New Look

reformed
reformed Posts: 3,176

Wow @Jan I like the new software upgrade!


๐Ÿ‘๏ธ

ยซ1

Comments

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    I was surprised to see all the changes after applying the update. We've had several updates before, but this is the first one with such a visible impact. Kudos to the Vanillaforum team.

    I've noticed the email notifications are lacking the message text now. I'll see to that tomorrow.

  • Overall like new look. Older Emoji now appear centered on their own line (instead of in-line with text).

    Keep Smiling ๐Ÿ˜€

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited February 2019

    I actually do not appreciate the new look as if it really did something to improve things ...

    Also, there seems to be a problem with the "Quote" function which seems to not work when one tries to reply using the "Quote" for a post which already has quoted sections from previous posts.

    Have a look at the thread on "what is currently going on in the USA", where I was trying to reply to a post by @reformed, but clicking on the "Quote" function only displayed what he had quoted from my earlier reply and where I was unable to scroll to the part with his lines of text to which I wanted to reply .... seems like a technical problem somewhere ... but where? in the updated forum software? I haven't changed a thing on my laptop or its configuration

    After looking at this some more, it seems that the "Quote" function has been changed to put the quoted post into an "inline frame", however in my browser (firefox) the scrolling doesn't work so that only the first certain number of lines from the quoted reply are shown and the rest remains out of reach. Also, it seems almost as if the quote is like a "screenshot" pic so that one cannot enter text in between paragraphs but only either at the top or the bottom of the quote as a whole ... a step backward (more of a "downdate" rather than an "update" ) ??

    Post edited by [Deleted User] on
  • Bill_Coley
    Bill_Coley Posts: 2,675

    I too am experiencing issues with the quote feature, the most recent being my receipt of a "Request failed with a status code 403" error message immediately after posting for an instant the link to the post I was trying to quote. Earlier in the day, I tried to quote a post with both user and posted content. The system _seemed_ to quote the entire post - for an instant - but then gave only the headline of a lengthy quoted portion within the post I sought to post, and nothing more.

    Also, what has become of the preview function, via which you could see what your post would look like before posting it?


  • This seems to be exactly what I was experiencing as well and which I mentioned in an earlier post.

    The missing Preview function is another point I would regard as "downgrade" rather than improvement.

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    @Wolfgang said:

    After looking at this some more, it seems that the "Quote" function has been changed to put the quoted post into an "inline frame", however in my browser (firefox) the scrolling doesn't work so that only the first certain number of lines from the quoted reply are shown and the rest remains out of reach. Also, it seems almost as if the quote is like a "screenshot" pic so that one cannot enter text in between paragraphs but only either at the top or the bottom of the quote as a whole ... a step backward (more of a "downdate" rather than an "update" ) ??

    It has already been raised in the Vanilla support forum. The reply suggested to do the quoting manually (like I've done here):

    • Copy and paste the text into the editor.
    • Use the "paragraph" sign to format it as quote.
    • Write the header line (<someone> said:) on top of it.

    Looks like a reasonable workaround until they come up with a better solution. Unfortunately nested quoting doesn't work this way. Nested quotes also don't work with the new "inline quoting". Overall, I agree. This requires some rework by the Vanilla team.

    The communication by the Vanilla team was very clear: the new look, new editor and new text formatting are "the future". For now it's still possible to run the forum in some sort of "legacy mode" to retain some of the previous functionality. I'll observe the feedback and responses on the Vanilla support forum for a few days, to get some idea whether the flaws will be fixed soon (and if not, then configure the legacy options for the time being).

    @Wolfgang said:

    however in my browser (firefox) the scrolling doesn't work

    The scrolling also doesn't work on MS Edge. Very annoying.

    @Bill_Coley said:

    I too am experiencing issues with the quote feature, the most recent being my receipt of a "Request failed with a status code 403" error message immediately after posting for an instant the link to the post I was trying to quote. Earlier in the day, I tried to quote a post with both user and posted content. The system _seemed_ to quote the entire post - for an instant - but then gave only the headline of a lengthy quoted portion within the post I sought to post, and nothing more.

    Maybe this happened at the same time while I was applying the update? I started the upgrade about the two hours prior to @reformed starting this thread. If so, then it should not be a reason for concern. If the error still occurs now that the upgrade is complete, it would have to be investigated.

    @Bill_Coley said:

    Also, what has become of the preview function, via which you could see what your post would look like before posting it?

    The posted comments now look exactly the same as in the editor. So already have your preview while typing.

  • Bill_Coley
    Bill_Coley Posts: 2,675

    Thanks for your time, effort, and passion for the quality of posters' experiences in the CD forums, Jan.

    @Jan said: Maybe this happened at the same time while I was applying the update? I started the upgrade about the two hours prior to @reformed starting this thread. If so, then it should not be a reason for concern. If the error still occurs now that the upgrade is complete, it would have to be investigated.

    I don't recall the timing of my posting attempts that generated the 403 error, so it's very possible that the issue was as you speculate. I don't experience the 403 error this morning.


    @Jan said: It has already been raised in the Vanilla support forum. The reply suggested to do the quoting manually (like I've done here):

    • Copy and paste the text into the editor.
    • Use the "paragraph" sign to format it as quote.
    • Write the header line (<someone> said:) on top of it.

    I don't know how to implement manually a "paragraph" sign in a post. One is always present on the left outside edge the editor, on the line where the cursor is currently located, but I don't see the way to use one to create the grey vertical line effect in use in your post. Please equip me to do so!

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    @Bill_Coley said:

    I don't know how to implement manually a "paragraph" sign in a post. One is always present on the left outside edge the editor, on the line where the cursor is currently located, but I don't see the way to use one to create the grey vertical line effect in use in your post. Please equip me to do so!

