Is there a way to go to a thread using only its unique name?

[JenniferMurphy]

It appears that every thread has a unique number, like "1134004". But I don't see an option in the search or advances search to go directly to the thread given the number.

As a test, I tried putting just the thread number into any Mr Excel thread URL, like this:

Is there a function that will return the name of a range?

Say B5 has been assigned the name "SalesDate". Is there a function (=getname(B5)) that will return the name ("SalesDate")?

www.mrexcel.com

That worked, but is there a better way to jump directly to a thread given its number?

 

[Peter_SSs]

One way would be to use the Bookmark feature.
- On post #1 in the thread (or any other post for that matter) add the thread number as a Label by typing the thread number followed by a comma and Save

To go to that post
- Click the Bookmark icon just to the left of the Search button at the top right
- Type the thread number into the bookmark search box and press Enter. You should be presented with a link to the post:

 

[JenniferMurphy]

Ok, thanks.

Why doesn't the search facility, including advanced search, find posts using their unique number? Seems like a bug to me...

 

[Peter_SSs]

Why doesn't the search facility, including advanced search, find posts using their unique number?

I guess you would have to ask the XenForo developers.
It is not the sort of search I would ever want to do & I don't recall anybody else ever requesting this so definitely not a bug in my mind if it was only for one person.
BTW post numbers are different to thread numbers - which is what you originally asked about.

 

[JenniferMurphy]

I guess you would have to ask the XenForo developers.

I guess I could do that, but it seems a little like asking the local grocery store why they don't have any potatoes and being told to go ask the farmer.

It is not the sort of search I would ever want to do

Well, that pretty much closes the issue right there.

& I don't recall anybody else ever requesting this so definitely not a bug in my mind if it was only for one person.

I think I read somewhere that only about 1 person in 100 ever complains to any provider or asks for different features or services. So there may be more than just me.

But don't you think it's a bug if the search facility can't find something when given a unique identifier?

I asked because I often file references to forum threads (here and elsewhere) that have helped me do something. In particular, if I get really good help on some code for a UDF I am working on, I like to mention the source in the comments. It's a lot more convenient to log just the thread (or post) ID than the complete and very long URL.

BTW post numbers are different to thread numbers - which is what you originally asked about.

OK, who said they were the same?

 

[Joe4]

I guess I could do that, but it seems a little like asking the local grocery store why they don't have any potatoes and being told to go ask the farmer.

We didn't create the software, we are just customers/users. It would be like if you owned your own company that uses Microsoft Office, and one of your employees asks you why Microsoft decided to map the F keys the way they did.

I think I read somewhere that only about 1 person in 100 ever complains to any provider or asks for different features or services. So there may be more than just me.

I have been on this board for 19 years (the vast majority of them as a Moderator), and have never seen anyone make that request before. I think you can appreciate that it would not be efficient to make a change for something that only one person requests once in 19 years. No successful business operates that way.

 

[Peter_SSs]

.. it seems a little like asking the local grocery store why they don't have any potatoes and being told to go ask the farmer.

If the potato farmer is the reason you don't have any potatoes and the potato farmer has not told you why there are no potatoes, how could you give any other meaningful answer?

So there may be more than just me.

Correct. But then again there may not be. We (& I presume XenForo) can only go on the available evidence, which is zilch as far as I am aware.

But don't you think it's a bug if the search facility can't find something when given a unique identifier?

No, to me a bug is an error. At most this is an omission that might generate an enhancement request, not an error. An bug would be if you tried to go to thread no. 12345 and it took you to thread no. 54321

It's a lot more convenient to log just the thread (or post) ID than the complete and very long URL.

If you have logged say 25 thread IDs, how would you know what each one was about? Would you have just have a list of 25 numbers and nothing else? Surely such a log would also include a thread title or some description of what the thread covered, or as I do include an actual link to the thread itself, and that would be a much easier way to re-find the thread.

OK, who said they were the same?

Nobody, but initially you did ask about about a way to access a thread number and ended up suggesting posts should be able to be searched by their number.

 

[JenniferMurphy]

We didn't create the software, we are just customers/users. It would be like if you owned your own company that uses Microsoft Office, and one of your employees asks you why Microsoft decided to map the F keys the way they did.

If I owned a company that used software from another company and a customer asked me why the search facility did not find an item when a key and unique identifier for that item was provided, I would tell them that I thought it was a legitimate observation and probably a bug (or a design oversight, which is just another type of bug) and I would contact the developer of that software about it.

But clearly you and Peter have made up your minds, so I give up.

It's too bad, really, because there is so much about this board that is first rate -- one of the best boards I have ever used, and I've used dozens. But the move to Xenforo was, in my opinion, a mistake.

Sorry to have bothered you.

 

[Joe4]

But the move to Xenforo was, in my opinion, a mistake.

I am sorry that Xenforo does not have all the features you desire. I don't remember the old board having this feature you want either. I am on other forums that still use "vBulletin", and I don't see that feature there either.

I work in Software development, and what you are describing would not qualify as a "bug", but would be an "enhancement" request.
A "bug" is defined as something that is returning an error, or not returning the expected results, i.e. some feature is not working as it was originally intended.
If a product does not have some "feature" you desire, that is not a bug (I would love for my car to fly, but the fact that it does not is not a bug).

With any enhancement request, the questions that are typically asked before proceeding with it are:
1. How much of a demand is there for it?
2. How critical is it?
3. How much will it cost?

Any good owner/manager simply does not take every request and act on it immediately without any thought first. They have to ask themselves the previous questions and discern whether it is a prudent decision (or not) to make such an enhancement request.

Note that when legitimate "bugs" are found, we do report them to Xenforo.

 

[RoryA]

But the move to Xenforo was, in my opinion, a mistake.

May I ask why? I'm curious because I personally disagree completely (even had staying on such outdated software been a real option), but I'd be very interested to know what you think is worse about this software than the old vBulletin? My experience of the forum is from a different point of view to yours so I possibly don't appreciate what effects the change has had for those primarily asking questions here, rather than moderating or answering.

For me, it was very similar to when I traded in my 20 year old car for a new version. I did initially miss the 'character' of my old car, but very quickly came to appreciate all the progress that has been made in the meantime.