GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Dec 26, 2013 19:53:45 GMT -8
Many user avatars are no longer displayed under version 5. You will need to update your profiles in order to restore what you had under version 4.? ... since the conversion set many (but not all!) profiles to 'default' instead of the custom Avatar. Also, the profiles are not displaying residence country (flags) or gender images, etc. Many of the things I had complete control of before are now only available via "plug-ins", which are some sort of compiled scripts that are not easily viewable (or modifiable). I am not in the mood to go searching for such plug-ins to restore more of the appearance of profiles, so don't expect anything to change there in the near future. I am still pursuing the ability to display background images appropriate to the various Boards. At least one ProBoards staff member has been working to restore what you see on the Home Page ... so give Bryan the credit, not me for any restorations (so far).
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Zu
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Post by Zu on Dec 27, 2013 2:39:23 GMT -8
The forum looks much better now. Feels much closer to the original. There are still some annoyances though, like: - No custom icons for threads - Threads with new posts having a tiny "new" sign next to the title, instead of simply changing the big icon - No outlines for custom level tables - The posts with the brighter shade of green are unbearably bright - The titles of threads and of the main page forum sections not being as visible as they should (it would be nice if the text could be set to bold or something)
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Zu
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Post by Zu on Dec 29, 2013 9:09:33 GMT -8
So... is there anything that can be done at least about this painfully bright green?
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Dec 29, 2013 9:36:53 GMT -8
So... is there anything that can be done at least about this painfully bright green? One thing I have been able to locate is an area where (some) colors may be changed. The only problem I anticipate for this 'challenge' is that the process uses color names, so I will have to experiment with RGB syntax (whether the de-limitters are ", # or none) for the replacement color. For example, I believe that this color "006400" will disappear under one background, and this color "008000" will disappear under the other. So it appears that "008000" is the background color for the area in which I am typing right now. It may be that this color "00FF00" is the background that you object to.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Dec 29, 2013 9:43:23 GMT -8
So... is there anything that can be done at least about this painfully bright green? How's this?
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Zu
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Post by Zu on Dec 29, 2013 13:10:46 GMT -8
That's definitely a much better alternative. Thank you, GooRoo!
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Dec 29, 2013 13:30:31 GMT -8
That's definitely a much better alternative. Thank you, GooRoo! That one is relatively simple to change. But I just found out that Version 5 re-numbered threads ... again! I was only a little more than 5/8 ths of the way through correcting the broken links from the last two upgrades, and it looks like the same thing is going to happen to us again. For this upgrade, they have a re-direct mechanism in place, so Version 4.5 links still work. But when they upgrade again, the re-direct will be tossed, and all existing links will be broken ... again!!! I am sure that is what happened to cause the problem I have been working for several weeks to fix; a re-direct for Version 4 links (dating back to version 3) was tossed in version 4.5 ... breaking the old links. I narrowed down the problem to threads without activity since some time in 2006, which has made corrections faster for 2007+ threads. But fixing a thread with broken links from the index resulted in a new URL completely different from the ones previously used. And pasting the new link into the broken index member, refreshing everything, and using the link to get to the thread resulted in "404 page not found"! If I cannot even copy and paste thread URLs into the index, and have them work, the entire system is KAPUT!
