IPB 4.3.x Issues and Suggestions

[Phillyman]

Today I pushed us forward to the newest version of IPB, we went from version 4.2.x to 4.3.x. This brought quite a bunch of changes to the system, so as you guys find things that are broken or work differently, just let me know and I will see if there is a fix/mod that can resolve it

 

[kitsunebi]

[Phillyman]

8 minutes ago, kitsunebi77 said:

 

Everything works perfectly fine!

[kitsunebi]

Erm.  Most of these I realize you already know.  But let's start a thorough list.  In no particular order:

• Images in cover slider need to be resized to a more rectangular shape.  Ideally, we would have them be all of uniform height and variable width so that the full image is visible.  That worked in the past, but not on the last version of the software, so unless something changed for the better we'll just have to settle for cropping the pictures a little better than they're being cropped now.
• Images on the downloads sidebar and downloads slider: ditto.
• Images viewed within the gallery when set to "list" view are currently cropped into narrow rectangles when using alternate themes.
• Large images can no longer be viewed full-size in-browser.  The ideal fix would allow them to be enlarged to full size by clicking on them, such as the table of contents on this database page (takes 3 clicks): https://www.retromags.com/magazines/jpn/famitsu/famitsu-issue-1531
• When viewing images large enough to fill the screen in the expanded "view full image" lightbox slider, the top and bottom of the image is darkened with no means to un-darken it for an unobstructed view.
• In the previous version of the software, image extensions had to be manually deleted when submitting images.  Now, it's a bit more complicated.  When uploading images to the gallery, after uploading the image - BUT BEFORE SUBMITTING IT - you must click on the image in the small square on the left side of the screen to "edit the details."  This would allow you to rename the file if necessary.  Assuming the file you uploaded already had the correct filename, you don't need to actually edit anything and can now click "submit all images."  HOWEVER - if you fail to click on the picture in order to open up the editing window, EVEN IF you don't actually need to edit anything, the software will automatically append a .jpg extension to the end of your filename.  By clicking on the image and opening the editing pane first, the extension is automatically not included.
• Previously, after clicking "submit all images" when uploading to the gallery, you would be taken to that image's gallery page, allowing that image's number to be seen in the URL.  Now, you are taken to the image's parent gallery page instead.  This is inconvenient, since now that the gallery is sorted by caption, whatever image you just uploaded is likely not immediately visible.  Thus, finding its image number to be able to add it to a new database record is difficult.  If I upload, say, the cover to Famitsu issue 865 and want to link it to the DB, my only option is to either search through a several pages of images or else re-sort the images by "recently updated" every time I upload an image.
• Clicking on the "databases" tab directs you to the Retromags homepage.  Was it always like that?  Kind of useless.
• I'm taking Phillyman's word on this one, but apparently automated emails are not working properly, so lots of users will be unable to hear about new releases.  They'd be unable to be notified of replies to topics they've posted in as well, but let's be honest, only about 5 people have posted in the forums this year.
• The image slider on the forums page won't load certain images:  The initially viewable images #1-5 display correctly.  After pressing the right arrow button to scroll the images, it moves 4 places to the right, showing images 5-9 correctly.  Pressing right again scrolls 5 places, showing 10-14, but image 10 fails to load.  Pressing right again scrolls 5 places, showing 15-19, but image 15 fails to load.  Pressing right again scrolls one space to show images 16-20 correctly.
• Database Entries no longer sorting correctly (sorting # field is being ignored)
• When adding information in the description box of an image, the box in which you type is now relegated to a small corner of the right side of the screen - too small to comfortably see what you're typing.
• When adding images to the gallery, if anything is typed into the description box and submitted, then all subsequent images will have that same description added to them unless you first click the image thumbnail on the left, then click "use rich text editor" under the description box on the right, which will cause the previous image's description to appear, at which point you can click "clear text editor" to erase the previous image's description. 
• In the extra themes, the database entries are not visible.

 

Will edit this later as more issues arise.

Edited September 21, 2018 by kitsunebi77

[kitsunebi]

OK, this is big enough that I don't want it to get overlooked by editing it into the above post (though I will continue to add other concerns there.)

