Improvments and New Features add to the Forum Software

[DHutch]

I thought I would start a short thread detailing a few of the improvements and new features the new version of the software (v 3.1.2) over and above the old (v 2.3.6) version.

 

In the main the change was due to increase security and anti spam measures, as well as much improved moderator tools and report handling to allow the board to run more smoothly, to reduce spam while regaining the ability for members to join up and begin posting instantly, as well as to improve the way reported posts are handled and reduce some of the more tedious work of the moderators and myself. Its also necessary to move with the times and keep the software we run up-to-date in order to make best use of the online and community support that is including with the software package.

 

However the new version of the software also brings with it, as well as the largely un-avoidable change in appearance, a whole range of additional functionality and flexibility. There is a whole mini-site detailing the features of the software and the improvements that have been made available at the link below, but ive also selected a short handful and listed them below also.

 

http://www.invisionp...board/features/

 

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Improvements and New Features.

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• Spam Monitoring Service, checks new members against our central global database of known spammers, to stop them in their tracks.
• More Advanced Flood Control features can stop troublemakers in their tracks setting time delays for posting replies, searching and sending PMs.
• Sphinx Support IP.Board 3 now includes full support for Sphinx search, a more efficient backend for searching large communities.
• Personal Messages are now grouped into user-to-user conversations to aid easy and non inbox cluttering conversations to be had.
• Multiple Skin Support means we can now offer multiple 'skins' to users and let them pick the one they like best.
• Compatibility with the Invision Forum iPhone app, for improved on the go access for iPhone users.
• Built in multi-platform spell checker is using rich text editor (RTE) select to use in 'my settings'
• Improved Multi-quote lets users reply to several posts at once, the posts can be from any topic in the community.
• Full-page member profiles, now including commenting, status & friends are better displayed than ever.
• Polls now let members vote in polls with additional customisation options including the option for both public and private polls.
• Better Rich Text Editing means users can compose their posts using BBCode or Rich Text Editing.
• Status Updates now allow users to share what they're doing, with full integration with facebook status if required.
• Users can earn reputation points for posting quality content, using the - and + logos at the side of each post.
• Reported posts are gathered in one central report center, enabling a better response to be given and saving time & work for the moderators.
• Share Content Links enable your users to promote your content for you to social networking and news aggregation websites direct from the board.

 

There are also a whole range of improvements to the other sections of the site

 

The Blog which was previously only in version one has had an overhauled interface and now allows group blogging where more than one member can run a joint blog. A "Blog this" button appears throughout in forum posts. The Gallery had and improved slideshow function, allowing 'friends-only' albums, unlimited sub-albums and new "Profile Picture" albums and you can now add custom annotations or 'image notes' to all photos.

 

There is also a fully integrated forum 'chat' functionality which im looking to test and if this goes well, purchase and add to the forum.

 

 

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Key selected items which have moved, or changed.

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Tabbed forum layout. The various areas of the site (forum, members list, calender, photo gallery, blog and chat) can be accessed using the blue band below the logo at the top of the site.

 

Private messages are now displayed as 'conversations' rather than single messages, something that users of googlemail and several other email clients will already be used to. These can be accessed by clicking on the user/member drop down in the top right of the corner.

 

This can also be used to see you recent content and access your profile, site settings, gallery and blog entrys.

 

At the bottom of each page there is a drop down to select the 'skin' used by the forum, currently two of these are available 'iP.board' which is the default supplied skin and 'iP.Mobile' which is a light-weight large-button skin designed for use on mobile and small-screen-size devices. And is a fully functional skin which replacing the static 'low-fi' version of the site. in the future it is planned to make number of additional skin available, including a high-contrast version of the default skin.

 

The 'return to top of page' button has moved to the bottom left rather than bottom right of each page below the skin selection drop down.

 

 

 

'View New Posts' has become 'View New Content' found at the top right corner below the search and can now be used you to view all new content, such as new member details as well new calender, gallery, and blog entrys by use of the tabs along the top of each page.