    There are several formatting options when you click on the paragraph icon. One of them formats the current paragraph as quote.


    The other options are:

    Header 2

    Header 3

    Code
    

    Spoiler

  • Bill_Coley
    Bill_Coley Posts: 2,675

    Perhaps it's a function of the length and complexity of the post(s) one wishes to quote. For example, I can quote your posts, reformed, which show up in the editor as a link to the to post which you replied and your reply. But when I quote a longer post - say Jan's reply to me that immediately followed your last post - all I get is a quotation of my post to which Jan replied. The quoted section includes nothing from Jan's reply:

    As for your post, Jan, thank you for alerting me to the formatting features unveiled upon a click of the paragraph symbol. I hadn't thought to do that. I also hadn't thought about the fact that editor serves as the preview window. Thanks again.

    One other question: Is there a way the new layout style reports the existence of new or unread posts in threads?

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    @Bill_Coley said:

    Perhaps it's a function of the length and complexity of the post(s) one wishes to quote. For example, I can quote your posts, reformed, which show up in the editor as a link to the to post which you replied and your reply. But when I quote a longer post - say Jan's reply to me that immediately followed your last post - all I get is a quotation of my post to which Jan replied. The quoted section includes nothing from Jan's reply:

    That's what I meant with "nested" quotes earlier. Previously, nested quotes would just be indicated by multiple ">" signs at the beginning of the line in the editor, and in the published post, one could drill down further into the history of the quotes. That was a very neat feature, and in my view is the biggest loss. I'll definitely ask the Vanilla team to bring it back.

    @Bill_Coley said:

    One other question: Is there a way the new layout style reports the existence of new or unread posts in threads?

    You get this on the category overview, and also on the home screen.

    You can also "follow" a category (feed icon on top of the page), or "bookmark" a thread (star icon on top of the page) to receive notifications about any new activity.

  • Bill_Coley
    Bill_Coley Posts: 2,675

    Thanks again for your coaching me through the new design. They're must not have been any new posts to note at the time I posted my question. Either that or I'm losing my awareness of the world around me faster than I expected!

  • reformed
    reformed Posts: 3,176

    @Jan what does it mean under threads when it says points?

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    That's a bit of a mystery. Do you see it on your threads overview too, or is it just on the screenshot I posted above? If it's only in the screenshot, then it might be moderator related.

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited February 2019

    I've tried to use Jan's suggestions of paste and copy and then format paragraphs ... it still seems impossible to correctly indicate quotes when a quote itself contains a quote. Just this one dropped feature outweighs any "new look" ... and I've not come across any supposedly new features which have improved on the previous version ....

    In plain words, the update/upgrade is a pain and was not worth it

    PS: Is there a possibility to change the "light grey" color and the "xsmall" font size??

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited February 2019

    well ... the new look update version now shows a larger number of code lines as a Debug Trace .... ๐Ÿ˜ช

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    Please ignore. I'm troubleshooting some of the issues, and switched debugging on for that reason. Other than the debug trace, you should not notice that I do some work in the background.

  • Jan
    Jan Posts: 301

    @Wolfgang said:

    I've tried to use Jan's suggestions of paste and copy and then format paragraphs ... it still seems impossible to correctly indicate quotes when a quote itself contains a quote.

    It is impossible. That's why I just reported it.

    https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussion/37008/vanilla-2-8-rich-editor-nested-quotes-inline-comment-in-quotes-and-mark-all-read

    Just this one dropped feature outweighs any "new look" ... and I've not come across any supposedly new features which have improved on the previous version ....

    In plain words, the update/upgrade is a pain and was not worth it

    Since the previous version no longer receives any security fixes, updating was mandatory (because I assume that none of us here likes spam...)

    PS: Is there a possibility to change the "light grey" color and the "xsmall" font size??

    I've started looking into it. I will need to set up a test forum before I start messing with the themes. I think I should have the time to do that next week.

  • @Jan ... thank you for the info and your endeavors to improve things again.

  • Mitchell
    Mitchell Posts: 668

    I really like the new look!

    Unfortunately I am also experiencing issue with quoting the first OP of a thread. Whenever, I try to post the OP of a thread I receive the "Request failed with status code 403 X " message

  • reformed
    reformed Posts: 3,176

    I am getting this as well, but it doesn't seem to be consistent.

  • C Mc
    C Mc Posts: 4,463
    edited February 2019

    Forgive me, Jan, I'm lost again. How do I start a new thread? I truly, hate to complain, but the quote is inconsistent. Some of us are a little more challenged than others to the new face and changes. This is in no way bespeaks of a lack of appreciation. I must confessed I have been severely slowed in adjusting to the new format. Bear with me and others, change takes time, but ultimately, it will lead to increased functionality and growth. CM

  • Bill_Coley
    Bill_Coley Posts: 2,675

    Begin by clicking the "New Discussion" button from the CD homepage, CM. The rest of the process is likely clear from the resulting dialog box.



  • C Mc
    C Mc Posts: 4,463


    Thanks, Bill, but when I press home to start over, the "New Discussion" is not seen any where. This is the problem. Trust me if it were there I would press it. I don't know what's the matter. I try it again. Thanks, Bill. CM

  • C Mc
    C Mc Posts: 4,463

    Brethren,

    I tried it again to no avail to find the button for new discussions (It's not showing up).

    Until then, Someone, please start three new threads of "current events" for me":

    1. Pope Francis defrocked US Cardinal for sex crimes.
    2. Mass shooting in Illinois.
    3. National Emengecy: Real, Distraction, or Power Grab?

    These topics demand a sober conversation. CM

  • C Mc
    C Mc Posts: 4,463

    This is what I am getting. See, no button for new discussions.


    I took a screen shot. Now, you see, no button for new discussions. Someone, help! CM.

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