Forum improvements. Suggestions wanted.

16400 Views 93 Replies 27 Participants Last post by Ade, Feb 9, 2021

CMOTD

Discussion Starter · Jan 8, 2018

The new year dawns and the forum is still here, in a better place than this time last year. The software upgrade has enabled us to do a lot of things but we are well aware that the forum is not perfect. The mods have been discussing ways to improve things further but this is your forum so we would like to hear any suggestions you might have for additions/amendments which would enhance your experience of it.

Feel free to post your suggestions here. We will try to implement anything worthwhile but please remember that not everything is within our power to deliver.

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21 - 40 of 94 Posts

JasonB

· #21 · Jan 8, 2018

Dopamine said:
I'm happy with the forum as is, mainly because I've been a user for many years and am familiar with it, but I have two requests, the first simple, the second relatively simple but possibly time consuming.

1) that "www.slotforum.com" takes a reader to the forum's current "info" page rather than the forum's index page.

2) that the forum's info page is rearranged to make it more attractive to new users.

1 - Current default home page.

At present, the url www.slotforum.com goes directly to the forum's index page, which is rather like the front cover of a book being its index or appendix instead of an attractively illustrated title page. The index page is the default landing page for both the url typed directly into a browser and Google's slotforum search listing.

I know most/all of us know what each page looks like, but I'll post illustrative screenshots anyway.

Current "home" page. Not very attractive or attention grabbing.

sf-home-page-01.jpg

2 - Current info page.

At the top of the info page is the SlotForum handbook, which is probably not the most important thing new users need to be presented with. An interesting article or some nice slot car pictures would be better, with the handbook link moved further down the page. The handbook is very useful once someone becomes a forum user, but let's hook them as users first.

Current info page.

sf-info-page-01.jpg

Okay, fair points, but there a few different issues to deal with there.

1- This isn't simple, unfortunately. The forum software is all geared up with the expectation that the home page, or index page, will be an index of the forums available. That's how the software is set up, and much of the architecture is based on that. I'll have a look into whether we can change that, but I very much doubt it will be simple, and it would certainly come with a significant risk attached to it.

2- I agree, we'd like to make more of the Info page, as it has some interesting features. Even the simple ability to add thumbnails to each article adds a little to the presentation of the page. But we have a couple of problems. The first is a technical glitch which the owners are hopefully looking into. The second is that we don't have anybody volunteering to write interesting articles. So far it's just been me, writing basic info articles about the forum.

Another point I'd add is that neither of the images you've shown, show the full forum pages, so I'm guessing those were from a tablet?

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JasonB

· #22 · Jan 8, 2018

Dopamine said:
I use a PC running WIndows 10 and can only select one picture at a time. Ctrl click doesn't work for me with the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer

GregK said:
Being able to click on several files for attaching to a post also get's my vote .........

I'm looking into this, but it's difficult because I just can't replicate it, and don't get the problem at all.

Have you tried switching between the basic and advanced uploader, as Gordon did?

JasonB

· #23 · Jan 8, 2018

GregK said:
Could the order of the emoticons be re-ordered such that commonly used ones are always on the first ribbon?

Maybe we should have a vote for differing "standard" ones as well??

Yes I think that's possible, at least reordering them. If you want to set up a poll, I can try to change the order.

Kevan

· #24 · Jan 8, 2018

Support for Tapatalk

JasonB

· #25 · Jan 9, 2018

Kevan said:
Support for Tapatalk

Sorry, beyond our control.

Dopamine

· #26 · Jan 9, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

JasonB said:
I'm looking into this, but it's difficult because I just can't replicate it, and don't get the problem at all.

Have you tried switching between the basic and advanced uploader, as Gordon did?

I wasn't aware of the advanced uploader, but now that I am and have tried it, my problem is solved and I can select multiple files. In basic mode, I can't. Thanks.

JasonB said:
Another point I'd add is that neither of the images you've shown, show the full forum pages, so I'm guessing those were from a tablet?

Not from a tablet, but from a single window on one screen of a multi-screen desktop set-up.

This is how the site appears to me full screen on a 1920x1200 monitor:

Product Operating system Font Rectangle Software

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JasonB

· #27 · Jan 9, 2018

Dopamine said:
I wasn't aware of the advanced uploader, but now that I am and have tried it, my problem is solved and I can select multiple files. In basic mode, I can't. Thanks.

Not from a tablet, but from a single window on one screen of a multi-screen desktop set-up.

This is how the site appears to me full screen on a 1920x1200 monitor:

sf-full-screen.jpg

It should really work in both uploader versions, but at least we've found a way around it.

I wonder why you're not getting the sidebar on the home page, or the image slider at the top?

This is what the home page looks like to me.

Font Screenshot Software Technology Electronic device

What's showing for everyone else?

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Reactions: 1

Dave D Stevens

· #28 · Jan 9, 2018

2

]Have tried both the basic and advanced file uploader but am still only able to select one image at a time.

Am using Chrome on a Windows 7 64 bit PC.

Rectangle Light Product Azure Font

Rectangle Product Azure Font Screenshot

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JasonB

· #29 · Jan 9, 2018

Okay Dave, I'll carry on looking into it, but no luck so far.

I'm guessing you uploaded those two screenshots in two goes?

Dave D Stevens

· #30 · Jan 9, 2018

JasonB said:
Okay Dave, I'll carry on looking into it, but no luck so far.

I'm guessing you uploaded those two screenshots in two goes?

Yes, Had to upload the 2 screen shots individually.

Dopamine

· #31 · Jan 9, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

3

JasonB said:
I wonder why you're not getting the sidebar on the home page, or the image slider at the top?