There are some issues with its functionality as when logged in it doesnt always appear to display as much as you would expect, typically only around a page of threads. This appears to be problem with software itself rather than our implementation of it is being looked by the company who provide it. In the mean time it works as expect if you are not logged in.

 

 

 

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Thankyou for you time and co-operation.

 

 

Daniel

[Guest]

Good to see the iPhone compatibility/app - haven;t tried it, but its a step forward...

[n.b.Goldie]

The different appearance was a bit of a shock at first but am getting used to it now and it's shaping up very well.

 

Thanks Daniel.

[Janet S]

The Blog which was previously only in version one has had an overhauled interface and now allows group blogging where more than one member can run a joint blog.

 

That's as maybe, but it's still managed to lose all my drafts!

 

Janet

[creamcheese]

I love the iPhone app stuff. Makes it really easy to read on my phone

 

(Says Kate using her computer cos Paul, the iPhone hater, is playing with the app...)

 

Actually, this version seems to be a lot easier to view in Safari on the iPhone compared to the old one - is that part of the software change?

 

Oooh oooh ooh, I like the idea of "voting up" or "voting down" posts, I used to love the "like" feature on posts on other forums - it means you don't have to have lots of meaningless posts that just say "I agree". If I'm browsing posts I really like the idea of being able to say "I like what you just said there" without having to actually reply saying this. Tis no laziness, just that I may get a quick chance to read some threads at work and not have time to actually type any replies.

 

However this feature doesn't seem to work as yet.....

 

Can we have it, pretty please can we? :-)

[RLWP]

Reputation points...

 

Now, there's a new challenge

 

 

Richard

[Phoenix_V]

How do i get the Lo fi version back - please

[DHutch]

How do i get the Lo fi version back - please

Its not exactly lo-fi as per the old forum software as its now a fully functional skin, however you can change onto the 'mobile' skin which is a far less feature-rich skin by using the dropdown at the very bottom left corner where is currently says 'ip.board' and try that.

 

In time we may be able to offer additional alternative skins.

 

However this feature doesn't seem to work as yet.....

 

Can we have it, pretty please can we? :-)

As soon as I find the setting to increase the daily allowance of votes from zero it will work, its currently all turned on and waiting.... (i just cant find said setting!!)

 

Daniel

[DHutch]

As soon as I find the setting to increase the daily allowance of votes from zero it will work, its currently all turned on and waiting.... (i just cant find said setting!!)

Done. You can now make two positive and two negative reputations per day. This number is open to review.

 

Phoenix_V, totally at random because you where there and i cant undo it it seems, you have the first ever +ve rep point.

 

 

Daniel

[wrigglefingers]

Hey Dan,

 

I actually wanted to say that I like the new version very much now I've started to make head and tail of it. In truth, I haven't been spending much time on here because I've been on Ravelry where the forum functionality has been yonks ahead of cw.net. How ever, the upgrade has improved matters no end and I am sure there is more to come in terms of resources. My personal bugbear has been the limited scope of the search and I am hoping that the upgraded software will go some way towards easing that. In the early days it was relatively easy to find information but, as the content and contributions have expanded the search engine has been overwhelmed by volume.

 

Big thanks to yourself and the moderators who have worked hard to implement the changes.

 

Jill

[DHutch]

I actually wanted to say that I like the new version very much now I've started to make head and tail of it. In truth, I haven't been spending much time on here because I've been on Ravelry where the forum functionality has been yonks ahead of cw.net. How ever, the upgrade has improved matters no end and I am sure there is more to come in terms of resources. My personal bugbear has been the limited scope of the search and I am hoping that the upgraded software will go some way towards easing that. In the early days it was relatively easy to find information but, as the content and contributions have expanded the search engine has been overwhelmed by volume.

 

Big thanks to yourself and the moderators who have worked hard to implement the changes.

 

Half an hour later (been looking at Ravelry.com) and im back. Yes, does seem quite a site that, many articles about site and its software.

 

 

As you say, the search is shii... not very good, however i believe there is now the functionality in place to have it use a 3rd party search engine which im looking into making use of.

