Canal World v5 - New Test Site Now Live!

[rmo]

Hi all,

We’re in the early stages of preparing for a major upgrade to the forum software. After running v4 for well over half a decade, it’s time to move things forward - and as part of that process, we’ve set up a prototype test site running Invision v5: 
 

https://test.canalworld.net
 

This test site is based on a snapshot of the live forum taken on 10th August, so any posts or updates made after that date won’t appear there. It’s purely for testing and preview purposes.
 

We understand that change can feel disruptive, especially when things already work well. But this upgrade isn’t about reinventing the forum - it’s about future-proofing it.
 

By moving to the latest version, we’re ensuring:
 

• Compatibility with modern devices and browsers

• Easier maintenance and long-term support

• Stronger protection against future security risks
   

In short, it’s a necessary step to keep things running smoothly, reliably, and securely both now and in the years ahead.
 

🛠️ What’s still in progress:
 

• VNC & Search configuration

• Redesign and optimisation of the frontend theme (including gallery sidebar)

• Fixing Microsoft/Google login integration

• Adjusting topic navigation to default to the latest post

• Work to address address intermittent slow loading of some pages
   

Most of the improvements focus on usability - especially for mobile users and larger screens - and there will also be an app version available.
 

Feel free to explore and let us know what you think! It’s not the final look yet- think of it as a prototype. Your feedback will help us shape the final experience wherever possible.
 

Thanks,
Rich

[David Mack]

I realise this is work in progress, and you may have these matters in hand, but the things that stand out for me from an initial look (using my phone):

The layout seems a lot more spacious, meaning much less content is actually displayed on the screen - a backward step for those of us viewing on a small screen.

VNC is a must!

Where are the Filters and Expanded/Condensed view options?

Where is the Search option?

Where are my Activity Streams?

 

What is the point of having an App rather than just viewing on a website? It just uses storage in my phone. It still requires an Internet connection to bring the new content and for me to post or upload.

 

But thanks for all the work you are putting in, keeping the forum up to date.

[Hudds Lad]

Doesn't seem too bad on me ageing iPad using Chrome, top left where the logo usually is only shows as a placeholder box with question mark. Not vastly different. I like it.

[rmo]

18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I realise this is work in progress, and you may have these matters in hand, but the things that stand out for me from an initial look (using my phone):

The layout seems a lot more spacious, meaning much less content is actually displayed on the screen - a backward step for those of us viewing on a small screen.

VNC is a must!

Where are the Filters and Expanded/Condensed view options?

Where is the Search option?

Where are my Activity Streams?

 

What is the point of having an App rather than just viewing on a website? It just uses storage in my phone. It still requires an Internet connection to bring the new content and for me to post or upload.

 

But thanks for all the work you are putting in, keeping the forum up to date.

 

VNC, Search, and Activity Streams are essentially variations of the ElasticSearch engine. While ElasticSearch hasn’t been configured on the test site yet, it’s expected to be implemented in the coming weeks, and the functionality should closely mirror what we have already. As for the condensed view, it's still there but won't work until ElasticSearch is configured. - that is another job for another weekend!


 

Regarding the "app version" - it's not a conventional app that you download from an app store. Instead, it's more like a shortcut that opens the site and can be saved to your home screen, giving it the feel of a native app. It uses minimal storage and mirrors the regular browser experience, but with a cleaner full-screen layout and quicker access via a single tap. Importantly, this is entirely optional - users can continue using the standard browser version if they prefer.

[David Mack]

Thanks for the update. All sounds good.

25 minutes ago, rmo said:

Regarding the "app version" - it's not a conventional app that you download from an app store. Instead, it's more like a shortcut that opens the site and can be saved to your home screen, giving it the feel of a native app.

I currently have my VNC page saved as a bookmark in my browser (which is how I normally access the forum), which I think does pretty much everything the new "app version" will do.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

VNC is a must!

yep,

can’t navigate around without it 

 

apart from that, I simply don’t like change of any kind anywhere,

😃

[Tony Brooks]

Thanks for your work from me as well, but I see that when you open a sub-forum topic the question and answers appear in a fairly light blue text on an off-white background, with my ageing eyes I find it difficult to read, especially as the text seem smaller than at present. I can't find a way to change either the colours or the text size.

 

I think that at present we can select a different theme.

 

I would hate to use the forum using a mobile phone.

[rmo]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

Thanks for your work from me as well, but I see that when you open a sub-forum topic the question and answers appear in a fairly light blue text on an off-white background, with my ageing eyes I find it difficult to read, especially as the text seem smaller than at present. I can't find a way to change either the colours or the text size.

 

I think that at present we can select a different theme.

 

I would hate to use the forum using a mobile phone.

 

Will have a look. Not sure if it helps but there is also a dark mode which can be selected at the bottom of the page.

 

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, rmo said:

 

Will have a look. Not sure if it helps but there is also a dark mode which can be selected at the bottom of the page.

 

 

Sorry, even worse.

[Lady M]

I, too, find the text smaller and lighter so harder to read.

[Chris Lowe]

The text is a bit small

[Tony Brooks]

44 minutes ago, Lady M said:

I, too, find the text smaller and lighter so harder to read.

 

28 minutes ago, Chris Lowe said:

The text is a bit small

 

Upon reflection, I am not sure that the text size is a forum setting, but may be a local computer/phone one. I am sure the colour choice is fixed by the forum software.

