Wanna try out some of the new stuff for the next version? You can go to the dev site. A few of the features don't work yet, notify moderator, but this will give everyone a chance to take a look at the placement of the new icons and the various functionality.
Feedback would be appreciated, but please no bug reports at this time because this is still under development and hasn't been tested thoroughly.
So you know, this could be closed at any time as there will be times I'm making a modification to the code and I can't have anyone in there browsing around[]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/]. So, if it's closed when you try, just try again later and maybe you'll get lucky[]/w3timages/icons/crazy.gif[/].
Add a link just under the picture of user for them to upload their pic and back to the same script when done. So it'll be very easy for them to change anytime and view it instantly.
I dont like the "Favorite Board!" & "Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Board" at showflat, I think the only place for it is at postlist, I subscribed thinking I was doing so to the thread... its too missleading at showflat (and though I havent visited, if at showthreaded), it should only be at showflat.
Print thread and print post icons should be different.....But I'm sure you're aware of that already. If I had access to some icons I would send some to you.
At the bottom of posts it may be a good idea to use a horizontal rule (size 1) to separate the added icons from the post a tad. I'm not really sure this would look better without being able to try it either way tho.
The Control Panel idea is really good. Kinda puts everything in one place. Neatly organized too. One question about that though.....When a user first signs up where will the welcoming message be displayed? [:red]Could a new SysAdmin box be displayed at the top of the Control Panel if there are Admin messages? Somewhere where it can't be ignored? It may be easier to see for newbies......If not a special SysAdmin message box then how about a flashing icon to draw attention to the welcoming message.
I can't wait to get a hold of this version. It's got most everything I need in a BB.
There are three more features I'd like to see and hope you include as well:
The login in on main page hack, notify moderators of new posts hack and go to main page if no messages.
The notify moderators is good because it helps the boards to be more responsive in a question/answer type forum like I have at oldhouseforums.net.
PS...The BOZO hack would be really cool too! []/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/]
Update.....
In "Print This Post" it may be a good idea to leave out user pics in the left column. It would help speed up printing a bit and I doubt anyone would really *want* to have that graphic there anyway.
The need for diferent icons for printing thread or post did seem so obviouss to me, but anyway, I guess it wouldnt hurt. Since I had my image program open anyway here is a suggested icon for "Print Thread": []http://www.wwwthreads.com/files/10-33425-printthread.gif[/]
I think this would be a good time to add Eileen's "Add icons to posts" (not the real name I guess. That box that lets you add smiles and so) hack. Seems to me the latest changes are focused to making the board more user friendly and that's a feature that makes them usable (i have been here for a long time and I only remember how to add a []/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/] ...)
A lot of people are probably going to hate this but...what do you think of displaying that screen that comes after you add a thread to favorites or remind me (for example) in a small pop up screen that you can then close, so you dont have to leave the thread after doing that?
Seems to me that that message (and having to leave the thread) can be somewhat tiring and a waste of time, it is informative the first times that you do it only....
Also, I always have a lot of screens open at the same time, and I usually click on one and go to the other (while I wait for it to load). The first time I tried add to favorite I missed the confirmation screen, because it returns to the thread after a few seconds...do you think this can confuse some users?
The guys over at Woody's Lounge love the 1-click TagPanel and are always making suggestions for new additions. It's now implemented as two popups so you can leave it up and keep using it instead of having it reload every time.
Great work! Everything is said. What can I add? Maybe some Eileen's hacks I wish I see implemented: Context Sensitive Help, Language Switcher, PostOnly-ReplyOnly and Mark All Read.
The main reason stuff like this has not been added is when last discussed everyone agreed that javascript should stay out of the front end interface for the main distribution. Added js to the admin section isn't too bad because you have a limited number of admins and moderators so javascript problems will be minimal, but for the front end there would be alot of user problems ending up being a support nightmare[]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/].
i don't think popus are a good idea, i myself don't like popup anything and quickly close them no matter where i am at. i am confortable with the way that it shows the confirmation screen and all.
Don't throw out the whole idea of popups just because they have been so abusively exploited. In the right place they can be extremely useful to keep the focus on the main page and save a lot of of "to-and-fro".
I agree that it is bad use of this the reason why some people hate them (and so do I when used that way). However I would rather see a small screen popup telling me that the thread was added to favorites (that I can inmediately close and go on with waht I was doing) than a new screen. It's not the new screen actually what I dont like but the fact that the reload takes some time on my connection.
I just read the new addition to the changelog regarding going to the main index page if there are no messages waiting:
In reply to:
April 3, 2001 - Added a profile option to allow the user to select where they want to go when logging in. They can choose to go to their Control Panel or to the main index.
I tried adding the horizontal rule down above the icons, but this really didn't look right. I tried adding it in a different color table cell, but that made it blend in with the post below it.
