# Indicate large time gaps between posts in a topic
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868
**Category:** Feature
**Tags:** rfc, spec
**Created:** [2015年六月10日 21:16 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868 "2015-06-10T21:16:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月10日 21:16 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/1 "2015-06-10T21:16:42Z")
We should highlight large time gaps between posts, with a relative indicator like so
Except, we should use the word **later**. So in a long discussion you’d see the gaps
> 3 weeks later
> 6 months later
> 1 year later
Called out so it is clearer when the “resurrections” were, and you can respond appropriately, follow the discussion’s evolution over time more easily, etc.
---
### Author:  [@elijah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/elijah)
#### Post date: [2015年六月12日 17:29 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/2 "2015-06-12T17:29:52Z")
Sounds like it would fit well with this old idea:
> [@Natural breakpoints or "chapters" for long topics?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/natural-breakpoints-or-chapters-for-long-topics/16461):
>
> One thing we’re thinking about is how to determine natural breakpoints or “chapters” for long discussion topics – and we can eventually display these breakpoints as navigation selections on [the expanded topic progress bar](https://meta.discourse.org/t/expandable-topic-progress-bar/16373). Say you have a 500+ post topic that you want to explore. How do you do that? One way is to use our “summarize topic” function, which uses our internal topic hotness algorithm to produce the reader’s digest condensed version of the topic – by stripping out 80% of t…
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月13日 10:10 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/3 "2015-06-13T10:10:57Z")
---
### Author:  [@mcwumbly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/mcwumbly)
#### Post date: [2015年六月13日 15:18 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/4 "2015-06-13T15:18:55Z")
At what point does a gap become large? 1 week? 2 days? Site setting?
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月13日 18:27 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/5 "2015-06-13T18:27:39Z")
Probably site setting but I think a default of 4 days might be a good start.
---
### Author:  [@elijah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/elijah)
#### Post date: [2015年六月16日 17:26 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/6 "2015-06-16T17:26:13Z")
Well if you use some sort of heat map approach, it is large when it is much bigger than other gaps in similar topics. What would be a similar topic? My first guess would be something in the same category with about the same number of posts before the gap. This would accommodate television show topics which would likely spike weekly separately from say full moon topics which would spike monthly(ish).
---
### Author:  [@AmiAthena](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AmiAthena)
#### Post date: [2015年六月16日 19:11 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/7 "2015-06-16T19:11:07Z")
4 days would work for existing communities converting to Discourse, but seems low for a a brand new forum that hasn’t gotten the ball rolling yet. Seeing a bunch of tumbleweeds is unlikely to motivate people to stick around. There should perhaps be a hint next to the setting to guide people in the right direction.
---
### Author:  [@eviltrout](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eviltrout)
#### Post date: [2015年六月18日 21:24 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/8 "2015-06-18T21:24:40Z")
I’ve implemented this feature.
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/42bd9b61998743a38cd4bd299bb0716ebccd3a02](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/42bd9b61998743a38cd4bd299bb0716ebccd3a02)
Unfortunately tests seem to be randomly failing now so it’s not deployed to meta yet. It will be out once we sort that out though 😄
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月18日 23:19 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/9 "2015-06-18T23:19:58Z")
Ok this is now in, but may need some styling. I generally like the way it looks, but unfortunately it also looks a bit too much like a button..
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月18日 23:22 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/10 "2015-06-18T23:22:19Z")
Also one minor bug: when posting in an old topic, you see the “1 year later” pop up and then it is consumed by the re-rendered post.
---
### Author:  [@AmiAthena](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AmiAthena)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 00:08 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/11 "2015-06-19T00:08:28Z")
Debuttonifying brainstorming, two random ideas:
---
### Author:  [@DeanMarkTaylor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/DeanMarkTaylor)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 00:25 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/12 "2015-06-19T00:25:04Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> unfortunately it also looks a bit too much like a button
Perhaps just swap `background-color` for a `background` with a `linear-gradient` blending top and bottom out to transparent.
Here is (left to right) the original, short blend to alpha top and bottom, larger blend:
You might need to click the image to zoom to really see what it will look like.
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 01:49 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/13 "2015-06-19T01:49:40Z")
I just messed around with styling a bit
see it in action here ➡[https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-the-most-awesome-plugin-for-discourse-that-does-not-yet-exist/31/218](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-the-most-awesome-plugin-for-discourse-that-does-not-yet-exist/31/218)
Let’s try it for size and see how we feel about it.
---
### Author:  [@AmiAthena](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AmiAthena)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 02:35 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/14 "2015-06-19T02:35:31Z")
Ooh, I like the clock!
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 03:09 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/15 "2015-06-19T03:09:24Z")
@eviltrout this is missing from the mobile layout as well
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 03:10 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/16 "2015-06-19T03:10:33Z")
I missed it out of there with a css rule, we need to come up with a sane style there …
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 03:18 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/17 "2015-06-19T03:18:34Z")
Probably just the text no glyph on mobile. Or a very small glyph to the left.
---
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 03:35 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/18 "2015-06-19T03:35:09Z")
OK, I just committed this:
I think it looks fine
---
### Author:  [@eviltrout](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eviltrout)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 14:39 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/19 "2015-06-19T14:39:29Z")
I noticed this yesterday but forgot to fix it before I pushed:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/00572c4f1134f2d717dee41c4d75e5d32afed534](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/00572c4f1134f2d717dee41c4d75e5d32afed534)
---
### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [2015年六月19日 17:53 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868/20 "2015-06-19T17:53:42Z")
FYI, I love this feature! Seeing it on Meta first hand, I completely see it as beneficial.
[下一頁](https://meta.discourse.org/t/indicate-large-time-gaps-between-posts-in-a-topic/29868.md?page=2)