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Persistent forum annoyance — Parallax Forums

Persistent forum annoyance

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
in General Discussion
This is something that's been going on for a long time. When I insert an image into a post, I get multiple copies of it, viz:

multiple_images.gif

The number of dupes can range anywhere from three to twenty or more.

Is there any way this can be fixed?

Also, it would be nice if the image could be inserted at the current cursor position, rather than after the end of the post.

Thanks,
-Phil
multiple_images.gif
800 x 600 - 118K

Comments

  • Peter JakackiPeter Jakacki Posts: 10,193
    The more lines you have in your post, the more copies it inserts. I have complained about this ages ago and while something was going to be done, nothing was. Perhaps we should leave the copies in there and maybe the squeaky wheel will get some attention???
    Yes, it would be nice to insert them anywhere but it would also be nice to be able to scale them in the post as well. Sometimes the pic is way too big and obscures the text even though it is a small file, yet we want something more than the attachment thumbnail to complement the text that we are reading at the same time.
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    edited 2020-06-19 23:56
    Yeah, that image thing is great. Was that ever not a problem?
    At least the thing where the URL prompt for the link button would disappear if the mouse button was not held down got resolved, although I think that was a bug in my browser (Vivaldi).

    Somewhat related: I'd also love it if when I press the Quote button
    - It places the quote where I have my cursor
    - If I have selected some part of the post, only it quotes that part

    Also, last I checked, the YouTube button in the edit box does not work (and is useless, for you can embeds videos just by putting their URL into the post)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    erco wrote: »
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
    That's because the forum doesn't auto-redirect you to it's HTTPS version - just setup a redirect from "http://forums.parallax.com/" to "https://forums.parallax.com/" or install HTTPSEverywhere or smth
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    erco wrote: »
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
    That's because the forum doesn't auto-redirect you to it's HTTPS version - just setup a redirect from "http://forums.parallax.com/" to "https://forums.parallax.com/" or install HTTPSEverywhere or smth

    Strange. It does not happen to me. But I arranged for erco. And as a favor to the robots of a household in Idaho.
    ----
    Mascot away. Please leave messages and food at the sound of the Yak.
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,693
    A minor irritation is to not be able to completely clear a draft or to be able to save an empty draft.

    I decide not to post but then I can't get rid of the draft.
  • VonSzarvasVonSzarvas Posts: 3,450
    Mickster wrote: »
    A minor irritation is to not be able to completely clear a draft or to be able to save an empty draft.

    I decide not to post but then I can't get rid of the draft.

    There is a way.... Once you've created a draft, the "My Drafts" menu will appear in the left side bar, under New Discussions. You will need to refresh the page if it's your first Draft for the menu to appear.

    Click into the menu, hover over unwanted drafts, and click the X

    (Yeah, it's not great!)

    2020-06-23 10_59_53-Persistent forum annoyance — Parallax Forums.png
    363 x 351 - 10K
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    A slightly lazier way to kinda delete a draft: just replace it all with a single letter. That'll save alright.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    Wait, what? You're annoyed, Mr. Pilgrim?

    We're going to crack the forums open pretty soon and expect to deal with this problem along with a list of others. Likely before late August.

    Ken Gracey
  • Peter JakackiPeter Jakacki Posts: 10,193
    edited 2020-06-24 03:58
    Thanks Ken, this sure has annoyed me for years it seems. In the meantime, by way of reminder..... :)
    FIXIT.png
    825 x 618 - 332K
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    It's all a matter of trade-offs. You can choose what you get from Parallax: a P2, some hardware boards, a working web site, people who take orders and build products, a web site, etc. We've made some very big trade-offs to achieve some things, causing others to go unattended. It's not as if you're not being heard, right?

    Ken Gracey
  • Peter JakackiPeter Jakacki Posts: 10,193
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    It's all a matter of trade-offs. You can choose what you get from Parallax: a P2, some hardware boards, a working web site, people who take orders and build products, a web site, etc. We've made some very big trade-offs to achieve some things, causing others to go unattended. It's not as if you're not being heard, right?

    Ken Gracey

    Don't worry, just having fun while I can still post multiple images and blame it on the forum bug. I get the same thing with Tachyon/TAQOZ etc. Doesn't matter how much you put out on the table, there's always one more thing missing :)

    We appreciate all that you and Chip and Parallax do Ken. Take care.

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    Ken Gracey wrote:
    We're going to crack the forums open pretty soon and expect to deal with this problem along with a list of others. Likely before late August.

    Thanks, Ken! I know you've got a lot on your plate. Yet I was thinking, "This one little persistent gnat should be easy to swat in no time." But I hadn't considered the greater efficiency of scheduling exterminators to come fumigate the entire house. You da man! :)

    -Phil
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    I agree. That multiple image thing is a pest. I'd rather answer questions posed to me by many cats, then figure that one out.




