Comments on the New Forum Software

[PianoManGidley]

Something seemed to change a bit after the fact...it's only a minor annoyance, and I'm not sure if anyone other than me utilizes it...

I prefer to have a lot more than 10 posts showing per page in a thread (the forum default). I had originally set it to 30 posts per page, and after the forum change, I had to change it again. But now it's reverted back again to the default, and going to the control panel (Edit Options->Thread Display Options->Number of Posts Showing Per Page), the only options in the drop-down box are now "Use Forum Default" and "Show Posts Per Page" (missing any given quantity). Is there a way to fix this little bug?

[Mike]

Try it now, you should be able to show 20 per page. I set the max to 10 earlier as a bandwidth-saving exercise, but it's probably better for users to have the choice.

[PianoManGidley]

Works fine now, thanks a bunch!

[Saiming]

works quite fine on firefox, but I find the skin rather annoying. I mean where is the sub-text for th thread?

Instead it is written the posters name...

and the layout is somewhat diffrent...

Call me conservative, but I just find this new style so diffrent and "clustery" somehow.

[Mike]

The thread "sub-text", as you put it (or thread description), doesn't exist with vBulletin. Instead it shows the thread starter in that position.

As I've mentioned, we're probably going to keep working at the layout.

[Mike]

What just happened a few minutes ago has absolutely nothing to do with the new software. A technician from our hosting company was changing a setting on the server and in order for it to take effect, the webserver had to be restarted. That's why the error popped up.

I would hope you'll get used to the new software after a time. Change is never easy. Just give it another few days or weeks and this place will feel like home again. :happy:

[Mike]

A dividing line of sorts has now been added to separate normal threads from stickied threads. I say "of sorts" because at the moment it will only render properly for those of you who use Opera or Firefox. IE doesn't do it properly. But what's new, eh?

I'll try to find a workaround for this at some point.

[frantz]

hi! i liked the new look of this forum. just a single problem: when i change the thread, or when i stay for a long time within the same one, the system apparently forget i am logged in and forbids new replies, then i have to log in again and again, that happens several times. last time i entered the forum i had to relog in 6 times! that's a bit annoying, hope it can be fixed as soon as possible. other than that congrats for the switch, it is cooler now!

[Mike]

What browser are you using, frantz? Cookies should only expire at the end of the session.

[frantz]

hi Mike, my browser is Internet Explorer. would i have to change anything in it?

[Mike]

hi Mike, my browser is Internet Explorer. would i have to change anything in it?

No, you shouldn't need to change anything. I've received several complaints now of users having difficulty remaining logged into the new software, so it's unlikely to be being caused by an issue unique to you.

In an attempt to solve this problem, I've now set the "Remember me" checkbox on the login form to be ticked by default. That may help. In the meantime, I'll continue investigating the cookie and session settings just to double check that something isn't amiss.

So what the hell is up with the 19.5 kb limit on pdf's?

The pdf for my unfinished string quartet is 90-something kb.

I COULD split it up and post several seperate pdf's, but that would be rather gay.

So, in other words, "please may you raise the attachment file size limit for PDF files"? Yes Chris, I will indeed.

[Guest JohnGalt]

Hey, the pager messages are so cool. Any way there could be an easier way to send them? Currently it seems like you have to go all the way through the profile to do it.

[Mike]

A link on the menu you get when you click someone's name in a thread may be added for paging some time in the future. When I figure out how the menus work, anyway.

Meanwhile, all avatars of a size greater than 80x80 (the current limit) have been removed. These dimensions are actually slightly smaller than the limit imposed by the old software, but zero leniency was afforded despite this. All of those who have had their avatar removed will need to re-upload. If you want your avatar recovered from the old board, PM me.

[spc1st]

Hmm, this is the first I've seen of "pager messages". Can someone explain to me what they are exactly?

[Daniel]

You can send a message to another member (provided you have more than 20 posts), and the message pops up on whatever screen (of YC) that they're on.

They can then reply from that (20 posts probably needed again).

It's basically useful because the recipient receives the pop-up of the message even without refreshing the page etc.

Try it out to see.

[frantz]

No, you shouldn't need to change anything. I've received several complaints now of users having difficulty remaining logged into the new software, so it's unlikely to be being caused by an issue unique to you.

In an attempt to solve this problem, I've now set the "Remember me" checkbox on the login form to be ticked by default. That may help. In the meantime, I'll continue investigating the cookie and session settings just to double check that something isn't amiss.

thanks Mike, now it is working perfectly well. have a nice day!

[Mike]

No problem, frantz.

A link to page a user has also now been added to the menu that displays when you click someone's name in the thread view. And, just like the old software, Sibelius score attachments should display within the browser from now on if you have Scorch installed.

[Guest JohnGalt]

Is it me, or do the mechanics for the thread views seem a little sluggish? By that I mean it doesn't update very often.

[Mike]

Thread views update at regular intervals as opposed to whenever a thread is viewed. It saves some load on the database server this way.

[Guest JohnGalt]

I just noticed this. I appears that refreshing the "View New Posts" does not generate a new search every time like it should. Where it should read:

Showing results 1 to 4 of 4

Search took 0.01 seconds.

It will instead read:

Showing results 1 to 4 of 4

Search took 0.01 seconds; generated 1 minute(s) ago.

And not update.

[Mike]

I think that's just because the same results are returned twice in succession, and so the search is likely to take the same amount of time (to the nearest 10th of a second, anyway). It does do a new search each time you click, as far as I am aware. I don't see why it wouldn't.

[Guest JohnGalt]

I think that's just because the same results are returned twice in succession, and so the search is likely to take the same amount of time (to the nearest 10th of a second, anyway). It does do a new search each time you click, as far as I am aware. I don't see why it wouldn't.

If it does do a new search, it isn't updating properly for me. I have to click on 'Vew New Posts' again to get any change.

[Mike]

Are you refreshing the URL that it takes you once it's completed the search, the one that ends searchid=x? If you refresh that, obviously it will just call up the search results that were returned the last time you click View New Posts.

[Guest JohnGalt]

Are you refreshing the URL that it takes you once it's completed the search, the one that ends searchid=x? If you refresh that, obviously it will just call up the search results that were returned the last time you click View New Posts.

Yup, that's the URL that's generated by the search. It should re-run the search script upon each refresh though. For me, it's only running about half the time.

[Mike]

If by "refresh" you mean reload the URL that ends searchid=x, all vB can ever do is just return the results associated with that search. When you view new posts with search.php?do=getnew, it does the actual searching for new posts, then bounces you over to a new searchid=x URL via a location header. If you access this searchid=x URL again, vB isn't to know that you in fact want to repeat the last search you did, not simply show the search results associated with whatever ID is passed in the query string.

I'm not certain that we're on the same wave-length here, though. Maybe you're getting at something else.