Forum Upgrade - New Features

[george]

ANNOUNCEMENT - FORUM SOFTWARE UPGRADE

We have today upgraded the forum software. We are about 70% ready, a few more adjustments will be done. It now contains a huge selection of new features ranging from speed improvements to new features designed to enhance our community.

New features include:

Personal Profile Portal

The forum has a totally redesigned portal page with the following features:

* Friends list - manage your friends for easier PMing, to see if your friends are currently online and display your friends on your profile

* Profile comments - allow visitors to leave comments on your profile. You can set to moderate all new comments before they're shown.

* Recent visitors - recent visitors are shown on your profile.

* Your content - show your recent posts / blog entries / gallery uploads on your profile

* Personal statement - add a short bio for others to read

* Member rating - rate other members

* Set your gender

* Easy access to edit your location, age and IM details

New Text Editor

New Style

The text editors, both standard and rich text (WYSIWYG) have been completely rewritten to make them more intuitive and faster to load. Clutter has been reduced with the new dynamic menus.

Switch

You can now switch between the rich text editor and the standard editor without the need to reload the page or visit your User Control Panel.

New Attachment System

Upload without the reload

The forum has a new attachment system that enables one to upload attachments without having to reload the post screen. The new attachment area is directly below the text editor.

New Style

The attachment system has had a complete overhaul and is now styled along side the new text editor

New Thumbnail Design

Attached image thumbnail previews now have information above and below the thumbnail offering original file size and original dimensions.

Inline message system

Invision Power Board has an on-the-fly message system to confirm actions taken place. This is an important new part to the user interface. I uses AJAX for improved speed and functionality.

Topic notifications improved

Only one email will be sent for topic notifications until you visit again, unless you have your email setting set to send the full post in your topic notifications (in which case you will get a notification for each new post)

Better search

The search link now has a context sensitive drop down box. If you're in a forum you can search directly in that forum otherwise you can perform a global search.

Better top navigation

Modified top navigation area with subtle separators to break up the links into cleaner sections

Mini-profile

Enhanced 'mini-profile' drop down when clicking on an author's name in topic view or when reading a PM. This drop down includes the member's photo and current rating

Better topic rating

Topic Rating via AJAX

When rating a topic your submitted rating will be sent to the server via AJAX allowing you to save your rating without having to refresh the page. Additionally, you will now be able to see two more pieces of information when viewing the rating menu drop down: total number of ratings, and your individual rating.

Multi-choice polls + Ability to create a 'poll only'

You can now create a poll as a "poll only" (disallow other members from replying to the poll, but still allow them to vote).

Additionally, you can now create multiple-choice polls. There is an additional checkbox next to the question line(s) in a poll form so you can do this on a per-question basis (e.g. - you could have one multiple choice question, and one single-choice only question).

Calendar is back

The calendar is back!

Many users have requested the calender back. Here it is!

Auto resizing of large linked images

Posted images are automatically resized on-the-fly if they are larger than the available screen width of the browser. Clicking the image displays it full size in a pop-up window. Each reduced image has information above stating how much reduction has taken place and the dimensions of the original image.

Security enhancements

Improved overall security updates.

Gallery Enhancements

The Gallery has also been updated with the following features:

* Ratings now use AJAX

* Added MPG, Flash, and AVI display codes into base release

* Added ability for user's to upload thumbnails with non-default file types (i.e. wmv, mpg, etc.)

* Complete redesign of image view page

* Fast reply available even when there are no existing comments

* Updated 'Forum' and 'Gallery' style layouts - general skin cleanup

* Support for 'Category Markers' - image indicators to show if there are any new images

* Animated GIF issue corrected

* 'My Albums' link (ala My Blog) in IPB member bar

* Clicking an image now brings you to the image page, rather than the category page

* Last X comments page now supports pagination

* Removal of 5 image limit in search results (with pagination support)

* Ratings show total # of votes and your vote after you have rated an image

* Added a better wrapper on medium sized images to make it clearer you can click them for full sized images

* Proper breadcrumb support for albums in categories

* Setting to block guests from reporting images and comments

Blog Enhancements

The Blogs has been updated along with the forum with the following features:

* Numerous bug fixes and enhancements

[george]

We are bout 80% ready, a few improvements still pending. There will be short stops during the night.

Please report bugs in the Support forum.

Thanks for your patience.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Wow, it does look really different

Is there an option to change the colours?

