Status of Updates & Fixes

To try to make things more manageable, here's a new thread so we can keep track of the still remaining issues. Here's what I know has been fixed, and what is outstanding:

Fixed:
Name hyperlinks now work
Date/Time stamps
Quote boxes
Apostrophes no longer trigger a backslash
Ads and ad boxes are gone for subscribers with ads turned off
Auto thread watcher - if you post to a thread, you *should* be automatically watching that thread, unless you have your preferences set otherwise.


Still outstanding:
Return to post after viewing photos in a thread post (added 12-13 )
Some posts contain a character or sequence of characters that is causing the system to reject them from posting or being quoted. (added 12-13)
Add back "while you were typing, a new post was made" alert when you are posting to a forum. (added 12-14)
Photo upload showing "failed to upload" even when pictures do upload. (added 12-14)
Skip to New doesn't work
Favorite forums not accessible
Forced preview (except on quoted replies)
Pagination is still not optimized
Home page not syncing with forum updates - while those bugs are being worked out, try hitting the forums page instead of home: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/ (I know it isn't as easy to get to, because you have to go through communities first, but if you hit it from the "FORUM" link at the very top of each thread, you'll be taken there - see screenshot below.

Am I missing anything that is not working? (We can continue to fine-tune the background and font colors and size...but I'm not going to ask the techs to spend time on those until we fix what is actually broken.)

Thanks Terry.

Thanks.
My request is that the tabs for the additional pages be at the top of the first page, not at the bottoms of the pages. You would open your thread, click the desired page, then skip to new.

(This may be included under pagination. Sorry if I repeated.)

Terry, I ended up replying on the previous thread. I didn't realize yet that you had transferred over to the new one. Sorry.

Thanks Terry. I don't understand why I would go to forums at the top of this page. This thread isn't even there. My home page that has the latest posts under my watched posts seems like it is closer to the latest posts.

I wish you would bring back the "back to the home page" that was at the bottom between the last post and where I could type in a post.

Terry, thanks for the consolidated run-down. I concur with the items that you listed as fixed - I've tested them and they are working fine. For an addition to the list, I second the recommendation from Anna that along with the "Back to Top" link that is at the bottom of the threads, that the "Home" link be re-added there. Saves on keystrokes for what we are wanting to do when we are done reading the latest posts in a thread. Thanks!

Terry, I did use your link. there are 3 Most Recent Threads, they are 5 minutes, 2 hours and 7 hours ago. None of them are anything I have even looked at.

I posted on this thread and it didn't show up on watched threads.

I noticed a little color this morning on alternate posts. Thank You. It helps my eyes and head a little bit. The page is still very bright, but at least it's a little better. It also feels a bit friendlier.

I like sallyg's idea about page numbers on the top of the page. For me, personally, that would help a lot if we have to have separate pages.

I guess DG is finally going to force me to use an Avatar. Before the change the members that didn't use one just had nothing above their info, now I've been reduced to "the dreaded generic blocky gray man".

Oh well. I guess I'll just have to do what I do on eBay...change my picture regularly to suit my mood or the seasons. No one avatar is going work all the time for me which is why I never bothered with it.

Signed,
The dreaded generic Blocky Gray Man

Hi Terry. I like the progress that is being made :-)

For a request to work on when the bugs are taken care of - I'm fine with the button(s) being at the side vs at the bottom of each thread, but still request a "Home" button be there as well as a "Back To Top". When I am done reading a thread, my next action is almost always to go back to the Home Page vs going back to the top of the thread that I just read and then clicking to go back to Home from there. Sounds trivial, but it cuts keystrokes in half. Thanks!

Terry, since you asked us to point out glitches, I just noticed a very minor one. I figured I might as well point it out since it might connect to other things.

I wrote a post where some of the words had apostrophes. In the post they looked fine, but when I clicked on the picture I posted to enlarge it, all of the apostrophes in the text under the picture were preceded by a back slash.

In the grand scheme of things this is minor, but if it helps fix something else I thought you might want to know.

Here's a screen shot.

Edited to say: Sorry for the "venting" in the beginning of my screen shot post. I was actually responding to other comments on the bird pics thread. It was not in any way meant as another way to push my complaints on you. I only used the screen shot so you could see the apostrophe glitch.


This message was edited Dec 12, 2015 2:01 PM

I have to tell you that the new and improved changes have made navigation of the site on my Motorola phone worse.

On a tablet now, and what I see as pinkish on my computer is infact gray here.

Also, the lower right "back to the top" is just an arrow, but it should be understood, especially if you use both, computer and tablet.

Thanks for the bugs that have been fixed. Hopefully some of the mild annoyances will be addressed. Won't have everyone happy but for the majority it will eventually become "home" again.

Don't know if this is a 'bug or 'tweak' or just me, but most of the posts are double with the option of 'Read more' or "Read less' both appearing


Terry Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) 7h ago

Dec 12, 2015
Quote from Anna_Z :

I wish you would bring back the "back to the home page" that was at the bottom between the last post and where I could type in a post.



Anna, along the side of each thread - and the color is a little faded - which is something we can fix - are "Back to top" links. Eventually those will probably be handier than having just one at the bottom of each thread.
Read Less



Anna, along the side of each thread - and the color is a little faded - which is something we can fix - are "Back to top" links. Eventually those will probably be handier than having just one at the bottom of each t…Read More

That is weird, I have never gotten that.

