Sunday 18th February 2012: forum software update

Lambertus · 2012-02-18T19:18:37.000Z

Between 09:00 and 12:00 UTC the forum software will be updated to FluxBB 1.4.8 and the EasyBB Code modification added.

Forum login and posting is possibly not available during this period.

Lambertus · 2012-02-19T12:02:16.000Z

The forum has been upgrade successfully to FluxBB 1.4.8.

Other changes include:

Added all available language packs.
Added Easy BB Code modification for easier quoting and post formatting.
Changed default theme from Oxygen to Air which looks more modern.

PHerison · 2012-02-20T10:47:02.000Z

Hi Lambertus

Thanks for the update and you engagement for maintaing this forum!

Any reason why external links doesn’t open in a new window/tab anymore?

greencaps · 2012-02-20T10:53:43.000Z

Registered users online: 22
Guests online: 46

Such messages only make sense if the counting period is published.

Is this for today… last hour… last 5 minutes?

There is a new layout also. Which disappears as soon as I login. Then the old layout is back.

I prefer the old one as there is more info on one page. The new layout will force me to buy a bigger monitor.

Lambertus · 2012-02-20T16:11:50.000Z

PHerison:

Hi Lambertus

Thanks for the update and you engagement for maintaing this forum!

No problem, but updating a forum takes a lot of time (I needed about 10 hours to prepare and test the various custom changes in the new release) and then another 3 hours updating (mostly waiting for the search index to be updated). The whole process is nerve wrecking and I don’t want to do this too often…

Any reason why external links doesn’t open in a new window/tab anymore?

Your comment remembered me of something, I forgot about this customization. Will change asap.

greencaps:

Registered users online: 22
Guests online: 46

Such messages only make sense if the counting period is published.

Is this for today… last hour… last 5 minutes?

The online timeout is 300 seconds, or 5 minutes.

There is a new layout also. Which disappears as soon as I login. Then the old layout is back.

I prefer the old one as there is more info on one page. The new layout will force me to buy a bigger monitor.

Well, do you want a new monitor? Then this is a good time perhaps

Seriously, is this a problem? As you say, when you login the forum switches to the theme configured in your profile page…

greencaps · 2012-02-20T17:17:20.000Z

Lambertus:

Well, do you want a new monitor? Then this is a good time perhaps

Just bought a smaller one… a tablet. I keep striking the display in this way.

Lambertus:

Seriously, is this a problem? As you say, when you login the forum switches to the theme configured in your profile page…

Ahum… now I did it? I did’t configure anything. And I’m usually not logged in.

It is not a big thing of course. Just that this modern look does not comfort me.

So you spend a whole day preparing for and updating the forum. I thank you for giving the best hours of your live to this forum. If you had not told that it was so cumbersome I would have thought that ´updating a forum´ would be like replacing a bunch of php files.

Lambertus · 2012-02-20T18:59:53.000Z

greencaps:

Lambertus:

Well, do you want a new monitor? Then this is a good time perhaps

Just bought a smaller one… a tablet. I keep striking the display in this way.

Hahaha,

Lambertus:

Seriously, is this a problem? As you say, when you login the forum switches to the theme configured in your profile page…

Ahum… now I did it? I did’t configure anything. And I’m usually not logged in.

A default theme is chosen for you when you register (which at the time of your registration was the theme that you like most aparently.

It is not a big thing of course. Just that this modern look does not comfort me.

I’m sorry but the forum is not here to comfort you. Well, not for free anyway

So you spend a whole day preparing for and updating the forum. I thank you for giving the best hours of your live to this forum. If you had not told that it was so cumbersome I would have thought that ´updating a forum´ would be like replacing a bunch of php files.

In theory it is only replacing a bunch of php indeed. But in practice it includes updating the database which could break existing functionality, it includes manually applying patches to include modifications like Easy BB Code, it includes replacing the normal forum login with the OSM API login, it includes backing up the existing database and forum. None of these things I do regularly so it takes longer and I need to be sure I don’t ‘overlook’ anything important.

