Report WebmasterWorld Bugs, Issues and Wish List

Let us know what WebmasterWorld needs most!

[incrediBILL]

WebmasterWorld is about to undergo a major change and while we're working on WebmasterWorld, if there are any other issues that need fixing, or wish list items, let us know!

We're talking strictly about the WebmasterWorld software of course. Anything about the operation of WebmasterWorld itself that has a bug or could use improvement, now's the time to let us know.

Not sure everything will make the cut, but if it's easy enough I'll plead a case if it makes all our lives easier.

Things like recently adding 'my threads' on the main menu was simple and saves a lot of clicks.

You members use the site a LOT and maybe see the need for simple things we're overlooking.

Here's a couple of items to start:

1. Add VIEW ALL to multi-page threads for members only.

2. Put the full editor options on Quick Reply, the buttons for quote, bold, font size, etc. so you don't have to hit preview to get those options.

Things like that.

If you got ideas on how to make the site easier to use, now is a good time to let us know.

Now everyone - REPORT!

[nickreynolds]

The design of the site is in definite need of an update.
Making it easier to quote from a previous message is +1 from me.
I have mixed feelings about the first post of the thread being at the top of the page. It means a lot of scrolling down to get to the meat of the next page.
I'm also not a great fan of the newer home page layout. I used to prefer the forums index in the left hand panel.
The facility to easily import screen shots or graphics would be good. While having a lot of text seems more "scholarly", some of us visual learners would benefit from pictures!
I'm not a paying member so maybe this is catered for in the members section but maybe some "essential guides" would be helpful. I remember being referred to a thread by Brett about website design that was considered seminal a number of years ago, although must be somewhat outdated now.
On another note (not relevant to the software) one of the most frustrating things is the whole restriction to "blue widget" / "White widget". Can there not at least be some other allowed words or phrases. Bluewidget/white widget maybe fine to use for e-commerce sites but for service or information sites it makes it very difficult to convey the nuance of meaning.
As for email alerts and whether the text of the forum post reply should be included I guess a good test would be what serves the user the best? By not quoting the message are you manipulating the user to return even if they then find that the reply was one that they are not interested in?

[JAB Creations]

CSS3 multi-column layout and page layout that uses the full width of my screen regardless of just how high-resolution it is would be greatly appreciated.

AJAX reply previews like on my site forum would be pretty spiffy.

Please keep JavaScript professional, don't use any frameworks. I like not waiting ten seconds for web pages to load.

There are some BBcode combinations that don't play nice though it's been a while so I can't recall what combinations they are.

Also a button that could count how many people found a particular post helpful would be great with a log of top 1,000 most useful posts based on this would provide some hopefully great insight.

- John

[lucy24]

Now, if we were wholeheartedly swiping ideas from php/bb3, one thing I'd love to have is the subsequent-posts alert: If someone adds a post after you've opened a thread's window, then a Preview or Submit action on your part brings up a message saying there's been activity in the thread and would you like to look at it before committing to your own post? Especially useful if you're in the habit of opening all threads in one fell swoop and then ticking them off one by one.

And please, please ... some way of seeing the post(s) you're replying to! It feels silly having to paste one or more posts into a text editor just so I can keep all questions in plain sight.

some BBcode combinations that don't play nice

It took me quite a while to figure out how and why

&)

turns into &;)

[blend27]

My 2 pesos...

If possible when using JS/CSS framework(I love BS btw), please do not use CDN. I use NoScript/ABP and all the time and when ajax.goo..api... is reference it is one more click to reload the page, adds to your bandwidth.

On Mobile, if implemented, please set width to 99%.

Please consider including a setting in control panel to NOT display/link to Social Media scripts like Twitter, nor Facebook or others. Enough beacons as it is.

++1 for first post not showing on every page - if possible please collapse it by default to show first line or so, with a link to more..(phrase it your selves)...(ellipsis in BS mixins?).

Good Luck.

Blend27

[Leosghost]

Please consider including a setting in control panel to NOT display/link to Social Media scripts like Twitter, nor Facebook or others. Enough beacons as it is.

This ( not forgetting G+ which was here once and thankfully "went away", although the same combo of noscript and AB ) shows me the pages here with no added buttons or beacons..

[Whitey]

A few things come to mine :

- encourage top quality contributions by adding a "like" function to posts. So that it doesn't get spammed, make it available only to members, but visible to all.

- make the members who "liked" visible to members, so that it doesn't spammed

- make a "star" symbol for iconic threads that would benefit members, sort of ramping up the "best of" threads that Tedster used to put together

You could kick this off, by asking members to nominate their top articles, and the purpose behind it. Some of the older members may not benefit from this initially, but after a while it could kick in well.

For me the key thing in my wish list is that we draw back people to these forums though encouragement and support, and to do that we need all the quality contributors we can get.

- I'd actively encourage the filling out of more information on the new profile pages, as people with a commercial interest in doing the right thing, could attract more business

[lucy24]

Has anyone at some point said something about auto-linking https? I have to assume this is just a legacy of 1998 or whenever WebmasterWorld was first coded. Nobody used https so there was no point expressing the auto-linking code as "https?://" instead of "http://" But now it's become unnerving: I expect an auto-link and it doesn't happen.

