OK, Upgrade's done. I also gave it a bit of a face lift. I'm sure not everyone will like it, but I would like opinions. The only thing that needs to be done, is update some of the graphics ("New Thread", "Reply" etc.). So what's everyone think?

-Tom

I like it. Especially the VNN Links at the top.

Congratulations for the baby,BTW.

Great looking improvement aesthetically, but will take getting used to the functions being in a different place

Other than the cosmetic changes - which I like btw - any technical advantages gained? I mean, are there any new features we should be made aware of? (Being the pc halfwit that I am, I sometimes need these things pointed out to me).

Here's the new features in VB 3. The last version running was Beta 7, which had a lot of these, but this is the newest full version, candidate 3, anyway. Some of these may not apply to regular users, but here's the list:


Forum Index

Show the title of the last posted to thread for each forum on index.php
Todays birthdays to not always refresh the cached template when someone submits a profile.
Option to remove "moderator" column via on/off in Admin CP

Forums / Categories

Password protected forums
Meta tags -- forum descriptions (and keywords?) are added to the Meta tags for each forum page
Thread preview on mouse-over (optional, via Admin CP)
Subscribed threads are indicated with an icon on thread / forumdisplay listings
Expand/collapse categories in forum view

Threads / Posts

Hit counter on announcements
Threaded and hybrid views (optional, via Admin CP and/or User CP)
Similar threads display (optional, via Admin CP)
All user info cells are combined into one template
Quick reply box (with optional "forced" click on post to quote)

Posting / Editing

WYSIWYG Editor for major text input fields (IE 5.5+, Mozilla 1.3+, Mozilla Firebird 0.6.1+)
Minimum number of characters in post
Insert smilie/vB code where cursor is (IE 5+ Only)
Preview on edit
Ability to add attachment when editing a post instead of just when creating
Reason for editing
Reason for deleting
Hitting the back button no longer necessary when you have too many images
Ability to manage thread (for mods and admins) while posting (i.e. - lock, stick, etc.)
Quotes are not included in min char count to keep members from posting long quotes with no content of their own (optional, via Admin CP)
Attempting to post a duplicate thread now results in an error message, and the user being sent back to the forumdisplay listing
Non-WYSIWYG editor shares many of its interface components with WYSIWYG editor for visual consistency

Attachments

Multiple attachments
Preview safe attachments
Attachment images (.gif,.jpg,,etc) are no longer in the database (optional, via Admin CP)
Attachment thumbnails (requires PHP to have GD enabled)

Calendar

Much improved calander system (too many changes to mention)
Multiple calendars
Calendar moderators
Private event reminder
Multiple days events (spanning multiple days)
Reoccuring events (monthly, weekly, annually, etc.)
Specify holidays
Events visible to specific user groups
Ability to add custom fields to calendar
Calendar events on forum index (optional, via Admin CP)
Option for full day events (instead of having to select an hourly span)

Email

Digests: new posts/threads in selected forums daily/weekly/monthly
"excerpt of message:" are now in the new reply email notifications
'report post to mod' sends anonymous copy to the original poster of the message
Happy b'day emails
Newsletter / mailling integration
Opt-out list for e-mail options
User activation emails and lost password emails will not use the mailqueue, resulting in instant delivery
Ability to disable the mailqueue system completely (useful for boards with small amounts of traffic)

Login

No more "nosessionhash" setting.
No more use cookies setting
MD5 password by javascript before it is sent to the server
Option to save cookie *on this computer* when logging in
Login/logout ability in all pages, with user/pass form -- single login system
"Want to register?" and "Forgotten your password?" before user/pass form fields, for using tab
Password break-in watches -- too many failed attempts warning with a preset wait after too many failures.

PMs

Completely revamped PM system
Integrating Tracking with the Regular Folders
Mass download of PMs in CSV, TXT, or XML format
Preview PM before sending
Ability to send PM to multiple receipents
Mark PM(s) as read/unread
Private messages are now grouped by sending date, and each group can be collapsed to conserve screen space

Polls

Option for users to see who voted for which option (public vote)
When you vote your name is highlighted when viewing results
Poll results ordered by most to less voted
Ability to post a poll AFTER a thread had started
Threads that do not already have polls now include a link at the bottom of the posts lists that allows users (with permissions to create polls) to add a poll to that thread