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Dec 30, 2013 22:16:17 GMT -8
Okay, the Version 5 update once again has changed the thread access (URL) ... and there is a re-direct process so that Version 4.5 (and most earlier) thread URLs can be properly accessed. Bad news ... in order to prevent the situation of belatedly discovering that most of the links are broken when Version 5.x (or 6) happens, it will be necessary to fix all of the index links ... again. The good news is, the long string beginning with "index.cgi" and (usually) ending with "thread=" can be replaced with "thread/", resulting in a much shorter URL string. <a href="http://gooroosgruntz.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=GC5&thread=633"><b>Converting Kitchen</b></a> Converting Kitchen and <a href="http://gooroosgruntz.proboards.com/thread/633"><b>Converting Kitchen</b></a> Converting Kitchenshould yield the same result.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 11, 2014 12:05:32 GMT -8
I have now completed the broken link fix for "Honey, I Shrunk The Gruntz" Custom Levels ... started before the Version 5 ProBoards update. The CLs I worked on after the Version 5 ProBoards update are fine, but the ones before the change still have the Version 4.5 Universal Bulletin Board Code (UBBC), and any edit to a post which contains a link or an image or custom color will be 'broken' again. You see, Version 5 has postz migrating from UBBC toward HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML), so the former image tags {img}...{/img} (bracez instead of bracketz to prevent translationz) are translated to {img src="...} and just "}. Universal Resource Locators (url) change from {url=...} and {/url} to {a href="...} and {/a}. {color=...} is now {font color=...} and {/color} is now {/font}. I plan to just continue on with "The Miniature Masterz" CLs, using Version 5 tags (and continuing the practice of creating Announcement.txt files within the CL's folders as back-ups) through "Gruntz In Space" CLs. Then I hope to be able to go back through all of the CLs I worked on prior to the Version 5 update, fixing them, as well. I review (and correct, if necessary) the related indices with the Version 5 thread naming methodology (thread/ replacing the long strings that existed in Version 4.5). I probably should take the time right now (instead of after GIS is complete) to update the "Criteria" thread with Version 5 code examples, so that new announcements may be created adhering to Version 5 standards. That alone will be a huge effort, since there are so many links and images, and color changes in the post. Fortunately, NotePad's replace function works quite nicely, thank you, for fixing most of the differences. What cannot be done with 'replace' is fixing the ends of the (former) url strings. (The end tags are usually far removed from the begin tags, so changing {/url} to "{/a} ... adding in the ending double quote ... doesn't work. I will have to just visually scan for where that ending double quote mark should be inserted. The process is made longer, because the 'Preview' function of 'Edit' removes all of the CR/LF (carriage return/line feed) combinations, cramming everything together, making the code unmanageable. Trying to find the things I missed in my manual process is extremely cumbersome. And I have to work with my NotePad member in fixing the errors, and re-copy to the ProBoards post in order to check for further errors. So I am going to take a break for lunch now, and decide on my plan of attack later.
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Post by Blaze The Movie Fan on Jan 11, 2014 12:13:46 GMT -8
I have a suggestion, maybe you should try a different message board provider. Perhaps some where the thread links don't change every few months.
I know something like that could cost money, but I really hate the fact that you have to update the links all the time.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 14, 2014 13:03:48 GMT -8
I have completed the update for Custom Levelz by Release Date, 2000 through 2014. Due to the flaky display on this computer, I have not verified that all of the new links actually work properly. I added links to the bottom of each year display, to the other years. Now someone could start with year 2000, testing links, then move to year 2001, et cetera. I plan on doing that when I complete correcting Forum threads in "The Miniature Masterz" and "Gruntz In Space" graphics areas. Because once I finish those areas, I will back-up my hard drive Gruntz onto a flash drive, and 'sneaker net' to my new computer. That will also provide me with an up-to-date Gruntz Extraz DVD. Gaby, please PM me your current correct "Snail Mail" address, so I may mail you the completed DVD version for your own files.
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Post by SwordGrunt on Jan 16, 2014 9:40:40 GMT -8
I have a suggestion, maybe you should try a different message board provider. Perhaps some where the thread links don't change every few months. I know something like that could cost money, but I really hate the fact that you have to update the links all the time. But think of all the information that would be lost... and all the topicz that would have to be re-posted... I can't see that being a solution more than a new problem.
