Option to view top level comments only

[lightgetsin]

Title:
Option to view top level comments only

Area:
comments, entries, accessibility

Summary:
A way to view comments only at the top level, with all threads temporarily collapsed.

Description:
Why it would be useful: anywhere you want to browse threads without having to scroll and scroll past endless collapsed comments. Useful in love memes, auctions, kinkmemes, lots of places. Also, it would be a great accessibility enhancement.

How to do it: The most obvious way would just be to have a link available on every entry to view only top level comments. From that view, you have the option of expanding any thread to view it, preferably via ajax magic.

It would probably also be useful to give users more control. I see two options here:

1. Give users a setting in their viewing options "show me only top level comments by default." Though of course you could turn it off on individual entries.

2. Make it style-specific -- if you're using a style that views top level as default (and I bet someone will make an accessibility style that does) -- then it's controlled by style=mine.

Other questions:

1. When expanding a thread from the top level comment, should the whole thread expand, or should it just appear as it normally would with comment collapsing? I tend to think expand the whole thing, because double-clicking for that would be annoying.

2. Should the "show me only top level comments" link be part of the links at the end of every entry (track, reply, comments, etc.) or should it be only inside once you've clicked through to view comments? A question of clutter versus possible annoyance.

Poll #3834 Option to view top level comments only

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
28 (63.6%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
2 (4.5%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
3 (6.8%)

(I have no opinion)
10 (22.7%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (2.3%)

Comments

[ninetydegrees]

2. Should the "show me only top level comments" link be part of the links at the end of every entry (track, reply, comments, etc.) or should it be only inside once you've clicked through to view comments? A question of clutter versus possible annoyance.

I'd say both: a "Read xx top comments" link next to the usual "xx comments" link on Reading pages and a "show me only xx top comments" link next to the "xx comments" link on Comment pages.

[snakeling]

should it be only inside once you've clicked through to view comments
That would defeat the purpose, for me. One reason I see for only viewing top-level comments is that posts with long threads/lots of comments take an unreasonable amount of time to load, including on broadband.

[lightgetsin]

Good point!

[trixieleitz]

Maybe it could be the default view, with a "view threads" link available on the comment view?

[turlough]

I can certainly understand that this could be very useful for some users in some situations but I'm a little wary of cluttering up the entry page and comments with even more links. It's dangerously close to being overloaded as it is I think.

[zvi]

+1

[sorchasilver]

+1

[kyrielle]

What if the functionality were added, but the link was a non-standard one not displayed in most styles - but displayed in some accessability styles, and available to users to put in their custom styles? No clutter for those who don't want it - and those who do could even substitute in the one link for the other, and always have only the top-level view link, if they wanted....

[jadelennox]

+1

[lightgetsin]

If that's how it went, I would definitely also want a universal "only show me top level by default" independent of style.

[turlough]

But what about site schemed entry/comment pages?

I think charmian's suggestion of a ?view=top parameter like there is ?view=flat might be a better idea.

[lightgetsin]

It's a nice idea, but that would put it completely out of reach for most users, many of whom will be exactly the people who need the option for ease of navigation/accessibility reasons.

[charmian]

How about just like 'view flat' there be an option like 'view top'? Then people could easily add it in, whereas now I think there isn't such an option.

Or, maybe there should instead be an option to totally collapse threads.

[instantramen]

I like the ?view=top idea, personally.

[azurelunatic]

And you can shove it in the style if you want.