Lilly introduced a new Nested Sidebar Categories or Subcategories theme component, which allows for indenting or nesting selected categories or subcategories in the sidebar. This component addresses a long-standing request for nested subcategories under their parent categories in the sidebar.
Another user asked about changing the AI robot header icon in the Discourse AI plugin. Lilly shared a code snippet for replacing the icon using a theme component.
A user encountered an error during launcher execution, which was resolved by destroying and restarting the web_only container. The discussion also touched on potential issues with the web-app.yml file.
twofoursixeight inquired about recognition for legacy guide authors, similar to the Ghostwriter badge for new documentation. The discussion touched on the evolution of Discourse’s documentation system and potential recognition for past contributions.
In the Discourse Encrypt plugin thread, cmdntd’s post was deleted, but the topic remains active for discussions about encryption features in Discourse.
#Site Management
gwillows asked for clarification on the ‘relative’ time option when scheduling topics for future publication. nat provided an explanation of how the feature works.
mcwumbly announced the release of Discourse 3.4.0.beta2, highlighting new features such as improved pageview metrics, multiple category moderator groups, and the ability to watch chat threads.
A discussion arose about moving the “Proofread Text” AI button next to “Create Topic” in the composer. sam suggested teaching users about proofreading for their first few posts and potentially doing background proofreading as users type. keegan proposed automatically proofreading posts when hitting reply if users opt-in.
Users reported an issue where typing in the users’ search window is stopped unexpectedly. This was linked to a previously reported focus shift problem while searching the user directory.
jbrains sought advice on archiving a site, specifically looking for strategies to mine comments for content when retiring comments from a blog using Discourse.
sam participated in a discussion about moving the “Proofread Text” AI button, suggesting ways to teach users about proofreading and potential background proofreading features.
Falco explained that changing AI persona models is primarily for developer testing, and mentioned plans to lock personas to a single model by default in the future.
Jagster reported an issue with sharing AI conversations as detail blocks were missing. sam identified it as a FontAwesome 6 regression, and Don suggested adding ‘far-copy’ to the SVG icon subset site setting as a workaround. read more
Moin discussed the new sidebar design on tablets, highlighting inconsistencies in styling between desktop and mobile versions. Jagster agreed, mentioning difficulties in reading headings on iPad. read more
ToddZ requested improvements to the User Card Directory component, suggesting options for default timespan and sorting order. Moin provided guidance on customizing the directory view. read more
j127 shared experiences with AI-based spam and proposed ideas for improving spam detection, including recording additional data when posts are saved. read more
xandra.cc reported an issue where users could no longer edit any posts since updating to Discourse version 3.4.0.beta3-dev. Moin suggested a potential fix related to the discourse-reactions plugin, which resolved the problem. Read more.
Sidi_Codet inquired about adding subcategories to their community. Moin provided a solution by explaining how to show subcategory lists above topics in parent categories. Read more.
Rick_Jing encountered a 500 internal server error when trying to create a topic with tags via the API. The community advised on proper API key security practices. Read more.
nathank asked about the status of the new and improved /about page, seeking clarification on its current implementation and visibility to anonymous users.
sam participated in a discussion about permanently deleting topics or posts, announcing the new can_permanently_delete setting for hard deleting posts and post revisions from the UI. He also suggested moving a feature request to the appropriate category in a chat-related topic.
NateDhaliwal sought help with putting a template in a desired outlet for a persistent banner component. david provided guidance on using htmlSafe and accessing settings directly in gjs templates. The discussion led to improvements in error messages for helper usage in gjs read more.
joo asked about triggering AI-generated replies when users create new topics or posts. sam mentioned ongoing work to add this functionality to personas, while cautioning about potential noise in topics read more.
NateDhaliwal implemented several improvements to the Discourse Persistent Banner theme component, including options for placement, border customization, and support for theme variables read more.
sam shared thoughts on AI-based spam, discussing potential improvements to spam detection and raising philosophical questions about the value of AI-generated content in forums read more.
ludwikc suggested a new feature to turn chat threads into full-fledged topics, proposing the ability to select certain chat threads and convert them into regular forum topics. This could be useful for when chat discussions evolve into more meaningful conversations.
