Option to solve topics & Give XP

[NiTEMARE]

Hi Nabble Team,

My idea is to add a Solve button/link into the options of the topic. In this way, users will know if the topic/question is solved or not.

What should happen is that you should be able to Accept a reply as the solution. By clicking "More" (drop down menu) there will be a text saying "Accept as Solution". But only the author of the thread and people with rights will be able to Accept solutions.

When the topic is solved, a Solution icon will be shown before you enter the topic. just like the Pinned icon (next to the topic title) and when you enter the topic, the icon will also be shown to the left of the title. The Solved icon will also be shown next to the correct answer.

Exampel:

 How do I change my password?

"I have problems to retrieve my new password and login. Please help.."

 Re:  How do I change my password?

"Clear your web cache and update the page.."


The Solved icon  will be shown in the main title.
The Solution icon  will be shown only on the correct reply/answer.

Also. When you enter a solved topic, a text box or link will be appear that will say "Topic is Solved! Go to Solution." When you press "Go to Solution", you will be directed to the correct answer of the topic.


On top of this, you should also be able to give replies a Thumb Up or XP. If a user find the answer as good, then they should be able to give a Thumb Up/XP by clicking "More" and then "Give Kudo/Thumbs Up/XP". Every registered user will be able to give Thumb up / XP.

Then of course, the user who retrieve the Thumb up/XP will get 1 point for this, then we also need to create some kind of point system that can be shown via the profile. In this way, other users will be able to see how many Thumb up's / XP that user have got.

Let me know if this can be done or not.

- Kind regards,
  Timmie.

[Mencey Melgar]

Great idea! but I think this actually could take a lot of time to be done. Hope nabble will consider it! ;)

[GregChapman]

In the mean time, create a "Solved" sub-forum and move all appropriate topics there.

Like a FAQ sub-forum it should be the place you direct people to first before they post a question.

[jsmoraes]

Nitemare and LouK,

It is a good idea. But to implement it I see some issues.

1) In main page, the topic marked with solved icon can be accessed by topic link or by last post link.
With topic link, the first message will be showed, and suppose the topic has many message and pages. The message with solved icon will be very distant and not visible.
question: the message with solved icon should be pinned, too ?

2) In main page, you can have many topics and pages.
question: this solved topic should be pinned, too ?

3) question: Who is authorized to mark the message and topic as solved ? Anyone or only Administrators ?

4) Topics and messages are identified in NAML by [id], binary, probably index field in database.
question (most important): To mark the message and topic as solved, can be used any edition on his subject, like inclusion of some specific expression ?
 For example:
 Re:  How do I change my password? - solved
 Re:  How do I change my password? - solved in dd/mm/yyyy
 Re:  How do I change my password? - solved by John John
Re:  How do I change my password? #
(expression or not usual character to act as flag)

5) question: After defined and marked as solved, somebody can add other messages ? The topic should be locked ?

I am trying a code to this task and I need answer to these questions.

Thanks, jorge

[jsmoraes]

Perhaps something like this ?





If you prefer, we can suppress the flag expressions. It will be present in subject, but not showed. However, up to now, I didn't find a way to trim them.

[NiTEMARE]

Hi there  jsmoraes,

1. Before you enter the topic, (in exampel forums or board) the solved icon should be visible to the left of the name. Just like the pin or lock icon.
It should not be pinned to a specific section, or it could be if you want to. But the idea is to for other users to know that this topic is solved.

2. Same here. You can of course create a section called "Solved topics and Questions". Where all solved items will appear.

3. The creator of the topic and people with permission (Admin, Mod etc).

4. I show below with images, on how it should look like.

5. People can still add messages, yes. The topic will not be locked if not an Admin locks it then.

This is how it should look like:

Before you enter the topic it should look like this:



When you have entered the topic, it should look like this:



Please note that this images is from another Community Board that I have build with a team and only with HTML and XLM.
You don't have to worrie about the design, but this is how the Solved and Solution icons should appear.

