New toys

[AYBG]

As you're probably well aware, we've recently upgraded the site. In fact, we've jumped up two major releases of the forum software, and this has allowed me to add some very nice extensions that should come in handy! So this is my attempt to summarise it all and let you know the cool things you can now do that you might otherwise miss.

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The forum is now responsive



This means it will adapt to the device from which it is being viewed. Whereas before on mobile all the text and buttons on the forum appeared tiny and it was hard to use without constantly zooming in and out, it is very comfortable now on any device, any orientation.

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The new notifications system

Reminiscent of facebook, it's a nice way to instantly draw your attention to not only new posts in subscribed topics, but also when you've been quoted or mentioned.

You can mention someone like you would on twitter or facebook. Just type in @ followed by their username. A box will appear with matching users as you start typing.

You can even receive notifications for posts separately from the ones you want to receive email alerts for. Simply bookmark a thread instead of subscribing:



Too many notifications? Click Notifications -> Settings, or find them in the UCP.

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Image uploads



I love this one. In the Full Post Editor, tap this icon, select an image and it will automatically upload it to imgur and insert it into your post, bbcode and all. Whether you're on mobile or desktop. I'm using it right now!

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Media embed

Right next to that icon is the media embed bbcode that allows you to make playable in your post media from a tonne of sources, including youtube. For example, when I paste in this bbc video link, select it and click the media embed button,

Code: Select all

[media]https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/must_see/42847060/calls-to-clean-off-banksy-mural-in-hull[/media]

It adapts to mobile screens as well. Lovely.

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noref

And further along is the new noref bbcode. Use it when you're posting a WeTicketIt link and it'll make it work without having to copy and paste in a new window. Like so:

Code: Select all

[noref]http://www.weticketit.com/seeitfirst/blahblahblah[/noref]

'hr' is for horizontal line breaks as I'm using in this post:

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Pages

Pages are exactly the same as posts except they aren't threads, don't allow replies and don't display their author. They support bbcode, get a nice url, and are placed in the Quick Links drop-down under the forum logo. As an example, check out the Rules button up there, or this very important page:

app.php/homers-web-page

If you have any ideas for something that could be cool/useful as a page, or want to make your own, let me know!

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Auto drafts

When using the Full Post Editor, drafts of your post will be automatically saved at intervals, which you can load again later, in case you accidentally close your browser window. You can manually save drafts also.

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Emoji

You can now post emoji from your phone without causing the board to freak out! Yay!

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Clever Quotes

Quotes now carry a link to the original post and its author, as well as the time and date at a glance. It's the little things...

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Under the hood:

Privacy and Cookie Policy

We are now GDPR-compliant.

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HTTPS



I've acquired the certificate to set the site to https rather than http, which makes us, and the information you enter, very secure.

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PHP 7 support

The coding language behind the board now works twice as fast!

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Coming soon:

Spoiler BBCode

To hide potential spoilers in film threads!

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Desktop and mobile notifications?

Per this post, I'm considering b*ying an extension that would enable push notifications for desktop users and android mobiles. Please help me test it and let me know if it would or wouldn't be useful to you!

[AYBG]

Spoiler BBCode now active

Spoiler

Show

Simply select the part of your post you want to hide and click this button:


Or, manually type in bbcode:

Code: Select all

[spoiler]Buzz Lightyear was dead all along[/spoiler]

Contact



Users and guests can click there, fill in a message and it'll get sent to me via PM, e.g. if you're having trouble logging in.

[Beate]

That's great about the spoiler tag but it used to actually say "spoiler". Now that has been replaced by a rather non-sensical pictogram that only reveals what it does when you click on it.

Spoiler

Show

Hm.

[AYBG]

Do you mean when you're composing the message? When viewing the post it displays both.

Don't forget, you can hover over any bbcode action button and it'll tell you what it does or how to use it.

[Beate]

Yes, when I'm composing, and not on my iPad, I can't. But I know the symbol now...

[bevvy]

I am finding the new forum frustratingly difficult to use on my device. I don't have the old version to compare but now the buttons seem smaller and more difficult for me to use with my shaky fingers. It is also more difficult to get to the last post made on a thread.
I am using an Android phone. Is there anything I can do to improve this?

[AYBG]

You can use the usual pinch gestures on your phone to zoom.

Tap this icon to go to the first unread post:

[bevvy]

Thanks AYGB , that icon does the trick.
I was trying to click just below where it says last post. I kept getting the user profile instead!

[steve9872]

I have noticed that this site is changing at random times.
Version 1, the usual version where clicking on "mark all topics read" greys out the screen for a few seconds.
Version 2, where clicking on the same link as above just opens a different page - no greying - then going back to the original page.
The same function is observed in both versions, it just goes about it a different way.
Also version 1 allows you to collapse forums and version 2 doesn't. Makes it easy to know which version is active.

This is on the same machine, no reboots or changes at my end.

What's going on?