Tris20 reported an issue with the js.composer.reply_placeholder text being applied to both new topics and replies. They suggested separating the placeholders for new topics and replies to provide more appropriate guidance to users.
gurtz encountered a problem where “In reply to” links no longer work on their Discourse forum. The community discussed potential causes and troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.
kirupa sought advice on how to handle a spam attack that Akismet failed to stop. The discussion included tips for preventing spam and managing flagged content.
ludwikc asked about how to mark all posts as read for users who want to achieve “Inbox:0” on their Discourse instance. The community explained Discourse’s approach to read/unread posts and available options.
davidkingham reported an issue with the Topic List Author component, where user avatars were appearing twice when used in conjunction with topic thumbnails.
omarfilip provided feedback on the Discourse Doc Categories plugin, highlighting the importance of tag filtering for communities where documents can apply to multiple categories.
RGJ reported a PG13 compatibility issue with a recent migration introducing NULL NOT DISTINCT on an index, which is not supported in PostgreSQL versions prior to 15. tgxworld suggested reverting the migration and reconsidering another solution to avoid errors on self-hosted installations read more.
fbpbdmin raised concerns about hiding IP addresses from moderators for privacy reasons, sparking a discussion about the necessity and potential risks of moderator access to IP addresses.
A request was made to allow creation of custom flags that automatically hide content, similar to “spam” and “inappropriate” flags. tobiaseigen mentioned they will be looking into adding a toggle for this feature read more.
ludwikc initiated a discussion on gamification beyond leaderboards in Discourse communities, seeking ideas to keep users more engaged on a psychological level.
<h1><a name="today-on-metadiscourseorg-1" class="anchor" href="#today-on-metadiscourseorg-1"></a>Today on <a href="http://meta.discourse.org">meta.discourse.org</a>…</h1>
<h2><a name="key-stats-2" class="anchor" href="#key-stats-2"></a>Key Stats</h2>
<p>In the last 24 hours:</p>
<ul>
<li>New posts: 82</li>
<li>New topics: 14</li>
</ul>
<p>Top users:</p>
<ol>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/mcatakcin">MCATAKCIN</a> (12 likes, 6 posts)</li>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/mcwumbly">mcwumbly</a> (10 likes, 1 post)</li>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/moin">Moin</a> (9 likes, 8 posts)</li>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/denvergeeks">denvergeeks</a> (6 likes, 3 posts)</li>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/t_disco">T_Disco</a> (4 likes, 4 posts)</li>
</ol>
<h2><a name="interesting-topics-3" class="anchor" href="#interesting-topics-3"></a>Interesting Topics</h2>
<h3><a name="support-4" class="anchor" href="#support-4"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/support/6?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="support" data-id="6"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>Support</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/mcatakcin">MCATAKCIN</a> sought advice on <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/330270?silent=true">customizing the Reddit-ish theme</a> to achieve a Twitter-like layout with three equidistant columns. <a class="mention" href="/u/denvergeeks">denvergeeks</a> provided a CSS solution to make the columns responsive.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A user encountered issues with <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331313?silent=true">changing SMTP credentials</a> during email service provider migration. The rebuild was failing, but <a class="mention" href="/u/pfaffman">pfaffman</a> suggested an alternative approach using <code>./launcher destroy app</code> and <code>./launcher start app</code> to apply new SMTP settings.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/cédric_brunet">Cédric_Brunet</a> reported a problem where the <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331364?silent=true">AI bot only answered admin accounts</a>. <a class="mention" href="/u/falco">Falco</a> suggested changing the AI plugin settings from “everyone” to “trust_level_0” to resolve the issue.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/copymonopoly">copymonopoly</a> inquired about <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331345?silent=true">setting minimum username length for new users</a> while preserving existing shorter usernames. <a class="mention" href="/u/pfaffman">pfaffman</a> advised creating an “old users” group with flair to distinguish them.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="ux-5" class="anchor" href="#ux-5"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/ux/9?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="ux" data-id="9"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>UX</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/t_disco">T_Disco</a> suggested <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331359?silent=true">displaying tags next to categories</a> on Activity and Notifications tabs for consistency and improved information display.