    ---
    Mascot and Yak away.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    erco wrote: »
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
    That's because the forum doesn't auto-redirect you to it's HTTPS version - just setup a redirect from "http://forums.parallax.com/" to "https://forums.parallax.com/" or install HTTPSEverywhere or smth
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    erco wrote: »
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
    That's because the forum doesn't auto-redirect you to it's HTTPS version - just setup a redirect from "http://forums.parallax.com/" to "https://forums.parallax.com/" or install HTTPSEverywhere or smth

    It's not the https, I'm using that. On closer examination, I only get the "not secure" warning on the General Discussion homepage.
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    erco wrote: »
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    erco wrote: »
    Yep, I get that too, been that way for months.

    Also, I always get a red triangle "Not secure" warning in the address bar using Chrome. Been that way for a LOOOONG time. Never see that on any website except Parallax.
    That's because the forum doesn't auto-redirect you to it's HTTPS version - just setup a redirect from "http://forums.parallax.com/" to "https://forums.parallax.com/" or install HTTPSEverywhere or smth

    It's not the https, I'm using that. On closer examination, I only get the "not secure" warning on the General Discussion homepage.

    I'm not getting anything like that in Vivaldi (which is based on Chromium).
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    No wait, I'm an idiot. I DO get the "not secure" address bar on the "General Discussion" forum view (https://forums.parallax.com/categories/general-discussion).
  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,052
    edited 2020-06-25 20:06
    Apparently the problem stems from the "System" account's (the one that creates the first post in split threads) profile picture. It is hardcoded to load over HTTP.
  • VonSzarvasVonSzarvas Posts: 3,450
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    Apparently the problem stems from the "System" account's (the one that creates the first post in split threads) profile picture. It is hardcoded to load over HTTP.

    Fixed. Thanks for finding the cause.

    ps. We'll find a more interesting avatar later :)
  • VonSzarvasVonSzarvas Posts: 3,450
    VonSzarvas wrote: »
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    Apparently the problem stems from the "System" account's (the one that creates the first post in split threads) profile picture. It is hardcoded to load over HTTP.

    Fixed. Thanks for finding the cause.

    ps. We'll find a more interesting avatar later :)

    hmm.. ok... there's more to this. Maybe the gravatar plugin is pushing http into the mix.

    I'll add this to the list of things to fix at the next forum update.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    Perfect! No more "Not Secure" in General discussion. Thanks Guys!
  • GenetixGenetix Posts: 1,754
    Since the forum has gone through several upgrades many of the links in older posts no longer work.
    Some link to Parallax pages that are long gone but many link to other forum messages.
    Newer posts have titles that can be searched for but older posts have just numbers.
  • VonSzarvasVonSzarvas Posts: 3,450
    Genetix wrote: »
    Since the forum has gone through several upgrades many of the links in older posts no longer work.
    Some link to Parallax pages that are long gone but many link to other forum messages.
    Newer posts have titles that can be searched for but older posts have just numbers.

    Confirmed- that task is on the list too.
    Essential.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    VonSzarvas wrote: »
    Genetix wrote: »
    Since the forum has gone through several upgrades many of the links in older posts no longer work.
    Some link to Parallax pages that are long gone but many link to other forum messages.
    Newer posts have titles that can be searched for but older posts have just numbers.

    Confirmed- that task is on the list too.
    Essential.

    I didn't realize this was on our task list. I've always thought there was nothing we could do about this old problem.

    Ken
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2020-06-27 19:21
    Ken Gracey wrote:
    I didn't realize this was on our task list. I've always thought there was nothing we could do about this old problem.

    It's completely solvable. You just need a program to spider through all of the forum posts, doing a search and replace on the links. (Best to do this in the wee hours, so you can temporarily shut down the forum while it's operating. You probably won't get it done in one night, so it'd be best to break the task up into smaller chunks.) This is the kind of thing Jim Ewald and I did years ago when you upgraded to the forum software that predated Vanilla.

    For example, for embedded images, a program could be written to look for strings like this:

    http://forums.parallax.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83152&d=1311203972

    and replace them with this:

    https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/download/83152

    The image ID (83152) never changed so there's no need for any kind of lookup table.

    Similarly, for links to threads:

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?133173

    gets replaced with:

    https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/133173

    Again, no lookup table is required, since the ID number didn't change. The only caveat here is that the new link points to the last page, instead of to the first one. (IIRC, there's a URL qualifier in Vanilla that refers to the top page, but I can't remember what it is.)

    A similar thing is likely possible for links to individual posts.

    -Phil

    BTW, this is particularly easy to do in Perl:
    $page =~ s/https?(:\/\/forums.parallax.com)\/attachment.php\?attachmentid=(\d+)&d=(\d+)/https$1\/download\/$2/gi

    does all the replacements for images in the page. (There's probably at least one error in there. You hardly ever get regexes right the first time. :) )

    Similarly for thread links.

  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,915
    edited 2020-07-14 08:42
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?133173
    gets replaced with:
    https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/133173

    Again, no lookup table is required, since the ID number didn't change. The only caveat here is that the new link points to the last page, instead of to the first one. (IIRC, there's a URL qualifier in Vanilla that refers to the top page, but I can't remember what it is.)
    From experimenting this would work - https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/133173/0/p1

    The "0" is a needed filler. It can be anything that isn't syntactic. Normally has the topic title.

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    Good sleuthing, evanh! Thanks!

    -Phil
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