[OneeyedJohn]

I'd hate to be the first one to mention the new colour scheme

Obviously I wasn't

[Crossy]

^^^^ Me too.

Black text on muddy-pink, ugh

And the 'reply' button has gone

EDIT. Actually those colours are really tough on my eyes :D

[OneeyedJohn]

Looks like something one sees on the patio most mornings

[Crossy]

Looks like something one sees on the patio most mornings

'Quote' works like reply used to

OMG more 'interesting colours', you had a bad day George?

[Sophon]

^^^^ Me too.

Black text on muddy-pink, ugh

And the 'reply' button has gone

EDIT. Actually those colours are really tough on my eyes :D

I agree. After only a few minutes my eyes started getting tired, I hate to imagine how I will feel after a few hours.

Sophon

[The Dan Sai Kid]

IMVVHO - it might make an easier transition if the colours were kept the same

Another thing I've never understood - in the smiley section -why is the smiley called jap in the 1st menu, whilst you have to search for the smiley called wai?

[Buckwheat]

I hate to be odd man out, but the color scheme is great for blind folks like me

[george]

We are still tweaking look and feel and still a few bugs. Please be patient.

[JacknDanny]

I hate to be odd man out, but the color scheme is great for blind folks like me

I agree, it looks great and is easier to read

[rcm]

I hate to be odd man out, but the color scheme is great for blind folks like me

I agree, it looks great and is easier to read

Yep, new design is better to read...i like this better . Good Job ,

rcm

[slackula]

New xolour scheme works for me Congrats and good job on the upgrade to all involved

[Crossy]

How do I turn on the WYSIWYG editor??

Downloading the spell checker now.

[bkkmadness]

Horrible colour.

Should be able to change it somewhere though I think?

[george]

How do I turn on the WYSIWYG editor??

Downloading the spell checker now.

Should work now. Please try now and verify if it works.

Cheers

[bkkmadness]

Well the colour flicked back to blue for a bit there. Ok, lets be patience madness!

[The Dan Sai Kid]

There isn't a difference with the topics read and unread anymore - I keep thinking that replies have been posted - when they haven't!

[Crossy]

Hello, does this work?

Cool

Hmmmm, formatting doesnt show WYSIWYG, the line above shows as

<div align="right">Cool</div>

Fonts are ok though (although you can't select text and change its font).

Hmmm clicking the spell checker doesn't work (says ieSpell not installed) and yes, it is and I've rebooted, using ie7

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Yay, the old colours are back!!

[Thug]

I like the new changes, its nice.

[PeaceBlondie]

Finally, posts got left-justified instead of right-justified. I couldn't believe nobody commented. I guess the color must have been very unnerving.

These old eyes start on the left and then read toward right.

[Tywais]

Finally, posts got left-justified instead of right-justified. I couldn't believe nobody commented. I guess the color must have been very unnerving.

These old eyes start on the left and then read toward right.

I saw it too but realize there will be some tuning going on for a while and am postponing comments, except the color scheme - it looks good at this moment (blue theme).

[bkkmadness]

I keep getting automatically logged out.

Anyways I figure George and Huski got there hands full tonight so best leave them to it and all should be right tomorrow.

[huski]

a lot of new features that you will notice here and there, members online or offline by looking at posts left from them in any topic.

the My Friends link (at the top menu) allows you to organize messages to them

spell checker while typing built in, just a few off the top of my head...

we are fine tuning the skin design and will improve menu options also. thanks for your patience.

/huski

[bkkmadness]

spell checker while typing built in, just a few off the top of my head...

Any chance the spell checker can be set to real English, that 'American English' (I find it disgusting to even write the phrase) spell checker does my head in.

[mittheimp]

Where is chat??? I Know i used to sit in there on my own, but i kind of enjoyed that! Where'd it go?

[Crossy]

spell checker while typing built in, just a few off the top of my head...

Any chance the spell checker can be set to real English, that 'American English' (I find it disgusting to even write the phrase) spell checker does my head in.

In IE choose 'tools' 'ieSpell options' you can change to real English there

[bmanly]

George there is a bug on the photo attachment thumbnails. I use firefox and with the old layout when I clicked on a photo it opened up a new page with the photo shown in full, now when I click on a thumbnail it opens up a small window on the top left of my screen about 2 inches by 2 inches. You have to do another click to enlarge it. At present in Explorer there are no thumbnails coming up, only links to the photos. I know you are still working on things, just letting you know, cheers.