Links broken when threads listed "Newest first"

[Pottsy]

We regularly use links in the forum in the style:

/forum/123-threadtitle.html#post1234

Like:

[Suspension] Bump Stops - Page 2 - Civinfo

If a user sets forum viewing to "Linear - Newest first" then those links don't work on a multipage thread. The -2 forces it to go to the second page, but the post # is on the first page.

Is there a workround, or is this just a "feature" I have to live with?

[Oleg Ignatiuk]

Hello,

the same will happen when switching posts order with original vBulletin URLs:
showthread.php?t=123&page=2#post1234

[Pottsy]

Oleg,

Let me explain better, to show you why vbSeo has made a mess of this.

If a user wants to link to a post in a multi page thread in standard vbulletin, this is what he does:

• Clicks on the post number link, and get a single post page.
• Clicks on the link at the top right of the single post page, where it says Thread: Threadname
• Uses the URL in the web browser as the link. Example: vBulletin Blog on vB.com Discussion Thread - Page 4 - vBulletin Community Forum

When a user goes to this URL, it takes him to the correct post regardless of thread listing order.

If you follow the same steps above in vbseo vbulletin, you get the URL in the format [Suspension] Bump Stops - Page 2 - Civinfo which does not work for some users, because it contains a page number in the link.

This is what is breaking our forum at the moment.

[Oleg Ignatiuk]

Hello,

showthread.php?p=xx URLs are rewritten to main showthread links by vBSEO since they cause the duplicate content issue.

[Pottsy]

Oleg, thanks for the reply. Didn't think of that!

Would it be possible for the rewrite code to look for pages in the format /1234-title-4.html#post5678 and then look for reverse listing in the user's options, and if found make the "4" 4th from the end (total pages - 4) instead? Or would that be too complicated/slow/impossible?

[Pottsy]

Hold on, thought of a problem. If a user with reverse listing generates the link, then it will be wrong for everyone else. Gets more complicated, so not worth doing.

What does everyone else do about this - or do we have to just live with it?