Forum Upgrade

I, Brian · 02-18-2006, 12:00 PM

I've upgraded the forum software at last.

(Should've done it before, but was prompted by dreams last night of the site being hacked!)

Anyway, the upgrade means a few things:

1. Easier to use - it should be smoother and easier to use, especially when it comes to editing.

2. Simpler display - the left-hand menu has long been a drag, and the forums are now expanded out for full page viewing

Please do report any problems you may be having - as the software uses new versions of older files, you may need to refresh your browser a few times if you have problems posting.

Bandit · 02-18-2006, 01:25 PM

i liked the left hand menu. i will miss that.

the edit options are bit different now. i think i like the old way better. i noticed the upgrade at a different board a month ago & was comparing it to here & i liked the way it was here better...then again it may have been their server because it moves slower there than here. i will just need to get used to it here

.

i think the only difference is the go advanced, but it is not really advanced is it? because in the old way that advance was already there, i think.

I, Brian · 02-18-2006, 03:15 PM

Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the older system - it was inviting the site to be hacked if not updated.

I'll play with a few settings over the next few days, and see if I can make things look a bit better.

juantoo3 · 02-19-2006, 12:20 AM

Kindest Regards, Brian!

I do hope the other material you spent so much time acquiring is still available?

If I might add a little something as a suggestion, perhaps instead of putting the forum / section / thread / page list link at the top only, is it possible to put at the bottom of the page too? It might make navigating a scad easier from the bottom of the last page of a particular thread back to the forum list proper. (especially when one has just posted post number 15, and has to scroll to the top to go somewhere else...

)

I, Brian · 02-19-2006, 11:10 AM

I'll see what I can do.

Pathless · 02-19-2006, 08:27 PM

I like the blue.

I also like the wideness without the nav bar.

I'm not sure, but it seems like things may be running a little bit slower.

Also, I have no hot water at my house right now. It could use some tweaking. I'd like to take a shower.

Anyone?

Mason · 02-19-2006, 09:20 PM

A Bad Site Just Got Worse!

lol j/k!

lunamoth · 02-19-2006, 09:34 PM

Since the forum update I've noticed that I automatically get logged off after a certain amount of time. This is a problem for me because it often takes me a long time to compose a post (between typing then going off to take care of kids' needs along the way). I've already lost a post this way.

lunamoth

Pathless · 02-19-2006, 11:12 PM

Hi Luna,

I feel your pain! I've lost several posts because of quirks with the old system. I would log in, write a (long) post, click to post, and then it would tell me that I hadn't logged in (how can you write a post without being logged in??)

At any rate, I came up with a (somewhat cumbersome, perhaps) system to deal with the problem. I now select the text of my posts periodically while I am writing them and copy it (control-c). That way, if something happens, I know I can just paste the text into a "new" post and not be cranky about losing a lot of work. If I'm feeling extremely paranoid about losing a post, I will copy the post in progress to wordpad or MS Word and save it.

That's a workaround that I've developed that may be helpful, although a tweak of the system by Brian may also fix the root of the problem.

I, Brian · 02-20-2006, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Since the forum update I've noticed that I automatically get logged off after a certain amount of time. This is a problem for me because it often takes me a long time to compose a post (between typing then going off to take care of kids' needs along the way). I've already lost a post this way.

lunamoth

Sorry about that - it's an issue of the old cookie for CR still being in your cache somewhere.

In simpler speak - your PC has a copy of an out-of-date file, but once you've logged in a couple of times, that should help flush it out.

If problems continue, please feel free to report them.

As to the design of the site - I'm planning to implement something different once I get the time - nothing radical - just more up to date. So for the time being it's a case of playing with the attributes of the forum, and seeing what works.

At present I'm playing with blue links, to see if that makes it easier to use than the previous dark links, which could be confused with simple underlined text.

Colours may vary a little, but overall, a phase of experimentation.

Bandit · 02-20-2006, 07:24 AM

that is part of the update i think. it limits the log in time to like 5 minutes. it the same at another place that made the same upgrade.

I, Brian · 02-20-2006, 01:29 PM

Odd - I have no problems logging in at the moment, though I did on a couple of other board upgrades I did. I'll keep an eye out on that.

lunamoth · 02-20-2006, 03:27 PM

Well, that's one way to keep us from making long speeches!

lunamoth

Bandit · 02-20-2006, 04:27 PM

before you submit your post, make sure to copy it. highlight + CTRL + ALT + C, to make sure you you don't lose it.
after you submit the post & the log in page pops up again, go ahead & log in again like normal & the post will still be there.

Good Luck everyone

brucegdc · 02-20-2006, 08:21 PM

It's no longer on the upper menu bar.