I just noticed, being on the tablet, when I go "back to the top". The HOME link is gone. I had to click the DavesGarden image to get back home.

To make my post above I had to copy and paste my original reply into the empty preview box first and then hit send reply otherwise my reply was lost and not posted.

The "Back to Top" is a pain. If I wanted to go back to the top, I would. I want to go back to the HOME PAGE!!!! In one click, like before, please. Pretty please with sugar on it.

"Home" does not show up at the top of the page on my iPad. Also a pain. I have to click on a couple of different things to get back to "Home".

This all reminds me of a song from my youth............and I cannot, for the life of me, remember who sang it, maybe someone can refresh my brain..........

Look what they've done to my song, Ma
Look what they've done to my song.....
Well, they tied it up in a plastic bag
And turned it upside down, Ma..........
Look what they've done to my song.

Three things I would like to see happen:
1. Flash a message the way DG used to do to tell me a new post was made while I was typing mine.

2. Put the Page Number selections at the TOP of the page.

3 Offer a choice of "Back to top of page" and "Home"

That's it for now.
Thanks.

Terry, I lost another message. Per your request, I have taken a screenshot and will upload an image. I hope it's of some help because this is beyond frustrating. Oh, for Pete's sake, it said my upload failed. I will try one more time. It won't load. What now? I am using an iPad air and have never had this particular problem, pictures failing to even load

That's even more bizarre. It said they didn't load yet both of them took.

This message was edited Dec 13, 2015 7:23 AM

Propagation, Plant propagation, the basics, December, 2015

I have also lost posts on the back porch site and the central Midwest gardening site. Oh, and here on this site.

After I lost that particular post, Terry, I have not gone back in to attempt to repost yet.

Thank you for looking into this. As you can imagine, this is beyond annoying.

Interesting, it did not pick up the word sigh on page 2 where it shows the message. I had placed the word sigh in carrots after I had said this is beyond annoying. See, all I have to do is type and something new in the way of weirdness appears. LOL

This is a much shorter post so it should show in it's entirety. Created on iPad Air. To propagation forum, the basics. December 2015.

Terry once again, I was told the upload failed. The attachment does not appear on the preview page but does show on the finished message upon delivery.

Hi Terry,

Terry wrote:
[/quote]Hmmm. Are you still seeing it when you return to that post? Because when I went to that post "live" the backslash wasn't there. That was one of the most obvious problems we encountered immediately after roll-out, and it's possible there are some areas of the site that the patch didn't fix. Please let us know. (And side note - no need to apologize. It was a challenging day for us all :-).[/quote]

Yes, I just checked and I'm still seeing it. BTW, if it helps, I'm using IE11.

Also, to clarify, it's not in the actual post. It only shows up in the text under the picture after the thumbnail is enlarged.
As I mentioned in my other post, I don't find it an issue, but my non-techy brain wonders if it might be connected with other glitches.

Just wanted to mention I really like the larger text (the first day it was very tiny) and, especially, the entire posts showing up. Pleeease don't go back to the double (or even single) posts with "read more" and "read less". It didn't work when I clicked on the links to read more or read less, but even if it did it was just another annoying step.

I have to say Thanks to all of you (as usual) for working to get through all the problems, glitches and issues.

Tuckersmom (Patti)3 I have only tried to upload pictures once since 'the change' but here is what I noticed. When I went browsing for a pic and clicked on it, I immediately got a message that Upload Failed and the box with the red x where the picture would be. Since I am on old system and browser and dial up I am used to pictures taking some time to load. Which, the second time I tried the same pic it did eventually load to my surprise as the Upload Failed message did not disappear until the pic had loaded. The picture loading and the Upload failed message seem to have litle to do with one another...as Upload failed should really say Picture Loading.

When I Previewed my post without the Upload failed pic and then hit Send Reply evidently the pictures had loaded by then and all was good.

LOL, of course today it may all be different! I'm going to copy and paste this post and then see if I can include a pic

Yep, same experience with the Upload failed instead of pic loading. Second pic loaded in Preview mode with same Upload Failed message and then loading.

Now to see if I can post this previewed post .....

Testing an upload. Looks like it works for me.

Civillgardener, I also know that large pics take longer to load than small ones and the two I posted are 68 and 40 kbs.Trying some of my larger pics 2.2 and 1.8 Mbs and neither is loading and both have Upload failed.

Will try to go to Preview.

When I go to Preview I get a message box from my browser that says files are uploading and if I leave, they will be cancelled

Have cancelled both pics and gone to preview mode where I will again try to upload large pics. Gave up on large pic, cancelled it nd am now Upload failed/Loading a 64kb photo which is ready to go.

Sorry, off topic, but pretty pictures, folks!

When I am logged in, and I hit "Home", the view of "my forums" and "latest posts" is still in the old format mode.

Picture uploading is still hinky - it took three tries to upload that screenshot. This is from a newish iPad mini.

While you're changing things, why don't you address the dowdy site banner and navigation bar? It needs a major updating.

The home page isn't updating my forums. This so called "upgrade" is terrible so far.
I have no idea what is going on here now.

Also when I post in a thread, I am returned to the top of the page, when it would be normal to see one's post.
At the bottom of the thread, above the "post a reply" link it would be convenient to have a link to "return to the x forum" or whatever place you were previously, as well as a "return to top of this page".
Some sites even have a check box with an option to "alert me when there is a response to this post".