Skins, Again

[Bigaldoc]

This is just a "comment" post, so you Admins don't have to respond because the answer is probably foolish. I'm getting a bit gun-shy on some of my questions because many of the things I've been learning and experiencing seem to pertain to the skins we're using, such as that one about the apparent graphic width.

I hesitated before posting this, wishing I knew more (something) about CSS so I could dig out my own answers by looking at the CSS file(s) for our skins.

Like others, I've sampled ALL the skins and the Subsilver2 is the most satisfactory for me. It has a "feature" of showing the subject of some threads in a slightly different color than others. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with my participation or attachments or anything that I can discover. Then I switched to Prosilver and this doesn't show up. Aaaarrrgh, I give up.

[Leif]

I believe it has to do with your browser remembering which threads you have visited and displaying the 'visited' ones differently. If you click on one of the 'bold' links, then view the index again, you should find it is in a 'normal' font.

[Bigaldoc]

I'll give that a try. Thanks, Leif.

[Argus]

I agree with Leif, that it has something to do with that, since it changes after being visited. I think I got it once some days ago, but I have been back to prosilver for some days, and now I have forgot what I thought it was. Aarrgh.

The darker links (bold) could indicate threads that have one or several new posts that you have not read, not indicated with the Orange/red square since that is only during one session.

No wait, there is difference, I think I remember now. Take a thread you have never read, if you click on the orange/red square (View first unread post) it moves to the latest post as we all know, but if you check the forum or the active topics list again, the link is still dark (bold) (without the Orange/red square), somehow indicating that you have not visited the thread's first post.

But when you do that, it will turn pale, and if there later on is a new post in that thread, it will remain "pale", but you will see the orange/red square.

So, "pale" could indicate that you have read the OP.

[Bigaldoc]

I don't know if your suppositions are correct or not Argus, but I'm gonna chalk it up as one of the unimportant mysteries of life.

Just for the heck of it, I checked ALL the Fx options screens and the only one about link colors says to allow the web page to choose colors, so I don't think it's a Fx setting. It has to be the skin behavior since it doesn't happen in Prosilver.

Here's an example of three threads that I have READ ALL posts. The before is on the left. As you can see, I'm even a participant in some, so they've all been completely read, from start to finish. OK, so I visited the two BOLD ones again and they turned pale as in the right side example. I think it must have something to do with the "time since last view" but as I said, it ain't a crisis and I'll just ignore it.

I don't think the "not yet read" icon has a part in this since it will appear regardless of the color of the thread name.

[StuartR]

This is simply the difference between a followed hyperlink, and a hyperlink that you have not followed. You will see the same thing on many web pages. The skin does determine how these things are formatted.

The reason these hyperlinks have not been followed is almost certainly that you have clicked the link that takes you to the first unread post in the thread, and have never followed the link to the top of the thread.

[VegasNath]

Just a thought Al, but have you read all three post's using the same skin? Would that make a difference? I've not experienced the difference in links, but I have not played much with the skins.

[Argus]

No Al, neither I think it has to do with the browser.

But do as I said; find a thread you have not read. It should be bold/dark (and if it also has replies there will be a red square).
---
EDIT: Sorry, should have said: All unread threads, in this skin, are bold and have a red square even if there is no reply, only the the OP (though this isn't important for what we discuss.)
---
If you visit the thread by clicking on the link you will go to the OP. When finished reading you will see it as pale in: the forum, new posts and active topics (if you started at unread posts, obviously the whole thread will be removed from the list); the red square will also be removed, when you clicked on the thread link.

However, if you start reading the previously unread thread by visiting its latest post, as I said earlier, by clicking the red square, it will take you to the end of the thread (yes, we can scroll to the top and read the first post/OP, but that doesn't count). So, if you then go back to the forum or new posts list you will see that the link is still bold, but without the red square; indicating that you have not touched the link that takes you to the OP in that thread.

Yes, you can have participated in a thread and thus "they've all been completely read", but that doesn't tell how you went to the thread when you started to participate, i.e. if one clicked the link to the OP or to the latest post (and the added a reply to some post).

I see nothing odd with your examples, they behave as I described above.

I don't think the "not yet read" icon has a part in this since it will appear regardless of the color of the thread name.

As I said above: read square with dark link = you have not read the thread or its latest post. If you have read the OP/used the thread link, and later on there is a new post it will still be a "pale" thread name but with a red square (the red square means "View first unread post", so the thread can be previously read, but not the latest post(s).

I agree that "time since last view" could also be in the mix, but I am not sure about that, have not checked that over time.