Convert between replies and threads

[sunjam]

Your use case

What would you like to do?

Allow a moderator / admin to select and convert between replies and threads.

Currently users will reply to a thread, or they will reply as a regular reply, or both. This is equally likely to be a mistake or pure laziness or the poster realizes that posting as a regular reply gives their post more visibility than the thread would otherwise allow. There is no easy way I'm aware of to manage this.

Why would you like to do it?

Would help

• https://github.com/element-hq/element-web/issues/27259
• https://github.com/element-hq/element-meta/issues/61

How would you like to achieve it?

If desiring a thread

1. Select one, or more, replies
2. Add to existing thread, or generate a new thread

This would de-clutter the primary chat and better organize conversations into threads, which otherwise are missing replies.

If desiring replies

1. Select a thread
2. Convert thread to standard replies that ideally stay in order posted in timeline

This allows easier chat export (see thread replies issue) and makes it easier to maintain context in primary chat when a conversation ignores a thread which only has 1% of the replies that are otherwise in general.

Have you considered any alternatives?

Require all users in a room only reply to threads, otherwise posting is not possible. Disabling threads completely on a room-by-room basis, as discussed in V2 threads issues

[sunjam]

Issue overlaps with 503, but it only covers the conversion of messages to threads.

• https://github.com/element-hq/element-meta/issues/503