New forum features

[Doug Nelson]

Rather than simply list the new features, I figured I'd let y'all talk about any new feature you've noticed, and whether you like it or not.

It sounds like I'm cheating, but I couldn't list them all anyway, and I'd still want opinions, so this just skips a few posts.

More features coming, so as you notice things come back to this thread and talk about it.

[CJ Swartz]

Hmmm, well the good news is that we can now upload more than one image to a post, and it says we can use a wide range of file formats including .psd and .zip as well as .jpg.

When I uploaded two images and hit "preview", I didn't see the images, but when I subsequently hit "Submit" the test post worked with both images attached -- hopefully this means that we can stop warning new members about not hitting the "preview" button?

Something that I don't understand yet is that if I tried to upload a file that was already uploaded in another thread (it even tells you WHERE you already posted that file) -- the system politely called it an error and the image did not upload.

Another very NICE feature is that we can EDIT a post that didn't contain a file attachment and ADD an attachment! How many of us have had to re-post just to add a file that we forgot to attach?! However, the system's genie (or memory banks or whatever) would NOT let me upload a file that I had uploaded a few minutes earlier (in the Testing Forum) AND had already DELETED; it also would not let me re-post a message that I had posted and deleted -- it said that "it was a duplicate of a post that I had posted within the last 5 minutes" or something like that -- I tried renaming the file that I had attached to a post in the Testing forum AND DELETED -- it STILL said that it was an upload error because the file had previously been uploaded -- but I had changed the file NAME!! What is the system reading to know it is the SAME file?

Hmmm, I waited a few HOURS, and it still wouldn't let me upload the image that I had uploaded and deleted -- just how good a memory does this thing have? (I don't remember what I did five minutes ago...) But it did let me upload another image file -- and this is the 4th or 5th revision of this post and the original post did NOT have a file attached -- this is GOOD [Ooooh! Another new feature - it's easier to edit text in posts]. But I may have to rename a lot of files to get them attached...

[CJ Swartz]

We can now SEARCH inside a thread - don't remember being able to do that before. There are a number of very long threads where this could come in handy. We can also click to get a printable copy of a post -- instead of cutting and pasting.

The whole SEARCH function works better, I believe.

There's a function that lets us change the display of a thread -- there are 3 choices (linear, hybrid, and threaded). When you change to Hybrid or Threaded, you don't have to scroll down the page to see the responses -- a window opens up above the first post with a list of all the other posts that you scroll thru in the window. This can be helpful in some of the really long threads (Regards from the UK, News from Zim, etc.) when you want to find a post from a particular person.

C'mon -- what have the rest of you found??!!
http://www.pbase.com/shadepuppy/galleries

[Hunter]

Well, the one problem I have right now is that I can't get to the Challenges "overview" like I used to. For example, if I click on the link for the Restoration Challenge #60 (http://www.retouchpro.com/challenges.../585/password/) it seems like the site just hangs. Nothing ever happens - this happens with any of the those links. If, however I click on the links for the Last Comment or Last Photo Uploaded, I can get to those fine.

I do wish that the icons in the Forums were like the ones in the Challenges section - i.e. the icons in Challenges go yellow when new posts are there, but the ones in Forums are all greyscale and don't call attention to themselves. Of course the New Posts link (which I've started using) perhaps negates the need for a more obvious icon for new posts.

[CJ Swartz]

Well, the one problem I have right now is that I can't get to the Challenges "overview" like I used to. For example, if I click on the link for the Restoration Challenge #60 (http://www.retouchpro.com/challenges.../585/password/) it seems like the site just hangs. Nothing ever happens - this happens with any of the those links.

What browser are you running, Hunter? (I'm on a PC running XP using IE6)When I clicked on your link, it took me to Restoration Challenge #60.

Are you using saved brower links from the previous website setup? Might have to change them. Finding my way around here isn't easy at first, just like the last couple of times the site was re-designed. There are new ways to get to the Challenges added to the original fly-out menu on the first page. If you are on a Forum page, you can click on RetouchPRO in the menu at the top and a drop-down list with the Challenges, the Gallery, the Tutorials, etc. lets you click over to whatever section you want to visit.

[Hunter]

it must've been a gremlin, CJ - it's all working for me now. This happened on both work and home PCs, so I must've been hitting it when Doug was working on the site. At any rate, it all seems resolved for me

[Xaran]

I especially like having the thumbnails instead of just a link to attachments and the archive which is much easier to browse through.

Couldn't find the 'old' challenges though, are they still available.

Christine

[T Paul]

Mailbox

In the User Control Panel you can now see a status bar as well as an actual number of how many messages you have. This is a great way to keep tabs on your mailbox and make sure it doesn't get full. I know I have sent a PM many a time only to get a response that the user's mailbox was full.

Another great feature is that you can create additional folders and thus better organize your messages.

[DannyRaphael]

I, too, like the 2nd chance feature of attaching a file even after a message has been posted and the thumbnails.

I also like the e-mail alerts that include message text.

Doug:

Can you do either of these?

1. In the "New Posts" query: Can the the forum name column be moved to the far left so it's easier to associate posts with forums?

2. Having the ability to sort the results of this query by forum name (either as part of the query or after the fact) would be a bonus, too.

~Danny~

[CJ Swartz]

if I tried to upload a file that was already uploaded in another thread (it even tells you WHERE you already posted that file) -- the system politely called it an error and the image did not upload.

I was finally able to upload a file that I had used in the testing forum and had deleted -- the system won't let me upload it again, but when I re-did the file in PShop AND renamed it, the system allowed it.

DOUG -- What is the reason for this, or is this a bug?

[Doug Nelson]

Xaran: They're still available, but I won't be updating them anymore. It was taking over an hour everytime I needed to update them (which is why I went with a new automated system). The easiest way to get their is via the Challenges forum, or you can make a bookmark to http://www.retouchpro.com/challenge

Danny:
1.) Probably, but I'm sure I'd just break something else doing it. It's not an option, I'd have to rewrite some code.
2.) Its displayed in latest post order, which makes sense. Re-writing it would be even harder than #1

CJ:
It's not a bug, you've never been able to post the same attachment twice (or at least, you weren't supposed to be able to. That might have been a bug in the past). The only difference now is that when you delete a post, it isn't really deleted, it's moved to a "trash" or "recycle" state for a few days.

[winwintoo]

I just upgraded to OSX Panther and Safari 1.2 and noticed that when I mouse over the topics in the forum lists, I get a pop-up box that displays the first message in the thread. Nice feature.

Take care, Margaret

[CJ Swartz]

I just upgraded to OSX Panther and Safari 1.2 and noticed that when I mouse over the topics in the forum lists, I get a pop-up box that displays the first message in the thread. Nice feature.

Margaret, I'm glad that works for MAC also - it works that way for WinXP as well.

[rondon]

new posts

I like the "new posts " and "quick links/last 24 hours" makes it easy to keep up on all new posts.
also what Christine said about the thumbnails.. nice previews

so much about the new to like.. another nice touch is the enhanced mode when posting these messages.. Nice to have these choices