Then there are ‘bugs’ that have their source in past mistakes, like using a non-UTF8 compatible forum for an international project. It’s really funny being unable to import a MySQL dump because the dump somehow contains characters that can’t be imported. Add to that an SQL dump size of about 300 MB which makes it quite difficult to debug…again.

Oh, yes, 10+ hours poef gone before you know it…

PHerison · 2012-02-20T19:16:51.000Z

Lambertus:

Oh, yes, 10+ hours poef gone before you know it…

“Bartender! A beer for the man at the keyboard! Cheers!”

Lambertus · 2012-02-20T19:30:11.000Z

PHerison:

Lambertus:

Oh, yes, 10+ hours poef gone before you know it…

“Bartender! A beer for the man at the keyboard! Cheers!”

Hehe, thanks, maybe I can call you on that one day

Lambertus · 2012-02-20T19:43:38.000Z

Lambertus:

PHerison:

Any reason why external links doesn’t open in a new window/tab anymore?

Your comment remembered me of something, I forgot about this customization. Will change asap.

Fixed. For the record (mine, in case of a next update). I replaced in include/parser.php function handle_url_tag():

return '<a href="'.$full_url.'">'.$link.'</a>';

With:

return '<a href="'.$full_url.'" onclick="window.open(this.href); return false;">'.$link.'</a>';

greencaps · 2012-02-21T09:26:21.000Z

Lambertus:

… function handle_url_tag():

return '<a href="'.$full_url.'" onclick="window.open(this.href); return false;">'.$link.'</a>';

You must be a javascript adept as html provides the mechanism for that too:

return '<a target="_blank" href="'.$full_url.'">'.$link.'</a>';

greencaps · 2012-02-21T09:47:09.000Z

Lambertus:

… None of these things I do regularly so it takes longer and I need to be sure I don’t ‘overlook’ anything important. .

Yes I’m familiar with such situations. You know you did it before but it is that long ago that you hardly remember how. And knowing that there were some pittfalls, but not remembering which, it’s difficult to start.

Not long ago I had to install Linux on a new laptop. I had done that several times before but now I could not find myself doing it. Luckily I knew a bicycle loving forum maintainer for whom such task were peanuts. So while talking about bikes and bicycles and drinking coffee all was done.

Every day that I use linux I feel thanks towards him. (So now that I have said this I feel releaved).

Lambertus · 2012-02-21T10:18:02.000Z

greencaps:

Lambertus:
… function handle_url_tag():
return '<a href="'.$full_url.'" onclick="window.open(this.href); return false;">'.$link.'</a>';
You must be a javascript adept as html provides the mechanism for that too:
return '<a target="_blank" href="'.$full_url.'">'.$link.'</a>';

I am, I am

Don’t feel overly thankful, it was nice having you as a guest. You must tell me one day about your trip to Mongolia, did you meet that Japanese princess?

greencaps · 2012-02-21T12:37:08.000Z

Lambertus:

You must tell me one day about your trip to Mongolia, did you meet that Japanese princess?

Yes. I will. Yes, I did.

Something for early summer…

Lambertus · 2012-02-21T14:55:12.000Z

greencaps:

Something for early summer…

I’m already looking forward to it!

user_5359 · 2012-02-21T18:23:21.000Z

I miss the link “Mark all post read”? Is there any chance to add the link again.

Thanks for you work! Georg V. (OSM=user_5356)

Lambertus · 2012-02-21T20:17:11.000Z

user_5359:

I miss the link “Mark all post read”? Is there any chance to add the link again.

Thanks for you work! Georg V. (OSM=user_5356)

This feature has been moved to the bottom of the viewtopic page. See the discussion here.

Harry_Wood · 2012-02-27T17:15:33.000Z

Great work updating the forum Lambertus! I love the links up in the top right: ‘New’, ‘Active’, ‘Unanswered’. I like the new default “Air” style too. We just need an OpenStreetMap green version of it now.