Registration / New Users

Quick registration system...username, password, email and any required custom fields and timezone
Send an email "thanks for registering and welcome to .." on user registration (welcome email)
Image / word verification for registration (requires PHP to have GD enabled)
New user moderation:
-- Radio buttons for "approve", "deny", "not sure" (save in limbo)
-- Default emails to send to approved and disapproved users
New COPPA system which requires date of birth to be entered and the appropriate page shown, this will cut down on under 13 registrations into a non COPPA group
**NEW**: Ability to disable COPPA users (users under age 13) from registering
**NEW**: Ability to set default registration options for most options in User Control Panel

Search

Get daily for just one category
Search only in subscribed forums
A list of ignored words or words used in a search are added to the results page
Option to find only started by 'username'
Display matching forums in results
Support for searching custom profile fields
Search for exact username (e.g. turn off wildcards)
Search flood check
Autoselect forumid for search when clicking search button on toplinks from the forum.
Quoted text excluded from search results
Associate searchid with userid so people can't insert searchid's and get results they're not supposed to see
Search system is improved with regards to speed. Even faster now!
Select multiple forums to search
Search flood check does not apply to admins and mods
Search for users based on custom profile fields.

User Group Options --> User CP (Group Memberships)

Public User Groups (PUGs) that members can "join" via User CP
Usergroup leaders can view who is in their user group
Usergroup leaders can remove users from their group

User Options --> User CP

Settings / Options Section:

User Pictures - user can upload a personal picture. This picture is shown in the profile of the user.
Longer signature field with optional limit
Option to enable / disable daylight savings time
Option to select default type of subscription in User CP (rather than just subscribe or don't subscribe)
**NEW**: Requires password when changing e-mail address

Subscribed Threads Section:

Subscription to Threads/Forum without receiving e-mails
Change selected subscriptions to selected type (e.g.: like the PM system, with check boxes next to each message, and an option to move, delete, or download them)

Miscellaneous Section:

Users may remove attachments directly from their attachment manager via UCP
Calendar events to which users are subscribed can now be managed via a tool in the user control panel

Other:

Pop-up auto-refreshing buddylist with ICQ-style alerts when new buddies come online.
Validity check for homepages
vCard download (must be enabled in users' control panels) to allow the user profile to be placed into the address boo

BB Code


[ thread ] and [ post ] BB Codes added to link directly to threads / posts
All bbcode/smilies are stripped from posts BEFORE indexpost()
Improved bbcode parser
vBCode descriptions in the "What are vBCodes" link are now the actual descriptions in the database. No more editing the template.
Added default vBCodes: Left Align, Right Align, Center

General / Major Additions


User rating - Karma
User ranking
Removal of redirects
Back to Top link at bottom of page
Search engine friendly archive of open forums (requires Apache)
Restyled FAQ section now looks similar to a forum
Visible "announcement" on forum pages when forum is "off" to remind admin
Drop-down box on pages for changing of styles without going to the user CP

I like that, the white letters on the fuzzy blue field of yore didn't seem as much a part of the text. The navy-blue also makes for a crisper look.

Holy Shit!!! I had to ask, right? Thanks loads - gonna save it to my pc.

OK, Upgrade's done. I also gave it a bit of a face lift. I'm sure not everyone will like it, but I would like opinions. The only thing that needs to be done, is update some of the graphics ("New Thread", "Reply" etc.). So what's everyone think?

-Tom

Hi Tom:

I like the upgrade. Not only because of the improvement to the 'beta' functions below, but because it seems to work the hyperlinks far more quickly and crisply in my IE 5.50 browser. Everything seems to work better and faster for some reason. I am using an AMD-K2/6 450mhz in a 1999 built-from-parts computer running WinMe on a cable-modem. I have newer Athalon machines I've built, but I like to keep what works.

Sometimes the 'improvements' made on WWW pages are not better, as MSNBC changed its format in December and its new format is harder on my old machine in that it runs slower. Your new forum improvement, however, makes my computer run faster.

--Martin Lindstedt

I'm impressed. Forum looks great. Good job Tom.

Here's the new features in VB 3. The last version running was Beta 7, which had a lot of these, but this is the newest full version, candidate 3, anyway. Some of these may not apply to regular users, but here's the list:

....................pages when forum is "off" to remind admin
Drop-down box on pages for changing of styles without going to the user CP
[/list]
Huh!? Doesn't make me any less of a half-wit :confused:
The shaded numbers depicting which page you're on at the bottom right are somewhat vague to see, probably because certain users (like me) are colorblind (red-green)