GWJ bugs, feature requests, and updates

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Use this thread to report bugs and discuss ideas for new features on the GWJ site.

If you're reporting a security-related issue (hacks, phishing, cross site scripting, etc.), please directly contact Doogiemac instead of reporting it publicly here.

Current list of ideas:

  • Better Search (no sig searching, time frame, actual posts over whole threads): Plan is to use Apache Solr + Drupal apachesolr module.
  • Mobile Site
  • Chatroom (Link to IRC channel?)
  • PM Multiple Users
  • Double-Post Blocker (Check if post is identical to last post)
  • Grant others permission to edit a post
  • Calander (xbl, psn, steam integration)
  • Auto-locking / warning when posting in old threads
  • Warning for coffee grinders to why they can't post images, etc
  • Popular threads link goes to first new post not first post
  • Collapsible quotes
  • More prominent link to IRC (http://webchat.quakenet.org/)
  • Better member listings for attributes like XBLA / PSN / Steam tags

Completed ideas:

  • Mechanism to tag a thread as a "catch-all", along with a directory of catch-alls
  • Ability to Set Last Read Post of a Thread (Button)
  • Thread Following (Stickies, Favorites, UnFavorite)
  • Subscribe / unsubscribe from a thread
  • Mobile-friendly spoiler toggle on mobile
  • Mis-matched Tags Warning

Updates

I'd like a way to follow threads without having to post in them. Some discussions are interesting and I don't have much to add but fear losing track of them in all the hustle and bustle.

I think generally a more featured forum would be appreciated by a lot of people. There have been threads which have looked for things like an ignore list. Having said that, One of the things I like about GWJ is that it's fairly plain without integrating features from every website under the sun just because you can. I guess defining what you don't aim to do is as important as what you do aim to do.

For the record, I consider sig images a plague.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'd like a way to follow threads without having to post in them.

And the converse: the ability to untrack a thread would be great.

I have few sporadic times in the year where I'll travel for 2 weeks and most threads will have 100+ posts in them. That also coincides with not being able to read all 100+ posts, but by clicking on them, all the thread will be marked as read.

Could the read status be limited by page? 100+ posts means at least 4 pages or unread comments; reading the first one, the remaining 3 could still be seen as "new" to said reader.

Something more mobile friendly for android and iphone.

Please forgive me, some of these are old and I don't mean to harp on them. They're just things I'd like to see.

When you go to a user's "track" tab to see their recent posts, the links there don't link directly to the actual post, just the thread, and a link to new posts. It'd be great if that list would link directly to the person's post.

Google search is serviceable, but it uses google's algorithm and isn't really a straight-up text search. It also returns matches in the "recent posts" box, people's sigs, locations, tags, etc.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

When you go to a user's "track" tab to see their recent posts, the links there don't link directly to the actual post, just the thread, and a link to new posts. It'd be great if that list would link directly to the person's post.

One of the things that bothers me most about the "track" tab is that it shows in order of most recent post by anyone. I'd like an option to view in order of most recent post by the user I'm looking at.

I'd also like to see added a sanity check at the time of posting to prevent people from putting too many [ /quote ] tags, and thus breaking the rest of the page.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'd like a way to follow threads without having to post in them. Some discussions are interesting and I don't have much to add but fear losing track of them in all the hustle and bustle.

This has been one of my personal issues for awhile, but I'd like to solve it by adding thread-level RSS feeds. I believe there's already a Drupal module for it, so it shouldn't be too much work.

The current track page is kind of basic. The features mentioned are a good start, but I suspect they're the tip of the iceberg in that area.

Good ideas already. I'd say more than anything: search, search, search. Google's search is just so wacky. If nothing else, I'd like to see the search more heavily weight thread titles against individual posts (it may already do this, but if so google isn't scanning it well). I'd love to see some sort of improvement in thematic searching...maybe tagging? Metadata is all the rage. I don't know if that would be impossible to implement.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'd like a way to follow threads without having to post in them. Some discussions are interesting and I don't have much to add but fear losing track of them in all the hustle and bustle.

Similar request, I'd like a way to "favorite" threads. Like, if I go to my own tracking page, I can have my favorites show up on top of the list, regardless of whether they've been updated recently.

While we are harping on the search feature. Is there a way to get it to ignore everyone's sig?