Issues in the database no longer sort correctly.

I just added an image to an issue of Famitsu, refreshed the database page, and - surprise - that issue's record disappeared.  Where did it go?  All the way to the end of the very last page.  Apparently it's sorting by placing the most recently edited record last.  Looking at other pages reveals that all sorts of things are out of order, and the software is ignoring the sorting field.  There isn't even a way to manually fix it - users can only sort the database by "recently updated," "most views," or "date added."  Again looking at the Famitsu database, I can't even begin to tell you where issue 1 is.  It's nowhere on the first page, and I'm not about to browse through all 63 pages of the Famitsu database to find it.

Not sure why some mags seem unaffected and others are messed up.  The Famitsu DB looked fine until I added that cover image to an issue, then suddenly it was messed up.  Yet other DBs that I haven't touched recently like PC Gamer UK are also messed up.

[perfinpuz]

Quote

When viewing images large enough to fill the screen in the expanded "view full image" lightbox slider, the top and bottom of the image is darkened with no means to un-darken it for an unobstructed view.

If you move your mouse pointer out of the picture box, the dark bars and all "buttons" go away. They come back when mouse pointer in box.

[kitsunebi]

4 hours ago, perfinpuz said:

If you move your mouse pointer out of the picture box, the dark bars and all "buttons" go away. They come back when mouse pointer in box.

That's not the screen I'm talking about.  As I said, when you push the "view full image" button to expand the view as much as the crappy lightbox will allow, it actually obscures the image, defeating the point of trying to get a better look.

Not this screen:

THIS ONE:

Those shaded bars at the top and bottom can't be removed no matter where you move your mouse.

Of course, all of this isn't really the problem, the problem is that the image is so damn small in the first place.  As I said before, the above image is being displayed at around 888px high.  That particular image is actually 1535px high.  The only way to view it at full resolution is do download the file and open it in different software.

[Phillyman]

1 hour ago, kitsunebi77 said:

 

Of course, all of this isn't really the problem, the problem is that the image is so damn small in the first place.  As I said before, the above image is being displayed at around 888px high.  That particular image is actually 1535px high.  The only way to view it at full resolution is do download the file and open it in different software.

The weird thing is, if you go to a magazine cover from the Database, by clicking on the cover, it seems to actually go to the full size version. So odd

[perfinpuz]

You are correct. It will only show a picture "inside the box" with no scrolling. I agree with Phillyman that you would have to test it with a 4K monitor/system to see what it is fully capable of doing. 

[kitsunebi]

2 minutes ago, Phillyman said:

The weird thing is, if you go to a magazine cover from the Database, by clicking on the cover, it seems to actually go to the full size version. So odd

Really?  Not for me.  Just goes to the regular gallery page.

[Phillyman]

Just so everyone is clear.....I am gathering up everything that we notice wrong, then I am just gonna start opening up tickets over at IPB to see what is a bug that needs to be fixed, versus "well we just dont do things that way any more".

EVEN IF Invision comes back and says, WORKING AS INTENDED, That just means we have to do a bit more work.

When that happens we post on their forums, and see if lots of people dislike something, or need something changed. If enough users are willing to chip in some $$$, usually we can find someone to code the changes. Say if 40 people chipped in $30 for a change, well someone could make $1200 for coding that change.

EVEN IF that doesnt pan out, then I can just go hire someone off of a freelance website to code the changes over here. Of course most of these guys charge $50 an hour and depending on the change, I could be looking at $100-$5000 to get something just the way I want.

But lets start off with, IT MUST BE A BUG!!!!!

[kitsunebi]

Another new annoyance:

When I upload advertisements (and sometimes on magazine covers as well), I add a description, but now the box for typing descriptions is too small.  It used to take up the horizontal length of the screen, just like typing a post in the forums.  But now it's just a tiny box off to the far right of the screen.  The corner of the box can be dragged to make it a bit taller, but it doesn't seem possible to make it any wider.  And if you click on "use rich text editor" (which I usually need to do), the ability to resize at all is lost.

