V bulletin

[Julian]

Jon, I think the issue might be that when using a iPhone/iPad the current set up assumes you want to use a different vue/skin 'Default mobile view' it also gives a pop up which I can't remember the text from exactly, there is a pretty easy work around by asking it to use another view. I guess a more permanent fix could be to disable the view selection by platform
I have to say I agree Cris has worked his arse of with this, we are currently probably using 10% of what this software can do. People need to keep an open mind and have a look about the site to see what they can use the various sections for

 

[Chris]

Jon, probably doesn't help much I know but - I have just brought the site up on the iphone by doing a Google on Safari rather than using TAT or anything, so I am seeing it through a browser. It is very confusing. There's no real navigation buttons and all you can see is the main forum headings and sub sections. So seeing what's new, current, recent etc is very clunky. Actually I can't even see what to log in. Hang on just found log in. It's a cross symbol. Why didn't I think of that? When I used to look at the old forum directly through a browser, it was the full website and whilst that's good, it was so tiny it was impossible to navigate. I guess VB is a little more clever and gives you a small screen version somehow even though you have come to the full sized site? If I was on a tablet and it did they same, it would be rubbish to be honest.

C

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

You're right Julian, it uses the 'Default mobile view' when you view the forum on a mobile. You can choose it on the styles menu on any other browser as well. I've viewed it on both and I can see the forum, look at posts and reply ok so I'm just not understanding what the problem is. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, just that I haven't clicked what it is so I can't try and help fix it. I am definitely not suggesting problems shouldn't be reported either, but I need more to go on. Maybe I use the forum differently to those saying there is a problem and that's why I'm not seeing it. I just need more specific details / an example of the problem to get the penny to drop

 

[Julian]

Could it just be that it looks a bit 'different' not 'normal' that is putting people off
Might it be that you and perhaps me and others in the 'industry' are a bit more forgiving to the concept of looking at the same info but in a different format?
Perhaps just adding a view select option to the 'default mobile view' could offer a work around?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

It is very confusing. There's no real navigation buttons and all you can see is the main forum headings and sub sections. So seeing what's new, current, recent etc is very clunky.

How do you normally view the forum then? I can see the forum headings and if there is a new post or not and if I go into the forum I can see the posts and click on them and view them. Is mine working and yours isn't

 

[Gary Stockton]

When you view the native forum via a mobile browser it goes to crap. If you've got Tapatalk or a similar app installed it's fine coz the app handles the rendering of the posts etc. If you view it on a normal PC screen, the V bulletin jobby is off-set so it's not an issue, but on a mobile device it bentres itself on the scren and is difficult to work around. I'm guessing there's a per-user personalisation we've not found yet - has anyone googled an answer yet and come up with a solution?

 

[Chris]

Well a button marked 'Login' would be a start Jon.

I can't see 'what's new, PMs etc. There aren't any navigational tabs anywhere. Just the main forum blocks of Cruiser series, lounge, technical etc and I had to go into each one to see what was new. Look,it's not a problem for me as I use TAT which is like looking at the forum, only slightly better perhaps. But going into the forum via a browser on a mobile device gives you neither of those views, just a particularly unhelpful one.

Been twiddling with some of the options and I can get it looking a bit better. Not necessarily intuitive, but it's looking better. I mean what does a tiny box with ... in it mean? Oh right, that would be menu then. Can't think how I'd miss that. Now I am in, it is more navigable. I think I could live with it.

Chris

 

[TonyP]

If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the forum, there is the drop down box to change it to "Default Mobile Style". Doing this from your desktop browser will show you what I "think" Derek and Warren are referring to.

Work of caution though, I have not found a way of undoing this, apart from going back in my browser history and then changing it to "Land Cruiser Club" style (its the brown one) and then back to default.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Work of caution though, I have not found a way of undoing this, apart from going back in my browser history and then changing it to "Land Cruiser Club" style (its the brown one) and then back to default.

Crispin posted a URL earlier in the thread to use if you don't want to use the mobile style.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Well a button marked 'Login' would be a start Jon.

Maybe, but that's not what the OP said he had a problem with, he said it wouldn't show anything and he couldn't follow Ben's build thread so that's a different conversation.

I can't see 'what's new, PMs etc.

There's no 'what's new' button, PM's are in the ... menu. So is the lack of 'what's new' button the issue?

 

[Derek J]

F##k it ill buy tappy talk.

What mine is showing is as Chris described. Big blocks of each heading. I've no idea if there is new posts etc.

I'm all for change gents, I'm not that old yet.
Once again I am passionate about this Forum and set myself the challenge to learn how to post pictures etc so I could join in a bit more.

I AM NOT BEING CRITICAL AT ALL.

I am slightly in awe of those people that can make computers do things, but as Liam Neeson would say I have a different skill set. So bear with me while I figure this out.
Derek

 

[Paddler Ed]

I use the Mobile Style when I'm on TurboBricks (Volvo forum) as they run vBulletin as well

I tend to find that it works fine on my BlackBerry and my crappy el-cheapo SonyEricsson.

BUT it doesn't appear in any way similar to the appearance that we normally have.
-Forum headings do appear
-New posts aren't highlighted, but when you click on a thread it takes you to the first unread post.

Other options are to try something like Opera Mini (I used to use it on my old phones a lot) which shows the website as we see it on a PC/LapTop.

Hope that helps,

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

There is a 'new posts' button on the mobile menu, just press the ... button to get to that menu. It will show the same results as on a non mobile style.

When just viewing a forum showing a list of threads there should be a button at the right hand end of each thread description and pressing that will take you to the last post instead of the first one. The button should be blue / more solid if there's a new post.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

There is also a 'default style' button on the mobile menu that will revert to the normal desktop style. It doesn't 'stick' between sessions, but it's there as an option while we try and get the mobile interface up to a useful standard. It also means you have a way of getting back to the default style if you were running on a normal platform and decided to see what all the fuss is about

 

[silvercruiser]

I have just checked using safari on my iphone 3gs and i can view all of the sections but you do have to scroll down quite a bit before you see it as you get about 26 blank/small boxes before seeing the sections. apart from that it all seems ok.


Joe

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Thanks Joe, that isn't what I see on my Android phone and suggests it might be an iphone specific issue. That will be a bit more difficult to get to the bottom of but not impossible. Does it display ok if you use the ... Icon button to get to the menu and use the Default Style button?

 

[Gary Stockton]

My main page on safari is like this:


To get a login screen, tap the little icon below vBulletin that looks like a dotted cross:


Hope that helps

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

So you don't get lots of empty boxes like Joe does then Gary?

 

[Gary Stockton]

Don't seem to - will go check

 

[Gary Stockton]

Ok get some strange looking bits:








The little blocks just scroll to the next set of pages I think - will check at home on wifi. On the bus now - lucky if I get an EDGE connection