I did it! Forum Upgraded!

Started by Kaesekopf, December 31, 2022, 05:39:33 PM

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Goldfinch

To be honest, the older format looked much better.

"For there are no works of power, dearly-beloved, without the trials of temptations, there is no faith without proof, no contest without a foe, no victory without conflict. This life of ours is in the midst of snares, in the midst of battles; if we do not wish to be deceived, we must watch: if we want to overcome, we must fight." - St. Leo the Great

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Frank on January 01, 2023, 03:33:22 PMYou Tube videos don't appear as images but merely as links. Pity.

I thought I fixed that. 
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Acolyte

Quote from: Frank on January 01, 2023, 03:33:22 PMYou Tube videos don't appear as images but merely as links. Pity.

I posted a YouTube video on the Benedict the 16th death thread and it posted as an image. I clicked the share button on YouTube and copied it to my clipboard and posted it here.
"From the moment we awake in the morning, let us pray continually in the words of holy David: Turn away my eyes, that they may not behold vanity"
St Alphonsus

"I will set my face against you, and you shall fall down before your enemies, and shall be made subject to them that hate you, you shall flee when no man pursueth you"
Leviticus 26:17

"Behold, O God our protector : and look upon the face of Thy Christ" (Ps. 79:20) Here is devotion to the face of Jesus Christ as prophesized by David."
Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III

andy


Kaesekopf

Quote from: red solo cup on January 01, 2023, 06:20:33 AMCan everyone see my email addy or is it just me?

Someone else answered, but emails by default are hidden. 
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: diaduit on January 01, 2023, 06:24:12 AMI can't find the upvote or like button and also my IP address can be seen, is that normal?

Did you find the like button? 

The IP address can only be seen by yourself and the mods.  From the SMF documentation:
QuoteIP addresses are shown to administrators and moderators to facilitate moderation and to make it easier to track people up to no good. Remember that IP addresses may not always be identifying, and most people's IP addresses change periodically.

Members are also allowed to see their own IPs.
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Pon de Replay on January 01, 2023, 06:25:50 AMHow very odd.  The "upgrade" has the look and feel of a default-format free forum circa 2006.  I am viewing it on a device at present, and won't have access to my laptop for a couple days, but on this interface I don't see avatars.  Just dots indicating online status.  My signature, which is (was) in Cyrillic, now appears as a series of question marks.  This all may just be the device, of course.

So, the problem with our old forum theme is that it was written by a handicap guy who died I think back in 2014.  (RIP "Crip")  I agree it was sleek, but it was un-maintained, so it was eventually going to have to go away, unless I decided to want to learn how to make an SMF theme (I decidedly do not).  The default for SMF 2.1 is I think less aesthetic (markedly), but it's not that bad.  Some parts are nice.  I will say that for a free forum layout, it is the best they've got.  The other free SMF themes are absolute trash.  I haven't looked into paid options, but I might.  :shrug:

The mobile interface is much sleeker than the old way (the old way was not "responsive"), and that was a major motivator in making the upgrade for the Forum.

Also, as to your signature - I absolutely destroyed it in my attempt to brute-force change the broken character set from a couple nights ago.  You can change it back to what you had it as before, and it shouldn't be broken after that change.  Sorry for the destruction.  :( 
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Robert on January 01, 2023, 10:11:23 AMAny chance we'll be able to get a dark mode of the theme and overlay? All this white is hurting my eyes.

Hrrrm.  Hopefully.  To be honest, I don't know.  I do prefer using dark modes on mobile devices...
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Michael Wilson on January 01, 2023, 10:36:57 AMThank you for all the work you put in. It will take some time getting used to.

Thank you :)
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Santantonio on January 01, 2023, 11:35:26 AMNobody likes it.

So, I assume this was absolutely necessary? If so, we understand. If not, why do it?

Can you increase the default text size? I cannot read the print is so small.

This was more necessary than not, in my opinion.  The Forum uses the free (!) software called "Simple Machines Forum", and up until a few nights ago, we were running 2.0.19.  That update was dated 12/21/2021 - making it over a year old.  SMF 2.0 was originally released in June of 2011, making it really, really old software.  Me, personally, I think I got my first smartphone in the summer of 2011, so ...  the forum software wasn't remotely designed for mobile use.  As to the SMF 2.0, though - it had been patched and updated for a decade, but it's come to its end. 