[engine]

Yes, that one's already noted, Lucy, thanks.

[mcneely]

The design of the site is in definite need of an update

Nothing wrong with the actual design -- usability/functionality tweaks might be in order tho'.

*please ... No Eye Candy*

[blend27]

@IBill

The real problem is there's no way to get a link to a specific message in the first place, esp. on multi-page threads. There needs to be a way to get the exact link, like on YouTube with a 'share' icon that gives you options.

Displaying a specific message in a multi-page thread is another issue. One solution is to force everyone to use the same pagination, like 50 per page, and remove the option so we're no longer dealing with apples and oranges. The other idea I'm tossing about is to make those links that go to a direct message force 50 lines per page just for that link so I can compute the page in advance. The other option is to simply view the whole thread. Not sure which way will make the most sense in the code yet, but those are the possible fixes.

1.Generate custom hash tag for the link.
2. When initial URL page loads(no results) - send the data via Post(returning standard number per page to SEs - this might be tricky).
3. Get back JSON Data Set(including number per page, number of tabs, which tab to open, where to scroll to)
4. Use JS framework of you choice to format the output

If you could manage #2 with SEs :), I think it's a start.

Blend27

[Broadway]

it seems strange that this isn't a mobile friendly website. After all it covers an industry where that's one of the most important things that's happened in the past year or so.

[engine]

Broadway, perhaps you missed it earlier in the thread. ;)

[ken_b]

I thought there was a setting to show the last post first in a thread, but can't find one. Is there one, if so where?

.

[ken_b]

What causes this:

A thread appears on the active list as having new comments, but when I open the thread the newest comment is from some time ago.

Is this caused by the last post being removed?

For example, right now the 2015 Link building thread shows as having a new post at

12:07 pm on Jan 9, 2015

but the most recent post is dated

8:26 pm on Jan 8, 2015

Just curious.

[lucy24]

I've noticed the same thing, but I think the problem has to be addressed from the other side: When a post is removed, the "new post" flag it created isn't un-set. Resolving the problem may be harder than it seems at first glance, but incrediBill or someone like him will be able to elucidate.

It would probably happen a lot more often if threads weren't auto-locked by time (different thread).

[engine]

I suspect the problem you're highlighting is a system issue, primarily because a spammer might have posted to the thread and their spam removed. The system isn't resetting the original timestamp.

[ken_b]

I suspect the problem you're highlighting is a system issue, primarily because a spammer might have posted to the thread and their spam removed. The system isn't resetting the original timestamp.

That's what I've assumed was the cause. But curiosity made me ask :)

.

[tangor]

Code in Whirled Peas and I'd be a happy camper. :)

Seriously, on the Owner Edit after the time lock I'd like to see (and this is to keep the thread structure intact) the edit to appear as:

UPDATE BY OWNER appended at the bottom where the correction of intent can be made while maintaining the original message for the thread and subsequent replies.

There have been times I've greatly desired to correct something I said a day before... but that would have messed with the thread... and by then I had already posted the correction... so...

The owner time edit as it stands makes sense and should be left alone.

Additionally, I do not JS. Even with sites I use on a regular basis (with VERY few exceptions, and Webmasterworld is not one of them). I realize I am likely a minority, but I do hope that the site upgrades contemplated will degrade gracefully enough that I can continue. In the same vein, there are some numbers of users around the world (how significant I cannot say) that are not running the latest and greatest OS or browsers, so keep them in mind as well. To that end, how difficult would it be to maintain a "legacy version" (as it is right now) and the "improved version" of the site? Theoretically both would read the same message databases and a site cookie could manage all.

[Fotiman]

I'd like a way to build my own list of my favorite forums to appear at the top of the forum index. I created my own Chrome extension long ago to achieve this (http://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/webmasterworld-favorite-f/llkhjkhhijfjkgpbllnmdpmgbilbckoo), but it would be nice to have this baked in to the site.

[dstiles]

> Subscription/notification bug.

My complaint is the other way about to explorador's. I recently set several forums to notify me on new topics and not one has done so. I know I get mail from WebmasterWorld because I sometimes get stickies, but never forum "new topic" notifications.

> Javascript

I agree with other posters about not relying on JS. I only ever turn this on for a few necessary sites such as banks and domain registrars, and then only a limited subset of them.

Also, if possible: Firefox blocks redirection in some cases, especially when posting a reply. This requires a refresh to get the updated topic.

On a presumably trivial note: How about adding the original post's time to the listing's right-hand column, just above the last posting time? There is plenty of room and it would sometimes help knowing how old a topic was.

[lucy24]

How about adding the original post's time to the listing's right-hand column, just above the last posting time? There is plenty of room and it would sometimes help knowing how old a topic was.

Oh, great idea. I'm thinking particularly of the occasional flurry of "me too" posts* that bring all kinds of old threads bobbing to the surface. If you can see right away that the thread was started in November 2013, then you know that it isn't a brand-new thread; the reason the title is unfamiliar is that you've long since forgotten it, not that you've never seen it before.