Maybe because I was deliberately viewing the site as a guest rather than signed in as Dopamine. Existing members have already been interested enough to join. Any front page changes are probably best considered from the view of casual visitors in the hope that we may gain them as members.

I've now viewed the site as a guest using Internet Explorer and discovered that if I scroll down far enough the sidebar appears, although it's not visible when initially landing at the home page. Guest view in Firefox and Chrome doesn't have the sidebar.

Internet Explorer as a guest, full screen 1920x1200. No ad-blocker.

Product Orange Font Screenshot Operating system

This is how far I need to scroll down in order to see the sidebar content.

Product Font Rectangle Operating system Screenshot

Chrome and Firefox as a guest, full screen 1920x1200, active ad-blocker. With the ad-blocker turned off, there is a banner advert at the top of the page, but still no sidebar.

Product Font Rectangle Operating system Screenshot

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JasonB

· #32 · Jan 9, 2018

Thanks David.

Viewing as a guest, I still get the sidebars in all browsers, though where your screenshots show a gap on the right, I'm getting a slow to load advert.

Obviously we can't change the adverts, and I can't explain why you're not getting the sidebars as a guest.

I'll have a look into it, and also try to find out why the gallery image slider isn't showing.

Mr Modifier

· #33 · Jan 9, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

JasonB said:
In the toolbar at the top of the reply box, you should see a smiley. When you click on that, you should get a range of emoticons at the bottom of the reply box, and should be able to add those to your post.

:thumbsup: :banana: :mex: h34r:

Nope. Using full version edit on an IOS device - I see no smiley. My IOS keyboard offers me smileys but they are different and dont display properly in forum posts.

Actually there is no toolbar at the top of the reply box at all. There are some icons bottom left (email, print, save etc.) but no emoticons.

When I click on more reply options on my PC I do get the toolbar and emoticons but on the latest version of IOS more reply options doesnt give me a toolbar but there is a box to the right that has enable emoticons ticked!!! A little ironic....

JasonB

· #34 · Jan 9, 2018

Mr Modifier said:
Nope. Using full version edit on an IOS device - I see no smiley. My IOS keyboard offers me smileys but they are different and dont display properly in forum posts.

Actually there is no toolbar at the top of the reply box at all. There are some icons bottom left (email, print, save etc.) but no emoticons.

When I click on more reply options on my PC I do get the toolbar and emoticons but on the latest version of IOS more reply options doesnt give me a toolbar but there is a box to the right that has enable emoticons ticked!!! A little ironic....

In which case we can probably put it down to the forum, and IOS not playing nicely together again.

They'll both blame each other, while the rest of us have to clear up the mess.

Unfortunately, there's not much I can do to help, as I don't have any apple devices.

Is this a problem for all IOS users, or has anybody found a way around it.

gus3049

· #35 · Jan 9, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

I have no other problems with a desktop Mac running the latest system - 10.13.2 - it all draws properly. It was only the multiple posts that required a bit of jiggery. We don't have iPads so can't comment on that system.

JasonB

· #36 · Jan 9, 2018

Dopamine said:
I'm happy with the forum as is, mainly because I've been a user for many years and am familiar with it, but I have two requests, the first simple, the second relatively simple but possibly time consuming.

1) that "www.slotforum.com" takes a reader to the forum's current "info" page rather than the forum's index page.

2) that the forum's info page is rearranged to make it more attractive to new users.

1 - Current default home page.

At present, the url www.slotforum.com goes directly to the forum's index page, which is rather like the front cover of a book being its index or appendix instead of an attractively illustrated title page. The index page is the default landing page for both the url typed directly into a browser and Google's slotforum search listing.

I know most/all of us know what each page looks like, but I'll post illustrative screenshots anyway.

Current "home" page. Not very attractive or attention grabbing.

sf-home-page-01.jpg

2 - Current info page.

At the top of the info page is the SlotForum handbook, which is probably not the most important thing new users need to be presented with. An interesting article or some nice slot car pictures would be better, with the handbook link moved further down the page. The handbook is very useful once someone becomes a forum user, but let's hook them as users first.

Current info page.

sf-info-page-01.jpg

I've managed to make a little progress here David. I've unpinned the Handbook, as I think you were right about that, and since we've got a place for it at the top of the forum list, it seems pointless to duplicate it. I've replaced it with some pictures of this year's Scalextric releases.

Hopefully, when we've got the technical glitch sorted we can go on to make the Info page more interesting and vibrant, and perhaps if we manage that then we can discuss making it the home page. I can't do that on my own though, we'd need to get a few more people contributing, we'd need to get a general consensus that it was a good idea, and we'd need to talk to the owner's tech team about the least risky way to do it.

I've also managed to make the gallery slider visible to guests. A small thing, but something.

Coides

· #37 · Jan 9, 2018

I'd like a smarter Search tool. Many of us have commented on the wealth of brilliant posts from the past - these are sometimes very hard to find. Addition of an 'and' and 'not' editor to the search would help a lot and ways of ordering the results - sometimes the one you're after is miles down a huge list.

Andy

Martyn_

· #38 · Jan 9, 2018

Coides said:
I'd like a smarter Search tool. Many of us have commented on the wealth of brilliant posts from the past - these are sometimes very hard to find. Addition of an 'and' and 'not' editor to the search would help a lot and ways of ordering the results - sometimes the one you're after is miles down a huge list.

Andy

Oh yes please!

CMOTD

Discussion Starter · #39 · Jan 9, 2018

Have you tried the advanced search options? Not perfect but a lot more choice.

Coides

· #40 · Jan 10, 2018

Will do

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