In the next few months, we will be upgrading the software we run with a new version.
The new version includes
many new features.
As with all of our past upgrades, we keep down time to a minimum. I think the last upgrade only had the site down for a couple of hours.
As a result of the upgrade, the appearance of the forum usually changes
drastically during the time between the installation of the upgrade and the rebuilding of the forum's "skin".
Also during that time, some of the features that I have actually written/patched-in are unavailable, such as the last ten posts in a member's profile, or the spellchecker.
Believe me, I work non-stop until everything is back to normal.
So, here is the (edited) list of new features that may effect you when made available in the next few months:
QUOTE
- New account suspension system; totally automated temporary bans. (this will likely replace the strike system)
-Autohide forthcoming calendar events when none to show
-Autohide today's birthdays when none to show
-Board guidelines/rules feature added
-CSS W3C validation (will look better in many browsers)
-XHTML 1.0 Transitional W3C Validation (will look better in many browsers)
-\"Site Jump\" added to \"Forum Jump\" drop down menu
-Restyled header, combining new link strip with icons
-Auto session ID hiding (no more long URLs)
-Auto \"new posts\" forum marker reset when viewing topic list
-Short URL tags; easy & quick access to forums & topics; search engine friendlier too!
-Forum rules display above forum, topic and posting screens
-\"Jump to page\" feature in forum and topic views
-Personal Photo facility added to enable members to upload/link to a personal photo
-New avatar control panel; including new avatar galleries / auto resizer
-Integrity Messenger integration added
-Custom profile fields can now be used in Topic View (already hacked into our board :-\" )
-New registration authorization system allows for validation emails to be resent
-New streamlined lost password system; allows member to select their own password
-Ability to resend validation email
-Flood control / max email per day added
-Ranged Events feature; includes user defined font & bg colours
-Recurring Events; repeat weekly, monthly or annually
-New, improved layout - turn birthdays on and off
-More list options added by using [list=1] / [list=i] / [list=I] / [list=a] / [list=A]
-BB Code help screen added, shows common code usage
-Error screens show text area with any post material in allowing you to copy it before hitting \"back\" (no more lost posts!)
-Ability to show inline attached images as thumbnails
-\"Enable Topic Tracking\" checkbox in each new post / reply post page
-Topic starter can create a poll after the topic has been posted
-Setting for the maximum number of poll questions allowed
-When editing a poll, the editor has an option to add new choices to the poll
-Option to allow members to view poll results without forfeiting their vote
-Full text searching available; vastly reduced searching times and improved efficiency
-View results as post now orders by post date, not topic's last posted date
-Private messages includes better error handler to prevent lost messages when an error occurs
-New \"Empty PM Folders\" feature to quickly prune saved messages
-Inbox, Sent items and custom folders shown in main UCP menu for quick access
-New sorting options added (online user list); ability to view only members or guests
Mike