazeb 10:19, 3 September 2010 - MaxSem 19:21, 4 September 2010 - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 is displayed like this: - Gazeb 10:19, 3 September 2010 - MaxSem 19:21, 4 September 2010 - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 This problem of lower-level posts repeating themselves when collapsed gets worse the longer the thread, making collapsed view for large threads unusable. A thread with 6 posts each replying to the last shows *32* items in collapsed view. * Internal errors left, right and center. Here's an example: http://translatewiki.net/w/i.php?title=Thread:Support/is_this_possible&lqt_method=thread_history * For a given, small, amount of conversation the amount of scrolling required has gone up 2-3 times. For a given *large* amount of conversation the amount of scrolling pales next to the need to repeatedly hit "next" and wait for pages to load. Both of these are big usability hits. * The interface is ugly, doesn't integrate well with any MediaWiki skin in common use, and outright clashes with some of them. * If you collapse a thread, the title disappears and is not shown anywhere. So you can see all the replyers and timestamps, but not *which thread it is*. Collapsing more than one thread at a time thus leads to an incoherent mess. * When collapsed, you can click on the usernames in the signatures of posts but you can't actually *go to that post*. To do that, you have to un-collapse the thread and then scroll down to find the post. This makes collapsed view even more useless. * If a thread loads with just the first post, and "Show X replies" underneath, and you click to show those replies, then collapse it, it claims there's only 1 post. * Watching is broken: you can only watch individual threads, you can't watch the page for new threads, like you would do with any normal talk page. * Any bot that interacted with talk pages is now broken. * Thread history view has a "comment" column. Since you can't add a comment, every entry in this column is "Reply to <thread title>". * By default, signatures only link to the user page. Even on thread history pages, you have to click a silly little "+" button next to the username to get talk and contribs links. * Go to http://translatewiki.net/wiki/Support and click the "Thread" tab at the top of the page. You'd expect it to take you to the same page, like that tab does for everything else. Instead you're taken to a seemingly random thread somewhere on that page. It isn't even the same one each time. * Completely non-functional "Thread talk" namespace.
Only one issue per bug in bugzilla, thanks. > * By default, signatures only link to the user page. Even on thread history pages, you have to click a silly little "+" button next to the username to get talk and contribs links. The little + is specific to translatewiki.net and it replaces the user tool links. It's waiting for someone pick up the idea and make it better.
(In reply to comment #0) > * The interface is ugly, doesn't integrate well with any MediaWiki skin in > common use, and outright clashes with some of them. See http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:LiquidThreads/Redesign and http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension_talk:LiquidThreads/Redesign
(In reply to comment #0) Hi Gurch, Thanks for taking the time to report some problems you've had with LiquidThreads. Happily, you've caught me at a time when I'm able to work on most of them, so hopefully you'll see some improvement in the next few days. This bug talks about a large number of issues, and so I've closed this bug, and for each issue I've either opened a new bug, or pointed you to the existing bug. I'm going to add you to the CC list for each one, so that you know what's going on. > * One of the threads has "-1165" replies. This is bug 21058, which I intend to work on in the next few days. > * In their collapsed state, threads are displayed completely wrongly. As a > small example, this thread: > > - Gazeb 10:19, 3 September 2010 > - MaxSem 19:21, 4 September 2010 > - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 > > is displayed like this: > > - Gazeb 10:19, 3 September 2010 > - MaxSem 19:21, 4 September 2010 > - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 > - Gazeb 05:22, 5 September 2010 > > This problem of lower-level posts repeating themselves when collapsed gets > worse the longer the thread, making collapsed view for large threads unusable. > A thread with 6 posts each replying to the last shows *32* items in collapsed > view. Thanks for reporting this, I'll pass this on to Adam, who wrote that functionality. It's been filed as bug 25072. > > * Internal errors left, right and center. Here's an example: > http://translatewiki.net/w/i.php?title=Thread:Support/is_this_possible&lqt_method=thread_history I'm currently working with the TranslateWiki people to root some of these out. > * For a given, small, amount of conversation the amount of scrolling required > has gone up 2-3 times. For a given *large* amount of conversation the amount of > scrolling pales next to the need to repeatedly hit "next" and wait for pages to > load. Both of these are big usability hits. There's naturally a trade-off between having to scroll and not being able to scan a conversation. In LiquidThreads, I think we'd all like to make that trade-off a little further towards scannability than the existing discussion system. With that said, there is certainly some scope to do better — the disclosure indicators, for example, are unnecessarily taking up large amounts of vertical space, and need to be floated. I think we can probably play with the amount of padding that the boxes have, too. Filed as bug 25073. > * The interface is ugly, doesn't integrate well with any MediaWiki skin in > common use, and outright clashes with some of them. As others have pointed out, there is an ongoing redesign in progress. I'd recommend that you make comments on the appearance on the discussion page for that redesign. > * If you collapse a thread, the title disappears and is not shown anywhere. So > you can see all the replyers and timestamps, but not *which thread it is*. > Collapsing more than one thread at a time thus leads to an incoherent mess. I've noticed this bug myself, and had already passed it on to Adam. Now bug 25074. > * When collapsed, you can click on the usernames in the signatures of posts but > you can't actually *go to that post*. To do that, you have to un-collapse the > thread and then scroll down to find the post. This makes collapsed view even > more useless. That's an interesting idea! Thanks, I'll pass it on. Now bug 25075. > * If a thread loads with just the first post, and "Show X replies" underneath, > and you click to show those replies, then collapse it, it claims there's only 1 > post. Unable to reproduce, can you give a URL? > * Watching is broken: you can only watch individual threads, you can't watch > the page for new threads, like you would do with any normal talk page. Yes you can, but apparently the chrome for this has disappeared. Now bug 25076 > * Any bot that interacted with talk pages is now broken. Yes, sadly that's the price of not starting with a future-proof system. I believe that there is now (or will soon be) an API module that allows you to leave a message on a discussion page, regardless of what discussion system is being used. > * Thread history view has a "comment" column. Since you can't add a comment, > every entry in this column is "Reply to <thread title>". On my to-discuss list for the upcoming design meeting. > * Go to http://translatewiki.net/wiki/Support and click the "Thread" tab at the > top of the page. You'd expect it to take you to the same page, like that tab > does for everything else. Instead you're taken to a seemingly random thread > somewhere on that page. It isn't even the same one each time. I noticed this one today, it seems to be recent. I was actually looking into it when I got this message. Filed as bug 25077. > * Completely non-functional "Thread talk" namespace. There by design. Not causing any harm.
