New forum - questions and suggestions

[DinoToyForum]

Oh, that's really sad...
There are still ways to have it, though...

Life finds a way 

[SBell]

Is it possible to make it so that one does not need to write the verification code and type the answers to the arithmetic problems every time a private message is sent?

See earlier in this thread - I don't think it happens every pm? Maybe it happens every session? I can probably remove it if it continues to be a bother.

Nope, the captcha happens with every PM. But I am getting email notifications, so I know that works!

[DinoToyForum]

On the PM issue, I think I understand it now.

I have an option "Post count under which users must pass verification when sending personal messages". It's a feature to stop spambots doing hidden dirty work in the PM system. The post count was set to five.

Basically, this means that members with fewer than 'n' normal posts are required to verify PMs.
Once member pass this landmark, they can PM, without verification, to their heart's content.

I've now lowered the post count to three.

[Himmapaan]

Is there such a thing as a 'back to top' button that could be installed at all? I just got used to it on the old forum. It makes returning to the top of the page that much easier than scrolling.

[DinoToyForum]

Is there such a thing as a 'back to top' button that could be installed at all? I just got used to it on the old forum. It makes returning to the top of the page that much easier than scrolling.

There certainly is! Now I know it will be used, I'll activate it. One moment please 

[DinoToyForum]

Is there such a thing as a 'back to top' button that could be installed at all? I just got used to it on the old forum. It makes returning to the top of the page that much easier than scrolling.

There certainly is! Now I know it will be used, I'll activate it. One moment please 

'Go up' and 'go down' buttons now present on all boards, next to the page options. 

[Himmapaan]

Grazie mille! 

[DinoToyForum]

I thought they would show on every page. Apparently not. Oh well. 

[0onarcissisto0]

Is there still a link to the Dinosaur toy blog from the forum? It was quite handy before but I can't seem to find it anymore.

[Thundercharge]

Is there still a link to the Dinosaur toy blog from the forum? It was quite handy before but I can't seem to find it anymore.

Yep, on the home page, next to the "Welcome!" banner

[DinoToyForum]

Is there still a link to the Dinosaur toy blog from the forum? It was quite handy before but I can't seem to find it anymore.

Yep, on the home page, next to the "Welcome!" banner

I just experimented with a board that redirects to the blog, but It seemed a bit out of place. I'll put a more obvious link to the blog at the top of the page.

I'm also going to remove "the official forum of the..." text. In some ways the tables have turned and the blog could now be regarded as the official blog of the Dinosaur Toy Forum!

[Simon]

Adam - Is there any way to make the "most recent posts" section mirror the old one?  I mean allowing avatars and signature photos, getting rid of those highly annoying numbers on the left side designating the most recent post numbers, and making the background white like it used to be, and going back to the 30 or 50 most recent posts per page?

I find the current presentation user-unfriendly (10 posts and then you've got to click on the next page - what the hey?) and extremely unappealing to the eye.

Frankly every time I click on the most recent posts I feel deterred from posting a message when I am confronted with this visual presentation.

Anyone else have the same opinion?

[SBell]

Adam - Is there any way to make the "most recent posts" section mirror the old one?  I mean allowing avatars and signature photos, getting rid of those highly annoying numbers on the left side designating the most recent post numbers, and making the background white like it used to be, and going back to the 30 or 50 most recent posts per page?

I find the current presentation user-unfriendly (10 posts and then you've got to click on the next page - what the hey?) and extremely unappealing to the eye.

Frankly every time I click on the most recent posts I feel deterred from posting a message when I am confronted with this visual presentation.

Anyone else have the same opinion?

I would second this opinion--it is a hard front page to navigate, and I find it overwhelming.

[DinoToyForum]

Adam - Is there any way to make the "most recent posts" section mirror the old one?  I mean allowing avatars and signature photos, getting rid of those highly annoying numbers on the left side designating the most recent post numbers, and making the background white like it used to be, and going back to the 30 or 50 most recent posts per page?

I find the current presentation user-unfriendly (10 posts and then you've got to click on the next page - what the hey?) and extremely unappealing to the eye.

Frankly every time I click on the most recent posts I feel deterred from posting a message when I am confronted with this visual presentation.

Anyone else have the same opinion?

This is actually something I'm already looking into. The actual number of recent posts per page is not that important, because, like you say, you can go to the next page. That's something you couldn't do with the old forum, which only had a single page.

But I agree it would be helpful if avatars and the like were included, and the big numbers are not necessary.

The white background is a general setting that I can change, but I'll stick with the pale blue for now.

[DinoToyForum]

I'll have to install a mod to change the recent posts section, something like this: http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1153 There are preview pics on the page I've linked to, is this what you had in mind? Although I'm not sure if it will be compatible with our version of the forum software. I'll have to check...

[Hynerpeton]

How do I get a avatar and sig?

[Seijun]

Is there a way to add a link to the blog in the main menu? (Home, Help, Search, Profile, etc)  I am constantly trying to find it there for some reason.

[DinoToyForum]

Is there a way to add a link to the blog in the main menu? (Home, Help, Search, Profile, etc)  I am constantly trying to find it there for some reason.

There isn't a simple way, but it can be done. I'll consider it in the future.

[Himmapaan]

In some ways the tables have turned and the blog could now be regarded as the official blog of the Dinosaur Toy Forum!

I must say, I tend to regard it that way myself!

Simon and Sean, I wonder if it would be better to click 'Show unread posts since last visit' right at the top of the forum, beneath the banner and next to your username and avatar? I personally find this much more satisfactory, since whole threads show up and I can keep track of them far better than going through a list of individual posts from all over the place. I've never used the 'Recent posts' menu option myself and have only just looked at it. It is indeed confusing and perhaps would only be minimally lessened even with the inclusion of avatars, pictures, etc in any case.

[DinoToyForum]

In my search for a solution for the recent topic query, I've found an option to add a list of recent posts to the Info Centre on the main page. Which I have done. I can include more posts if required. if anyone finds it useful, let me know. Otherwise I can remove it.