Changes Coming - Heads Up - Please Read

[Unimatic1140]

I've changed the website program to start recording what Subject Button is chosen when any user goes and creates a brand new thread. So for example (see image below) if a member wants to makes a post about twin tub washers, they would select that button from the Create New Thread Menu page that pops up.

I've changed that page now and added more choices. The reason I'm doing this is because eventually I want members to be able to sort the posts by subject topic if they so desire. Next step when I have time is to add that selection to the index page.

So the reason I'm announcing this is just as a heads up to PLEASE BE SURE to pick the correct topic listing when you go and create a new thread. Thanks everyone![this post was last edited: 10/17/2014-15:11]

 

[goatfarmer]

Looks good, thank you!

 

[wayupnorth]

Robert, I saw this screen when I tried to post the Easy earlier today on Shoppers Square and it posted in Imperial. Did I do something wrong?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Not sure Tim, no way for me to tell. Let me know if you select a button and it doesn't post in the correct forum. There is a chance that you didn't select anything by mistake and it defaults to the first choice, which is Imperial.

 

[wayupnorth]

I am 99.9% sure I was in the Shoppers Square forum but it never posted. I went backwards and it was in Imperial. I'll bet because there isnt a category for sale, it defaults to the appropriate forum for the item.

 

[vacbear58]

Posting new threads

Tim

It might help to let Robert what sort of device you were using when you try to post.

When I use my PC (26in monitor) not all the choices are visible unless you scroll down. Same with my ipad when I use in in landscape orientation (which is the way I normally use it as the text is larger), but all the options are visible without scrolling when using it in portrait orientation.

Also the choices are not context (or perhaps forum would be a better term) sensitive - the list is always in the same order no matter what forum you are in.

Robert, it might help if you can add something like "Scroll to the bottom for all the choices" to the red text at the top of the screen. I did wonder if it would be possible to make the list forum sensitive, but I see that would make the list go even further down as the options would need to be further divided.

 

And <span style="text-decoration: underline;">THANK YOU VERY MUCH</span> for all the hard work you do, not just maintaining such a great site, but continuing to develop it for our benefit.

 

Al

 

[mrb627]

Colors?

Robert,

Would it be possible to add a background shading in the above selection screen to match the color of the forum the radio button applies? Might limit some of the confusion.

Also, perhaps if the create thread is hit from say the SUPER forum, that the default posting is to that forum?

Malcolm

 

[verizonbear]

Thank You!

Robert;

Thank you for all of the improvements you made over the years! One thing I was thinking about , how about adding a social media link to the username profile? Sure some of us use Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just an idea

 

[rp2813]

Malcom, I really like your shading idea (in addition to your legs btw), but sometimes when I click "create a new thread" I'm not doing that from the forum or index page where the new thread belongs.  Also, how would this be possible from the "Latest Posts" index page, which I (and incidentally, our webmaster) use exclusively?  I think such predictive navigation could end up adding extra steps.

 

 

 

[mrb627]

Latest Posts

I would say latest posts would require you to chose.  The default value could be changed from any radio button to another.  But for say someone that does a lot of posting in Shoppers, it would save them a step.

 

What if the edit post function allowed you to change the category too?

 

Thanks for the legs compliment...

Malcolm

 

[appnut]

Looks wonderful.  Honing in on the real specifics!!!

 

[norgeway]

Great idea!

This should work well...

 

[maytagbear]

If this makes

most of the others happy, I'm for it.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[Unimatic1140]

it might help if you can add something like "Scroll to the bottom for all the choices" to the red text at the top of the screen.
Hi Al, yes I see what you mean. I'll probably redesign the entire page so it will be more organized and hopefully fit on one 1024 x 768 size screen. Obviously with smaller mobile devices there isn't much I can do to avoid scrolling.

Would it be possible to add a background shading in the above selection screen to match the color of the forum the radio button applies? Might limit some of the confusion. Also, perhaps if the create thread is hit from say the SUPER forum, that the default posting is to that forum?
Hi Malcolm, actually I just realized I misspoke. There is no default because if you don't pick any selection the system will not continue forward, it makes you pick one. As for your other suggestion it is very logical, as a matter of fact years ago when I first designed this that is the way I had it. The problem I found was at times many users were picking the forum they wanted to post something in as opposed to picking the topic and having the system decide. For example, many times people thought well I have this post on electric ranges so let me post it in the "pink" forum that way more people will see it. It turned out that it was better to ask the users the subject and let the system pick the correct forum.

Thanks as always everyone for your insight and suggestions. We will see how this goes, I want to take this change in slowly and in baby steps, like with most major changes I do. Many of us, me included don't like huge changes to websites we use daily all at once.

 

[Unimatic1140]

I've added the tag listing to the Index pages (see example below). The posts that don't have tags were created before I changed the program to record the selected subject during the post creation process.

I have some ideas on how we all can go back and add tags to the 1000's older threads out there. I'll let everyone know when I have a working prototype for that.

The end goal of all this will be to allow upgraded users to click on those gray tags to just display the index list showing only that threads of that particular subject.

Please let me know if you see anything misspelled or other oddities with the new gray tags.

Thanks everyone! More to come.

 

[mrb627]

Sweet!

To say the least...

Malcolm

 

[wayupnorth]

I love that tag listing Robert, makes it so easy to post something correctly on the site you wanted it to go on. And along with us all Thank You again for all your hard work.

 

[jkbff]

You are awesome sir! Like I said in the other thread, this just makes me Giddy!

 

[ovrphil]

I look forward to using these new features, thanks to everyone and especially Robert for making it happen.

Phil