Firefox blocks redirection in some cases, especially when posting a reply.

While we're at it, let's nudge Firefox itself. I pored over the prefs: there doesn't seem to be a way to set exceptions in redirection-blocking, the way you can with things like cookies or popup blockers.


* OK, not literally "me too". More often generic answers to questions that have already been answered in detail.

[incrediBILL]

How about adding the original post's time

Since more posts have a title and subtitle, 2 lines, it wouldn't take up extra space for many posts if the date showed start and last date as 2 lines.

Or I could chop all that GMT stuff and just put the start and end date in short format.

So instead of:
"3:31 pm on Jan 20, 2015 (PST -8)"

Just use YYYY/MM/DD like this:
2015/01/20 3:31

So both dates fit in the same space

The only problem is the original post date isn't in the index file being displayed. I could open each thread to get it, but the thread index needs to store it to make it fast.

> Javascript

I agree with other posters about not relying on JS. I only ever turn this on for a few necessary sites such as banks and domain registrars, and then only a limited subset of them.

I too used to surf with js off, that day is so far gone you can't use most sites anymore without it.

The new WebmasterWorld site is Bootstrap which is jQuery all the way. No js and it falls apart. Get used to it as the world goes RWD which we are, js will be everywhere.

[dstiles]

I just KNEW time/date would be a problem. It's so simple there had to be a snag. :)

JS - my own experience is that most sites do not NEED JS, although they often claim to. Generally I find it's only in forms completion, more specifically in payment or registration. There are too many virus-injection possibilities in JS for it to be safe on unknown sites. I have a couple of directories and reject site submissions if I cannot view without JS.

[lucy24]

Another minor one...

Why is the SSID subforum so far down in its category? I'd put it first or second in Search Engines. Surely it merits higher prominence than, uh, Ask/Teoma?

[super70s]

One strange thing I've noticed about this site, if you come in through the old style homepage (which I always do, [webmasterworld.com...] it takes it 7 or 8 seconds before anything begins to load.

It wouldn't surprise me if any "improvements" cause the entire site to load slower, that seems to be the way it always works (CNN.com's new mobile-friendly site loads even slower than their old "everything & the kitchen sink" main page).

[tangor]

I do have one query, information please!. How does the projected site look/function with (in FF, ie,) NO STYLE? How does it work with Accessibility requirements?

I am certainly in the minority in this regard. My vision is such that WW is viewed and used in NO STYLE FF because I can zoom the site to what I can read WITHOUT the limitations of the layout forcing me to horizontal scroll.

As for JQuery... I'll have to think about that. Have that blocked as well. So far the sites I like/use don't force me to use it, or JS... I really don't like third party anything getting between me and my info. :)

[blend27]

Forgot to mention...

If possible, please add a link to TOP after every 3 or 4 posts in the thread to make it easier to navigate, instead of poking the screen on my tablet.

[lucy24]

Has anyone said anything about "Recent Messages"? The list that you get on a member's Profile page, not the assorted Active Threads lists. It just now occurred to me -- while looking up a member for potential spam -- that it might be useful if, instead of linking only to the thread, the link instead went to the individual post. (I'm assuming this information already exists, since it all comes from the same database.) Then you'll know right away if the offending activity has already been deleted, because clicking would take you only to the thread's front page. And really, how often do you go from a member profile to a generic thread? If you're following the profile link at all, it's because you want to know what that specific person said about it.

Edit: What's with the timestamp? The "post time" seems to show the time I first opened this page, or possibly the time I opened the New Post window, which happens to be twelve minutes before the time the post was actually submitted. (Server clocks have been known to be wrong, but I kinda doubt it in this case.)

Further edit: I'm wrong. The server clock is off by twelve minutes. You see the current time for a moment when you submit. Ouch.

[blend27]

I am in Beta now, looks pretty good on a big screen.

Under the hood I see links to CDN: Cloudfare for JS and "https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js" :(

Profile link has double slash in URL /WebmasterWorldbeta//profile/blend27/ and More WebmasterWorld Highlighted Posts... on a home page is dead

[Leosghost]

Over the last 24 hours you have picked up a bug ..the carats in all the dropdowns and concertinas ( with the exception of the one in the "message" button have gone and the "unknown entity symbol"<= can't think what the thing is called at the moment ;) is showing )..It was showing correctly at 04.00am my time overnight..now is not..

re the above comment ..Spoke too soon..not a bug.but it happens if one does not "authorize" WebmasterWorld in no script..I had rebooted my browser and fogotten to do so....

Linux mint maya ..FF28

( Might I suggest that while we are posting in a "try to help iron out any bugs thread"..that we each post our OS and browser ( as I have done ) ..might save "the team" having to test in all OS browser combos themselves.. )

I saw in code view that the thumbs up thumbs down option is in there but not switcxhed on..personally ( I'm sure I've said it befoere ) I'd not be in favour of it being implemented..We know who is talking sense on a given subject, without needing "voting" to tell us..