Develop Bugs

Mobile template

Hi admins,
Is there a mobile template of these forums that I can switch to when browsing the forums on my PPC? I frequently browse these on my Kaiser and find it a bit difficult to scroll left and right trying to read the threads.

There's a link to it on the front page:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/

Huh? Isn't that like 3 months old?

Just switch the phone's view to One Column and then go into landscape mode. It's not the best, but it gets the job done.

That link should be on every page in my opinion. It should be easier to change back and forth betweeen the two layouts, since the archive template does not have full options... It surprises me a site dealing with pda's and ppc's is not more "mobile friendly"

My thoughts exactly. There should be a very simple layout without the graphics, avatars, signatures and buttons. That would load very fast on the PPCs

Opera diverting to mobile sites

Hi there,
It was my understanding that if I use IE on my Touch HD then it will be detected as a mobile by some websites and therefore load a different version of the website. I was also of the understanding that this wasn't the case when using Opera and infact the sites would just see a normal browser and load the "real" page.
My understandings above may or may not be correct however now I've noticed that Opera is sometimes being diverted to mobile sites where it wasn't before. I think I may have upgraded the stock version in the past and I'm currently running build 15316.
Is there anything I can do to force "real" pages?
Thanks for any help/info
Justin

The solution!
Hi,
Just follow the next step.. open opera->click on left down corner -> settings -> advanced -> at the bottom select "indentify as"-> from the drop down menu select "Desktop computer"-> restart Opera
That's all !

bg100106 said:
Hi,
Just follow the next step.. open opera->click on left down corner -> settings -> advanced -> at the bottom select "indentify as"-> from the drop down menu select "Desktop computer"-> restart Opera
That's all !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Opera 9.5 build 15613 i believe it is like that:
click on RIGHT down corner -> settings -> display -> verify that "mobile view" is NOT checked-> restart Opera

Thanks for the responses.
I don't have the menu options as mentioned in the first post. Maybe a different build?
And I do indeed have mobile view unchecked from the second post..

Bilbo Fraggins said:
Thanks for the responses.
I don't have the menu options as mentioned in the first post. Maybe a different build?
And I do indeed have mobile view unchecked from the second post..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too am interested to know the answer to this... For the most part it brings up full web pages, but BBC and Google sites always seem to bring up their mobile content.
Does someone have an answer? As stated above mobile view is unchecked in the options...

Gisbourne said:
I too am interested to know the answer to this... For the most part it brings up full web pages, but BBC and Google sites always seem to bring up their mobile content.
Does someone have an answer? As stated above mobile view is unchecked in the options...
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Click to collapse
It probably depends on the website.
Some websites will have "sniffer" code built in that will query your device and get information out (eg OS/browser version/browser name etc etc). Nothing sinister - they're just trying to either collate user stats (eg to prove FireFox is gaining in popularity), or tweaking the look of the file slightly to improve the user experience / make sure the site renders correctly in different browsers.
I'm a web developer myself and use simple versions of these scripts to tweak CSS styling because different browsers follow the standards set in different ways.
So even if you've set your Opera to identify itself as "not" mobile version, the website you're looking at might well be looking at the actual OS (or something else entirely) to define how it presents the site to you.
Incidentally if you want to see the "User-Agent" information that a simple php browser sniffer gathers - see this link: It's basically the same sort of code that some people put links to in their forum signature bar.

Riceburner said:
It probably depends on the website.
Some websites will have "sniffer" code built in that will query your device and get information out (eg OS/browser version/browser name etc etc). Nothing sinister - they're just trying to either collate user stats (eg to prove FireFox is gaining in popularity), or tweaking the look of the file slightly to improve the user experience / make sure the site renders correctly in different browsers.
I'm a web developer myself and use simple versions of these scripts to tweak CSS styling because different browsers follow the standards set in different ways.
So even if you've set your Opera to identify itself as "not" mobile version, the website you're looking at might well be looking at the actual OS (or something else entirely) to define how it presents the site to you.
Incidentally if you want to see the "User-Agent" information that a simple php browser sniffer gathers - see this link: It's basically the same sort of code that some people put links to in their forum signature bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Riceburner, this makes a bit more sense now and understand all of what you are saying...
Cheers

Application List

The application list next to the home screen, has anyone heard if any updates are coming? I always assumed it would have a skiplist functionality like the contacts. It's kind of raw the way it is now, and we're getting closer and closer to an RC.

Anyone know if you can search through the list using the Search button?

lordcanti86 said:
Anyone know if you can search through the list using the Search button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you can. Uniform search ftw.

Windcape said:
Yep, you can. Uniform search ftw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect. There is no unified search. Search is contextual.

RustyGrom said:
Incorrect. There is no unified search. Search is contextual.
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Click to collapse
You read the second part wrong
Uniform = Search button does the same everywhere.
I just had to add more words than just "yes" to the sentence. 10 character minimum per post!

Windcape said:
You read the second part wrong
Uniform = Search button does the same everywhere.
I just had to add more words than just "yes" to the sentence. 10 character minimum per post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you can't search the app list...

RustyGrom said:
But you can't search the app list...
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Click to collapse
It's my understanding it's meant to be possible.
The search-button in the emulator opens Bing for everything but custom loaded application with the search button mapped. So I would be a bit vary about judging to much from the emulator only.
(I also have some faint memory of seen it working in one of the unlocked emulators.)

In the current version of the emulator it's taking me to bing's website. However, I think this is a major gripe noted by many beta testers and developers so we should see something more updated at release.
I'm hoping that the search button becomes contextual here as well as adding in the jump lists. However, with the default number of applications a jump list might become a burden. After almost every other item you'll have a new letter block taking up screen space. It might be best to configure it to only activate the jump lists if you have X applications installed on the phone.

The search button currently allows you to search through your contacts list in the people hub, and allows you to search through locally downloaded emails in your inbox.

I really hope MS gives more options like allowing grids instead of just a list. A jump list in gridded form (like what shows on the Zune HD) would be great.

Outside links on xda are broken

There's something wrong with the links on xda. They redirect through api.viglink.com.
This is bad for a couple of reasons:
- Manipulating links so that they point to a different address than displayed in the status bar is generally considered bad behaviour equal to malware.
- It breaks context menu functions like "open in another browser," "send shortcut to desktop," "translate," "search," etc.
Can you repair the links on xda so that what you see in the status bar is what you get? You don't want to modify links in a way that breaks browser functions, do you? I understand that you need to make money somehow, but please try to do so in a non-destructive way.

rogier666 said:
There's something wrong with the links on xda. They redirect through api.viglink.com.
This is bad for a couple of reasons:
- Manipulating links so that they point to a different address than displayed in the status bar is generally considered bad behaviour equal to malware.
- It breaks context menu functions like "open in another browser," "send shortcut to desktop," "translate," "search," etc.
Can you repair the links on xda so that what you see in the status bar is what you get? You don't want to modify links in a way that breaks browser functions, do you? I understand that you need to make money somehow, but please try to do so in a non-destructive way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you may have some malware installed on your PC or your web browser screwing with your links, you might want to check that. All of the outbound links in the XDA forums that I checked just now link directly to the external URL, standard "A" tag links.

My university is gonna like that. It's happening on their computers.
That'll teach them for forcing internet explorer on the entire department
(But it only happens with outside links on xda, not on other sites. Is there some xda-specific malware running wild?)

Nah, it's not malware or anything. It's something the owners decided to implement at some point. Sorry don't have any specific information though. Just letting you know it's not anything on your end.

This happens on almost every link I click on on my nexus 5 from any browser.

[REQ][XDA WIKI]: Feature request thread

Request 1: Add HTML Tidy to the xda wiki stack
Template:Navbox @ Wikipedia said:
Using this template on other wikis requires HTML Tidy to be turned on. A version that does not require Tidy can be found at Wikipedia:WikiProject Transwiki/Template:Navbox. (That version generally shouldn't be used here on the English Wikipedia.) More detailed information on copying {{Navbox}} to other wikis can be found on the talk page.
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I've been doing a LOT of work adding stuff to the xda wiki, but I've hit an impasse, some of the most complex templates used on Wikipedia depend on it being 'scripted' with HTML instead of pure wikimarkup.
The main example is Template:Navbox. While this specific template does have a pupre wikimarkup equivilent (if it even is an equivilent, it's not maintained at the level of the normal one). The other templates I wish to use dont have equivilents.
Template:Navbox subgroup is the one (among others) that I wish to add in but cant because it depends on HTML Tidy. The Template itself is already on the xda wiki, but if you attempt to use it it's completely broken.
I cant say it's as simple as "install on server and turn it on" but the fact of the matter is that without it most of the fun/magic stuff on wikipedia cant be brought over to the xda wiki.
Some examples of recent stuff i've made (for reference):
Samsung Galaxy S Series Navbox
Samsung Galaxy S II Series Navbox
New Samsung Portal on Main page
Entirety of Dell devices page
If you look at the several navboxes I've made they have hacks in the code to get around the fact that I'm just a normal level editor.
Request 2: We need MOAR editors!
Also this doubles as a request for more editors on the wiki: XDA is the largest android development based site on the internet, yet here we are weeks after the release of the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note and the pages didnt even exist until I made stubs for them.
As of this past quarter I've generated more edits then possibly nearly every other user combined, but there's only so much I can do at this point by my self. (With my primary style being to organize page layouts and tidying stuff up vs writing new content for devices)
[Edit count itself is a bad metric, but edits that arnt mine only number in the dozens a month]
Sure it's reasonable for minor devices and varients to be stubs, but the Note has sold over a million units and yet not a single person has even bothered to make as much as a scribble on the wiki about the device. That's just an example, but ultimately if this were wikipedia, the amount of pages rated 'good' or higher would only number in the dozens. (There's also the fact that my belief is that it's a bad idea to add anything intensive for a device you dont own, standard fare on one device can super-brick another due to quirks)
It's a rather sad state of affairs that for such a large web site with 22000 active users at any one time that there's not a single good consistant repeat editor besides me.
Edit: changed wording to not be inflammatory
Request 3: Turn on Subpages on the main namespace
Mediawiki:Subpages are by default enabled on the template and user namespaces, but not on the main namespace. I believe it's done this way because of editor policy and not technical reasons.
The xda wiki would HEAVILY benefit from having it enabled since it already currently manually uses them, the previous example of:
Samsung <Series>/<model number>/article has long existed this way but without the automatically generated anchors.
The majority of pages are already ready to accept it, it might simply need to be turned on.

XDA Wiki
TheManii said:
there's not a single good editor besides me.
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IMHO that is a rather sweeping statement and is likely to put off anyone from editing the Wiki. I would dispute even your claim as a good editor would not make sweeping changes to categories without discussion on the pages involved. Should I just "undo" them?
XDA has a problem with repetitive questions leading to user dissatisfaction with overlong forums and the loss of good developers such as AdamG.
One solution may be to create a FAQ Wiki for any thread over a certain size (for example 1,000 posts) and automatically link to that thread at the top of every page and above the reply box.
Cheers
Tom

It is sweeping, but the fact is there arent many repeat editors, many devices havnt not seen edits in months because a great deal of the changes dones are a one-time batch job with a single theme.
I'm not at all saying that the other editors are bad, though yes that what the impression was (and perhaps I should have worded it better). I'm saying that few wish to stay with it for the long-haul.
There's few editors that consistantly return to add/update/expand artitles for their own devices or other devices. That's my main issue. I actively want to be proven wrong in this regard, I'm inviting other to prove me wrong. I myself am somewhat guilty of this myself, I primarly concentrate on the dell devices, but I've kept them very up to date for the previous year.
One example I have issue with is: Acer A500 -xda wiki the entire page are just forum links. I have no issue at all with the contents of the posts (just as much my opinion on them is irrelevent) but the fact they are just links and not part of the article. The fact it's not on the wiki means that other editors cannot make changes themselves, which rather defeats the point of the wiki, which leads to,
The other issue is, unless the OP is excellent at keeping the thread organizied, you often have to wade though the entire thread to keep up to date. With a thread with +200 posts even if you wanted to it's a huge effort to do that. Even in the most complex of topics, they can be broken down a couple bullet points and approx a paragraph each to elaborate. There's also 'bad' advise that doesnt get edited away on topics ('bad' as in it may simply be the case that it was the right thing at the moment but there was eventually a more 'correct' method discovered later and the original 'bad' one is still reposted for whatever reason)
I could copy the posts onto the wiki verbaitm, but you really should have the poster's permission, what if the poster isnt active? It would be a bad idea to paraphrase advise/guides without context, what if you remove an important small detail. The right way to be to frequent the device and get context, but that triples the amount of work to do so properly.
It's no secret that there's always users that refuse to read topics and simply skip straight to posting repeat questions. Short pages with clear instructions are much easier to recommend then having them read though dozens and dozens of posts (which they skipped as they posted without reading in the first place)
Discussions dont really work on a wiki, esp one without consistant-repeat (or even repeat) editors. There's a fair amount of edits for various devices, but there are obviously more devices then editors. Lets walk though it: I want to make an edit, do I post it on the topic's talk page? Short of doing so on wikipiedia proper on a popular change, you wont recieve much feedback.
Do you make a post on each of their device's forums? XDA has sub-forums for each device, but not really a sub-forum for the family itself (back to the SGS/SGS2, there's the main device's subforum and each varient's subforum but none for the entire family, i think) That means making dozens of posts to talk about each major change.
What if it's an old device such as the winmo devices? The HTC HD2 is the only one left on the active part of the xda forums, because it's obviously not just a winmo device now. You're going to have to wait a very long time as they naturally only get a couple posts a month now.
Just as much, unless a mod/admin states to the contrary, you can always assume Wikipedia:Be Bold is implied to apply. I honestly have no issue if my edits are reverted if they are constructive reverts, as that's how wikis work.
If anyone has a issue with the edits I make, you're welcome to discuss it with me and hopefully we'll find a middle road.
Also I've made a reply on User_talkaveShaw#Page Name & Categories (as a fun note: & is translated to _.26_ in links while / isnt, though mediawiki has no issue with either of them, though you cannot directly use & in page names while you can use /) You should read it if the critisim is directed towards me.
tl;dr prove me wrong, Be Bold, help make the wiki better
Edit: HTC_HD2 - NexusHD2 ICS CM9 FAQ is an excellent example of why things should be on the wiki as articles instead of just merely links to a thread. It's about 3 pages of topic points and contains the majority of the topic points instead of having to read 225 (currently) pages to get the same info. (Also, just as much if I inadvertently remove valid content, revert/add it back! That was not my intention, everyone makes mistakes. The xda wiki is pretty well off in that it has little/no intentional vanadalism, you can always assume an edit is in good faith, I dont recall more then 1-2 legitamitely bad edits in nearly a year)

I've asked someone to look at Request 1.
I'm not sure what can be done about Request 2, if people don't want to maintain it, we can't make then

Thanks!
I dont really expect req 2 to be fullfilled in any real manner. Just pointing it out.

Added request 3: enable subpages on main namespace

TheManii said:
Added request 3: enable subpages on main namespace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our server admin has told me this has been done.
Dave

I can confirm it's on now, all the subcatagorized pages seem to be working great now

TheManii said:
I can confirm it's on now, all the subcatagorized pages seem to be working great now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Dave