Sorting comments in Discussions (Oldest/Newest/Top) forces a full page reload

[tomlin7]

Discussion Type

Product Feedback

Discussion Content

What are you proposing?

I am proposing that switching between comment sorting options (Oldest, Newest, and Top) within GitHub Discussions should dynamically update the comment feed using client-side rendering or an asynchronous fetch, rather than triggering a destructive full page reload.

Why does this matter?

• When reading through a lively discussion, switching the sort order forces the entire page to recompile and reload. This completely breaks the user's scroll state, visual flow, and context.
• Forcing a full browser reload just to flip the chronological order of text blocks is incredibly heavy on performance, especially on mobile connections or inside massive threads with deep reply nests.
• Most areas of GitHub (like issue tracking updates or reaction states) lean into snappy, seamless dynamic updates. The current behavior on the Discussions layout feels dated and jarring by comparison.

Are there any examples or context?

This discussion itself is an example. or have a look at this:

Ideally, interacting with this component should work just like adding a reaction or loading more comments—seamlessly replacing the comment list container inline without dropping the user's focus or reloading the entire shell of the page.

Possible approach

• Implement a shallow client-side resort or an AJAX/fetch call to pull the re-ordered list of comments.
• Dynamically swap out the contents of the container while displaying a brief, localized loading skeleton if the data needs to be refetched from the API.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[sajalgoyal007]

I agree with this. The current behavior feels unnecessarily disruptive, especially in long discussions where users may be several screens deep into the thread.

A full page reload resets scroll position, interrupts reading flow, and adds extra loading time for something that should be a lightweight UI interaction. An asynchronous update of the comment container while preserving page state would provide a much smoother experience.

Even if the sorting requires a server-side query, updating only the discussion content area instead of reloading the entire page would be a significant usability improvement.