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Original poster

please consider ...

38 replies

NetworkGuy · 10/12/2012 17:28

... adding a way to link to a specific post. You have ways to report a post (which is how I've found out the posting number) but no simple way to get a link for posting on another thread. Ideally it would be nice to have a link like

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other/a1290044#27177920

rather than www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other/a1290044-a-very-ong-topic-which-I-am-making-up-as-I-go-along#27177920

Incidentally, I just tried the first link above on an iMac (OSX 10.6.8)

Link works fine using CHROME browser and shows the posting by BadgersPaws

Try it with Safari (the default Apple browser) and it does not go to the specific posting in the thread.

Probably a Safari issue, but maybe Tech can see if they know why only the second form (with the correct title) works, and shows the specific post.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
BertieBotts · 17/12/2012 21:49

Just to clarify, Tech, you said this:

"Just as an aside, as you know, if you use the correct URL in the first place - the one you get from "show all" on the thread, then append the message number after a # all should be well."

That is all well and good but there is no way as a standard user to be able to see the individual message number. (Aside from by bookmarking which is a bit of a workaround). I don't know if staff are able to view this, hence the confusion?

BertieBotts · 17/12/2012 21:47

I know what you mean, it is a bit of a workaround to have to bookmark something or the other way is to click on a poster's name from threads I'm on and then it goes directly to their post, but that only shows the last 5 posts, of course.

I'm not (personally) seeing the need for URL shortening, but it would be handy to have a link which just says "Link" or "Link to this post" or something like that, that contains the URL of that particular post using the #number. Since there's not a quick way to see that otherwise :)

Original poster
NetworkGuy · 17/12/2012 20:27

ooooppps -> on that SITE ... (and 'sort of THING' in earlier post)

I haven't been drinking Baileys all afternoon, hic, oh no sir...

OP posts:
Original poster
NetworkGuy · 17/12/2012 20:25

NB on that side, the link is at the bottom of the news item...

[ Topic: Regulation | 14 comments | link to this item ]

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Original poster
NetworkGuy · 17/12/2012 20:24

If you look back at my post from Tuesday 02:02:54 last week, and go off to thinkbroadband.com/news/i/5607.html you will see the text 'link to this item' (and that's the sort of ting I was suggesting for MN.

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Original poster
NetworkGuy · 17/12/2012 20:20

Thanks for the response, Kate...

yes, I did get a reply, in the negative...

"BUT that doesn't help your desire for a shorter URL of course."

It really would be handy for there to be a short way to link to a specific post... (think how many 'URL shortening' services exist, and why... so one could include a link in a tweet or similar {not that I personally use Twitter, but would find it useful to link from one thread directly into another on MN})

Ignoring the fact that Safari doesn't work properly, while other browsers do, it looks as if one has to post a lot more to get to a particular post in a long thread than could be the case {if your Tech bods made some shorter way} and there isn't actually a way to just copy and paste the link {though thanks to BB, using bookmarking can help} which would be the case if Tech bods added a bit of code that would tack an extra item alongside the part that says ' Add message | Report | Message poster ' (above the text of individual posts)

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MNHQ
IceTheChristmasKateMumsnet · 15/12/2012 12:23

NetworkGuy did you get an answer for your question?

While I'm here, the latest app update should have fixed the < > problem, so you can all see how hilarious I am......

Original poster
NetworkGuy · 12/12/2012 18:20

PS at about 130 kg (which I plan to reduce by 50 kg), I suspect I'm a 'bigger geek' than you, not that I'd want to flatten anyone :)

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Original poster
NetworkGuy · 12/12/2012 18:19

I've been programming, networking and dabbling with databases for coming up to 35 years, though I might still feel some older methods and devices have benefits over the newer, poorer, replacements (I'm thinking of how some consider Facebook more useful than E-Mail, what Twitter / SMS and IM/irc have done to the grammar and spelling (mostly if not entirely negative) as two quick examples).

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TeeElfOnTeeShelf · 12/12/2012 08:05

Probably not, actually, NW, unless you are in your fifties? Which, of course, you might be!

I'm just a bigger geek than you. Xmas Grin

Original poster
NetworkGuy · 11/12/2012 15:28

NWWW - glad you're happier now about the changes MN made, courtesy of Tee (who is probably around 10 years younger than me, so more up to date on some things, no doubt).