[kitsunebi]

Here's another annoyance with the image uploader (hey, when you do something 50 times a day, even small annoyances can become major grievances):

As you can see in the above pic, the new software makes you push "use rich text editor" - it's no longer the default.  This is a small pain in the ass alone, but what really bothers me is that I'll often start typing a description before remembering that I want to place something in bold or italics, at which point I have to push the "use rich text editor" button.  However, doing so will erase anything you have already typed and replace it with whatever was in the description box on the previous image that was saved.  WHY?  I guess they figure you will be uploading multiple images that all have the same description for some reason, but I've lost count of how many times I've had something I was typing get nerfed because I forgot to copy it before switching to the rich text editor.  So annoying.  It would be lovely if rich text was the default, the same as in the forums.

[kitsunebi]

So now that we've gotten our thumbnails properly cropped again (Phillyman said 90% - where are they still displaying as squares?  EDIT: OK, now I see.  Everything is still cropped as squares when viewing the image gallery in list mode), I was wondering if the same thing would be possible of the gallery folder cover images?

Ever since the previous update over a year and a half ago, our gallery folders have displayed as short rectangles that crop the top and bottom of the cover image, meaning that the magazine's logo is cropped off.  I prefer the way it used to be where the gallery folder displayed the entire cover image.  You could quickly identify the mag you were looking for by its logo.

 

Edited August 2, 2018 by kitsunebi77

[Phillyman]

46 minutes ago, kitsunebi77 said:

So now that we've gotten our thumbnails properly cropped again (Phillyman said 90% - where are they still displaying as squares?  EDIT: OK, now I see.  Everything is still cropped as squares when viewing the image Gallery in list mode), I was wondering if the same thing would be possible of the Gallery folder cover images?

Ever since the previous update over a year and a half ago, our Gallery folders have displayed as short rectangles that crop the top and bottom of the cover image, meaning that the magazine's logo is cropped off.  I prefer the way it used to be where the Gallery folder displayed the entire cover image.  You could quickly identify the mag you were looking for by its logo.

 

Also on the Download Manager when you drill down to the file level

[kitsunebi]

So far I'm the only person who has contributed anything to this thread, so I doubt anyone has kept up with the various updated edits I've made to the list of needed fixes in my above post.

But that's neither here nor there, since this post is how to circumnavigate some deficiencies in the new lightbox image viewer using some complicated unintuitive workarounds.  (Hey, I'd like for there to be a simpler way to do this, but it doesn't look like that'll be possible.)

 

Let's start with viewing embedded images full size.  This is especially handy when viewing a database entry which has an image of the table of contents embedded into the description.

• First, click the image in the database entry's description field.
• This will bring up the lightbox but will not fully enlarge the pic.  Clicking again on the picture will simply close the lightbox.

Remember when I said the solution was complicated and unintuitive?  Here's what you have to do:

• Move your mouse off of the picture to the outer edge of the frame
• Next, move your mouse back over the picture.  This time, the pointer will be replaced by an enlarging "plus symbol"
• Click to enlarge.  This will simply close the lightbox but have the picture fill the height of the screen.
• Click to enlarge again.  OK, now the picture is at full size.

 

 

 

[kitsunebi]

OK, now let's take a look at how to view a picture in the gallery at full size.  These steps must be followed precisely - clicking directly on an image in the gallery will make it impossible to view the image full size.

• First, DO NOT click on the picture in the gallery, but rather, right click on it and open it in another tab or window.
• Next, click the "X" in the upper right hand corner to close the lightbox
• This will bring up a gallery view similar to the one in the previous version of the software.  On this screen, there are two buttons in the upper right: "view in lightbox" and "view full image."  Click "view full image" which will enlarge the image to the height of the screen.  Click one more time to enlarge the image to its full size.

 

It's complicated.  It's unintuitive.  It took me nearly a month to discover.  But it's likely the only way we'll ever be able to view galley pics full size while using our current software, so I think it's worth posting about.

Maybe we need a "how to do things you think would be obvious but aren't" FAQ.

 

 

By the way, if you click directly on an image in the "new images" slider, it will make viewing it full size impossible, but if you click on the image title in the slider, it will allow you to follow the above steps from the point that the image is opened in a new tab or window in order to view it full size.