THE FORUM UPGRADE

Glad to help Rich and I'm really impressed at how responsive you've been to fixing the problems.

Jim 1939 posted:

I can handle the upgrade but please if/when you can get this blue off, it is really hard on the eyes to read....

I am not using any blue in the Forum posting screen setup. Only shades of gray and black text. Where are you seeing blue?

OGR Webmaster posted:

Todd, I looked at your For Sale post on my phone and it looked fine. All 22 images are there, they display in the proper place and they are all sharp and clear. Not sure why you saw the fuzzy images.

TRW, I used Safari on an iPhone 6.

I posted this from my phone and here's a screenshot directly from the phone:

Rich,

Any way to add the forum that each RECENT POST is in, so it would look like this?

THE FORUM UPGRADE

1 minute ago [in the Hi-Rail, O27 and Traditional 3-Rail O Gauge Forum]

That would be very helpful and probably just needs a field added in the Recent posts subroutine...

Ed

I''ll second  Ed's suggestion. I thought of that in the old forum, but needed one of those roundtuits.

I didn't like the new look at first. Now after a couple of days, it's fine

Works ok with Chrome, running Vista.

RootBeerRail posted:

The other stat I would take into consideration is the extent that mobile vs. desktop participate in the forum. In the end, what draws people in is the value of the content. If most of the active posters are desktop oriented, alienating them will eventually drop the quality of conversations and in the long term drop the overall attendance in general.

I think this is a very good point and one I was thinking about myself while using my desktop PC to try and catch up on the changes here. 

I see the phone and tablets as being good for a short reply, like texting. At least I sure wouldn't want to try and explain something very detailed using my ipad or phone. I think you are on right on target with the content quality and detailed replies (or questions) here, most of those will still come from desktop users with real keyboards, even though more folks may be viewing the forum with their phones and tablets. 

 

OGR Webmaster posted:

Jim 1939 posted:

I can handle the upgrade but please if/when you can get this blue off, it is really hard on the eyes to read....

I am not using any blue in the Forum posting screen setup. Only shades of gray and black text. Where are you seeing blue?

OK I guess the background I called blue, others are saying gray. But it doesn't change the fact it is hard on the eyes to read..I'm not complaining, just saying.

necrails posted:

...The fonts now resemble the large print for the vision impaired...

The font size has not changed. The old format used a base font size of 16 pixels and so does this one. Where are you seeing type that is too large?

Your screen should look like this:

Any way to replace the 'Take Action' menu for replying to a post with the one click icons we had before? They were a lot easier and faster, just click and reply. Now we have to click, find, and click again. Seems like a step backwards?

Also any way to make your number of posts per screen stick when you select a number you like?

I do like the hover boxes you get with some of the items like the forum members name, I think those are nice improvements. Looks nice too.

rtr12 posted:

Any way to replace the 'Take Action' menu for replying to a post with the one click icons we had before? They were a lot easier and faster, just click and reply. Now we have to click, find, and click again. Seems like a step backwards?

I CANNOT CHANGE THIS...

Also any way to make your number of posts per screen stick when you select a number you like?

I have a post in to Hoopla Tech Support on this one. Seems to me that should be a user preference.

I do like the hover boxes you get with some of the items like the forum members name, I think those are nice improvements. Looks nice too.

Thanks.

OGR Webmaster posted:

Doubedaz, I just got this from Hoopla about the narrow column issue you (and others) are having with IE:

"It looks like the code to target the parent is not working in IE 11, and is instead loading within the iframe...we were able to track down this issue and it should be fixed in the next hotfix."

Thanks for sharing those screen shots. They were invaluable in opening my eyes to this IE-specific problem. Hoopla confirmed that it is a problem that only effects Internet Exploder, so we know that definitely is the issue.

Sorry, I am a little behind and I guess they have found the problem.

Just as a FYI (now I suppose it's a FWIW), IE11 works fine here, but only when accessed from the topic link from an email alert from a topic I am following. It really is messed up when you go to the  https://ogrforum.com/  opening page and go from there. Don't know if it makes any difference in help, but thought I would add it just in case.

The Forum is too cumbersome now on the IPad. It takes several different pages and "guess" clicking to get to a Forum list of "Forums." 

Now when I log in, on the left side the calendar appears and on the right side are recent topics. Top of the page are Forum Sponsors and a "Home" button. I am using IOS 9.

There is no way I can see to go directly from log on to a list of Forums.

I will have to surf some other way.

Oops, once I post, the list appears.

Disappointing

It only takes one click to reply using YOUR OWN PERSONAL REPLY BOX! at the bottom, then one click to submit. Shouldn't be too hard. I think the pinned posts are useful to refer to from time to time. So far, scrolling down hasn't worn me out. One last thing: Rich, I'm amazed that smile is still is still on your face in that picture.

Rich,

I'm posting photos from my iPad, but am only able to post smaller pictures up to 700 or 800k. Anything larger than that 2MB, will not attach. Is there a recommended picture size I should try to follow?