What about zap's post later in this thread with moving these options into the cell with the user info?
Shouldn't this be post specific rather then replying to a thread?
I agree Brewskie. A site we are in the process of developing will probably contain threads with replies (posts) numbering in the hundreds. To provide a link to a particular post within a thread would certainly be more useful to us than a link to a thread.
Yes, a reminder is certainly better than no reminder at all. Still, if the technical impediments are not there, I would much rather have the option of being reminded to respond to a specific post.
Thanks for listening Scream []/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/]
The dev board looks great! Thank you for all your hard work.
Might I inquire as to the possibility of incorporating a couple features?
- The first one would be a "bump list;" i.e. the ability for a poster to notify everyone on his/her address book about an interesting thread. Thus, if I was interested in this particular thread, and thought others in my address book would be also, I could "bump" the thread to them. It would be an "internal" mass-mailing to everyone on my address book (a separate "bump" list might be even better). This is a very important feature in a political discussion forum I am involved in and would be greatly appreciated in the wwwthreads site I am developing to replace it.
- The second feature follows from the first. I would like the ability to see not only which posts I have composed, but also which posts have been addressed to me (replies to one of my posts) or "bumped" to me. I have seen others asking for the ability to see all replies to their posts, I would like to second that.
What about to move the icons to the left side under the userpic etc.
Good idea Zap. It would make for more efficient use of screen real estate. I would perhaps place the text "Post Options" above the Icons rather than beside them, to allow for the addition of icons/functionality in the future without disrupting the layout.
Moving "Post Options" above the icons also accomodates those who are running a narrower User Info column.
I'm with you on the placement of the user information. Although I suspect my preference is a bit more spartan than yours. In essence my main concern when it comes to layout is screen real estate. The User Information Column consumes way too much of this real estate, especially on longer posts.
My preference for User Information would be the following example placed at the bottom of each post:
All this talk about conservation of screen real estate triggered a memory. Take a look at this thread and see all the space wasted in the left colum when it's a long message. Perhaps it's the 'side' layout we should be considering getting rid of!
A lot of space would be freed up this way to house all the extra buttons and nothing would be lost.
As a followup on this. I tried moving the post options icons into the user cell but this posed a couple of problems. I couldn't force the icons to be placed at the bottom of the cell and make it work in all browser because of the varying rowspans needed. Problem 2: When a user posts a short post it makes a large chunk of blank space in the post body area. Problem 3: This won't work when a user sets post headers to top.
So, if at all possible it would be best if we can keep the icons in the post body area, since there is plenty of room for more icons to be added. We just need to find a way to separate it a bit like Brewskie was talking about.
Take a look at this thread and see all the space wasted in the left colum when it's a long message. Perhaps it's the 'side' layout we should be considering getting rid of!
That's exactly what I mean Eileen. Thanks for illustrating what I was trying to say. In an earlier thread, it was pointed out that a majority of people were using the side option for displaying user info. The problem is that no-one tried to get to the bottom of why people were not using the top display. I believe the reason people don't use the top display as much is because it is, if anything, even more obtrusive than the side display.
I feel that, if we were to have the option of a simple "bottom of message" user display option, together with or followed by simple navigation/Post Options, many more users would use this simple "bottom display," than the current side display.
So, if at all possible it would be best if we can keep the icons in the post body area, since there is plenty of room for more icons to be added.
Please consider the possibility of giving us an option of putting the user information itself in the body area, together with the icons (see an example here).
This would give us a lean look, with optimimal utilization of screen real estate.
Although I can't take credit for the idea. I got it from taking a look at the forums on FreeRepublic.com where you can routinely get threads with hundreds of replies in them. Take a look at this thread (warning, thread is 575k in size) for example, it contains 320 posts, and could not be manageable without the "lean look."
Disclaimer: I only used the thread above to illustrate a point, not pushing any political agenda here.
Yes, that is one quite large thread. The one draw-back, albeit small, is that it's kind of "flat" in the sense that there isn't much visual appeal. But it does allow for a lot of conversation on less real estate.
I agree. I also think that a "boring" look is easily resolved by judicious use of color and separating elements.
I really think that the reason many people use the left user information column rather than the top option, is that people are selecting from the lesser of two unpalatable options (no it's not as harsh as that, but it's the best description I can come up with without breaking out the thesaurus :), and you might find that a great many would select the "lean look" over the current options.
Load times would certainly improve for the user, since there would be no unnecessary information downloading (if I want to see what someone looks like, I can certainly go to their profile and check them out). With a new "lean look" option, webmasters would also have the space to do more around the board, like including left side menus.
Donate to UBBDev today to help aid in Operational, Server and Script Maintenance, and Development costs.
Please also see our parent organization VNC Web Services if you're in the need of a new UBB.threads Install or Upgrade, Site/Server Migrations, or Security and Coding Services.
