New reply button is Javascript?

[John Hawkinson]

Somehow I didn't notice until this morning, but the reply button is now Javascript.

This means I cannot rightclick it in my browser and choose "Open in New Tab."

When responding to a mildly complicated thread, I used to do that, so I could easily go back and review multiple posts in the thread and incorporate responses to them in my reply.

Now, the basic editor sort-of helps with that, since it is on the same page with all the responses. But:

1) I usually need to use the advanced editor, so it's not much help

2) It was nicer to use tabs, so I would not lose my place in the thread while composing the reply.

Any chance of a fix? Does it annoy others?

[Noel Carboni]

I can see how that functionaility would be sorely missed in your case.  Mostly I just did it the other way around - reply first, then File - New Window and the back button as an exception when I needed to.

I pretty much format my responses in the non-Advanced RTE editor, then switch to the advanced editor toward the end if any text formatting or whatever needs doing.

-Noel

[Harbs.]

I like that method. If we'd get code formatting in the inline editor, I wouldn't need to use the advanced one at all...

Harbs

[the_wine_snob]

John,

While not exactly what you describe and desire, I wonder if the new display, while in the editing screen might not be helpful. Before, one could only see, and access, the Reply, to which one was replying. When there were more involved replies, say to several posts in a thread, I would just open another tab (not smart enough to do it your way), and navigate to that thread, going back and forth, as needed. Now, one has direct access to all replies in a thread (have not experimented with multi-page threads yet), so I do not find the need for additional tabs - at least not yet.

Hunt

[John Hawkinson]

Hunt:

I wonder if the new display, while in the editing screen might not be helpful. Before, one could only see, and access, the Reply, to which one was replying

That's what I meant by my reference to "the basic editor sort-of helps with that."

Unfortunately, because a lot of my posts involve advanced formatting (because of scripts, etc.), that is not helpful on a practical basis. But for a thread like this one, it'd be fine.

But tabs have another benefit. For instance, suppose I am replying to a thread of 10 posts and I want to pull a nugget from posts 1,3,5, and 9 to reply to. It is convenient to compose my message in one tab, while the other tab is on post #1. When I've copied the quote from #1 and typed my reply, then I can scroll that first tab to post #3, and then swap back and forth between the post and my reply. Same for #5 and #9.

With the basic reply window at the bottom, I don't have the convenient place-saving feature of multiple tabs. I realize that this, too, is somewhat specialied usage. If you're just replying to something quick, not deep and complicated, it doesn't matter.

But Noel is right about New Window -- sort of. Not sure what browser you're using such that New Window opens the same URL as the existing tab (doens't happen in Firefox). But because the reply URL is the same as the original URL in the new forum (unless you use the Advanced Editor), it is not too late to find the thread once one has started the reply. So you can just go to the Location bar and copy the URL, open a new tab, and paste it in. This is a 3-step process instead of a one-step rightclick process, but it's not too bad. (Also, I bet we could improve this with a bookmarklet).

Though I think Hunt is correct to observe that using the basic editor is not going to work so well with multi-page threads.

[Noel Carboni]

John Hawkinson wrote:

But Noel is right about New Window -- sort of. Not sure what browser you're using such that New Window opens the same URL as the existing tab (doens't happen in Firefox).

IE opens a new window the same page.  I have tabs turned off - not sure whether that affects anything.  With multiple monitors I find it convenient to managed multiple browser windows instead of tabs.

-Noel

[John Hawkinson]

IE opens a new window the same page.  I have tabs turned off - not sure whether that affects anything.  With multiple monitors I find it convenient to managed multiple browser windows instead of tabs.

Ha. Maybe if I had a dozen monitors instead of three. But frequently I'll have between 10 and 90 tabs open. That doesn't really work with multiple windows (though sometimes I'll move them between windows).

[Harbs.]

I'm with John on this one.

I just counted. I have 18 tabs open right now...

Harbs

[Noel Carboni]

When I open a lot of pages, my Taskbar enumerates them all, and even gives me live preview thumbnails of the pages, so it's not like I can't deal with having a lot of windows open.  I thought it was just history that the browser added tabs before Windows took it upon itself to help out in that way.

I know that I'm in the minority in preferring separate windows to tabs.  It's just that I don't see a reason to arbitrarily group them to where I can only see one at a time.

-Noel