Hobbes2099 wrote:

I have few sporadic times in the year where I'll travel for 2 weeks and most threads will have 100+ posts in them. That also coincides with not being able to read all 100+ posts, but by clicking on them, all the thread will be marked as read.

Could the read status be limited by page? 100+ posts means at least 4 pages or unread comments; reading the first one, the remaining 3 could still be seen as "new" to said reader.

I second this awesome suggestion.

Scratched wrote:

One of the things I like about GWJ is that it's fairly plain without integrating features from every website under the sun just because you can. I guess defining what you don't aim to do is as important as what you do aim to do.

QFMFT

Also, +1 for a way to 'add (a thread) to favorites' to replace the current Track feature.

The ability to PM multiple users within one message.

Maybe some sort of PSN/Live/Steam integration with a potential calendar for events. Then, of course, the ability to tie these to threads.

Stickied unread threads need an icon that isn't the same as stickied read threads. :p

It would be great if the video thread didn't have that phantom page showing up.

One thing before I forget it, people not closing tags properly (too few or too many closing tags) messing up all following posts

Stability comes first, but I'd love to help with a truly mobile site.

I was thinking it'd be pretty cool to have a live chat box along the sidebar. It would make for great impromptu game matches, and quick discussions on recent topics and such. Basically anyone logged in can enter the chat room and have a word with others.

However, this feature wouldn't be as important to me as a fixed search engine, or even this:

Hobbes2099 wrote:

I have few sporadic times in the year where I'll travel for 2 weeks and most threads will have 100+ posts in them. That also coincides with not being able to read all 100+ posts, but by clicking on them, all the thread will be marked as read.

Could the read status be limited by page? 100+ posts means at least 4 pages or unread comments; reading the first one, the remaining 3 could still be seen as "new" to said reader.

Another one that I would find useful: the ability to mark a thread as unread starting from any arbitrary post. Like, a link next to the usual "quote" and "link" links that, when clicked will mark the rest of the thread as unread. I think this might satisfy Hobbes' request as well (per-page "newness")?

Edwin wrote:

Something more mobile friendly for android and iphone.

Not to harp on the search too much, but it would be nice to be able to exclude signatures from the search.

NSMike wrote:

Not to harp on the search too much, but it would be nice to be able to exclude signatures from the search.

On the topic of searching, I'd agree with ignore sigs, but also I think it would behoove us to add in some advanced features as well. Date/time restrictions, forums to search, etc. It's long overdue, might as well over-do it

Also, a properly done Mobile Friendly site would be nice. HTML5 all the way, etc (or just something that works, I'm not that picky)

I get a feeling that whoever implements a proper search is going to have a statue dedicated to them in Minecraft or something

Now my curiosity about the search issue is piqued.

Drupal has a search function baked-in, IIRC. I think most forums that disable the internal search in favor of Google's usually do it for performance reasons. If that's the case for GWJ, do we need to restrict it to only logged in users? Do we maybe just need hosting with more cycles available?

Last I knew, GWJ was hosted over at Linode.com under the Linode 1080 plan and was running Ubuntu 8. I'm not sure what has changed by now...

Certis wrote:

I get a feeling that whoever implements a proper search is going to have a statue dedicated to them in Minecraft or something ;)

So do I get to pick what the statue looks like?

merphle wrote:

Another one that I would find useful: the ability to mark a thread as unread starting from any arbitrary post. Like, a link next to the usual "quote" and "link" links that, when clicked will mark the rest of the thread as unread. I think this might satisfy Hobbes' request as well (per-page "newness")?

it would indeed; but I'd love a "keep unread after this post".

Also, minor tweak I just thought of after seen a Coffee Grinder post;

many newcomers will ask why their posts "look funny" and it's up to the community to explain about the HTML restrictions.
maybe until the Coffee Grinder has gained the ability to post links, to have a disclaimer or warning;

IMAGE(http://imgur.com/lMVE5.png)

or something to that effect

DSGamer with a gray cat avatar wrote:

Now my curiosity about the search issue is piqued.

Bonus_Eruptus with a gray cat avatar wrote:

So do I get to pick what the statue looks like?

I think we all know what that statue is gonna be now.

My only request is to not add any more pictures like in the signature and such (as posted above)

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