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Free Republic Update: Pings, Tabs, Time and More

Posted on 04/08/2008 3:05:23 AM PDT by John Robinson

Just installed a quick change to the pings page. It brings it more in line with what it is expected to look like. One particular change is the "greening" of comments from you, to more easily differentiate something you've posted vs. something posted to you. Not so sure about the way that looks, so please give me feedback.

With this update the tabs on the pings page get memory: the page will remember the last tab you have selected. This tab memory will be extended across the board. I'm currently reworking the 'tag' index pages to accommodate this.

I'm also trying something new with regard to time. We will try using your computer's clock to set the time zone. This uses JavaScript, if you don't have JavaScript enabled you'll see "04/08/2008 2:31:48 AM PDT" (etc), but if you do you'll probably see something more like "Tuesday, April 08, 2008 5:31:48 AM" [for an eastern time zone.] I'm leaving it up to your computer to format the time stamp, so your experience may vary. These new time stamps will be extended across the board as I update the hundreds of locations where the time is displayed.

The very next update (probably a day or two away) will stomp out the last of the "More" bugs, enhance the search function, and quite possibly extend the 'manage blocks' page with new blocks and a better interface to select them.

In future updates we'll have the ability to add multiple pages to our profiles. And each page will be versioned-- you'll be able to restore previous versions of a page should something go horribly, horribly wrong. This is actually a precursor to a larger project, which will allow multiple people to collaborate on website projects. Think of a profile page on steroids, complete with custom sidebars, an upload area (images, possibly sound clips) and whatnot.

On the less visible side of things, I will be consolidating the internals quite a bit... we've managed to gather similar functionality across a large number of programs. I'd very much like to tidy that up. For example, there are 4 or 5 different 'thread programs' used on the site, each with their own posting programs, etc (example: the state boards.) It would make my day if I could bundle up all these distinct functions into one place. The presentation-- how you will see things-- may be different for each type of thread, but the underlying data structures and logic (and routines like spell check) will be consolidated. This will be a huge change to the internals (if only because I'll be fiddling with 50+ million comments in our database.) Once that is implemented we'll have editable comments and articles.

Anyway, somebody shut me up, I'm rambling now.

Update: Preview Site

By popular demand, I will attempt to maintain a beta site to demonstrate new bleeding-edge features without affecting the regular forum too harshly.

Currently have the new index code (aka Latest Posts) installed. Tabs have memory, next time you visit you'll see the last tab you had visited. Additionally, each tab on the index page remembers its brevity setting. So you can have articles with text, and activity and comments with headers only, if that is what you prefer.

I moved the "RSS" link and sidebar control (now called "Add to My Page") down to the bottom of the page. Just really didn't need to take up precious top real-estate for those things.

Currently "Add to My Page" is non-functional, you'll get the manage blocks page but the current listing will not be added as a block. And some of the "More" links are still bugged. Those are the next tasks.


TOPICS: Free Republic
KEYWORDS: faq; forumchanges; freerepublic
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1 posted on 04/08/2008 3:05:24 AM PDT by John Robinson
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To: John Robinson

I cannot get the “new posts to you” alert to go away. When I hit refresh, the alert remains, even though there are no new posts to me.

Thank you for what you do and what your father has done.


2 posted on 04/08/2008 3:10:58 AM PDT by David Isaac
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To: John Robinson

Hi John.

I’m not a geek, so I automatically hate all changes.
I’m happy pressing 1 button to make things work (like the big red ‘Easy Button’).

HOWEVER, the rest of my family are geeks to the nth degree and my husband loves all the new stuff you’re doing.


3 posted on 04/08/2008 3:12:20 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: David Isaac

Click on your ‘posts to you’, there should be a ‘clear pings’ option. Click on that and that will fix ya.


4 posted on 04/08/2008 3:12:49 AM PDT by BGHater ($2300 is the limit of your Free Speech.)
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To: John Robinson

Thanks for all you do Jim.


5 posted on 04/08/2008 3:13:15 AM PDT by SkyPilot ("I wasn't in church during the time when the statements were made.")
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To: BGHater; David Isaac

Yup, but I renamed it “Mark All as Read”... I think “Clear Pings” scared people. lol.


6 posted on 04/08/2008 3:13:36 AM PDT by John Robinson
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To: John Robinson

Sorry - John - thanks to you too!


7 posted on 04/08/2008 3:13:42 AM PDT by SkyPilot ("I wasn't in church during the time when the statements were made.")
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To: John Robinson

Thanks, Mr. Robinson — these last changes restored some features that I missed in the previous iteration...

One thing I noticed — on the “view” tabs, clicking on ‘Headers’ has no apparent effect — the screen flickers, then comes back on ‘Brevity’.....

(Maybe it’s my antiquated computer/IE version....)


