: I agree with Jan - the tree structure seems to be preferrable !
: Hope you ( Michael ) understand it as constructive cristism,
: although I am a more or less professional Webdesigner

The tree structure will be preserved but broken up into two files. The goal of the new design is to relieve me of the burden of having to trim the message boards when they get to several hundred messages. It should take a long, long time for any file to reach 4-500 messages (and serious corruption seems to set in around the 500 mark). Even our busiest message boards will be easier to administer this way.

Here is the way we currently have it working:

  Thread 1
    Followup 3
      Followup 3.3
      Followup 3.2
        Followup 3.2.3
        Followup 3.2.2
        Followup 3.2.1
      Followup 3.1
    Followup 2
     Followup 2.2
     Followup 2.1
    Followup 1

This makes the main index page very large and forces me to "retire" threads within a matter of days on our busier message boards.

The format most people here (and throughout Xenite.Org) said they DO NOT want looks like this:

  Thread 3
  Thread 2  -------------+
                         |
                         V
                    Message 1
                    Message 2
                    Message 3
  Thread 1  -------------+
                         |
                         V
                    Message 1
                    Message 2
                    Message 3

In the undesired format, all the messages are contained in the same file. What I'm planning on doing is something that will look like this:

  Thread 2-----------------+
                           |
                           V
                     Message 1
                       Followup 3
                         Followup 3.3
                         Followup 3.2
                        Followup 3.1
                      Followup 2
                        Followup 2.2
                        Followup 2.1
                           Followup 2.1.3
                           Followup 2.2.2
                           Followup 2.1.1
  Thread 1-----------------+
                           |
                           V
                     Message 1
                       Followup 3
                         Followup 3.3
                         Followup 3.2
                           Followup 3.2.3
                           Followup 3.2.2
                           Followup 3.2.1
                        Followup 3.1
                      Followup 2
                        Followup 2.2
                        Followup 2.1
                      Followup 1

In this format, all the messages are still stored in their own files, but there will be a function which lets people read up to 25 at a time in a single "page".

Another way to describe is this way.

      Main index         Thread index        Message file
  +---------------+   +---------------+   +---------------+
  |   Thread 8    |   |   Message 1   |   |  Message goes |
  |   Thread 7    |   |   Message 2   |   | here just like|
  |   Thread 6    |   |   Message 3   |   | always.  It   |
  |   Thread 5    |   |   Message 4   |   | will look very|
  |   Thread 4    |   |   Message 5   |   | like current  |
  |   Thread 3    |   |   Message 6   |   | messages do   |
  |   Thread 2    |   +---------------+   +---------------+
  |   Thread 1    |
  +---------------+

Each message will be viewable individually. You will be able to see the tree and you'll also be able to look at the messages by themselves. But you will also be able to see all the messages together (up to 25) if you wish.

I will try to create a mockup over the next few days that people can look at to get a better idea of how this will work. In fact, the mockup will give people a chance to tell me what they don't like before I'm tied to any bad features.

And don't expect the new message boards to look the way these boards currently do. I had to test the posting script with a new layout but the internal structure of the HTML code can be used with pages which look very, very different from this current layout.

I needed to get cerain links in place, for the NEWS HEADLINES and the PRIVACY POLICY at the very least, as well as the SITE MAP. I threw in the promotional banners to help fill up the right-hand column because I didn't have time to work up a different format. I used a template from an existing Web site to create these new message board index pages. The template requires the right-hand column. The new forums will most likely put the special links both ABOVE and BELOW the actual subject lines:

  +----------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                                          |
  |   Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link   |
  |   #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   :   A thread or message header is listed here      :   |
  |   #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#   |
  |   Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link  Link   |
  |                                                          |
  +----------------------------------------------------------+

Some banners may still be included on the pages, but ABOVE or BELOW the main content.

Does that make better sense?

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