HAVING PRIVATE MESSAGE ISSUES

[les]

Alright that does it. This is about the tenth time somebody got confused by the term "Outbox".

So we have "Outbox" and "Sent messages". How can we rename these so it becomes clear one is for unread sent messages and one is for sent messages that have been opened by the recipient?

Note all Private Messages are Collected the next time the Recipient is on line with Milovana.
This should be in the private messages control panel.

Awaiting Collection
Collected

les

[seraph0x]

To everybody who suggested adding an additional text: Thanks and I think that would make sense. Unfortunately it's not as easy as just changing the labels. Because to change an existing text you just have to edit the translation files, whereas adding a new text requires editing the forum software itself. And that then makes updates slightly more difficult.

So the winner is:

How about:
Outbox --> Sent "Not Read"
Sent --> Sent "Read"

Gonna go with that one. With a tiny change:

"Sent - Unread"
"Send - Read"

Thanks for the help everybody and let's hope we have banished all confusion from the PM system forthwith.

[les]

To everybody who suggested adding an additional text: Thanks and I think that would make sense. Unfortunately it's not as easy as just changing the labels. Because to change an existing text you just have to edit the translation files, whereas adding a new text requires editing the forum software itself. And that then makes updates slightly more difficult.

So the winner is:

How about:
Outbox --> Sent "Not Read"
Sent --> Sent "Read"

Gonna go with that one. With a tiny change:

"Sent - Unread"
"Send - Read"

Thanks for the help everybody and let's hope we have banished all confusion from the PM system forthwith.

Rings my bell


les

[Human]

Gonna go with that one. With a tiny change:

"Sent - Unread"
"Send - Read"

Thanks for the help everybody and let's hope we have banished all confusion from the PM system forthwith.

May I recommend:
"Sent - Currently Unread"

[Vinny Vodka]

To everybody who suggested adding an additional text: Thanks and I think that would make sense. Unfortunately it's not as easy as just changing the labels. Because to change an existing text you just have to edit the translation files, whereas adding a new text requires editing the forum software itself. And that then makes updates slightly more difficult.

So the winner is:

How about:
Outbox --> Sent "Not Read"
Sent --> Sent "Read"

Gonna go with that one. With a tiny change:

"Sent - Unread"
"Send - Read"

Thanks for the help everybody and let's hope we have banished all confusion from the PM system forthwith.

Great, now I'm having problems with it. I sent a message and it went into my Sent-Unread box. But no matter how many times I read it it stays in that box! Is this a bug with the new system?

[seraph0x]

Great, now I'm having problems with it. I sent a message and it went into my Sent-Unread box. But no matter how many times I read it it stays in that box! Is this a bug with the new system?

There is no new system, I only changed the labels. The message moves to "Read" when the recipient reads it. Whether you read it doesn't matter.

Guess the new labels are still confusing... anybody got an idea for better ones?

May I recommend:
"Sent - Currently Unread"

Good point, but Vinny's issue is also a problem. So I think we're back to the drawing board for the moment.

[les]

Vinny
Check on the recipients profile and see if he/she has logged in.
Since you wrote PM.

No log in No collection

les

[Vinny Vodka]

It was a joke guys. I'm not actually confused by the new labels. I don't think they're confusing at all. No need to go back to the drawing board Seraph0x, I think the new labels are perfect. Just trying to give you all a little ha-ha.

[les]

Stamps foot and writes BUM on the wall.

Now where is that tease
stop procrastinating



les

[seraph0x]

It was a joke guys. I'm not actually confused by the new labels. I don't think they're confusing at all. No need to go back to the drawing board Seraph0x, I think the new labels are perfect. Just trying to give you all a little ha-ha.

lol, like I don't have enough real user problems to solve.

I've got a new one:

"Sent - Delivered"
"Sent - Delivered & Read"

Or:

"Sent - Delivered"
"Sent - Opened"

Comments?

[les]

Sent unread
Delivered read

[seraph0x]

Yep ... I think you're putting way too much thought into something

Of course, that's what makes it so much fun. In software development, just like any art, science or craft, you can only ever try and do a reasonably good job within the constraints (time, money, skill).

But if you work really hard on something like two little labels you may be able to - if only for a brief moment - achieve perfection.

And if we do find two really good labels I'll try and get them accepted as the global default for phpBB 3. That would mean they'd be used by tens of millions of people every day.

Mathematically, if 1% of phpBB users get confused by this at some point and the confusion takes about five minutes on average to sort out, that means with ten million users about 95 years are wasted. A whole lifetime.

You call it obsessing about a minute detail. To me it's saving a life.

Totally agree on the coffee cups though.

[les]