Chapter List Comment Links Should Link Directly to the Thread, Not Open the Chapter With a Narrow Comments Column

[OnlyAlphanumericCharacters]

Don't get me wrong, I think having the comments available in the reader is a good thing, but I do not like the comment link on the chapter list itself not linking directly to the thread.

Why did the comment links need to change from the thread (what I want and use) to what is now effectively a small section in the reader?
This negates the possibility of jumping to the comment thread without marking a chapter as read. (Yes, this is a thing I have done. If I see a chapter with two uploads, I will check the comments to see if I can find out why; what's different. That does not mean I want it marked as read.)

It also rather small at best; not great if your intention is actually reading/replying to the thread. It's great for quick things, yeah, but that's it.

Edit: So I think the new comments are separate from the forum comments? I'm not sure. Either way, there should be a way to view comments without being in the chapter reader, and ideally without marking a chapter as read.

 

[MostlyHumanTLs]

It's literally making a dedicated page. It's an afternoon job. The most work you'd have to do is deciding how to link it. Hint: open the page when outside the reader.

Yeah, just give us the "shit" implementation that fixes this retarded problem now, and explore all you want later.

Since the implementation of the new comments, I've barely used MangaDex due to how annoying my usual "workflow" has become.

 

[Insignis]

What I want to know is who tested this, before releasing this to public? The can't create threads thing should be the easiest to spot - and letting it through just shows how bad at deving devs here seems to be. The clicking on comments button opening the reader with some small panel opened inside that half the time is empty and just asks you if you want to go read older comments that open forums - is such a blatant horrible UI/UX change from both user usage perspective and server loading perspective, that no sane dev would want to sign their name under it, or release it to public while telling it was first tested on canary or whatever was being said in few topics I read.

All in all if this behaviour of opening the chapter and marking it read will stay, and if reaching the forums I am so used to will require me to fight with multiple clicks, and clearing seen statuses - this will just completely kill any usage of forum/comments for me, making MD just a bad manga reader cause of how many mangas are deleted cause of DMCA or group bans and thus forcing users to go to other sites to read something they already invested their time into.

Seems that something changed in the middle of me writing this comment - so I edited it. The new opening the panel without loading the reader is a nice change, all that is left fixing is adding a button next to the comments one that would instantly go to forums. You already are separating the two, having two buttons wont confuse anyone especially if iconed/named properly, and especially when you already confuse people by having "read older comments" button in said comment panel open new tab with forum thread that is separate so I am not reading "older comments" but completely different ones.

 

[shinya78]

Hi, I'll post here a reply I received from the developers regarding this suggestion:

Do not open the reader if you just want to read the comments

"Valid. We will be exploring ways of doing this."

Just checked over at the main site, this is now implemented.

 

[Insignis]

Just checked over at the main site, this is now implemented.

Yeah, changed in the middle of me writing my above you comment. Now just add a button that will open the forums like before. Remove the "read old comments" from the new panel - cause its confusing. And maybe add the same going to forums button next to the one for comments that open the new panel - and this whole new change could be "bearable".

 

[shinya78]

Now just add a button that will open the forums like before.

There's a new button at the top, with the overlapping text bubbles icon, which does exactly that.

Remove the "read old comments" from the new panel - cause its confusing.

That now reads "Read # more comments in the forums".

And maybe add the same going to forums button next to the one for comments that open the new panel - and this whole new change could be "bearable".

If only the new button was added there instead...

 

[GipoScribantino]

It's only a half fix for me. Why make it a narrow side panel instead of a dedicated page?
I understand the team really absolutely from the bottom of their unmovable hearts don't want you to write long comments and as such you'll never have to read long pieces of text inside a narrow side panel, but it's still very awkward when I want to have the comment section opened in another tab, which I always do with the forum.

 

[Insignis]

There's a new button at the top, with the overlapping text bubbles icon, which does exactly that.

That now reads "Read # more comments in the forums".

If only the new button was added there instead...

I don't see that button on either the feed/updates or on the main manga pages. And that is what I mean - give us back the buttons that let us go to forums, on both of those pages. I basically used to open comments/forums directly from feed page, and then chapters that I wanted to read too, then gone on the reading binge. Now its to many clicks - open the panel - open forum, close panel, potentially open chapter if I am reading it to, and rinse and repeat - when before I could just middle mouse click a lot to directly open stuff in new tabs and be done with it.

There is I think a new button on the panel that goes to forum - but it duplicates the one they just changed the text off? But it still is a bit confusing cause "read more comments on the forums - suggest that the ones above are also from the forums, not a separate ones. And they supposedly wanted them to be different ones?

