A user, agemo, reports a usability issue where posts mistakenly converted to ‘New Message’ during topic splitting cannot be reverted to ‘Topic’ — despite previously being able to do so. They note the UI doesn’t clearly differentiate ‘New Topic’ from ‘New Message’, suggesting visual improvements like color or positioning to prevent fat-finger errors. JammyDodger and Stephen suggest using ‘Make Public Topic’ via the topic wrench to convert PMs back into topics and move posts, but agemo confirms the option is missing entirely — even in older PMs — and no ‘Move to Topic’ option appears after selecting posts. Stephen asks if the issue affects all PMs, which agemo confirms. JammyDodger suggests testing in safe mode to isolate the issue. The problem appears to be either a recent bug, a hidden admin setting, or a regression affecting all private message conversions — with no current workaround.
This seeming bug, was the result of a user fat finger error while splitting a topic.
Some post were made a New Message instead of a New Topic.
*Note: this is not the firs time new message has been chosen in error instead of new topic, suggestions you use colour or position to differentiate the options to avoid fat finger outcomes.
It’s only a few posts, but there is now no option to convert them back to a topic, anywhere that I can find. I can not select and move them to a new topic.
I think you would have to ‘Make Public Topic’ from the Topic Wrench (and then ‘Select Posts → Move to’ if you wanted to attach them to another public topic). That should achieve what you’re looking for.
Looking at the UI, there is quite a bit of difference between ‘New Topic’, ‘Existing Topic’ and ‘New Message’ already?
From there you can select posts as normal and move them into a different topic. I would suggest using a category that isn’t visible to everyone so as to not create any additional confusion.
I know I used this feature in the past to correct a previous identical fat finger mistake, split post > new message instead of split post > new topic.
Even selecting posts, there is no further option to move to a topic, only a message.
I don’t know if this is a weird bug now or some arcane setting in admin that I changed without me knowing or noticing or unnderstadning the consequences.
Does it appear in