Thanks,

Andy

I am unable to create a new post. There is a blue "post" button at the top of the screen, but it doesn't appear to do anything. This post is a test to see if posting a reply will work. The new "upgrade" is typical, a disappointing change to a system that seemed to work prior to the the upgrade. Reminiscent of what happened to Yahoo Groups when they jammed their "Neo" upgrade down our throats. Bill in FtL

Loaded this 2.6mb file just fine  

 

Bill Nielsen posted:

I am unable to create a new post. There is a blue "post" button at the top of the screen, but it doesn't appear to do anything. This post is a test to see if posting a reply will work. The new "upgrade" is typical, a disappointing change to a system that seemed to work prior to the the upgrade. Reminiscent of what happened to Yahoo Groups when they jammed their "Neo" upgrade down our throats. Bill in FtL

Bill, you have to do one more step after poking the post button...

Poking it will show a short menu of three items - TOPIC, EVENT and CLIP.

Select TOPIC and it will start you off.

Ted

Can't post new topics...

Can you get as far as the pic Bill?

No problems here...

The process to post the following iPad screenshot is very cumbersome.  After selecting the photo the screen goes dark and it is necessary to scroll back to the top of the thread page to find the box where you can insert the photo into the body of the post.  

 

The reason I wanted to post this was to show that it is possible to have a bookmark that opens to the forum list using Safari on an iPad.  

 

This is is the URL in the bookmark.  

 

h t t p : / / o g r f o r u m . o g a u g e r r . c o m / f o r u m s    <== REMOVE spaces if you copy and paste into the bookmark.

 

I like the fact that you can change the font/background color to give your reply a more customized look.

Note to O27ted: Thanks for the suggestion, but poking the blue post button does nothing, there is no menu showing anything, nor does the button change it's shade when selected, like in other programs. I'm using an iPad Air, and it worked fine prior to the upgrade, but not now. While I can apparently post a reply, when I do hit "Post Reply", I get a gray screen with a text line describing a redirect, with no indication the post was accepted (that's why my earlier message got posted twice). My hobby is trains, not computers, and I have little patience for these so called "Upgrades" that appear to only serve to keep software designers employed. I guess this forum will join Yahoo groups on my no longer used list... Bill in FtL

Bill Nielsen posted:

Note to O27ted: Thanks for the suggestion, but poking the blue post button does nothing, there is no menu showing anything, nor does the button change it's shade when selected, like in other programs. I'm using an iPad Air, and it worked fine prior to the upgrade, but not now. While I can apparently post a reply, when I do hit "Post Reply", I get a gray screen with a text line describing a redirect, with no indication the post was accepted (that's why my earlier message got posted twice). My hobby is trains, not computers, and I have little patience for these so called "Upgrades" that appear to only serve to keep software designers employed. I guess this forum will join Yahoo groups on my no longer used list... Bill in FtL

Sorry it didn't work for ya Bill. It was a stab in the dark and I didn't see you were using the iPad.

Don't leave, Rich has been working non stop to get all of the details working for everyone and so far has done a stellar job. I am sure he will get your issue quickly as the life blood of a forum is the posts!

LOL Be nice, some of us still have a day job that includes the words Software Developer lol.

Keep trying and keep an eye out!

Ted

Wow, what a great improvement since yesterday!  Looks like most of the links are fixed.

The forum is looking a lot better now!  This upgrade  now reminds me of when it was first changed over to hoopla. Rich thanks for your extra time fixing things,we do appreciate it!  We just wish you could be a little faster at it !! 

eddiem posted:

Rich,

Any way to add the forum that each RECENT POST is in, so it would look like this?

THE FORUM UPGRADE

1 minute ago [in the Hi-Rail, O27 and Traditional 3-Rail O Gauge Forum]

That would be very helpful and probably just needs a field added in the Recent posts subroutine...

Ed

Fingers Crossed.......

GregM posted:

The process to post the following iPad screenshot is very cumbersome.  After selecting the photo the screen goes dark and it is necessary to scroll back to the top of the thread page to find the box where you can insert the photo into the body of the post.

Calling it "cumbersome" is being polite!

This is a known bug that I pointed put to the Hoopla Tech guys yesterday. They are working on it.

The narrow left column issue with Internet Exploder has been fixed.

Will one of you who have been having this problem check and see if it works OK now? I don't have access to a computer with IE at the moment. 

Bill Nielsen posted:

I am unable to create a new post. There is a blue "post" button at the top of the screen, but it doesn't appear to do anything...

I just did a little testing on my IPad and have found something interesting about the big blue post button. If I touch it and let my finger stay on the button too long, NOTHING HAPPENS! However, if I just "touch" it quickly, it does what it is supposed to do.

Give that a try, Bill.

PeterA posted:

With all the comments about the screen display issues, I don't believe I have seen my major disappointment commented on.  Maybe it is just me, but I miss the forum name of the starter of each post, now all you see is the avatar photo - if there is one.  I will read every post by some of our folks, others - never.  It is great that they are there on the replies when you click on a post, but where are they on the original listings?  I am afraid I will never be able to recognize every poster by his/her photo, let alone the ones with a blank space.  

