https://www.reddit.com/r/ModSupport/comments/fkkouk/limitations_of_rules/
created by justanediblefriend on 18/03/2020 at 05:53 UTC
9 upvotes, 4 top-level comments (showing 4)
Will the limitations on rules be forever? On old reddit, we can do anything we want. Custom numberings, dividing rules into sections, pop-ups with whatever length we want, etc. Now, correct me if I'm wrong or simply missing something, but we are very restricted. 1-n, all in one category, all with a 500 character limit, including the length of links.
Will it always be like this? Should we modify our rules if they don't fit within these restrictions? Or will this one day be revised/fixed?
Comment by YannisALT at 18/03/2020 at 12:32 UTC
6 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It will always be like this. And I made a similar message to them when this format was in Alpha....not just Beta. To work around it, in one sub I actually made a wiki for my rules and just posted a link to it under each number.
Comment by [deleted] at 18/03/2020 at 17:53 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The "rules" block as it currently exists was around before the redesign, but it was on its own page and you had to specifically link to it in your sidebar if you wanted anybody to see it. So most people didn't know about it, didn't use it, and did their own rules list free-form in the sidebar.
As it is, in old Reddit you still have to manually copy them into the sidebar if you want them there. CSS helps with making them collapsible like the rule box in new Reddit.
You *can* still ignore the provided rules block and stick to free-form rules, but using the block does allow for selecting from that list when reporting a post/reply and when banning a user.
Personally, I use the block as much as I can, but I also direct users to a wiki page for a more complete description of all the rules and reasons for them.
BTW, any admins reading this, u/redtaboo etc., the other day someone had an issue[1] with the 500 character limit coming up as 1800 characters present, and I discovered that the limit has been expanded to 2000 in *new* Reddit but still is at 500 in old Reddit.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/modhelp/comments/fhw4li/cant_update_rules_max_500_characters_but_i_have/
Comment by [deleted] at 18/03/2020 at 13:12 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I complained about it for months in r/redesign. They didn't care that what they built was excessively limited and inflexible then, and they still don't now.
Comment by MajorParadox at 18/03/2020 at 14:14 UTC
-2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
That's not an old Reddit vs. new Reddit thing. The rules page was added before new Reddit. It controls the actual rules of your sub and ties it into the report system. New Reddit expanded on it and displays those rules automatically in the sidebar, crosspost dialog (old Reddit too), and submit page.
You can make a wiki page for your full rules and then linking to it within the official rules for more details, but I'd recommended trying to make your rules simpler, because if they are too detailed, users might have a hard time understanding them.