Also. This funtion is more for people who want a support community/forums.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

- Timmie

[NiTEMARE]

Hi again,

Haha. That's awesome!
If you only want the checkmarks when you enter the topic, you can replace the image with this one instead:



- Timmie

[NiTEMARE]

Also. Make sure to do enough space around the icons, since the pin icon should still be able to show next to the title even if the topic is solved.

- Timmie

[jsmoraes]

question no. 1  - ok to not pin and ok to show the solved icon together and to the left of name (I will use the word subject instead of name, ok ?) in the main page (before you enter the topic).

question no. 2 - create a section called "Solved topics and Questions", but here there are some issues.
a) it seems to be similar to suggestion from gregchapman, above. You must move all appropriate topics to there.
b) to mark the topic as question solved and process an automatic transfer with all reply to there will not be possible. I will explain the motif down.

question no. 3 - creator of the topic and people with permission. There are some issues here, too. And the motif will be told down

question no. 4 - ok, you can change the images. No great problem to do it. At any time. The icon must be loaded to a gallery of images, since they aren't inside the Nabble server. If you maintain the name of file, you can change it at any time.

question no. 5 - People can still add messages. Indifferent. Despite of I think if the question was solved... why return to discuss it again ?

New question: the pin icon should still be able to show next to the title even if the topic is solved: There isn't space to show two icons in pin column. The icon of pin has 20 x 21 pixels only, and takes the full area. We can create a new icon with two symbols: pin and solved. But the small space will make it so small that nobody will see what it is. The solved icon will take the position told in question no. 1, above: together the subject (name), at left and before the subject.

Ok, I told the good news. Let's go to the bad news: the motif

1) only Nabble team can change the structure of database, and create a new solved field, similar to pinned field.

2) because this we need to mark the topic, the message with question and the message with answer, by another way. Topic is created with message with the question, and they are the same. It is transparent if this first message has text or not. Therefore we need to mark with different flags only two messages: the first and that with answer.

3) I can not see other way to mark them: I need to change the content of subject (name), including in it some thing to act as flag. This flag can be an expression, as I did above, or some group of characters not usual. For example: #%# and %#%. Two, three characters. No more. And the best position should be the left, before the true content of subject (name). Why ? Because we can trim them before show in page. A kind of left string function (that I didn't find, yet). These flags will serve to decisions in the code.
If we include a space between the flag and subject... no problem with internal forum search engine.


note: in the example showed above I used only the "(Solved" expression and the "- Solved" expression. They are easily identified with an intructions with  "if contains substrig".

4) as you need to change the content of the subject (name), and the flags is hidden to the others people, only Administrators with permission to edit all can do this task.

5) I didn't find how to trim the content of subject (name), to exclude the flags before show them in the page. I know where, but I am not expert in NAML and JAVA. I haven't solution to this, yet. Any help will be very positive.

To close the code, I need solve the issue of item 5. And know if the solution that I thought would be of interest. I don't need this ressource. In spite of that I can use something to change the appearance of pinned icon, only for appearance.

I am trying to find a solution to your question because I am studying NAML (or better, trying to understand it). Certainly the Nabble team will have a better and more sharp solution.

regards, jorge

[jsmoraes]

I changed the flags to mark the messages. Now we have the symbol ¬ to answer, and the group .¬ to question.

They are at right side of subject, yet. But I reckon the best position to trim should be the left side .

Nothing about the trim function. I have some codes in JAVA, but I don't know how to call this JAVA from a macro NAML, without be inside of HTML tag: as imput button and under onclick event.

I will post the code in NAML section of this forum, with the same title (subject) of your message here. Maybe someone can help with information.

More some bad news:

1) flag in message with solved answer:  as you have possibility to reply this message, the flag will propagate.  And the icon will appear again.

You must lock the topic. Sorry: topic solved, no more discussion. If somebody don't agree with the solution, he must re-open (create) another topic.

see the Nabble documentation:



But not only bad news ! Some good news are fine to be heard.

