Configuring discussions application-wide

Application-wide discussion settings control useful but performance-intensive featuress such as read tracking and thread mode. You can also set some aspects of how threads marked as questions should be handled.

Fastpath: Admin Console: System > Settings > Discussions
Note: If you're seeing a slower performance, try disabling read tracking and turning the thread mode default to Flat. Both of these features can tax performance on some configurations.

To configure discussions:

  1. In the Admin Console, go to System > Settings > Discussions.
  2. In Enable Read Tracking, select one of the following:
    • Select Enabled to allow users who viewed messages mark them as read.
    • Select Disabled to mark discussions as read automatically.
  3. In Read Tracking Age Threshold, specify the number of days after which unanswered discussions are marked as read.
  4. In Thread Mode, specify how replies appear:
    • Flat: Replies appear in a list.
    • Threaded: Replies are indented.

    Users can override this setting by changing their preferences for discussions.

    When replies reach the maximum set in the thread.allMessageActions.messageLimit system property) (the default is 100), replies appear flat even if you or the user has set them to appear as threaded.

  5. In Correct Answers, select Enabled to allow the users mark replies as Correct Answers.
  6. In New Thread Behavior, specify if new discussions are marked as questions by default.
  7. Click Save Settings.

Note that after a discussion is published, by default there is a 15-minute grace period during which the author can change the discussion into a question. As an administrator, you can change the length of the grace period by editing the value (in minutes) of questions.markAsQuestionTimeWindow under System > System Properties. You may need to add the property at the bottom of the page if it is not in the list. Community administrators and place owners can mark a discussion as a question at any time (but they cannot unmark it as a question, only the author can).

For settings that control how people should be notified when a question has been unanswered for a while, see Configuring discussions for spaces.