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If I downvote a question or answer, and the post is edited, it looks like I can make one another downvote. However, when I click the downvote button again, the result appears to be exactly the inverse: instead of downvote I upvote.

I believe that this is the same situation for upvotes (producing down the second time instead of up).

Is this a bug?

Problem

Actually, both tooltips (up and down) informs about undoing the action - even if you didn't any up/down vote - "...(click again to undo)". This is a little embarrassing.

Let's say I voted on a topic. Then after some time I visit the same topic and I don't know anymore if I voted it or not (sometimes the voted topic is highlighted (up or down), sometimes not - it's not a rule). So I decide to vote this topic down, but in fact I undo(?) it, or even reverse(?) it. I never know.

Possible solution

After the first up/down usage the up/down buttons tooltips should change.

For example, in the downvote situation: the downvote button should have a "undo" tooltip text, and the upvote button - a "reverse" tooltip text.

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1
  • @serhio - both buttons need both tooltips. You can reverse an down-vote in the same way as reversing an up-vote. Actually I've just thought - perhaps the tooltip should change depending on the status of the arrows. If neither has been clicked then tooltips as now. If a vote has been cast then the one on the vote should remain, but the other one could have the "click to reverse" tooltip.
    – ChrisF Mod
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 22:26

2 Answers 2

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No, you can not down-vote (or up-vote) twice, even if the question/answer has been edited.

If you have voted on a question/answer, and then that question/answer is edited, you can undo your vote by clicking again on the same vote-arrow, or you can reverse your vote by clicking on the other arrow.

So iow, when you click a particular vote-arrow for the second time, it gets undone, not reversed. (I think that's the behavior that you are observing?)

The SOFU way of undo-downvoting:

  1. Downvote a post (score of post: -1)
  2. Wait till it was edited
  3. Click the downvote button again (score of post: 0)

(The scores assume that you are the only voter.)

The SOFU art of reversing your vote:

  1. Downvote a post (score of post: -1)
  2. Wait till it was edited
  3. Click the upvote button (score of post: 1)

(The scores assume that you are the only voter.)

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  • when you click a particular vote-arrow for the second time, it gets undone, not reversed this is not obvious at all... So, after a upvote should be visible only the down image, viceversa for a downvote...
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 15:27
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    @serhio: Why? Then you would only be able to reverse a vote, not to undo it. You're limiting features with that, not adding.
    – fretje
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 16:09
  • @fretje: So, what is the difference between reverse and undo a vote? If I downvote a post to -3 with my vote, undo ==> -2, and reverse ==> -2... same thing.
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 16:41
  • No, reverse ==> -1 because you took away a downvote and added an upvote. Also, check the tooltip on the arrow; it tells you "Click again to undo".
    – mmyers
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 16:48
  • Finally, I can do ony one action the second time. As I understood, this is the UNDO action (neutralizes your vote). -3 ==> -2. So the presence of a single arrow is more transparent(clear, evident) to the users that a tooltip... IMO..
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 17:07
  • @serhio: you can do only one action indeed, but one of 2 different actions: undo [-3 ==> -2] or reverse (change from down-vote to up-vote) [-3 ==> -1]. So you need 2 different buttons.
    – fretje
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 17:33
  • @fretje: So, clarify me: When I click up I undo, when down I reverse?
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 17:43
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    @serhio: Yes indeed, or more generic (for both up- and down-votes): if you click the button that's already highlighted you undo the vote. The other (not-highlighted) button reverses the vote. I actually find it quite intuitive that way.
    – fretje
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 17:45
  • @fretje: Actually, BOTH tooltips(up and dow) informs about UNDO the action. "Click to UNDO". The downvote button should have a "undo" tooltip text, the upvote button - a "reverse" tooltip text.
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 22:18
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    @serhio - both buttons need both tooltips. You can reverse an down-vote in the same way as reversing an up-vote. Actually I've just thought - perhaps the tooltip should change depending on the status of the arrows. If neither has been clicked then tooltips as now. If a vote has been cast then the one on the vote should remain, but the other one could have the "click to reverse" tooltip
    – ChrisF Mod
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 22:26
  • @ChrisF: Finally, to be more clear, do you agree or not the current behavior?
    – serhio
    Commented Jan 5, 2010 at 23:07
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    Tooltips are fine, but let's be honest, if it doesn't fit the User Model (what the user expects it to do), then it's wrong. And the only way to find out if it's wrong is to find people who have never used the system and ask them.
    – Mark Henderson
    Commented Jan 6, 2010 at 0:26
  • The reverse in "click to reverse" is too easily misunderstood (what are you reversing? could mean "undo the previous downvote" when clicking upvote---I think this is directly related to serhio's misunderstanding). "Click to undo downvote and instead upvote" on the up button (even though it's stored differently, the user is conceptually doing two things) and "Click to undo downvote" on the down button.
    – Gnome
    Commented Jan 6, 2010 at 1:13
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This feature request has been implemented, somewhere in the middle of 2013 (check these Wayback Machine snapshots from May and July). The tooltip only shows the '(click again to undo)' when you've already voted:

enter image description here enter image description here

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