 

On Linux, and I can't see Microsoft or Apple being much different, you can alter the size of the text on a page by using the Cntrl ++ keys, but at the moment, if you do that on whatever CWF page you land on that setting is carried into the sub forums, but the carry-over does not seem to work on the test site.

 

My computer remembers the setting from session to session, so maybe we will need to reset the size on each sub-forum just once and the computer will remember it.

 

[Ronaldo47]

I view on my phone. The text is significantly smaller, and I have to zoom in on the text  to get the same legibility. Perhaps it is not a problem on a tablet or pc. 

Edited August 11, 2025 by Ronaldo47
Typos

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

I view on my phone. The text is significantly smaller, and I have to zoom in on the text  to get the same legibility. Perhaps it is not a problem on a tablet or pc. 

 

it is for me on a 15" screen. 

[Chris Lowe]

47 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Upon reflection, I am not sure that the text size is a forum setting, but may be a local computer/phone one. I am sure the colour choice is fixed by the forum software.

You can make a larger font using the customizer button  Not in the test site yet, but I imagaine it's not a top priority for Rich.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

33 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

 

Upon reflection, I am not sure that the text size is a forum setting, but may be a local computer/phone one. I am sure the colour choice is fixed by the forum software.

 

On Linux, and I can't see Microsoft or Apple being much different, you can alter the size of the text on a page by using the Cntrl ++ keys, but at the moment, if you do that on whatever CWF page you land on that setting is carried into the sub forums, but the carry-over does not seem to work on the test site.

 

My computer remembers the setting from session to session, so maybe we will need to reset the size on each sub-forum just once and the computer will remember it.

 

Tony - it might be that Cntrl and + is telling your browser to increase text size rather than Linux Mint(?). 

 

That aside, it might help the developers if someone with a PC gets an "old" and "V5" forum page in two browser windows side by side  to show the differences in colour and font size etc.

 

 

[Ronaldo47]

Here are old and new screen shots from my mobile. 

 

As well as being smaller, the text on the new screen has poorer contrast than the present one because it is a shade of grey rather than black. Not an improvement.

 

Edited August 11, 2025 by Ronaldo47
Typo

[PeterScott]

16 hours ago, David Mack said:

...initial look (using my phone): The layout seems a lot more spacious, meaning much less content is actually displayed on the screen 

Also on the laptop.

 

The closer to 'fullscreen' that a photo appears, the less distractions there are from the photo-telling-the-story - imho

The new layout has widened the identity-info column on the left and the message area is therefore narrower (and the photo therefore smaller)

 

The poster's identity is in the blue bar above the message, and other identity details including icon/photo in in this left column, which is wider in the new version - but doesn't add any new information about the poster and is repeated for each of their posts. 

 

Could this column be configurable by the user? - grabbing the column edge and dragging like grabbing the full window and narrowing. When doing that currently, the identity details are fixed-width and the message area becomes narrower as the whole window becomes narrower: in the new version, when narrowing-a-lot, it flips to a phone-mode, with no identity column at all. This is better than now. ... Even better if user could choose that mode when on a laptop...

Edited August 11, 2025 by PeterScott
spilling

[TheBiscuits]

16 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

yep,

can’t navigate around without it 

 

apart from that, I simply don’t like change of any kind anywhere,

😃

 

I'll take those unwanted coins off you then 😁

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

Tony - it might be that Cntrl and + is telling your browser to increase text size rather than Linux Mint(?). 

 

I am sure it is the browser, but as Linux is a minority operating system, I needed to add that in case MS or Apple used a different key combination. Firefox for Linux tends to remember the settings.

[rmo]

Thanks for the feedback. We can increase the default font size.

[TheBiscuits]

30 minutes ago, rmo said:

Thanks for the feedback. We can increase the default font size.

 

Is there an option to not specify any font size?  That will allow each individual device and user to use their own defaults.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

4 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I am sure it is the browser, but as Linux is a minority operating system, I needed to add that in case MS or Apple used a different key combination. Firefox for Linux tends to remember the settings.

Sorry, I misunderstood what you are saying. Most operating systems and most browsers have an ability to "zoom" and/or increase font size. Most browsers are able to run under most operating systems.

The key combination used to alter font in browsers depends more on the keyboard used than the browser used. Most will have a PC style keyboard and "Ctrl" with "+" can be used. For those using Apple then "Command" with "+" needs to be used. This should work irrespective of browser.

Below is a side by side screenshot of the same "old" and "new" page using google chrome on Linux Mint. I have no difficulty reading the "new" with the fonts seemingly the same size as the old. My experience and Tony's may be down to to the resolution of the displays that are being used.

[rmo]

13 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Is there an option to not specify any font size?  That will allow each individual device and user to use their own defaults.

It appears not but as touched upon, the browser zoom function is great for this. 

 

Holding CTRL plus using the scroll wheel on the mouse can allow you to quickly zoom in/out to optimise according to taste.

 

That said I have increased the default font size slightly to match what we have on the live site. (which had the same change applied previously.)

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, rmo said:

It appears not but as touched upon, the browser zoom function is great for this. 

 

Holding CTRL plus using the scroll wheel on the mouse can allow you to quickly zoom in/out to optimise according to taste.

 

That said I have increased the default font size slightly to match what we have on the live site. (which had the same change applied previously.)

 

It is the new font colour in sub-forums that I have difficulty with, lightish blue on lightish grey does not seem like a particularly legible combination.