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/phanirithvij">phanirithvij</a> proposed adding a <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331360?silent=true">solution indicator in the vertical scrollbar</a> for solved questions in the help category. <a class="mention" href="/u/awesomerobot">awesomerobot</a> acknowledged the idea and shared a potential design mockup.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="feature-6" class="anchor" href="#feature-6"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/feature/2?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="feature" data-id="2"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>Feature</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/t_disco">T_Disco</a> questioned whether users <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331404?silent=true">should be able to vote for their own topics</a>, suggesting either disabling self-voting or adding a setting to control this behavior.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="installation-7" class="anchor" href="#installation-7"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/installation/31?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="installation" data-id="31"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>Installation</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/peternlewis">peternlewis</a> reported <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/330901?silent=true">difficulties upgrading to Discourse 3.3</a>, with the process failing. <a class="mention" href="/u/pfaffman">pfaffman</a> suggested upgrading Docker as a potential solution.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="theme-8" class="anchor" href="#theme-8"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/theme/61?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="theme" data-id="61"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>Theme</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/mcatakcin">MCATAKCIN</a> shared their success in <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/269466/66?silent=true">building a community with the Reddit-ish theme</a>, reaching almost 1,000 members in a month. They sought advice on customizing the theme further for a Twitter-like layout.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="developer-guides-9" class="anchor" href="#developer-guides-9"></a><span class="hashtag-raw">#Developer</span> Guides</h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/pento">pento</a> encountered an error when <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/102009/300?silent=true">running <code>d/boot_dev --init</code></a> and provided a potential fix by adding a database creation step to the boot script.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="plugin-10" class="anchor" href="#plugin-10"></a><a class="hashtag-cooked" href="/c/plugin/22?silent=true" data-type="category" data-slug="plugin" data-id="22"><span class="hashtag-icon-placeholder"><svg class="fa d-icon d-icon-square-full svg-icon svg-node"><use href="#square-full"></use></svg></span><span>Plugin</span></a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/paulswithers">paulswithers</a> inquired about <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/322376/80?silent=true">changing icons for specific links</a> in the Discourse Doc Categories plugin, noting that it appears to be hard-coded. <a class="mention" href="/u/marcp">MarcP</a> supported the idea, suggesting emojis as an alternative to FontAwesome icons.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="self-hosting-11" class="anchor" href="#self-hosting-11"></a><span class="hashtag-raw">#Self-Hosting</span></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/denis_didkovsky">Denis_Didkovsky</a> asked for clarification on the <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/7229/267?silent=true">current guide for setting up S3 file and image uploads</a>, reporting issues with broken images despite successful S3 uploads.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="site-management-12" class="anchor" href="#site-management-12"></a><span class="hashtag-raw">#Site</span> Management</h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="mention" href="/u/isambard">Isambard</a> inquired about <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/123464/3?silent=true">viewing a user’s flagging accuracy</a> and suggested adjusting the number of flags considered for accuracy calculation based on forum size or using an exponential decay factor.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a name="activity-by-the-team-group-13" class="anchor" href="#activity-by-the-team-group-13"></a>Activity by the <a class="mention-group" href="/groups/team?silent=true">@team</a> Group</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/mcwumbly">mcwumbly</a> published the <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/330996?silent=true">October 2024 Current Projects update</a>, highlighting ongoing work on the composer redesign, a new look and feel config page, and other initiatives.