Transfer of duplicate threads.

I'm posting this as i accidently did the same thing yesterday.

Someone startes a thread, and that thread receives a lot of replies. Then later it is found that there was an earlier thread started on the same subject, would it be possible to just delete the first leading post of the duplicate thread and transfer the replies to the original earlier thread?

It would save threads being locked and the board looking untidy, plus you would'nt lose the quality replies from members who posted on the duplicate thread.

I know people should do a search first to see if their intended thread has already been posted, but i did this yesterday and got nothing on the search engine. I also looked in the few forum sections i thought it would be under but could'nt find anything.

As far as the points system goes, if people are fussed about points the duplicate threads points generate, those points can just be transferred to the earlier thread author too. The way i see it, as long as theres one decent thread with some quality info and replies there, i could'nt give a damn who gets the points!

ATS is a big place yanno and i was'nt about to go through every section manualy! I thought the search would catch something but it did'nt.

Not sure if this would be easy to do, but i thought i'd ask anyway.

Thanks.

CX.

I think that is a good idea. This is something we see from time to time. I don't think it is a huge issue because the number of posts is normally small, but I am sure it has happened in the past where a thread has had several posts. If a members only complaint of this is the 9 or 10 points a member has accumulated, well I wouldn't dig too much into what that member has to say. Voicing a concern over a member taking in a few extra points is hardly an argument.

just my uninformed opinion - but merging threads is a lot harder than it sounds - it can be done - but the way forum databases like ATS are structured means that if you do it can all go horribly wrong , all to easily

its not something you can do automatically - and unlike a simple thread move merging two threads is usuually more haasle than it is worth .

rather than expect staff to clean up thier mess after them , members should take more care when posting new threads - to search the forums to ensure that a pre existing thread does not cover the topic they wish to adress

i reallise this sounds rather hypocritical - as only yesterday i had a thread locked - as it was a dupe of a story posted the same day .

but i got over it

Sorry CX, but merging threads has become an impossibility now.

The merge function became a fast-track ticket straight to Corruption City. The ATS database is far too complex and the gain doesn't outweigh the risk.

It would be easier to keep the system in place now. When a duplicate thread is found, the thread is closed and a link is indicated, along with a message from a moderator to continue the conversation on the original thread.