Problems clicking on a thread

[roxlet]

I have just realized that I am not the only one having this problem: I click on a thread, and nothing happens. It still says "new," but when I click on it again, it expands. I thought it was just my computer until I spoke with a friend who is having the same thing happen.

[Engineering]

We believe this problem should now be resolved. You may need to clear your browser cache to receive this fix. A helpful site on clearing browser cache can be found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Bro...

If you continue to see this problem after clearing your browser cache, please let us know.

[meatn3]

Thank you - seems to be working fine now!

[linguafood]

Yes, muchas gracias, danke schön, etc. etc.

I know you have a thankless job, and I appreciate your work.

[roxlet]

Thank youse guys for your dedication to fixing this problem! Somehow, it was magically fixed without having to clear my browser cache.

[Engineering]

We now have a working theory of what causes this issue, which we are presently investigating. As a potential workaround in the mean time, opening threads in new tabs (with ctrl + click on Windows or cmd + click on Mac) should circumvent the bug if our theory is correct. Thank you all for your help and information, and our apologies for the inconvenience.

[linguafood]

STILL GOING ON. >SIGH<

any news on when this will be fixed? it is really, really, really, really, really, really very irritating.

[roxlet]

Yes, still going on, and really, really bad on the iPad now too. Can't even open threads sometimes...

[roxlet]

I'll bet that this is happening to many more people than are posting on this thread. It took me awhile to figure out that it wasn't just me or my computer. Also, I have had the same problem as small h has had in navigating to other boards.

[small h]

I experienced this for the first time today (Windows Vista, Firefox 12) on a thread, but I think I've seen it happen with boards before - I've had to click on Not About Food more than once to navigate to that board, for instance.

The thread I had the problem with was "Have you ever given yourself food poisoning?" so I think I must have picked up a case of thread poisoning, most likely from leaving the computer out on the desk all night.

[linguafood]

hahahahahaha.

[onceadaylily]

Same here, with FF and Windows 7, for a week now. When I click on a thread title the color of the type changes to the lighter gray color that indicates processing, but then nothing happens, and then when I click it again, every response is expanded. And like another poster said, it's totally random when it will happen.

[meatn3]

Seems to be changing:

On threads I now see the icon spin for a few moments, then it stops. I try again & the entire (previously read) thread is open.

Boards saved to my profile now seem affected. Twice today I clicked on a saved board, the board name turned grey but nothing happened. Second attempt opened it.

[jackiecat]

Same thing happened to me opening the SF board.yesterday.

Using Firefox 12 on Windows Vista

[linguafood]

STILL GOING ON. any new leads?

[meatn3]

Still happening, just happened trying to open this thread.

I think I'll avoid long threads until this is resolved, don't want to slog through pages just to ferret out one new comment.

[L.Nightshade]

FYI, my problem has nothing to do with the number of posts. It can happen when I click on a board, or a person's name. I have to click twice. Not all the time. If I am clicking on a thread, it does act like the first click opened it, although it didn't, i.e. all posts are expanded when I click on it the second time, even if there were new posts since I viewed the thread.

[linguafood]

Yep, still the same problem >sigh<, and totally random. Some threads (longer ones, too) open up without any problems, others..... click twice and expands all. Blurgh.

[woodleyparkhound]

It's been happening to me too, for about a week, in the same way others have described. It is more likely to happen with a thread with a lot of posts, but the last time it happened was when I clicked on this thread just now. Mac OS X / Safari.

[roxlet]

OK, so this just happened on Home Cooking on the thread about potato salad that has only 13 replies, so there goes the theory that it only happens on long threads...

[Engineering]

Thank you for ruling that out. Unfortunately, this leaves us without any leads, especially since we are still unable to reproduce the issue. I'll do some more digging, but please do let me know if any more details come to light.

[roxlet]

For the first time, this also happened n my iPad. The thread turned light grey, but nothing happened, and when I clicked on it again, it expanded.

[linguafood]

Well, isn't this curious. Now, when I'm done with a thread and click back, I have to click twice to get back to my profile.

Gaaaaah.

[roxlet]

I just happened to me again on a thread with 114 posts, so not as long as some of the others I've had problems with.

[L.Nightshade]

This is happening to me too. The crux of the problem seems to be that I have to click twice on anything in order for it to open. For example, even if I'm looking at a photo, and I click on the link to the photo's post, I have to click twice. This seems to happen with almost every link I click on. And, like linguafood says, the second time I click on it, it acts like it already opened once, and expands all the posts. I am on mac with chrome.