[Guest]

Has any one else spotted the rather nice feature that allows you to see inside the start and finish of a thread without opening it -

 

Just hover your cursor over to the area to the left of the topic starters name in index view and a little icon appears. Click on it and a box pops up with the first few lines of the first post in it along with the ability to see the the same ammount of the last post in the thread.

 

Neat! (and sorry if it's been mentioned already)

[DHutch]

Not mentioned yet to my knowlage, and a new one on me too!

[Chris-B]

iPhone app installed all good stuff

[DHutch]

iPhone app installed all good stuff

Damit, i want a iPhone app now!!

[Chris-B]

Damit, i want a iPhone app now!!

 

lol

[Guest]

iPhone app installed all good stuff

 

I've got the app loaded but it doesn't seem to be able to find canalworld....

 

any ideas?

[Amicus]

dont fink the search in much betterer, it don't like "state of charge" cause "of" is less than three letters.

[MrCJ]

Has any one else spotted the rather nice feature that allows you to see inside the start and finish of a thread without opening it -

 

Just hover your cursor over to the area to the left of the topic starters name in index view and a little icon appears. Click on it and a box pops up with the first few lines of the first post in it along with the ability to see the the same ammount of the last post in the thread.

 

Neat! (and sorry if it's been mentioned already)

 

Yes mentioned it in thread below but dont think it was seen.

 

 

here I just found a new one the post preview give you the first and last post of the topic

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2010 by MrCJ

[cotswoldsman]

After 24 hours have forgotten what the other one was like.....I think this is great!!!

[starman]

I think the new look is fine --- but when I search for stuff I find that the quotes in threads I look at aren't formatted (they just say 'QUOTE') which makes reading threads very fiddly as you're constantly trying to disentangle what's a repeated quote and what's a new answer.

[DHutch]

I think the new look is fine --- but when I search for stuff I find that the quotes in threads I look at aren't formatted (they just say 'QUOTE') which makes reading threads very fiddly as you're constantly trying to disentangle what's a repeated quote and what's a new answer.

Yes, this is because the have not all been rebuilt yet, im working on having this done tonight.

 

I've got the app loaded but it doesn't seem to be able to find canalworld....

Ive not got an iphone to test it with. Can the other iPhone users comment on this before i go and read up on it?

 

 

Dont fink the search in much betterer, it don't like "state of charge" cause "of" is less than three letters.

No, ive not set up the 3rd party Sphinx search engine yet, but hope to shortly. The issue of short lettered words is an issue for searching terms i agree. But if you put in the words 'state' and 'charge' and ask it to look for posts that contain both words not just either word the results should be fairly good.

[creamcheese]

Yes, this is because the have not all been rebuilt yet, im working on having this done tonight.

 

Ive not got an iphone to test it with. Can the other iPhone users comment on this before i go and read up on it?

 

No, ive not set up the 3rd party Sphinx search engine yet, but hope to shortly. The issue of short lettered words is an issue for searching terms i agree. But if you put in the words 'state' and 'charge' and ask it to look for posts that contain both words not just either word the results should be fairly good.

 

Install app, open app, click on the + sign in the top right.

 

Enter the name of the forum (Canal Word)

 

Enter the url (www.canalworld.net/forums)

 

Enter your username and password and hit save

 

That's all I did to make it work, and it's fab

[Guest]

Install app, open app, click on the + sign in the top right.

 

Enter the name of the forum (Canal Word)

 

Enter the url (www.canalworld.net/forums)

 

Enter your username and password and hit save

 

That's all I did to make it work, and it's fab

 

Perfect - sorted....

 

Ive not got an iphone to test it with. Can the other iPhone users comment on this before i go and read up on it?

 

After entering www.canalworld.net

 

they just need to ensure they add /forums as in-

 

www.canalworld.net/forums

 

the last bit was what I was missing...

[DHutch]

Perfect - sorted....

After entering www.canalworld.net they just need to ensure they add /forums as in-

 

www.canalworld.net/forums

 

the last bit was what I was missing...

 

Ahh right, yes i would image so, as that is the root directory to the forum not www.canalworld.net

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel