Cellphone-friendly version of the forum?

[Darven]

Could we get a layout that has no graphics at all and is cellphone-friendly? I hate to use my cellphone fairly often to go online and the graphics on all layouts are eating up my allowed amount of MBs. I know i can disable it in the options but that just stops images inside posts, and while i also have an option on my phone to only show text this means i don't know which icons are which and the buttons for new threads and replies are replaced by long lines of text that take up far too much space.

So would it be possible to make a text-only layout with just the basic features (and that also means without rating stars, messaging icons, up and down arrows and other small stuff that only wastes space?

Oh and with a show signatures disabled default setting so one doesn't have to click that off first because doing that on a cellphone is even more tedious than usual

[TheHolo.Net]

There already is one.

http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/archive/index.php?pda=1

It's pretty much only good for browsing/reading.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I believe she wants one where she can post, too, though, and I think it would be nice to have one.

And I think there is a hack available that will detect when a mobile device is accessing the site and will automatically send it to the 'mobile' style. I think the Basic Light is the most basic one we have where you can also post.

[Darven]

Yes. Since i an using my cellphone to post, too, this would be much appreciated. Right now my cellphone crashes everytime i switch accounts to one i haven't set to the basic dark style. And even that has a fair bit of images, when it comes down to it.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I know its possible, I just can't do it, personally. ^_^;

[Lykaios]

I believe she wants one where she can post, too, though, and I think it would be nice to have one.

And I think there is a hack available that will detect when a mobile device is accessing the site and will automatically send it to the 'mobile' style. I think the Basic Light is the most basic one we have where you can also post.
ooooooo, that'd be uber-sweet! :D

*imagines a land where his crackberry loads faster and better without the margins getting screwy*

[TheHolo.Net]

I've looked into the hack that LD mentioned and even with the vB version discrepancy will see what I can do come my next set of days off. Expect some action to be taken on this in about a week's time.

[Anna Fernandez]

*is LD* awesomeness Ogre, this is great. :D With everyone and their brothers getting smart phones these days I think its well worth looking into. :glomp

[Yog]

I've sometimes checked SW-Fans when I was traveling, and that would indeed be a useful hack. :)

[TheHolo.Net]

A week earlier than expected!! This gives us time to find and list bugs for me to work on next week. ;)

I've implemented a very stripped style (Mobile-Fans) but have not implemented the hack that auto detects and forces it.

The only limitation I have found so far is that the style does not override specifically set group styles within group forums. It does work in all SW-Fans.Net forums where a specific style is not forced and it does allow replying and posting new threads. It does not allow existing post edits or any use of topic tags. <b>The topic tag limitation may cause problems in forums where they are required. I will have to research this and if so set a default or add it in somehow.</b>

I also put a link in the footer to switch from the Mobile-Fans style back to a more 'normal' style (Basic Dark) so there is an easy way out for posters who may accidentally chose it.

I suspect there will probably be problems with the style. I am unable to actually test this on a mobile device since I do not have a phone/PDA with Internet access and as such am counting on feedback from those of you who do. Please report any issues and/or make suggestions here.

[Dasquian Belargic]

What's the address we would need to go to, to load the mobile style set automatically?

[Droo]

As far as I'm aware just the normal address, and your mobile access is automatically detected and consequently loads up the cellphone friendly style. I wonder if I'll need to use a mobile-friendly version when I get my iphone in March? It has an impressive built-in browser and all that but will it still take forever to load the site as it is now? Still, being able to check out the forums and post while on my dinner break will be the mutt's nuts!

[Lykaios]

I've just tried to select said style from the dropdown menu on the bottom left and nothing happened. O_o

Btw, thanks a bunch for looking into this :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

It doesn't appear to work on my phone - I just get a big blank page, with SW-Fans.Net at the top - but then my mobile is a couple of years old. Maybe it doesn't have the memory capacity? The only things I've really used it for are BBC News and Facebook.

[Jamie Morrigan]

I've browsed the forums and posted from a Blackberry. The only real problem was that I had to scroll down through all the content on the left column before I could get to the subforum and thread links. I'm sure an iPhone would be able to handle the forums at least as easily, though a mobile-friendly style would possibly make it easier to browse.

[Aree Ankarta]

Oh something I forgot to add: Is there some way to leave out the left column unless one goes inside the CP? Because that is, as Chimera mentioned, the worst thing to have to scroll over.

*goes to get her cellphone to check out the layout*

[Aree Ankarta]

Nevermind - I just checked it out and there is no more left menu YAY!!!!

Thank you for this, it's great to have around, and now the next two weeks are saved! I can post again properly (once I manage to get a text editor on my phone, too)

[Yog]

Posting this from my mobile phone. I am so 1337! :)

[TheHolo.Net]

As far as I'm aware just the normal address, and your mobile access is automatically detected and consequently loads up the cellphone friendly style. Please read my previous post again. This has not been implemented yet.

What's the address we would need to go to, to load the mobile style set automatically?

I've just tried to select said style from the dropdown menu on the bottom left and nothing happened. O_o

Btw, thanks a bunch for looking into this :)This is the direct link to the style:

http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/index.php?styleid=47

Nevermind - I just checked it out and there is no more left menu YAY!!!!The style did not work with the portal software, so yes, I removed the left column from the forum listing. This also means that trying to open the portal page while having this style set will result in very poor formatting and a missing left column.

[Lykaios]

Testin 1...2...3 testin...sound check...1...2...3

Uber sweetness. Works like a charm. I dig

[Aidan Fox]

Ogre, you're amazing. :)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

It works amazing, I tested it on my hubby's blackberry. :D

[Kanji]

Working fantasically on my own crackberry. There was a little hitch in the login redirect, but going back to the main forum tree then into a sub-forum still kept me logged in. Awesome work!

[Nya Halcyon]

Found a problem. In those forums that have their own styles, the style reverts from the mobile one to the other one. I dunno he there's a way around it, unless that hack you were already talking of would take care of it too.
Is there some way to show new messages up at the top, too? Having to go inside the CP and then to messages to check he there are any is a little complicated.

[TheHolo.Net]

The only limitation I have found so far is that the style does not override specifically set group styles within group forums. It does work in all SW-Fans.Net forums where a specific style is not forced and it does allow replying and posting new threads. I will be trying the hack to force the style on mobile devices later this week when I have time. We will have to see if that changes the behavior in those forums.

As for the other question, try using the 'New Posts' link at the top of the page.

[Darven]

New messages - I meant new PMs.

And something that works oddly enough: if i am in this account on a pc it will use the basic black style i always use. On my cellphone, however, its the mobile style. Without needing to switch. So the style by itself seems to have something coded in it that is detected in a way, otherwise wouldn't my pc also have the mobile style if that's the one i chose on my cell? At the two are clearly different without needing to change.

[Morgan Evanar]

Style is detected on a cookie basis. If you set your style on one PC to be black, and the other light basic, it will be black on one and light basic on the other. The style set in your CP is the default for when you log in.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

^^^ what he said

[Darven]

Okay, that explains it. I usually change styles via the CP but changed the style on my cell via the menu at the bottom of the forum.

[TheHolo.Net]

I have installed the hack that is supposed to force mobile devices to use the mobile style. Those of you with them will have to let me know how it works.

EDIT: My tests show that it does work in forums with already forced styles. ie: The Jedi Enclave, Black Sun etc...

[TheHolo.Net]

New messages - I meant new PMs.I can make a direct link to PMs but would rather not putz with making any kind of new message indicator.

EDIT: I was mistaken, the style already does this. The UserCP link at the top will have asterisks around it when you have a new/unread PM. Like this

*UserCP*

[Lykaios]

It works brilliantly! Now when roaming around the forums the mobile style stays and doesn't change to...say the imperial or the Jeri one. This is awesome! Thanks again for working your magic!

[Darven]

Yes I finally noticed it today about the PMs. Nifty!