How to View all Threads in a Forum

[winner]

How can one bring up all of the posts to a thread or forum to read them all?

[BobbyW]

.
.The short answer is you can't expand/collapse an entire Forum and view all its threads on one screen.
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There are several types of messaging systems models in use today.

One is the listserv that uses an email engine to send all threads out to subscribers. The VAC is an example. These send out the threads in no order except you receive them as they are submitted. You have to maintain your mailbox to get any order in place. You receive all messages whether you have an interest or not.

Another example is the e-groups messaging system such as Yahoo uses. Messages are stacked as they are received and you have to click around to get any meaning to the thread. Again you have to wade through all the clutter to read what interests you.

This Forum uses a structured ordering system by topic, subject and then thread/replies. The program is VBulletin by Jelsoft. It is a PHP/MySQL server database system that allows for quick and accurate searches and cool features like the members section, who is online, photo posts, active posts, text editing features....

The only way to read all the threads is to drill your way down from the top. The best reason for this type of messaging model/structure is as the Forum grows (and this one is growing rapidly) it remains very orgainized, as the Admin/Moderators can work at keeping things structured by easily moving messages around to their proper topic locations.

Best Regards (and I know I am wordy);
-BobbyWright

[winner]

My concern is that there is information provided in a thread that was on the screen three weeks ago, and I would like to go back to it and use that data presently. What you are saying as I understand it, it that I cannot run through the Posts searching for what I want - I can only go into search and look for a specific topic, Is that right????

[BobbyW]

All the posts and threads ever made are still here. It is finding them that is the question.

If I understand the question, are you refering to the "View New Posts" feature were selecting it then lists the active posts and threads? If so, this is something that has been brought up by the Moderator's also and is a current limitations of the VBulletin software. We have requested the ability to select "View New Posts" by a date range to be able to go back to a selected date in time, like 1 week, 1 month, etc... This feature request has been submitted to the VBulletin developers.

The 2 ways to find something is manually look for it by drilling down through the topics looking at the subject or use the Search feature found at the top of each page and try to remember a word that was in the Post's messages.

Regards;
-BobbyWright