I too would greatly appropriate that feature being incorporated in this forum revision.  I would use it as PeterA describes.  I used it that way old version - a very useful feature.  Thanks in advance.

Hi. Guys .

Nice Job on the new Web-Site.

Thanks, John

SURFLINER posted:

PeterA posted:

With all the comments about the screen display issues, I don't believe I have seen my major disappointment commented on.  Maybe it is just me, but I miss the forum name of the starter of each post, now all you see is the avatar photo - if there is one.  I will read every post by some of our folks, others - never.  It is great that they are there on the replies when you click on a post, but where are they on the original listings?  I am afraid I will never be able to recognize every poster by his/her photo, let alone the ones with a blank space.  

I too would greatly appropriate that feature being incorporated in this forum revision.  I would use it as PeterA describes.  I used it that way old version - a very useful feature.  Thanks in advance.

I'll see what I can do...

MartyE posted:

Loaded this 2.6mb file just fine  

 

That's about $1000 per MB... MSRP that is. 

The new format is great! Very user friendly and easy for older eyes to read! Great job!

OGR Webmaster posted:

The narrow left column issue with Internet Exploder has been fixed.

Will one of you who have been having this problem check and see if it works OK now? I don't have access to a computer with IE at the moment. 

It's fixed in IE on Windows 10.

I didn't really use the forum all that much on my iPhone.  But when I did, I always preferred using the desktop view and just zoom in wherever I needed to read something specific.

Knowing that was no longer an option, I tried using my iPhone4 today with this new version to see if I could get around OK.  Didn't have much success at all.  

First, I could never get the RECENT POSTS column to display no matter what I tried to do.  I gotta me missing something basic, 'cause I can't believe something that important is no longer available for mobile device viewing.

Secondly, when I clicked on a forum category, like "Hi-Rail, O-27 and Tradition 3-Rail", a list of topics appeared as expected.  But when I clicked on a thread name, like "THE FORUM UPGRADE", I was shocked to see that the next page display was COMPLETELY filled with useless header information that I personally don't care about seeing with each topic.  It's a waste of space to see this info on a desktop, but the fact that it COMPLETELY filled my iPhone's screen just magnifies the inefficiencies.

Looks something like this...

<FEATURED TOPIC FLAG>   <# of REPLIES in the thread>

THREAD TITLE (which is a good thing!!!)

Page # Map (don't need it, but it's manageable)

A big blue box/button with the text "LIKE THIS TOPIC"

Another bigger blue box/button with the text "FOLLOWING THIS TOPIC"

Then SEVEN buttons/icons (3 per row) with the usual social media nonsense such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, etc...

At that point, my iPhone4's screen is full... and when I scroll down, there's STILL more header info that looks to be the name of the thread-starter; that members title and whether they're a sponsor, advertiser, or digital subscriber; and lastly a date and time-stamp.

After all of that, I finally can view the post content!!!! 

Frankly guys, I don't need to see all that crap whenever I click on a thread name from the index -- especially when it occupies SO MUCH real estate on my iPhone.  FWIF, I'm not sure there's anything that can be done about it, since this may be part of the inherent "design" of how the display gets constructed.

But let me just suggest this.  When I programmed years ago -- and I was a pretty darned good programmer at that -- we often built various "modes" that users could select relative to what a display looked like for them.  For beginning users and/or casual users, the display would have more information presented.  But for expert/frequent users, we would cut out the unnecessary junk and display only the most pertinent information.  If that's at all possible with this software, I think it would go a long way toward accommodating different users.

I realize a software app can't be all things to all people, but I think we have two fairly well-defined user groups here:  namely, those who are into all the social media for all that it can be, and those of us who don't give a hoot about that gibberish.  What I'm suggesting here is some type of parameter, where if I toggle the parameter OFF, I don't see all that social media stuff.

The point really being... when I click on a thread topic name, I want to see the thread's CONTENT -- not a bunch of social media buttons that I have absolutely no use for.  Perhaps the other nice thing that can be accomplished with this type of parameter setting is... the display could look MORE TABULAR so that we can more easily SCAN the display quickly with our eyes, rather than be forced to read through all the unnecessary crap that's currently being displayed.  As it stands now... for me, accessing the forum on my iPhone is just too much work!!!   So it's back to the desktop for me (which is where I'm typing this post, by the way!!! ).

Look... we're all big boys and girls here.  If the answer is "NO", this type of feature can't be accommodated, then that's fine.  Life will go on.  But I can say without a doubt that without some type of parameter to turn off the social media gibberish, I would just as soon not access the forum on a mobile device.  Come to think of it, that may not be that bad of thing anyway... 'cause all too many times I see folks in restaurants, parks -- even in cars -- with their heads buried in their smart phone or tablets.  Sometimes, we can ALL use a break from technology. 

 

 

Since we only have a Facebook account and nothing more, I trying to find out if I canget rid of all those social media buttons except FB. I agree that they are a monumental waste of screen real estate.

If I knew more about css and how to use/modify it, I could probably do it. But that gets out to the edge of my technical knowledge envelope.