SMF 2.1 brings a lot of new things to the table.  First, the editor is new (and I kinda like it more), you can write and save drafts, the "like" feature is native (before, we were using a mod), the mentions feature is a pretty sleek upgrade, so you can be notified anytime someone tags you.  The alerts also help increase notice/activity of response.  For security, your passwords are now stored in a more secure manner, and you can use two-factor authentication with Google Authenticator (if you're into that).  2.1 also detects mobile devices (truth be told, this was the biggest motivator for me - Tapatalk was a terrible app, and using the Forum on my phone was a non-starter).  Software-wise, I don't understand it, but it uses "more current" versions of software platforms, which increases reliability, compatibility, and operation on the server we use.  Also, the language and character files should be standardized now, and we shouldn't experience that "bump" in usability that we did when I converted the forum to the latest standard.  Finally, it also makes administration and moderation easier (especially since I can do stuff on my phone now). 

Ultimately, when the old software was on its way out.  I'm not the "most techy" person on the board, but I've always kept the Forum updated and patched as much as possible.  This was part of it.  We just got unlucky that the theme isn't as aesthetic as it was.  :lol: 

As to default text size, you might be able to change that on a per-user basis.  I should make a normal user account to see what you all can do.
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

Kaesekopf

Quote from: Acolyte on January 01, 2023, 01:26:51 PMHow about photos ? Will we have to use an image hosting site to post a photo ?

You can still attach photos here.  I haven't decided how to handle attachments yet, to be honest.  I'd half prefer folks use an off-site host, but for now, we've got a sufficient amount of space for the Forum, so feel free to upload via the Forum.
Wie dein Sonntag, so dein Sterbetag.

I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side.  ~Treebeard, LOTR

Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

diaduit

Quote from: Kaesekopf on January 01, 2023, 10:08:37 PM
Quote from: diaduit on January 01, 2023, 06:24:12 AMI can't find the upvote or like button and also my IP address can be seen, is that normal?

Did you find the like button? 



No and I can only like when someone else has done it first.

awkward customer

I like the new look.  It inspired me to get an avatar.

Change is always a challenge.

Acolyte

Quote from: red solo cup on January 01, 2023, 06:20:33 AMCan everyone see my email addy or is it just me?

I can't see it on your profile page.
"From the moment we awake in the morning, let us pray continually in the words of holy David: Turn away my eyes, that they may not behold vanity"
St Alphonsus

"I will set my face against you, and you shall fall down before your enemies, and shall be made subject to them that hate you, you shall flee when no man pursueth you"
Leviticus 26:17

"Behold, O God our protector : and look upon the face of Thy Christ" (Ps. 79:20) Here is devotion to the face of Jesus Christ as prophesized by David."
Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III

Santantonio

Quote from: Kaesekopf on January 01, 2023, 10:26:43 PM
Quote from: Santantonio on January 01, 2023, 11:35:26 AMNobody likes it.

So, I assume this was absolutely necessary? If so, we understand. If not, why do it?

Can you increase the default text size? I cannot read the print is so small.

This was more necessary than not, in my opinion.  The Forum uses the free (!) software called "Simple Machines Forum", and up until a few nights ago, we were running 2.0.19.  That update was dated 12/21/2021 - making it over a year old.  SMF 2.0 was originally released in June of 2011, making it really, really old software.  Me, personally, I think I got my first smartphone in the summer of 2011, so ...  the forum software wasn't remotely designed for mobile use.  As to the SMF 2.0, though - it had been patched and updated for a decade, but it's come to its end. 

SMF 2.1 brings a lot of new things to the table.  First, the editor is new (and I kinda like it more), you can write and save drafts, the "like" feature is native (before, we were using a mod), the mentions feature is a pretty sleek upgrade, so you can be notified anytime someone tags you.  The alerts also help increase notice/activity of response.  For security, your passwords are now stored in a more secure manner, and you can use two-factor authentication with Google Authenticator (if you're into that).  2.1 also detects mobile devices (truth be told, this was the biggest motivator for me - Tapatalk was a terrible app, and using the Forum on my phone was a non-starter).  Software-wise, I don't understand it, but it uses "more current" versions of software platforms, which increases reliability, compatibility, and operation on the server we use.  Also, the language and character files should be standardized now, and we shouldn't experience that "bump" in usability that we did when I converted the forum to the latest standard.  Finally, it also makes administration and moderation easier (especially since I can do stuff on my phone now). 

Ultimately, when the old software was on its way out.  I'm not the "most techy" person on the board, but I've always kept the Forum updated and patched as much as possible.  This was part of it.  We just got unlucky that the theme isn't as aesthetic as it was.  :lol: 

As to default text size, you might be able to change that on a per-user basis.  I should make a normal user account to see what you all can do.

This isn't the first "upgraded for mobile" forum or website I've been disgruntled by. As a PC-only user, my chosen interface has been going the way of the dragon (not dinosaur) for some time now. I understand.

I will expand the new site via Zoom in my Firefox browser. This increases the text size for me. I still use Windows Vista and refuse to get with the modern times on most everything.  ::)