what is the best way to integrate a flattened view of message threads? · Issue #9 · w3c/mailing-list-archives (original) (raw)

@r12a and others have done some interesting experiments with thread flatteners, that display an entire message thread or other set of messages inline on a single page. See for example the Flatten me service.

This type of message display seems like a big improvement over hypermail in terms of usability and efficiency, especially if you are trying to read or skim an entire message thread.

I wonder how to integrate this type of view with our archives, given that we are unlikely to migrate away from hypermail, and don't want to abandon our existing URI structure. (both of which may be up for debate)

Possibilities for integrating this kind of thing with our archives include:

• leave the flattener as a standalone service, invoked via bookmarklet or something.
• leave it as a separate service but add a link from each message page to the flattened view of the thread.
• generate a flattened view of our archives at a completely separate URI space alongside with our hypermail archives. (if we do this, we might consider simply switching to hyperkitty)
• allow each user to select which version of the archives they prefer (flattened or classic); store their preference in a browser cookie or localStorage, and use some javascript code to display the archives in the user's preferred format.

I prefer this last option, though I don't know how difficult it would be to implement. Ideally it would update the browser's location bar based on the current scroll position while viewing a flattened thread, so the same URIs are quoted and shared no matter which view someone happens to be using. (I think this should be possible using the HTML5 history API)