ETA: Right at this moment I cannot duplicate the problem in Chrome or Firefox, but it was doing it earlier today, and has been for the last few days.

[Sooeygun]

Just happened to me on the Kraft Parmersan thread. I am using Firefox and Windows 7. It has been happening on and off for a couple of days. At first I thought I was just tired and not hitting the link.

[meatn3]

I also am using Firefox and Windows 7. I noticed it yesterday a little. I am finding it happening half the time this evening.

No spinning icon...

[Engineering]

So the browser doesn't react at all? There's no indication that it's trying (and failing) to load the page the first time you click?

[L.Nightshade]

OK, it just happened to me now, so I tried to observe what happened. I did get the little whirl on the tab like the browser (Chrome) was trying to open something, but just for a second. Then nothing. The same page remained, unchanged.

[roxlet]

Yes, it's as if it's going to open and then decided not to. I have the same thing.

[Sooeygun]

I get 'connecting' and then it stops. No message that it failed to load or anything. Just gives up the will to go on.

[meatn3]

It finally did it again on the "Justin Wilson and other lost cooking shows" thread which I had participated in. I clicked, the title highlighted, but nothing else changed. No icon spinning, no flashing of locations at the bottom left. Waited a few moments, clicked again and it opened with everything expanded.

So to summarize, the only indication is that the title of the thread is highlighted, which changes once I move the mouse to another thread.

[Engineering]

I notice that the handful of examples that have been referenced are fairly large threads (like What's for Breakfast, What's for Dinner, etc). Is this true of all of the threads that are affected?

[roxlet]

I just began noticing exactly where it happens yesterday, so I don't know for sure if that is only where it happens, but certainly since yesterday, that would be the case.

Editing to say that it just happened again on the "What Did You Have For Breakfast" thread, another long one. Of course, this would be considerably less irritating if it were a SHORT thread...

[EM23]

I just opened the breakfast thread and it was fine but the "why do you continue shopping at costco" thread (172 posts) on the Chains board was completely expanded.

[roxlet]

This just happened again on the the what's for dinner thread on Home cooking...

[Engineering]

I'm working on the assumption that the flow goes like this:
1. Visit a board. Some topic is marked "NEW"
2. Click that topic. In that topic, new posts are correctly marked and read posts are correctly collapsed.
3. Return to the board and refresh the page. The topic is still marked "NEW".
4. Click that topic again. All posts are expanded (ie, the topic appears as though everything is read).

If any of that is incorrect, particularly the refresh in part 3, please let me know.

However, assuming my understanding is correct: does posting to a topic have any affect on this bug? If it's only topics you've posted in, or only topics you HAVEN'T posted in, that will help us narrow down the cause.

[linguafood]

Nope. I click on the topic, it pretends to load, but doesn't. I click it again, and everything is expanded.

The problem is that the topic won't load on the first click.

[Engineering]

....ah. That's unexpected. After you click the first time, does it ever stop loading? Or is the loading icon just spinning forever?

[linguafood]

It stops loading without opening the page of the thread.

That said, things have been working a-ok in the last hour or so.... fingers crossed (?).

[Engineering]

How long has this been going on? And when was the last time you experienced the error?

[linguafood]

I don't know how long. Today. As for the last time, see below. About the same time you posted your reply here.

[roxlet]

I experienced it yesterday for the first time, and it has happened several times today. I just experience this again 3:32 EDT, on the GCT board on the what did you have for breakfast thread that is upwards of 400 posts.

[linguafood]

Spoken too soon, of course. It just happened again with a thread. Blurgh.

[roxlet]

Yes, it's the same for me as linguafood explains. Exactly the same, in fact.

[Engineering]

I haven't been able to reproduce the bug yet, but there's a possibility that this is caused by a particular combination of OS and Browser (Mac OSX and Safari in this case). In the interest of thoroughness, could you two try using a different browser for a few hours and let me know if it happens again in that time? If any other users experiencing the issue could chime in, that would also be helpful in this regard.

[roxlet]

I'm using google chrome, not safari.

[Engineering]

Then unless it's all webkit browsers, we can rule that possibility out. If you do notice any other patterns in the type of topic that's being affected, please let us know.

[EM23]

Same thing happened to me a few times today - same as Roxlet and Lingua report. Just now again with the "What did you have for breakfast today?" thread on the General Chowhounding board. I'm using Chrome.

[linguafood]

Yep. Same issue here. Not every thread, thankfully, but pretty much every other thread.

Please to be fixed, yes?