Use text replace function to auto-link to referred threads?

[GTSBoy]

Hi,

We've all posted some thread, or know of some other person's thread, that contains information that we want to send people who are asking question to. But if we don't have a link readily available, have to go do a search for the thread before being able to do so.

So, it occurred to me that we could possibly utilise the auto-text-replace function that fixes some of my swear words to perhaps auto replace some special keywords with text that also has a link to the thread.

A specific example. The thread that I did with the improved R32 GTR wiring diagram scans. If the phrase "R32 GTR wiring diagram" could be auto replaced with "R32 GTR wiring diagram" then all I (or @Duncan, or any of the others that refer to the thread) need to do is remember that that's the keyword (or phrase in this case). OK, it would be better if this keyphrase wasn't that long, but it does need to be specific enough that it doesn't get triggered automatically.

And obviously there are threads on turbo topics, or suspension topics that we could treat similarly.

Alternatively (and/or additionally), I've been thinking about trying to build a library of the real expert content that is trapped in the bowels of the 25odd years of this site. Things like some of SydneyKid's content. There are threads that he started that should be more easily found, and he has individual posts, or series of posts, in other people's threads, containing very good information. Some of us know that it is there, but....just have no memory of exactly where/when/how we saw it. If we had some sort of library thread, we could put posts in there containing links to things we've found, suggestions for how to categorise it, then a mod or other appointed thread maintainer can copy the link and any key text up into the first post in the library thread.

There are probably many other ways to get it done. Some sort of wiki is probably the best way.

 

Thoughts?

[soviet_merlin]

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

It might work to have the same for forum topics. Some key to trigger it and then text search across all thread names and it'll insert the name and URL when pressing enter.

[GTSBoy]

37 minutes ago, soviet_merlin said:

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

Yeah, type a special character like ^ or | to initiate the equivalent of the "at"ing for thread links. Although, it might not get any easier to manage. Imagine 30 or 40 threads that kinda match what you want, and the one you want is lost after a long list of useless ones.

The magic keyword version I proposed would be a manual effort to set up each case. More of a directed effort from the greybeards to facilitate exposure of useful content. I'm not against the auto complete stuff being considered - maybe por que no los dos?

(And where I said "triggered automatically" in my OP, I meant "triggered accidentally". Of course I want it to be automatic!!)

[PranK]

2 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Hi,

We've all posted some thread, or know of some other person's thread, that contains information that we want to send people who are asking question to. But if we don't have a link readily available, have to go do a search for the thread before being able to do so.

So, it occurred to me that we could possibly utilise the auto-text-replace function that fixes some of my swear words to perhaps auto replace some special keywords with text that also has a link to the thread.

A specific example. The thread that I did with the improved R32 GTR wiring diagram scans. If the phrase "R32 GTR wiring diagram" could be auto replaced with "R32 GTR wiring diagram" then all I (or @Duncan, or any of the others that refer to the thread) need to do is remember that that's the keyword (or phrase in this case). OK, it would be better if this keyphrase wasn't that long, but it does need to be specific enough that it doesn't get triggered automatically.

And obviously there are threads on turbo topics, or suspension topics that we could treat similarly.

Yeah great idea, I have already added R32 Wiring Diagram but we can add as many as we want.

2 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Alternatively (and/or additionally), I've been thinking about trying to build a library of the real expert content that is trapped in the bowels of the 25odd years of this site. Things like some of SydneyKid's content. There are threads that he started that should be more easily found, and he has individual posts, or series of posts, in other people's threads, containing very good information. Some of us know that it is there, but....just have no memory of exactly where/when/how we saw it. If we had some sort of library thread, we could put posts in there containing links to things we've found, suggestions for how to categorise it, then a mod or other appointed thread maintainer can copy the link and any key text up into the first post in the library thread.

There are probably many other ways to get it done. Some sort of wiki is probably the best way.

 

Thoughts?

100% ! This has been something I've wanted to do for a while. I thought we could have a way for people to 'suggest' a link be added to the library when they come across something good. 

We could kick this along by allowing members (maybe a subset) to tag threads they find to allow us to more easily find/locate/use good content, ie a tag 'for-library' which can then be added to the library and maybe have the tags reviewed and updated to better match the content. This would make it easier then to find the content when not using the library.

We can also create pages that have lists of content with specific tags. That would allow us to add a tag and then have it automatically added to a page. We could have a page just for the 'for-library' content that we could then moderate and put wherever. 

This excites me, the lack of structure with the amount of content is a little overwhelming.

[PranK]

2 hours ago, soviet_merlin said:

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

It might work to have the same for forum topics. Some key to trigger it and then text search across all thread names and it'll insert the name and URL when pressing enter.

Yeah the issue here is that we have a lot of topics, unless we matched on the exact word & phrase we'd get a million topics and the one you want will not likely be in the top 20 or so.

[GTSBoy]

11 minutes ago, PranK said:

Yeah great idea, I have already added R32 Wiring Diagram but we can add as many as we want.

100% ! This has been something I've wanted to do for a while. I thought we could have a way for people to 'suggest' a link be added to the library when they come across something good. 

We could kick this along by allowing members (maybe a subset) to tag threads they find to allow us to more easily find/locate/use good content, ie a tag 'for-library' which can then be added to the library and maybe have the tags reviewed and updated to better match the content. This would make it easier then to find the content when not using the library.

We can also create pages that have lists of content with specific tags. That would allow us to add a tag and then have it automatically added to a page. We could have a page just for the 'for-library' content that we could then moderate and put wherever. 

This excites me, the lack of structure with the amount of content is a little overwhelming.

This is all good. In the worst case we could just report threads and put the "for library" into the report. But anything better than that will defo be better. By definition!

Meanwhile, I am going to test R32 GTR wiring diagram. And of course it doesn't work because you used R32 wiring diagram. But that's cool.

Edited January 7 by GTSBoy

[PranK]

Yep, report works - we can add a report type. 

R32 GTR wiring diagram

 

[PranK]

I have added a 'to be added to library' report type.

[PranK]

@GTSBoy I'm happy to add you as an admin so you can edit topics / posts / see reports etc. Let me know what you think. You've done your time!  🤣

[GTSBoy]

I probably should.

Then I can discipline myself.

[PranK]

4 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

I probably should.

Then I can discipline myself.

No, only I do the disciplining.

[GTSBoy]

So I guess the next thing to do will be to discuss whether to create a new section of the forums to hold the library (boo hiss?), somewhat undoing the recent tidy up, or if there is a bolt on wiki module for Invision? (I must profess ignorance as to what has been done, what it might cost, etc. I have only briefly googled and seen discussion on adding it.)

Or is a wiki even the best way to do what I'm talking about? It possibly isn't. Given that we're trying to re-display forum content, it probably needs to be presented as forum content in forum format, and a wiki would probably struggle with that.

A wiki might still be the best way to do some other things, so I'll keep the idea simmering if we don't use it here.

Back to the library as "part of the forums".

• Would we do a single new library? Or put a library thread in each section? Pluses and minuses for each of these, surely.
• Would we do as I originally suggested, and make the first post in the library be the total of the library, with any reply posts just being the inputs and suggestions I originally posited? Or would we allow posts to accumulate one after the other, each containing additions to the library? Maybe the first post is still an index or something.

It's all sounding horribly more manual and messy than my original brain fart. But I hope there's some other good ideas floating around - because every time I come up with a new one of my own I immediately see problems with it.