Lock topics? Merge topics?

[stlsoapchick]

I have our board divided into sub-forums/sections.

Over the past few days, several people have posted identical topics in seperate subforums.  Is there a way to LOCK a topic so that all of the discussion goes into ONE single topic?   I'd rather not delete the second (and unnecessary) topic and instead leave it there with a link to the one people SHOULD post in.

Or perhaps even a MERGE option to combine the two?

Is this currently available and I'm just not seeing it?  


Also, is there a way to make a sub-forum private?

[Will <Nabble>]

Yes, you can merge topics.

Go to a post, click More->Move Post to..., there you will find the option to move the post to a become a child of another post.

You should try using the "Threaded" view when doing this. When you move a post, the entire branch under the post will also get moved to the new parent.

You can try it on some test thread and see how it works.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Gisle Hannemyr]

I tried this, and got following error message:

You cannot move this post because you don't own it and you don't own the target parent.

Fair enough, it is true that I don't own either. However I am the forum owner.

There are many reasons for merging topics. But one most of the common ones must surely be that some user posts (via email) with some lame software that don't preserve the References header field. As a result a new topic is started that really belong under an already existing one. In order to fix this, the forum ower need to be able to move the new topic into the topic where it belongs.

I therefore humbly request that forum owners/administrators are given the power to merge (and split) topics - without any restrictions.

[Will <Nabble>]

Yeah, I agree with you. I had thought that forum owner should be able to move anything as long as it's under his forum, so I am a bit surprised that it's not. Let me check with the team.

[Will <Nabble>]

You probably won't like the solution we come up with, but here it is ...

If you don't own post1 and post2 and you want move post1 to be under post2, you can reply to post2, thus creating a post3 which you own. In post3 you can explain why you want to move post1 to be under post2. Then you move post2 to be under post3.

Does this work?

With Nabble, we want to give forum owner the power to do things but we also care about the users' rights. Some users may not like their posts being placed directly under another user's post.

[Gisle Hannemyr]

Will <Nabble> wrote

You probably won't like the solution we come up with, but here it is ...

You're right .

Will <Nabble> wrote

If you don't own post1 and post2 and you want move post1 to be under post2, you can reply to post2, thus creating a post3 which you own. In post3 you can explain why you want to move post1 to be under post2. Then you move post2 to be under post3.

Does this work?

No.  I simply want to maintain a tidy forum.  Injecting an extra message into the conversation telling the user that he uses flawed software that breaks threads is just adding to the noise.  Also, that superfluous post3 is going to be relayed to the email list, where it will not make sense. I'll rather live with broken threads.

Will <Nabble> wrote

With Nabble, we want to give forum owner the power to do things but we also care about the users' rights. Some users may not like their posts being placed directly under another user's post.

There is a lot of things users may dislike. Some users may dislike being reprimanded for the software they use.

You otherwise grant forum owners a lot of power, including the power to completely remove messages and threads from the forum. By comparison, the power to move a subthread is IMHO much less intrusive.

I think that if you put a small note at the top ("This message and its subthread was moved by <forum owner name> at <date>"), that will add tranparency to the process that will keep abuses in check.  Forum owner that are seen to abuse their powers will simply lose users.

[Will <Nabble>]

Gisle Hannemyr wrote

I think that if you put a small note at the top ("This message and its subthread was moved by <forum owner name> at <date>"), that will add tranparency to the process that will keep abuses in check.  Forum owner that are seen to abuse their powers will simply lose users.

This is a very good idea. I think it makes sense. Let me check with the team.

[TheMachinimanator]

:O you never talked about locking topics

[Graham Perrin]

TheMachinimanator wrote

:O you never talked about locking topics

Noted at <http://n2.nabble.com/Your-wish-list-for-Nabble-tp2306610p3365894.html>,
discussed at <http://n2.nabble.com/-tp3217694p3443264.html> :-)

[Graham Perrin]

Will <Nabble> wrote

Yes, you can merge topics.

Go to a post, click More->Move Post to...,

That feature seems to be missing …