# Edits to Wikis with Replies Should Cause Timestamp Change / Post Shown as Updated
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [11월 9, 2016, 12:19오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700 "2016-11-09T12:19:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 9, 2016, 12:19오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/1 "2016-11-09T12:19:14Z")
_Note I use the terms topic / post & Wiki interchangeably throughout the post, all mentions of topics / posts are referring to Wikis._
At the moment, edits to Wikis which don’t have replies cause the topic’s timestamp to be updated & the topic to be bumped to the top of the New / Updated posts list.
But once a user has replied to the topic, only edits to that last reply will cause the topic’s timestamp etc. to update.
I need users who have never interacted with the post before to be alerted of those changes - for example, I have a Wiki which lists upcoming events -
> **[Upcoming Monzo Events 📅 (open Wiki)](https://community.monzo.com/t/upcoming-monzo-events-calendar-open-wiki/6607)**
>
> To see what’s changed after an update to this post (when it’ll appear at the top of the new / updated topics list) click the pencil in the top right hand corner of the post. You can view the upcoming events that Monzo has organised here - ...
And I need that topic to appear at the top of the New / Updated posts list when details of an event are added / changed.
Pinning the post to the top of the list is not an option because we have too many Wikis like this & it would swamp the feed.
Once a topic is closed (to prevent replies), edits to that topic which [are still possible](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/editing-the-first-post-of-a-topic-does-not-update-the-topic-why/18972/11), don’t cause the timestamp etc. updates so this isn’t an option either.
If there are any other potential solutions, please do let me know..
_Note_
> But once a user has replied to the topic, only edits to that last reply will cause the timestamp etc. update.
_This seems to contradict the below guidance but that is the bahviour that I’ve observed._
> [@When do Edits in an old message trigger an update to users / Message Order](https://meta.discourse.org/t/when-do-edits-in-an-old-message-trigger-an-update-to-users-message-order/32837/6):
>
> Only new posts will generate notifications. Updates never will.
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11월 9, 2016, 9:08오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/2 "2016-11-09T21:08:49Z")
Another option is to put these in a category that has no write permission for non-staff users. Then nobody _can_ reply.
I do agree that closing the topic immediately after the first post, then having edits to the first post not bump, is arguably a bug. cc: @sam
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### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 10, 2016, 8:20오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/3 "2016-11-10T08:20:25Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> Another option is to put these in a category that has no write permission for non-staff users. Then nobody can reply.
That would address this challenge from a practical standpoint, assuming that non-staff users would be able to put posts in this category - if they can create a Wiki, you’d want them to be able to use the accompanying category..
The downside is that you’re separating these topics from the category which they would usually belong in so they’ll be harder to find & less visible to users navigating the community.
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> I do agree that closing the topic immediately after the first post, then having edits to the first post not bump, is arguably a bug. cc: @sam
Ultimately if this could be addressed, that would be perfect.
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [11월 10, 2016, 11:16오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/4 "2016-11-10T23:16:34Z")
> [@alexs](#):
>
> Ultimately if this could be addressed, that would be perfect.
What I really want is a “special” wiki mode where every edit on the OP generates a “system” message on the topic linking to the diff that was made.
It would make public wikis much more interesting cause you could more easily discuss changes and so on.
---
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 9:26오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/5 "2016-11-11T09:26:34Z")
That would be really cool!
In the meantime, would it be possible to address this without staff having to create a read-only dedicated category so that I can avoid the fragmentation issue which I mentioned?
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 10:13오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/6 "2016-11-11T10:13:06Z")
We generally tend to move on things like this for hosting customers. Are you a hosted customer?
---
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 10:34오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/7 "2016-11-11T10:34:01Z")
Yes Monzo is a hosted customer, is that bad news for me then?
---
### Author:  [@Tom\_Newsom](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tom_Newsom)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 11:01오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/8 "2016-11-11T11:01:23Z")
What we’ve done is hide all the Reply buttons in Wiki Categories so people can’t make replies. Doesn’t prevent reply-by-email, but the creation of new wiki topics is rare enough for this not to be an issue.
