Some feedback on the design

[Violet_82]

Hi all,
I haven't used the forum for a while so lot of the functionalities are new to me and I have to admit I found some of them really counter intuitive/annoying.

For a start, the way to reply to threads, that "Reply to this topic" button at the bottom that then turns into a small window which is incredibly annoying. Yes you can press esc and that turns into a full window but there you lose all the formatting options (code, quote etc): why can't we hav a normal full size window with all the options to reply to a thread as a default?
Then I tried to edit a post after I replied: I couldn't find an edit button to do so, that's extremely annoying and frustrating, where, if any, is the edit button?!
EDIT: about the edit button: I discovered that it's there, only it only appears at the bottom of the page so to see it you have to scroll all the way to the bottom first before thrying to edit something, still annoying, but less than what I first believed...

There might be more things, I will add when I discover them.
cheers

[rproffitt]

The edit icon is ghostly. That is it hides until you mouse over it's area. Also it's in that trendy low contrast coloring.

Try putting your mouse on the upvote thumb and to the right the ghost of options show up.

As to the full screen mode, this forum has embraced Markdown. For me it's jarring at times plus the editor hates other things as well. But it's what its maker wanted so here we are.

[Reverend Jim]

It's not my favourite interface but you can't please everyone. Personally, for short posts I just create the post in TextPad then copy/paste into Daniweb. For anything longer I create the post in MarkdownPad, then copy/paste. It allows me to get the formatting right before posting and it also keeps me from losing a partial post if something locks up.

[alan.davies]

Like previous iterations, too many hidden features. How to do this or that should be obvious eg esc for full page editor. Not that intuitive. Hate trying to get to a post from the forum listing. Every time I end up on the last poster's profile. Grrr

[Dani]

Yes you can press esc and that turns into a full window but there you lose all the formatting options (code, quote etc)

The editor toolbar will be coming to full-screen mode in the future.

why can't we hav a normal full size window with all the options to reply to a thread as a default?

I don't know of any forums or Q&A sites that have full size editor mode as the default. Certainly DaniWeb has never been that way.

Then I tried to edit a post after I replied: I couldn't find an edit button to do so, that's extremely annoying and frustrating, where, if any, is the edit button?!

As has always been the case, you can edit your post for up to 15 minutes after posting to correct things like typos, etc. It's been this way for well over a decade, so it's not something specific to our current design.

EDIT: about the edit button: I discovered that it's there, only it only appears at the bottom of the page so to see it you have to scroll all the way to the bottom first before thrying to edit something, still annoying, but less than what I first believed...

Sorry, I'm misunderstanding you? All the way at the bottom of the page? Do you mean at the bottom of the post?

As to the full screen mode, this forum has embraced Markdown. For me it's jarring at times plus the editor hates other things as well. But it's what its maker wanted so here we are.

Before Markdown, the moderation team spent hours every day correcting broken formatting on posts. Markdown has been a godsend.

How to do this or that should be obvious eg esc for full page editor. Not that intuitive.

Pressing ESC to get to the full page editor is just a shortcut, the same way you can use Ctrl+B for bold instead of clicking the Bold button in the toolbar. The full page editor button is second from the right in the toolbar. It has a little expand icon and has a little Fullscreen tooltip when you hover over it.

[Dani]

Every time I end up on the last poster's profile.

Click literally anywhere except for the avatars :) Clicking on reply count goes to last post in the thread. Anywhere else to the first post.

[dojo]

Well, the forum has clearly evolved since I last spent time here. Anyway .. looks pretty dandy, as usual, and well developed. Dani, you're doing a tremendous work here ;)

[Dani]

Thanks! Let me know if you have any constructive criticism.

[Violet_82]

Sorry, I'm misunderstanding you? All the way at the bottom of the page? Do you mean at the bottom of the post?

That's OK, yes I meant that it's all the way down to the last post as I expected an "edit" button to be wither fixed positioned or for each thread, but that's I guess personal preferences.

I don't know of any forums or Q&A sites that have full size editor mode as the default. Certainly DaniWeb has never been that way.

If I remember correctly in the old days there was just a textx area to reply to the thread which wasn't kind of floating as the current one is and, again I seem to remember, it spanned across the whole width of the page whereas the current window noe is only like half of the width of the page and you can't make it bigger other than making it full width - sorry maybe that wasn't clear

[alan.davies]

Click literally anywhere except for the avatars :) Clicking on reply count goes to last post in the thread. Anywhere else to the first post.

Yes I understand, but two avatars catch the attention and I think, ooh... first post and last post, not first poster and last poster. I get it's my fault, but I just can't get out of the habit. I'm a face squisher by nature :)

[rproffitt]

@alan.davies, busted. Photo evidence at https://imgur.com/gallery/x8nJN

[AndreRet]

I must agree, many changes around if you have not been here for a while. I have not been here for around 5 years or so (returned a few times to find a different look). I remember I tried to login once and a new login system was in place at the time. I couldn't so I just left it at that. In a search today I landed here again and before I could wipe my eyes, I started posting again... :)

I must say, I like the new interface Dani, much more elegant. The editor is a pain though, I constantly need to minimize it, then check what I am answering on or copying, then open again and try to keep track. I agree with Jim, do the post from an editor and paste it.

The relevant info opening up for me is also not as good as it used to be in the "good 'ol days", back then we had menus for all the relevant topics and languages. Now I need to specific search for a language or topic, it returns some questions (some very old) and forces me to search again. Another thing I picked up, the speed of loading etc increased big time, well done!

Hello Jim, Dani!

[Dani]

That's OK, yes I meant that it's all the way down to the last post as I expected an "edit" button to be wither fixed positioned or for each thread, but that's I guess personal preferences.

Sorry, I'm still misunderstanding you. Individual post edits are per-post, not per-thread.

If I remember correctly in the old days there was just a textx area to reply to the thread which wasn't kind of floating as the current one is and, again I seem to remember, it spanned across the whole width of the page whereas the current window noe is only like half of the width of the page and you can't make it bigger other than making it full width - sorry maybe that wasn't clear

We've gone through many different iterations over the past 2 decades. Some were wider than others, but they were always a fixed width.

I remember I tried to login once and a new login system was in place at the time. I couldn't so I just left it at that.

Sorry the Dazah login was a confusing experience for you. It was confusing for lots of people, so while we kept the exact same technology under the hood, we renamed it DaniWeb Connect. It's amazing what a rebranding will do to lessen confusion!

In a search today I landed here again and before I could wipe my eyes, I started posting again... :)

Welcome back!!

The editor is a pain though, I constantly need to minimize it, then check what I am answering on or copying, then open again and try to keep track. I agree with Jim, do the post from an editor and paste it.

With all previous iterations, the editor was always at the bottom of the page. Each time you needed to view a post to see what you are answering or copying, you needed to scroll up. Then, remember what you read, and scroll back down to modify your post. Lots and lots of scrolling! The idea here is that you can scroll throughout the page, and view every post, with the editor taking up half the screen and the post taking up the other half, so you can always see older posts and compose your own post at the same time. Depending on your browser resolution, you might need to minimize while you scroll, find the post you want, and then restore the editor, without having to scroll up and down.

The relevant info opening up for me is also not as good as it used to be in the "good 'ol days", back then we had menus for all the relevant topics and languages.

We still have that, no?

Now I need to specific search for a language or topic, it returns some questions (some very old) and forces me to search again.

Umm ... are you doing that corectly? It sounds like you're performing a search?