8 posted on 04/08/2008 3:13:43 AM PDT by Uncle Ike (Sometimes I sets and thinks, and sometimes I jus' sets.........)
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To: Cindy

Thanks! Hoping to install that big red easy button for you very soon.


9 posted on 04/08/2008 3:14:52 AM PDT by John Robinson
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To: John Robinson

What a dear heart.

That will make this tired, old lady happy.

Smiling at you.


10 posted on 04/08/2008 3:17:15 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: John Robinson
John

We are covering more global issues and politics.

Any chance you could add China, India, European Union and United Nations to the listed Topic options?

11 posted on 04/08/2008 3:22:50 AM PDT by BGHater ($2300 is the limit of your Free Speech.)
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To: John Robinson

John, I would recommend on the “pings” links page that when a Freeper sets it to “Brevity” that there be a bit more space between posts. They seem to run together (at least on Firefox) which makes it harder to read.

Safari seems to present an entirely different issue. For some reason when you go to “pings” using Safari the font size increases to somewhere around 6.


12 posted on 04/08/2008 3:28:19 AM PDT by big'ol_freeper ("Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words". ~ St. Francis of Assisi)
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To: John Robinson
9 posted on 2008년 4월 8일 화요일 오후 7:14:52 by John Robinson

Correct date and the time is my local time. Is the rest supposed to be in Korean ..??..!

13 posted on 04/08/2008 3:31:56 AM PDT by Jay Howard Smith (Retired(25yrNCO)Military)
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bookmark


14 posted on 04/08/2008 3:33:08 AM PDT by federal
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To: John Robinson
Belay that last comment. My Firefox just quit and upon reopening showed the changes you described, and has adequate space been posts on the “pings” page.

I quit and reopened Safari but it still shows the font size of around 6 on the “pings” page and does not show the greening of comments I have posted. Bad Safari.

15 posted on 04/08/2008 3:33:56 AM PDT by big'ol_freeper ("Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words". ~ St. Francis of Assisi)
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To: John Robinson

Its like every day is Paddy’s day! L0L


16 posted on 04/08/2008 3:34:05 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: John Robinson

I like the green thingy to differentiate the pings. That will come in handy.


17 posted on 04/08/2008 3:34:56 AM PDT by abb (Organized Journalism: Marxist-style collectivism applied to information sharing)
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To: John Robinson

GOODNESS SILLY RABBIT!

IT’S RARE ENOUGH TO GET A PEEP OUT OF YOU! I WOULDN’T DREAM OF SHUTTING YOU UP!

Love hearing from you.

The green is fine wih me—though I think a slightly darker shade would be easier to read. I like being able to tell at a flash which are mine and the color cue is a great one.

Besides, I like color—as shocking as that may be—maybe to the uninitiated—LOL.

Seriously, in a complex world with lots of inputs from all directions, angles on all manner of media . . . color is a great aid to filtering priorities. It saves time and makes focusing on preferences and higher priorities easier and quicker. More power to you on that score.

I’d brace myself, though—there’s a mentality and psychology common in large groups which loathes change. And, imho, a big chunk of that population also tends to be averse to color—as though color itself were somehow assaulting them.

I find such folks generally tend to be more introverted, shy, withdrawn, even wimpy—yet given to prickly fierce outrage if their curmudgeonly sensibilities are jangled. I have a lot of compassion for them. However, I wouldn’t want them at the head of my platoon against the socialists, globalists, communists.

Neither do I think they should wag the FR formatting, style dog.

To avoid my rambling more . . .

THANKS ENORMOUSLY FOR ALL YOU DO. I can’t think of a single improvement you’ve made and left up that I’ve been annoyed with in all these years. GREAT WORK. Please keep it up.

But I trust you take time for yourself and family, as well. We NEED you healthy and happy.

on another matter:

################

LORD JESUS, PLEASE TOUCH AND HEAL JIMROB. Lord, we need him in top shape. Hold him close to you and put every cell and fiber to right in and by your Resurrection Life. Give him comfort, peace and pain free rest. Give him your wholeness, provision, encouragement, peace and joy in every circumstance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


18 posted on 04/08/2008 3:39:42 AM PDT by Quix (GOD ALONE IS GOD; WORTHY; PAID THE PRICE; IS COMING AGAIN; KNOWS ALL; IS LOVING; IS ALTOGETHER GOOD)
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To: John Robinson
John, I know you're busy, but ... what induced all these changes?

I didn't think FR was 'broke' and needed fixin'.

19 posted on 04/08/2008 3:40:47 AM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: big'ol_freeper; John Robinson

I agree with the need for a bit more white space between listings in the brief version of our comments page. Would be very helpful.


20 posted on 04/08/2008 3:42:07 AM PDT by Quix (GOD ALONE IS GOD; WORTHY; PAID THE PRICE; IS COMING AGAIN; KNOWS ALL; IS LOVING; IS ALTOGETHER GOOD)
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