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Original poster
NetworkGuy · 11/12/2012 15:23

Thanks Tech - yes had assumed there was something dumb going on with Safari and wrote Apple instead of my real feelings about it, which might have offended someone :)

Back to the question then, could you not
a) provide a short link facility showing {threadID}#{postID} and
b) take account of a shortened links ending {threadID}#{postID} and rewrite them with the full text and then append #{postID} so even buggy Safari will work :)

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NotWankinginaWinterWonderland · 11/12/2012 14:51

Oh cool lots better

I left and you had to each word back then. Xmas Blush Thank you*

TeeElfOnTeeShelf · 11/12/2012 13:13

Xmas Grin It's worked for about a year. More or less.

you can also strike out a whole sentence

as opposed to each word

and italicize as well

NotWankinginaWinterWonderland · 11/12/2012 12:53

Oh does that work It didn't used to

Oh sorry I take it all back...........

I have no idea if it takes 5 minutes btw, I don't time myself, 5 minutes to me = an hour when typing thanks you

TeeElfOnTeeShelf · 11/12/2012 11:19

Why does it take you 5 minutes?

At beginning of paragraph and another at the end of paragraph.

NotWankinginaWinterWonderland · 11/12/2012 10:13

No NetworkGuy I would like to be able to just highlight a full sentence and hit a bold key... much easier...I am being lazy with my requests, it takes me a5 minutes to bold a paragraph when it could take 2 minutes.

TeeElfOnTeeShelf · 11/12/2012 07:30

This is why you aren't suppose to use for actions. :: :: is the standard because are coding brackets.

I am vindicated at last, at least for iPad App users!!!

(Also, I am at least as clever (and modest) as NG and I don't use the app either.)

Xmas Grin
MNHQ
Tech · 11/12/2012 02:49

Hi, NW, you can indeed get to any thread as www.mumsnet.com/Talk/a/aNNNNNN where NNNNN is the thread ID number. We find the id in the URL and then send a redirect to tell your browser to go to the "real" url of the thread. The bit of the URL after the # is a bookmark within the page and only relevant to the browser - it looks like Safari discards it on a redirect whereas the other browsers retain it and use it. I don't think we can do anything about that. Might be one for apple.

Just as an aside, as you know, if you use the correct URL in the first place - the one you get from "show all" on the thread, then append the message number after a # all should be well.

So www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/a1633568-please-consider#35931623 should link directly to the message you posted before this one, in all browsers including Safari. That's because we don't redirect that in any way when we receive it.

BUT that doesn't help your desire for a shorter URL of course.

Original poster
NetworkGuy · 11/12/2012 02:02

Thanks BB - hadn't thought of bookmarking for that purpose, but it was some way to get a much shorter web link that I was after.

For example, on ThinkBroadband, they added some code to allow a link to the news item number so a link can be shortened to /news/i/ and then it gets expanded.

EG http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/i/5607.html

They've added a 'link' (for copying and pasting) with the description 'link to this item'

It's similar to Mumsnet allowing any word in place of a topic (such as 'sitestuff' or 'radioaddicts' etc) in Talk//threadID- or

Talk// a threadID-
(the 'a' causes all posts on the thread to be shown, and in both cases you can delete the text as it's just the thread number that's important).

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BertieBotts · 10/12/2012 18:35

You can do this by bookmarking the post and then reloading the page, it makes it go to the right post.

The fact that #links are broken in various browsers isn't something that can be changed by MNHQ though surely? I find that #links don't always work for me on Chrome on certain websites (MN threads are fine).

confuddledDOTcom · 10/12/2012 18:32

I agree. It's rather mean that they can quote and we can't but we'd have quotes of quotes if we could BUT being able to link to a post we're quoting or to quote a post in another thread would be so much easier than trying to direct people to a massive thread and say it's on there somewhere.

GlaikitFizzogTheChristmasElf · 10/12/2012 18:28
Original poster
NetworkGuy · 10/12/2012 18:27

will take your word for it :)

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GlaikitFizzogTheChristmasElf · 10/12/2012 18:25

Well yes! There is that. Blush

Some of my funniest musings go in the pointy brackets! Poor app users are being deprived of that!

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