Moving To The Next Version of XenForo

[Satal]

Hi Everyone,

AF is currently running a version of XenForo, originally released in 2018. To provide the best possible experience and ensure that we have resolved any security issues, I have been working in the background on upgrading to the latest version.

I wanted to give people a heads up that this change is coming and to say that I have a test version up and running that people can log into to try out; more on that below.

What's new?
Apart from improving the site's security, the upgrade also gives some additional changes. Here are some of the main ones.

Appearance
There have been some improvements to the general look of the forum, aligning it to more like what sites look like now. However, I have tried to make it look as close as possible to the current site.

Progressive Web App
One thing that has been asked many times is the ability to have an app for AF. With this upgrade to the new version, we are now getting an automatic 'Progressive Web App' (PWA). This allows us to get push notifications through your desktop or mobile phone. It also can show on your phone as any other app would.

You can find out more about XenForo's PWA implementation here.

Unfortunately, at least when XenForo released their PWA, Apple hadn't implemented the necessary standards for this to work on iOS, and I don't have an Apple device to test if that is still true.

More emojis
A picture paints a thousand words; sometimes, including an emoji can help us articulate what we mean. The new version of XenForo has a more extensive selection of emojis, more akin to what you get on your phone.

Giphy GIF integration
Like emojis, the new version allows us to use GIFs from Giphy. This is currently running on a trial key, so please don't abuse it; otherwise, I might not be allowed to have a production key for when we go live.

Haven't we done this before?
If this sounds slightly familiar, it is because Brent previously attempted this. Having gone through the process of getting this up to date, I can see why it may have stalled previously. However, I would like to ensure this is finished this time.

When will the main site be upgraded?
I don't currently have a timeline for when the main site will be upgraded. This is because I want to ensure any issues are resolved before going live. However, I will ensure that I give people notice in advance of when I will make this change.

How do I access the test forum?
As mentioned above, I've created a copy of this site to go through the upgrade process to ensure everything is working successfully.

You can access the test version of the forum by going to http://test.autismforums.com.

Your usernames and passwords are the same as they were yesterday. If you change your password on either the main site or the test site, it will not be replicated over to the other.

Please let me know if you find any issues in this thread.

Satal

 

[Judge]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop! Much appreciated, @Satal.

A good sign- the site still renders itself (maximized or not) horizontally identical between Brave (chrome) and Firefox in Linux Mint. Of course some of the "screen real estate" in the sidebar and main body has been reduced with a slight (and welcome) increase in font size.

In Firefox the new layout still renders in dark mode the same as the existing layout. Of course that's still something that cannot be done with the Brave or Chrome browsers. Just wish Firefox could do away with all the boxes that encapsulate everything when using a dark mode. (Note this Firefox image involves my background and font color choices.)

Just offering some observations. I'm still assuming whatever impacts Firefox or Linux will never be a priority given their small share of the market. And I can't help but wonder how much longer Firefox may even exist. Anyways I suspect it all renders the same in Windows as well. I'll have to check that out too.

PWA should make some folks very happy here.

 

[Aspychata]

Hey Satal
You got the forums running sweet
Yo Satal
A production key would be neat
Mr Satal
New emojis we can tweet
Sir Satal
Test version almost complete

 

[Alexej]

Thank you all the work that goes on behind the scenes and of which we hear very little.

 

[Bolletje]

Thanks for the announcement, so we don't have a collective meltdown when the update hits
Looking forward to the new version!

 

[Aspychata]

I have never abused a gif before. Does that mean don't tickle it or don't over use it?

 

[Forest Cat]

I have never abused a gif before. Does that mean don't tickle it or don't over use it?

I think it means that you shouldn't yell at it or call it mean names.

 

[Judge]

I'm assuming he means don't abuse the bandwidth or repetitive uploading of a big animation directly to the server. Though I suppose it's up to the admins to determine "how big" is truly too big. A question I sometimes debate with myself when on occasion directly uploading very large .jpg files like the one above (300Kb) with less compression so text is legible.

Kudos to AF for being pretty damn tolerant about such things.