```plaintext
// Hide controls in Wiki categories to prevent new replies
.category-tools .create {
display:none;
}
// Ah but make sure you can save edits!
.category-tools .submit-panel .create {
display:inline;
}
```
> [@sam](#):
>
> What I really want is a “special” wiki mode
Ooh ooh! Me too!
Previous discussions:
> [@Category setting: new topics are wiki by default](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-setting-new-topics-are-wiki-by-default/16618):
>
> Wiki posts are awesome, especially for categories like documentation and FAQ. It would be sweet if a category could be set up so that new topics are wiki by default. Currently you’d have to have an admin (moderator?) notice the new post and wikify it.
> [@Is anyone working on a Discourse Wiki?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-anyone-working-on-a-discourse-wiki/20349/26):
>
> It’s a solid foundation that could be much improved with a little bit of work: In a “wiki category” : All new topics are wikified by default Author attribution is suppressed Always go to first post when viewing a topic (option to hide replies on separate page) And made into a “proper” wiki with some more detailed and involved work: Table of contents generation with [contents] object and headers Create links to other topics by “tagging” them ie. &PageTitle Create new topics by tagging a no…
---
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 11:07오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/9 "2016-11-11T11:07:13Z")
> [@Tom\_Newsom](#):
>
> What we’ve done is hide all the Reply buttons in Wiki Categories so people can’t make replies
Thanks for sharing this & the code.
Unfortunately it doesn’t solve this though -
> [@alexs](#):
>
> The downside is that you’re separating these topics from the category which they would usually belong in so they’ll be harder to find & less visible to users navigating the community.
---
### Author:  [@Tom\_Newsom](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tom_Newsom)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 11:09오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/10 "2016-11-11T11:09:34Z")
In which case the “edits to closed topic counts as News” bug fix should fix both of our problems 🙂
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 11:44오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/11 "2016-11-11T11:44:26Z")
The logic would be:
- if the first post is a wiki
- and the topic is closed, with _no other replies_
- and there is an edit to the wiki post
Then allow the topic to get bumped as if the edit was to the last post in the topic. Could you take this @techapj?
(Essentially the topic close “Reply” is causing the intended behavior not to happen.)
---
### Author:  [@mcwumbly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/mcwumbly)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 11:50오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/12 "2016-11-11T11:50:56Z")
In the mean time, one can also just delete the “topic is closed” post when using the work around:
> [@Is anyone working on a Discourse Wiki?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-anyone-working-on-a-discourse-wiki/20349/9):
>
> There is a workaround for this that we have been using in a slightly different way: The gist of it is that you hold the discussion in a separate topic. Some more info here: Far from the entire solution you are looking for though…
---
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 11, 2016, 3:16오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/13 "2016-11-11T15:16:15Z")
Thanks for sharing this David! I’m just waiting to have a chance to test it.
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [11월 14, 2016, 12:16오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/14 "2016-11-14T00:16:24Z")
I prefer @mcwumbly’s hack here over adding more special logic internally for this condition.
Special case bump bypasses end up just leaving us with a very complex pipeline.
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11월 14, 2016, 2:19오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/15 "2016-11-14T02:19:56Z")
That’s fine as long as the workaround is acceptable.
---
### Author:  [@alexs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alexs)
#### Post date: [11월 15, 2016, 3:34오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/16 "2016-11-15T15:34:47Z")
I’ve finally had a chance to test this & @mcwumbly’s suggestion does work (thanks again for sharing it!).
Just to note the behavior - the timestamp isn’t changed when edits are made but the update to the post is picked up & it’s bumped to the top of the new / updated posts list 👍
Thanks @codinghorror & @sam for your work to find a solution here.
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11월 18, 2016, 9:53오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/edits-to-wikis-with-replies-should-cause-timestamp-change-post-shown-as-updated/52700/17 "2016-11-18T21:53:58Z")