And now, the presentation is:





note: perhaps we can use the trim function to clear the flag if someone try to reply the message with answer. When you ask for reply, the subject box is automatically filled with contents ... therefore ... maybe !  

note 2: Huummm! I feel the title of  the topic page  should have the same icon of main page: the image with word solved!
I will try it.

[NiTEMARE]

Hi again!

This is awesome, really.
About your questions to move all topics etc, I don't really see this as necessary. We at EXCE, have modified and changed our Nabble Board into a support & help center as well as a forums. We also want our users to help each other out, by posting solutions and so on. In this way, our users can reach ranks and earn rewards and so on. We have simply built our own community. And of course, we have community managers and moderators and so on as well.

We have a high activity of users and topics, and all of them in different subject. Therefore, I think it is best to only let the topic be as it is but if it solved, then it is solved.

The point is not only for the author to get help. With the solved function, other users can take part of that solution and maybe use that info. In this way, that user maybe don't need to create a similiar topic about the same problem.

If you understand what I talking about here..

The main idea is only to show users that the topic/question is solved. The only thing we need is a dropdown option for the author of the topic as well as people with permisson. The option will be "Accept this reply as Solution". When the author of the thread press that, the icons will show up and other users will know that this is solved.

- Timmie

[NiTEMARE]

And the thread dosen't need to be locked after someone have pressed the "Accept as Solution" option. Maybe the author wants to add something afterwards or another users wants to say something about the question.
 
The thing is, we can have multiple Solutions in one topic. The option to solved a reply, should still appear after a reply have been accepted as the solution, since other users can add something that may solved the authors problem as well.

The pictures you posted is exactly what I talking about! :) Do you have the codes for that right now? If so. You can post them here.
Also. Do you have Skype? If so, add me: timmie.akesson. I want to discuss this further.

- Timmie

[jsmoraes]

Well, I got solution with the trim function. Therefore the topic doesn't need to be locked. I will try to trim the flags when someone want to reply some message with question or with answer.

The only thing we need is a dropdown option for the author of the topic as well as people with permisson. The option will be "Accept this reply as Solution". When the author of the thread press that, the icons will show up and other users will know that this is solved.

I don't know if it is possible. As I said before, we haven't any field in database to check as solved. I am using flags on the subject. It means: edit the messages of the others.

 I don't know if by code someone without status of Administrator and without permission to change messages (Edit All - permission exclusive to Administrators) could do it.

Maybe the complexity of this task will be out of my scope.

The code, without the trim function ( this question was solved just now ! ), was posted in NAML - free support section.

[jsmoraes]

Ok, I finished the code. With the following features:

1) Mark the message as question and present an icon to it.

2) Mark the message(s) as correct answer(s) and present an icon to it. More one message can be marked.

3) The author of question message can edit the subject (name or title of message, if you prefer), but can't change the status of be marked.

4) The author of answer message can edit the subject (name or title of message, if you prefer), but can't change the status of be marked.

5) Nobody see the flags that mark messages. Only Administrators can see.

6) Only Administrator can mark or unmark the message.

7) Any kind of character or sentence can be used to mark messages. (it needs changing in some lines of the code to reconize them).

8) Replies don't propagate the flags.

9) List and Thread modes don't show the flags.

10) Any image can be icons, respected the size. The files with image must be published. Inside the forum or out forum. (it needs changing in some lines of the code). If inside the forum, the gallery must has permission to be seen by anyone: registered or not.

Not developed:

1) automation to insertion of flags. It must be inserted manually, by administrator.

2) automation to clear the flags. It must be deleted manually, by administrator.

3) any kind of contabilization of score, bonus or other ressources.

note:
It's not the best code, and certainly it can be improved. Everyone are free to do it.

I reckon this code can be used in many others circustances than forum support.

A table with characteres, as flag, and images can mark many kind of message: important, new, admin, interrogation, attention ...


The full code was posted in NAML - free support section.

The first version, when the icon solved was at position of pinned icon, can be used to call attention to any message. Pinned or not the icon will be showed. The code to this was posted in NAML - free support section as append.