When a thread is restricted can you set things up so that it is impossible to post a reply on it?

I find that when I see a post on a generic list of uncategorized recent posts I often visit them and pay not attention to the forum... if I then post a reply where the rules otherwise forbid a reply by a generic users (e.g. a support forum), then someone has to come along and delete it.

If you simply make it impossible to post then that problem would never occur.

I agree, assuming I understand Jim's post. I think if you say in the forum that only the vendor is allowed to respond, then you should enforce it. As it is, we get all kinds of unauthorized folks trying to help. That's what the non-vendor support forums are good for.

This seems like a fairly easy fix. Only the original poster and the vendor can respond to posts, although anybody can start a thread. Any other discussion can go on via PM, or on the open forums.

Ah, now I understand Jim's point. The current system actually encourages non-authorized people to respond, because the search feature, and the "show me new posts" feature present the posts in a context where it looks like responses are allowed.

Yes, the current system leads people to the restricted forums through "back doors". e.g. searches and recent post lists.

I posted a reply to a question on the OS support forum without having any clue I was in the support forum. Of course I could have looked at the top of the page.... but I arrived through the "back door" and just assumed it was posted in the plain old engine forum... it didn't help that it was the middle of the night [sm=stupid.gif]

Anyway.... I went back looking for it in the engine forum, could find it, then found it deleted in the support forurm and realized what I did. It the server simply allowed posts by the thread originator, and authorized users, then no hands on enforcement would be necessary.

I hear ya..I posted a reply in what I was almost certain was the Open Radio forum. Then got ragged by the Futaba rep for making the post into a discussion (the post was at that time in the Futaba Support Forum) . And I still think the post originated in the Open Radio forum and was moved since it was a Futaba-specific topic. The reason I'm pretty certain it was in the Open Radio forum is: I rarely ever go into the Futaba Support Forum, and I never click the "Last Post" that shows up on the main page.

Our old system had this level of granularity but this one currently does not. our next upgrade which we are working on may have this but if not I will put it on the list to avoid the problem you guys are having which is certainly valid.