"Go to first new post" links not working

Hello, I've read up on a few other posted bugs on the topic and have tried database thread marking... which works. However the cookie based solution is what my members want to continue to use. When I disable the VBSeo plugin, everything works as expected. When its enabled, the go to first new post link works... erratically.

I'm currently using VBSeo 2.4.0 and VB 3.5.3.

You can try vbSEO 3.0.0 RC2 (currently available in the downloads area), but it's still not likely to work unless you use database marking.

Jelsoft added the database option because they knew that the cookie method was very unreliable.

Once you've been on a site that uses the database method, you never want to use the cookie method again. Why would I want some posts to be marked as read just because my session ended? I don't. I only want them marked as read when I actually read them, or when I manually mark them as read using the "Mark Forum Read" option.

Cookie marking has been completely reliable for me inside the same session prior to installing vbSEO. With vbSEO installed it isn't and I'm getting a large number of complaints. I know the answer previously has been for customers to use database marking, but let's assume I cannot. That leaves me with two options: Either uninstall vbSEO or push here to see if there is a bug.

I will update to 3.0 rc soon and report back.

That is the only solution to the issue that we can offer at this time. No other alternatives have been found to date.

Well here is the logic I am seeing for the cookie setting:

vBulletin:
Go to first new post -> bbthread_lastview found -> taken to newest post.
Go to first new post -> bbthread_lastview not found -> go to newest post since last visit

vbSEO:
Go to first new post -> bbthread_lastview found -> taken to newest post.
Go to first new post -> bbthread_lastview not found -> goes to first post

If there isn't an alternative (as 3.0rc does not resolve this) then I'll need instructions on how to refund the product.

Hello,

could you please provide us with details on how to reproduce this issue exactly (along with expected behaviour and actual result) with example URLs (either here at vbseo.com or at your board).
Thank you for feedback!

I can reproduce it pretty easily, but I wont have an example URL since it means giving you admin access. You should be able to reproduce this in any test environment. We'll assume you have both products installed and a lively forum:

In vBulletin AdminCP:
vBulletin Options > Plugin System -> Manage Products -> disable vbSEO
vBulletin Options > General Settings > Thread/Forum Read Marking Type > Inactivity / Cookie based.

Now, lets say this is a new setting. So the cookie bbthread_lastview has no information in it. Search for new posts. Every post since our last visit is new. Click "Go to first new post" on any of the threads. vBulletin will take you to the newest post since your last session. At least, what it appears, I can't actually tell what timestamp its comparing against directly without more research. I can post over there and find out.

In vBulletin AdminCP:
vBulletin Options > Plugin System -> Manage Products -> enable vbSEO

Still cookies based. Perform a search again for newest threads. Select any of the threads and click on "Go to first new post". vbSEO takes you to the first post of the thread. Although if the thread is really old, it seems to want to drop you only 6 months back.

Do you mean that all new-post links from the search results are always redirected to the first post of the thread? It doesn't seems to be the case for me.
I've set the thread read marking to "cookie based" at the http://demo.vbseo.com ( http://www.vbseo.com/demo.php ), then:
- registered a user
- logged in
- posted new messages with another user (and other browser)
and the new-post redirection works correctly so far. Can you reproduce the issue in this vB instance?

Can you reproduce the issue in this vBulletin instance?

Wouldn't it be best to get him access to the specific instance that you are using for testing? (http://demo.vbseo.com/user.php?xxxxxx) And perhaps a temporary admin account for the demo installation....

Ok, Cookie based thread tracking from what I understand is session based. Meaning if my session is 30 minutes, that any thread I read during that session are tracked in the cookie with a thread id and a last read time. Now if I log out that session is destroyed and next time I log in that information is rebuilt again from scratch.

When I log back in, VB starts a new session, any "Go to first unread post" link goes to the first post since my "Last Activity" (vb team confirmed this). However from my testing vbSEO does not on my board, it ends up on the first post.

The best examples seem to be large threads. With just VB it will redirect me to post #600189 whereas vbSEO only redirects to #407145.

I've been able to test further just turning on and off the "Rewrite Thread URLs?" setting in vbSEO, which can better illustrate the same issue and not disturb my members. I can PM you my vbSEO site and pass to test this if it helps.

Yes, please send it to me so that I can check it further.

Thanks!

What's weird is my link actually works, but I'll sometimes get the wrong picture put there. It won't be the same either. Sometimes its the no new post pic actually showing up beside the go to last post link. I don't know if it's a bug. I wonder if it's only showing in IE 7 Beta 3. I tried to replicate in Firefox with no luck...

Originally Posted by WiseOne

What's weird is my link actually works, but I'll sometimes get the wrong picture put there. It won't be the same either. Sometimes its the no new post pic actually showing up beside the go to last post link. I don't know if it's a bug. I wonder if it's only showing in IE 7 Beta 3. I tried to replicate in Firefox with no luck...

Hmm, that's weird. If you are able to replicate please let us know via the bug-reporting forum or open a ticket.

This poster is correct. If you have cookie based forum marking, and vbseo installed and Thread rewriting enabled, the icons on thread that are supposed to take you to the newest thread since your last visit don't work properly and they take you to the first post in the thread.

I'm having the same problem.

Yes, I troubleshot this on my forum for a week, I could not find a consistent cause of the issue. However, the solution VBSEO presents of changing to database storing of read markers does not solve the problem, it merely masks it. It no marker exists in the database for a infrequent user, the 'Go to first unread post' still behaves erratically.

I'd like to make a suggestion that since its is a hard to pinpoint bug that an option be put in the config to not rewrite this one URL. I'm living with DB read markers now, but still get the occasional complaints.