A bit of a tweak...

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UBT - Timbo
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A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi all

I've been wanting to tweak the forum a little and to give more info to all and sundry about everything that is available here.

And I found (what I think is) a nice extension, which I've just installed, from http://www.board3.de.

Hope people like it - if some things are "too much" then let me know, as all the different sections can be switched on or off according to demand.

Please feel free to let me know what you think and also any bugs and/or user feedback.

regards
Tim
UBT - Mikee
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Mikee »

Hi

That explains why I couldn't access earlier - looks better now - less sparse.

Mike
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UBT - Timbo
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

UBT - Mikee wrote:Hi

That explains why I couldn't access earlier - looks better now - less sparse.

Mike
Hi Mike

Yup - sorry about that - I had to disable the board in order to install the new extension...but it only took about 5 mins to do and then once it was "enabled", just a few more mins to configure various sections.

I certainly didn't want to make the forum look too busy...and this extension just brings more info into members view...so it should look a bit more as though there is "stuff" going on... ;-)

If you click on the < Portal < link at the top (below the team logo) that's where you'll find most of the bells and whistles. :-)

regards
Tim
Woodles
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by Woodles »

I've found that when I access the forums from my mobile, all the forum headings and descriptions are now crammed into the left hand quarter of the screen. Same with the thread listings. Opening a thread displays the actual posts correctly.

Could be just me and I can live with it.

Mark
UBT - Timbo
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Woodles wrote:I've found that when I access the forums from my mobile, all the forum headings and descriptions are now crammed into the left hand quarter of the screen. Same with the thread listings. Opening a thread displays the actual posts correctly.

Could be just me and I can live with it.

Mark
Hi Mark

I'll take a look at the mobile "view" and see if I get the same.

If so, then I'll report it to the board3.de website...

This extension has been available for some time, so I had hoped all the bugs has already been sorted, before implementing it on this board.

regards and thanks for the feedback
Tim
Woodles
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by Woodles »

Hi Tim,

This is viewing it as a normal website, not a mobile specific one. It's probably a case of trying to fit in all the information on a narrow screen.

Mark
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

The changes look good in my opinion. It looks very much like a CMS now. (eg with Side Modules).
UBT - Timbo
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi Chris

Thanks for the feedback.

Having now had this extension installed for a day or two, I'm getting to like it even more. Hopefully, it will generate some renewed interest in both the Team as well as the forum.

At least, that was the plan ;-)

One thing I have noticed - the digital clock displayed seems to show your PCs local time and not the forum time !

regards
Tim
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

Could you look into a 'mod' that auto-subscribes you to any thread you have posted in (until you unsubscribe).

I keep posting and forgetting to subscribe. Clearly if you post into a thread then you want to view any replies, and hence want to be (auto) subscribed.

Chris
Woodles
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by Woodles »

Hi Chris,

It sort of works that way for me already.

Open your control panel
Board preferences
Notify me upon replies by default - Yes

You're not auto subscribed and don't get an email (although you may be able to tweak the Edit notification options setting to change that) but you get a notification waiting when next you log in.

Mark
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

Thanks for the info; it was set to No. I have now changed this.

If you could make it send an email that would be perfect, in the mean time it just means logging in every once in a while to check for notifications.
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi Chris

I have looked into this on the phpbb Extensions library and there are not many options to try to remedy this - with some responses being that having an automated "system" of notifications could be construed as "spam"...even if it was a setting selected by the individual.

Another solution I saw required directly editing the SQL database and changing some value to enable a similar function (though this was for multiple members not just one).

I think as long as you have your preferences set to be notified, then this is at least a part solution...and then you just have to remember to log in at least once or twice a week ;-)

I'll keep looking and if I find something then we can try it out and see if it works.

regards
Tim
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

Hi Tim,

No worries, its not that important. What we have at the moment is fine.

Getting notifications would be more of a fail safe in-case I/we forget to subscribe; at least we would still get notified of any new posts/replies.

It may be worth trying to make the setting for notifications default to Yes rather than NO which it does at present?

I think most people would want to be notified if a reply/post had been made in a thread they posted into.

--

Also, you would get much better SEO (SEM) if you linked the home page to:

app.php/portal

As this list's more recent posts and of course has a higher density concentration of keyboards etc.

Also it looks much better, and offers far more useful insights into new posts etc.

Its just a suggestion anyway.

Chris
UBT - Mikee
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Mikee »

chriscambridge wrote:Hi Tim--

Also, you would get much better SEO (SEM) if you linked the home page to:

app.php/portal

As this list's more recent posts and of course has a higher density concentration of keyboards etc.

Also it looks much better, and offers far more useful insights into new posts etc.

Its just a suggestion anyway.

Chris
Hi

That looks good, still have to be a registered to see all the stuff (techie term) but I think it's better for no money as well - always a bonus!

Mike
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

chriscambridge wrote:Hi Tim,

No worries, its not that important. What we have at the moment is fine.

Getting notifications would be more of a fail safe in-case I/we forget to subscribe; at least we would still get notified of any new posts/replies.

It may be worth trying to make the setting for notifications default to Yes rather than NO which it does at present?

I think most people would want to be notified if a reply/post had been made in a thread they posted into.
Hi Chris

I've looked through the various tabs on the ACP and I cannot find a way of setting the default notifications to "Yes" (or even "No")....I'm sure they might be there somewhere, so I'll keep looking.

Also, you would get much better SEO (SEM) if you linked the home page to:

app.php/portal

As this list's more recent posts and of course has a higher density concentration of keyboards etc.

Also it looks much better, and offers far more useful insights into new posts etc.

Its just a suggestion anyway.

Chris
Good point. I'm a member of the BOINC-WIDE admin group so I can change one entry and all the projects that I am admin for, will change accordingly. ;-)

I might also see about putting a re-direct on the "newforum.html" and then it might switch viewers to the "portal" view. I don't think i can change the "newforum.php" file as that might still be needed for the phpBB forum to work...

regards and thanks for the tips
Tim
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

Hi Tim,

Yeah I would guess that phpBB probably decides its own homepage, although on some forums you can chose another module to display.

Most control panels CPanel, Plesk, etc allow you to setup a redirect very easily; I would definitively set one up on the domain root (ukboincteam.org.uk), as "You don't have permission to access / on this server" does not look or work great on every level.

Personally I would always link to domain root (from anywhere else, such as a link "join UBT now!") etc - and then just setup a redirect on the hosting control panel; this way you can move URLs about without having to change anything anywhere else.

EG: /forum/ or /newforum/

If not then you have to (a) remember everywhere you have put the specific URL, and (b) change it again if you use a different /URL/

I did suggest this ages ago but I think you may have missed it.

Chris
UBT - Timbo
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi Chris

OK - I figured out why the 403 error was occurring - the index.html page (in the root folder) had been re-named and hence it gave the error page. It's been fixed now so thanks for pointing that out :-)

I've also updated the links to the portal page on both BOINC-WIDE and on the domain name. So we should get a bit more "credibility" from spider-bots, once they start their next crawlings over the web.

regards
Tim
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

I'll send you the invoice for internet consulting later.. 8-)
UBT - Timbo
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by UBT - Timbo »

chriscambridge wrote:I'll send you the invoice for internet consulting later.. 8-)
No worries - but remember I only pay in Hobnobs ;-)

regards
Tim
chriscambridge
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Re: A bit of a tweak...

Post by chriscambridge »

:(
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