Externally linking images or animations doesn't tax the server in the same way, but then in some instances that has its own "can of worms" in terms of copyright and terms of use considerations.

 

[Shaddock]

maybe I´m the only one but I don´t like the idea of a new/different forum. I like this forum how it is and like it when websites are simple build and not bloated or with parts that look really good, but make the "surf experience" slower and without any senseful use.

I would rather stay in this forum, than in the new one (test forum link you sent).

and I don´t need most features. I just need to write messages and pictures and I can do that already.

and ensure that we have resolved any security issues

I don´t know how insecure it is to use a older version of a software, but this would be the only reason for me why it makes sense to upgrade the forum software.

There have been some improvements to the general look of the forum, aligning it to more like what sites look like now. However, I have tried to make it look as close as possible to the current site.

I dislike this (how websites today look, often very bloated)

to give a example: I like more the design of teamspeak 3 than of discord.

Progressive Web App

I don´t need this. I rarely use my smartphone, only when I can not use my laptop for something. when this forum would be only for smartphone (fictive, you not said this), then I would leave this forum.

More emojis
A picture paints a thousand words; sometimes, including an emoji can help us articulate what we mean. The new version of XenForo has a more extensive selection of emojis, more akin to what you get on your phone.

I don´t need this. I mostly use text based emojis like: : D or xd or : P

When will the main site be upgraded?

hopefully never

your work is surely very good and my meaning to this has nothing to do with you, I just don´t like how "new websites" look, I like more the old style.

 

[Satal]

Thank you all for the feedback that you've given above or sent me.

I will be looking to carry out the upgrade to the latest version of XenForo next Sunday 10th July.

I will look to carry out the upgrade in the morning UK time to minimise disruption to all the members.

 

[Shaddock]

will every post here be "saved" and moved to the new website version? or will some things get lost?

 

[Satal]

All posts will be kept

 

[SRSAutistic]

Hi @Satal,

The test site (Asperger's & Autism Forum) has so much bloatware and ads. The ads are in the middle of the webpage when you click on any thread instead of being on the right side of the webpage. Please see the above link.

My suggestion is to try to reduce the bloatware on the test site before it is redeployed on Sunday 10th July. I would be fine with the new site, but I prefer the old site.

What do you think about my suggestion? Please let me know on what you think about my suggestion.

Regards,

SRSAutistic

 

[Satal]

The ads are in the middle of the webpage when you click on any thread instead of being on the right side of the webpage. Please see the above link.

Hi @SRSAutistic, that's the same as what is currently shown on the site. In fact I've looked at this and confirmed that there are actually fewer ads on the new site than the old.

 

[Shaddock]

take a deep breath and enjoy the last time where you will see this old design on this website, guys : D

 

[Satal]

Thank you all for your patience. It took a little longer than I had hoped due to me making a mistake and having to start again, but I wanted to ensure that it was completed properly.

If you find any bugs on the site then please let me know.

 

[Gerontius]

The last thing this website needed was a way to share pages to Reddit, Pinterest, and Tumblr.
I don't know if the old site had that, but it is one of the first changes I notice on the new site.

 

[maycontainthunder]

One thing I've noticed that is missing. When you clicked on a user ID it gave you the option to view that member's profile page... this is gone. Is this something that can be added back in or have I missed something?

 

[Satal]

One thing I've noticed that is missing. When you clicked on a user ID it gave you the option to view that member's profile page... this is gone. Is this something that can be added back in or have I missed something?

@maycontainthunder, clicking on the username either on the post or on the popup that shows the basic information about the user appears to take me straight to your profile. There is a brief moment while the popup is being shown where this is loading where this doesn't work but it should otherwise.

Are you still seeing something different?

 

[maycontainthunder]

Ah, cracked it. It only displays the popup and does not load anything else. When you click on the user ID on the popup then it goes to the profile page itself. The old popup version had a link to the profile page.

Something else to adjust to is the alerts system. Before I would hover the cursor over the alert 'bell' to display the alerts. Now I have to click on it.

I think everyone is going to have a few days of adjusting to the different way the new version 'behaves'.

Thank you for your efforts Satal.