09-06-2004 02:02									#1
	Phantom Threads Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

What's with threads getting "stuck between" two pages of a board? This has happened to me twice now, both times in the Civ2 Scenario Design forum. At least, that was what I was told had happened the first time, and I assumed as much this last time; my "Help with ED" thread is too low in the stack to be on the first page, but also too high in the stack to be in the second, or at least so it seems. The bottom of the first page claims to be the first X threads from a total of 43. The second says there are a total of 40 threads fitting the time period specified in the little drop-bar (at the time I last checked). So there are three threads stuck on neither page?

Sorry if this makes no sense, I'm just going off my own suspicions combined with Mercator's explanation from the last time such a thing happened. I don't know forum code at all. Can somebody tell me what causes this, and how I can find the thread stuck in Limbo? Assuming I'm making any sense at all, am referring to an existing phenomenon and not just playing into a weird joke of Mercator's, etc...

EDIT: Now the bloody thing's reappeared! What makes this stuff happen?

	09-06-2004 03:26									#2
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

You know, I have noticed that happening. It's like a thread just disappears. I can still find it, but as for searching for it on the forum itself, northing. Freaking Zero Island thread.

	09-06-2004 04:08									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

It usually shows up on 'my threads'.

	09-06-2004 04:12									#4
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

The number of disappearing threads equals the number of topped threads, so I heard once.

	09-06-2004 04:16									#5
	Remove this text

You must not have made the proper offerings to the mods.

	09-06-2004 05:12									#6
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

Speaking of phantom threads, my threads dissappear like Hot Cakes, I hope they can fix this.

	09-06-2004 06:14									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by Maniac The number of disappearing threads equals the number of topped threads, so I heard once.

Question asked and answered.

	09-06-2004 07:52									#8
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Thorn Speaking of phantom threads, my threads dissappear like Hot Cakes, I hope they can fix this.

Believe me when I say that we are fixing things when your threads disappear

	09-06-2004 08:44									#9
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

I've noticed this bug a hell of a lot. I once even started a thread in a forum I moderated here asking who had dispensed with one of my threads, only to realize the thead had (as I termed it) "cloaked". I got really frustrated with the problem until someone explained to me that it's a bug in the code that runs the site.

Essentially, for each topped thread, other threads will go missing between the first and second page.

The easiest way around the problem is to click on the pull down menu that defaults to "last day" and change it to "the beginning". For some reason, this seems to cause all missing/cloaked/phantom threads to reappear.

	09-06-2004 11:15									#10
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Known bug, not as usual question as some others, but has been up before.

	09-06-2004 12:56									#11
	Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by Smiley You must not have made the proper offerings to the mods.

gods, mods, nothings is random in the english language....

	09-06-2004 14:05									#12
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Originally posted by MarkG gods, mods, nothings is random in the english language....

	09-06-2004 14:05									#13
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Once or twice threads I started dissappeared as soon as I would start another one

	09-06-2004 16:16									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

notyoueither had a simple solution for this. When you suspect threads are disappearing between page 1 and 2, add "&perpage=50" or some other number, to the end of the url. That tells Poly how many threads you want displayed on one page. With a default of, oh, 30 or so, you can extend the number of threads displayed on page 1 to include the missing ones as well as the first lot from page 2 as well.

Test it out.

	09-06-2004 18:01									#15
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

How come we can't set that in our preferences?

	09-06-2004 18:53									#16
	Suffering from ads?

You can change the number of posts displayed per page ("Default Posts per Thread" in your options), but changing that in your preferences won't solve this problem, it will only make other threads disappear.

quote: Originally posted by Elok (...) and not just playing into a weird joke of Mercator's

	09-06-2004 18:55									#17
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

I know you can change posts per page, I want to change threads per page.

	09-06-2004 19:10									#18
	Put an end to popups!

Oh damnit, I mixed up a few things there... Indeed you're right.

	09-06-2004 19:18									#19
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

The problem is the bug would still exist. Set threads per page to 50, go to page to and thread 51 would have disappeared. Set it to 60 and thread 61 will not be seen.

Still, setting threads per page would be useful for other reasons.

	09-06-2004 20:51									#20
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Let's say the ten threads after the end of page 1 are phantoms. Thus, if you get threads 1-39 on page 1 and 51 onwards on page 2, to see threads 40-50 use the "&perpage=50" option in the url for the forum. Then you get threads 1-50 on page 1 and threads 61 onwards on page 2. If you want to see these missing ones, just change the "&perpage=" number. This is not a fix, but it can get you to any thread you want.

Besides, how often does anyone need to see every thread going back multiple pages?

	09-06-2004 20:53									#21
	Inflate your Upload Space

Quite often, in the OTF...

	09-06-2004 20:57									#22
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Kucinich Quite often, in the OTF...

Sorry, allow me to clarify - how often do you need to see every thread over multiple pages on forums that posting is necessary in?

	09-06-2004 21:06									#23
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

You apparently do not understand the addictive powers of the OTF...

	09-06-2004 22:13									#24
	Remove this text

...or halucinogenic drugs

	10-06-2004 00:10									#25
	Put an end to popups!

The hole is caused by the topped threads. The unusually high number of topped threads in the SLeague forum makes our hole really big.

	10-06-2004 08:55									#26
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

quote: The unusually high number of topped threads in the SLeague forum makes our hole really big.

Sig material, were I feeling nasty.

	10-06-2004 11:15									#27
	Tired of ads?

quote: Originally posted by Kucinich You apparently do not understand the addictive powers of the OTF...

A fair assessment of anyone with a sense of taste.

	10-06-2004 11:42									#28
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Now now. There are even one or two interesting threads in the OT at any given time. You may need to go back a few pages to find both of them, but they are there.

	10-06-2004 11:49									#29
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by Skanky Burns Now now. There are even one or two interesting threads in the OT at any given time. You may need to go back a few pages to find both of them, but they are there.

Invariably, they're the 1-2 phantom threads you can't find, aren't they?

	10-06-2004 12:09									#30
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Touche.