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Post by Blaze The Movie Fan on Jan 16, 2014 11:52:36 GMT -8
Of course, I didn't think of that, I apologize.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 24, 2014 8:13:34 GMT -8
I am in the process of replacing the last of the default posting buttons, and have ready to be installed (and thought I had already installed three of them!) so should soon have posting in threads looking the same as it was before the Version 5 update. Now I just have to find out what I did wrong in changing the three default images, so that my work will actually take effect.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 24, 2014 9:49:19 GMT -8
I am in the process of replacing the last of the default posting buttons, and have ready to be installed (and thought I had already installed three of them!) so should soon have posting in threads looking the same as it was before the Version 5 update. Now I just have to find out what I did wrong in changing the three default images, so that my work will actually take effect. I made my changes in the 'Basic' theme (the one we would fall back to if the web host went down), and needed to make the changes to the 'Default' theme ... which I have now done. Color and E-mail do not have a 'selected' option, so those images will not change when the mouse moves over them.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 24, 2014 11:20:26 GMT -8
I am in the process of replacing the last of the default posting buttons, and have ready to be installed (and thought I had already installed three of them!) so should soon have posting in threads looking the same as it was before the Version 5 update. Now I just have to find out what I did wrong in changing the three default images, so that my work will actually take effect. I made my changes in the 'Basic' theme (the one we would fall back to if the web host went down), and needed to make the changes to the 'Default' theme ... which I have now done. Color and E-mail do not have a 'selected' option, so those images will not change when the mouse moves over them. All of the images now have "Gruntzy" switch-type buttons displayed. Somehow, I removed one of the default buttons (remove format), and have not found the basic image in order to provide a replacement for it. So there was a space between subscript and justify left ... that a ProBoards staff member has just restored for me . So now I can go to work on providing a suitable replacement image, and this part of the Forum will be back as close as possible to pre-Version 5 appearance.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 24, 2014 12:07:37 GMT -8
Blaze The Movie Fan mentioned the missing flag in the profile of the posterz. So I am going to research the plug-ins that deal with profiles, to see what can be done about restoring that. Can anyone recall anything else that is missing now, that was in the profile display before Version 5? I will attempt to restore everything we had before the update.
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Post by SwordGrunt on Jan 24, 2014 15:45:29 GMT -8
Blaze The Movie Fan mentioned the missing flag in the profile of the posterz. So I am going to research the plug-ins that deal with profiles, to see what can be done about restoring that. Can anyone recall anything else that is missing now, that was in the profile display before Version 5? I will attempt to restore everything we had before the update. Was there any other custom profile item here? I don't remember any, but then again, I don't trust my own memory. I was overwhelmed by the changes on this version yesterday when I created a forum for a Doom clan. While it seems more user-friendly for new people, it certainly isn't good for us who were used to the old layout... The admin panel is completely different in particular.
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Gaby
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Post by Gaby on Jan 24, 2014 16:29:11 GMT -8
Blaze The Movie Fan mentioned the missing flag in the profile of the posterz. So I am going to research the plug-ins that deal with profiles, to see what can be done about restoring that. Can anyone recall anything else that is missing now, that was in the profile display before Version 5? I will attempt to restore everything we had before the update. there were iconz for E-mail and PM, as well... there used to be an arrow TO BOTTOM/TO TOP... there was also a WELCOME (user name), on the banner...
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jan 24, 2014 18:41:44 GMT -8
The Inbox button has been restored, and for PMz there is now a notification that there is a new Personal Message ... do you want to view it? So I am not concerned about those two ... at least, not as a high-priority task.
But the fact that there is now empty space above the main menu buttonz is something I would like to do something about ... it just lookz ... unbalanced. Also, I suppose it is worth considering extending the menu bar up to 1024 pixels wide, to match the width of the background image.
There are hundredz of "plug-ins" available, most dealing with thingz I do not want to see on this Forum, such as "Shout Box" and "Money" and "Karma".
Also, I saw an absolutely terrible Forum design when researching said plug-ins ... images overlaying images, so that there was absolutely nothing that was in complete view on the Home page. Similar to the statement about "absolute power" ... extreme flexibility leadz to extremely dreadful resultz.
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