zulip/zulip-terminal

Using `n` should move between topics by recency

Open

#1,582 opened on Apr 16, 2025

View on GitHub
 (26 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (352 forks)github user discovery
feature parity: 02.1 (or before)help wantedmissing feature: user

Repository metrics

Stars
 (854 stars)
PR merge metrics
 (No merged PRs in 30d)

Description

When cycling through unread topics using n, this is not always sorted by the order in the topic list, ie. by most recent new message to a topic.

For discussion on related issues, see the topic in # zulip-terminal starting Improve algorithm for 'next unread topic' (n) #T1333 #T1356.

This behavior should be noticeable compared to when using the web app.

Using 'Explore' mode may be useful to ensure you don't keep marking messages lots of messages read during manual testing.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate the algorithm for 'next unread topic' in the zulip terminal codebase. Focus on how the 'n' key is handled and how topics are sorted. Compare with the web app's behavior and refer to the discussion in #zulip terminal.
Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
PythonGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60