# Reply to post link shows address bar URL instead of link to replied to post
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [January 20, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251 "2016-01-20T16:29:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@davemaxwell](https://meta.discourse.org/u/davemaxwell)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/1 "2016-01-20T16:30:00Z")
We found an odd linking issue on our instance, but was able to duplicate it here.
To reproduce:
1. Find a thread that someone specifically replied to a post. For this report, I’m using [this thread](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-as-your-first-rails-app/5751).
2. Scroll to a post which is a direct post reply. The URL which should point to the post that was being replied to points to the address bar URL instead
3. Now scroll the viewport so that the address bar changes but that same replied to is visible. On hover of that same URL, you will find it is linking to the new address bar URL 
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/2 "2016-01-20T18:57:30Z")
Sorry, why is this a bug? That is as designed. The URL changes to reflect the scroll position in terms of reply number, with the caveat that entering at any particular reply places it a little ways down from the top of your browser so it is easier to “see”.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/3 "2016-01-20T19:24:48Z")
I think he is trying to say, the reply indicator should reference the URL the reply was directed to, not the browser URL (which it does now).
As such, there is nothing from a user perspective to help you see what post the reply is directed at without clicking the indicator. And even when you do click it, it routinely fails to show you the appropriate reply when using the `experimental reply expansion` (which we realize is marked as experimental, but has been marked that way for many versions now)
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### Author:  [@davemaxwell](https://meta.discourse.org/u/davemaxwell)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/4 "2016-01-20T19:27:24Z")
I obviously did not make myself clear.
If someone uses the reply that is attached to a specific post in a topic, the new topic has a link which _ **looks** _ like it should point back to the post being replied to.
So in the case of the screen shots I posted, this circled portion is a link.
The style of image implies that it should link to the [post](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-as-your-first-rails-app/5751/110) that Matthew\_Ashbury replied to. But it links to the top most post in the viewport, which has a good chance to not be the appropriate post, as shown by the two examples above. This gets very confusing to users who try to work back and follow a conversation.
The only way to find it is to step back through the thread to the find the appropriate dropdown that has the reply in question. In a small thread, that’s not a MAJOR imposition, but in an active and/or long thread, it’s not a useful use of time.
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### Author:  [@davemaxwell](https://meta.discourse.org/u/davemaxwell)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/5 "2016-01-20T19:30:46Z")
Hopefully this explains better…for that link to be useful, it should point to your post…
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-to-post-link-shows-address-bar-url-instead-of-link-to-replied-to-post/38251/6 "2016-01-21T00:05:07Z")
I think I understand better with @cpradio’s helpful clarification. Not a bug though, but something that certainly could be improved.
Let’s remind ourselves of the definition of bug..
> prevents normal, typical use of Discourse