Something at least is being done to fix this fuck-up. Just needs a bit more. Like basically gives us back what was there before, just add these new comments stuff, with its panel next to it

And if getting kinda rid off the forum, or at least moving all the comments about chapters/mangas stuff out of it into their own API/whatever - just replace the forum with the new api - but keep the forum way of behaviour - aka opening the new page dedicated for comments like it opened forum threads. Just that the panel letting you read some last ones, could be opened in the reader too. A fusion of both worlds. And if some weirdos need a button that would open panel or chapter with panel opened in it - maybe make it so that there are either separate dedicated buttons, or let users select what they want to see in their UIs/etc? If you are deving your whole site you should be able to do that - like with preferred languages, titles forms, etc?

I would select going to forum for as long as forum existed, and would ignore the "short in chapter comments". If they ever moved that portion of forums to their own API and kinda integrated both into one - I would chose an option to open comments in separate page instead of a panel. Would use the panel too thou - cause sometimes I get the urge to comment or edit what I already commented while in the middle of reading, doing it via the panel would be faster than opening the dedicated page each time XD. And if using both became kinda a thing - ability to have dedicated buttons on chapter lists (feed/main manga pages) to both would be nice too.

 

[shinya78]

I don't see that button on either the feed/updates or on the main manga pages. And that is what I mean - give us back the buttons that let us go to forums, on both of those pages.

If only...

There is I think a new button on the panel that goes to forum - but it duplicates the one they just changed the text off? But it still is a bit confusing cause "read more comments on the forums - suggest that the ones above are also from the forums, not a separate ones. And they supposedly wanted them to be different ones?

That's literally the same button that I just mentioned. It's there for when the "Read # more comments in the forums" link gets buried down underneath if there's a lot of comments.
A shame it's over there and not... somewhere else, innit?

 

[Insignis]

If only...

That's literally the same button that I just mentioned. It's there for when the "Read # more comments in the forums" link gets buried down underneath if there's a lot of comments.
A shame it's over there and not... somewhere else, innit?

Yeah, you mentioned the new button, and I listed where I failed to see it (aka where I want it) and where I did spot it (where it is kinda useless to me XD)

But yeah having that button on chapter lists and on the side panel next to the one opening new sub panel with comments would be nice.

 

[Hicleric]

I'm guessing the new comment panel was designed for mobile. Unfortunate, but a defensible and practical choice as I imagine most of the silent majority access MD on mobile.

 

[JVick]

don't want you to write long comments

All jokes aside, this is the real problem, the rest is just details. I liked the big format, you could post images as well as big chunks of texts. Now it's the same format as a YouTube short.

 

[shinya78]

I'm guessing the new comment panel was designed for mobile. Unfortunate, but a defensible and practical choice as I imagine most of the silent majority access MD on mobile.

As if the mobile version of the forum doesn't squeeze itself for that purpose.
Did they not think about the PC users when they designed it? Won't somebody please think of the PC users!

Side note "Read # more comments in the forums" will read "Create a thread in the forums" if the thread does not exist yet. I assume the new button also does the same thing (create thread), but people already are creating threads like they used to that I couldn't test it.

 

[JVick]

I'm guessing the new comment panel was designed for mobile. Unfortunate, but a defensible and practical choice as I imagine most of the silent majority access MD on mobile.

Couldn't they have made the option to display a responsive window ?

 

[BakedBanana]

I assume the new button also does the same thing, but people already are creating threads like they used to that I couldn't test it.

If you can't find non-existent threads to test on, enable another language for chapters and go to the latest updates. There will be plenty of threads not opened.

 

[JVick]

Did they prod a new version just now ? I don't have access to my pc but now I'm seeing a full screen windows that doesn't open the chapter.

 

[shinya78]

If you can't find non-existent threads to test on, enable another language for chapters and go to the latest updates. There will be plenty of threads not opened.

Managed to find one after some digging, can confirm it does the same.

Did they prod a new version just now ? I don't have access to my pc but now I'm seeing a full screen windows that doesn't open the chapter.

Yes they did a while back, and everyone can create threads now.

 

[JVick]

Managed to find one after some digging, can confirm it does the same.


Yes they did a while back, and everyone can create threads now.

Well I still think there's a lot of wasted spaces but I guess it's the modern way to do the cool UI stuff the big boys do.

Still not gonna post on it because I'm old and I'm used to the forum. I'll stop coming when it'll (soon) disappear.

 

[shinya78]

Still not gonna post on it because I'm old and I'm used to the forum. I'll stop coming when it'll (soon) disappear.

The most common one I see is just the uploader still posting a link to the forum thread.