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/awesomerobot">awesomerobot</a> responded to a suggestion about <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331360/2?silent=true">adding a solution indicator in the vertical scrollbar</a>, acknowledging the idea and sharing a potential design mockup for implementation.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/falco">Falco</a> provided a solution for an issue where the <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/331364/2?silent=true">AI bot was only answering admin accounts</a>, suggesting a change in the AI plugin settings.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a class="mention" href="/u/chapoi">chapoi</a> addressed a report about the <a href="https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/330162/10?silent=true">new sidebar design on tablets</a>, mentioning the addition of a divider as originally intended.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you again tomorrow! <img src="https://emoji.discourse-cdn.com/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=12" title=":slight_smile:" class="emoji" alt=":slight_smile:" width="20" height="20"></p>
ganncamp discovered a useful feature where highlighting text and pasting creates an automatic link, similar to Slack. This accidental find is expected to save hundreds of keystrokes over the next year. Read more
heyrocker encountered issues with a rebuild, specifically failing on ‘bundle exec rake db:migrate’. After troubleshooting attempts, merefield identified the problem as related to an outdated branch. Read more
Abdul_Hanan inquired about changing or removing the ‘Powered by Discourse’ link. nat provided guidance on disabling this via a site setting and offered alternative customization options. Read more
cmahns reported issues with edits not displaying and timing out. Jagster suggested that simply disabling plugins might not be sufficient and recommended commenting out or deleting problematic lines. Read more
renem asked about webhooks for whisper posts. simon explained that while there’s no specific webhook for whispers, it’s possible to filter for them in the code receiving the webhook. Read more
pfaffman reported a restore failure due to a missing chat_mention function. sam acknowledged the issue and stated that the team would be investigating it over the next few days. kendoer later shared a potential solution involving rebuilding the app on the old server before creating a new backup. Read more
Jagster identified an issue with AI personas not changing as expected in private messages. The problem seems to occur when attempting to change the used persona. Read more
Aniket inquired about setting up Discourse on AWS ECS. RGJ provided a link to a guide for installing Discourse on Amazon Web Services. Read more
tig3 shared detailed steps for setting up Discourse in a subfolder with Cloudflare, particularly when the main website is already live and the root domain can’t be pointed to the forum server. Read more
David_Ghost suggested implementing a feature to redirect users to a specific topic (like a welcome or introductions topic) immediately after registration, similar to the invitation system’s functionality. Read more
Atemu proposed that Github preview links with anchors should preview from the anchor point rather than the top of the file. Read more
NateDhaliwal updated the Discourse Confetti Clicks theme component with a new setting allowing confetti to be shown only in specific categories. Read more
Ly_Chen encountered a CSRF Detected Error when using the oauth2-basic plugin for OAuth2 login. supermathie suggested turning on force_https as a potential solution. Read more
nat provided guidance on changing the ‘Powered by Discourse’ link and offered customization options for Abdul_Hanan. She also explained that the Discourse Jira plugin was built using APIs for Jira Cloud and might not be successful with Jira DC.
davidannounced recent improvements to core and the post badges theme component, resolving performance concerns by loading all badge data as part of the main topic payload.
samacknowledged the restore failure issue reported by pfaffman and stated that the team would be investigating it over the next few days.
chapoishared that auto-zoom should no longer occur after a specific merge, addressing an iOS composing issue.
Lillyconfirmed that a fix for the Discourse Persistent banner theme component was successful.
tedprovided an update on the PG13 compatibility issue, sharing a PR that should work for PG13 and discussing potential workarounds for restoring backups from PG15 to PG13 servers.
supermathiesuggested turning on force_https to address a CSRF Detected Error with OAuth2 login using the oauth2-basic plugin.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you again tomorrow!
Trancos encountered SMTP mail sending issues despite successful OpenSSL tests. After troubleshooting, they resolved the problem by using the SMTP relay’s IP address and adding DISCOURSE_SMTP_OPENSSL_VERIFY_MODE: none to the configuration.
A discussion about simplifying forum interfaces was started by Firsh, with awesomerobot suggesting ways to streamline the UX including hiding embedded replies and timeline reply buttons.
