To moderators,
Please, please, please ... reduce the size allowed to signatures
Some users have endless signatures, with many graphics, pictures ... it makes threads difficult to read
Ok, I use AdBlock Plus to remove many, but that´s an endless fight
Cheers
ChefChaudart said:
To moderators,
Please, please, please ... reduce the size allowed to signatures
Some users have endless signatures, with many graphics, pictures ... it makes threads difficult to read
Ok, I use AdBlock Plus to remove many, but that´s an endless fight
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click the link in my sig please would you say those signatures there are too big , I will happily resize them if they are , their resolution is 600*200 and btw. Moderators will ask members with over sized sigs to resize them
ChefChaudart said:
To moderators,
Please, please, please ... reduce the size allowed to signatures
Some users have endless signatures, with many graphics, pictures ... it makes threads difficult to read
Ok, I use AdBlock Plus to remove many, but that´s an endless fight
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Size of the signature is already greatly restricted by the number of characters in it.
If someone puts care into their signature, the number of characters could be much greater, but take up less screen space. Just changing the color counts as characters.
The total vertical pixels of all images in signatures could could have a limit, which would prevent the signatures that are blatantly too large.
Often times using more characters can actually reduce the total screen space taken up by the signature.
For instance posting a raw URL takes up more screen space than embedding it as something like
using { and } in place of [ and ]
{URL=the raw URL}link{/URL}
By doing this, many links can all appear on one line.
Rather than modifying the site to automatically restrict this, I think enforcement would probably be better done by making a site policy to not have obscenely large signatures.
If someone does, and a complaint is made, the user would be warned and the signature would be editted or removed by a mod with a message to the user.
That would be similar to how an inappropriate post by a user would be handled.
The mods already do an excellent job at handling those issues.
MacaronyMax said:
Click the link in my sig please would you say those signatures there are too big , I will happily resize them if they are , their resolution is 600*200 and btw. Moderators will ask members with over sized sigs to resize them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, our policy is to not restrict the size of signatures, unless one of the mods finds it to be too big. At that point, we'll ask the user to trim it!
Well, I guess, another option would be a user option that allows to display or not members signatures
ChefChaudart said:
Well, I guess, another option would be a user option that allows to display or not members signatures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean this? (in your usercp)
Visible Post Elements
You have the option to show or hide various elements of messages, which may be of use to users on slow internet connections, or who want to remove extraneous clutter from posts.
Show Signatures
Show Avatars
Show Images (including attached images and images in code)
[/QUOTE]Built into vBulletin long ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MordyT said:
You mean this? (in your usercp)
Built into vBulletin long ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oups
Yes What a (new) pleasure to read XDA !!!
annoying mod signatures!
Yes, these large signatures, especially by moderators with constant moving colors and images are annoying and distract from the content/purpose of each thread. It is possible to turn off signatures. Go to User CP>Edit Options>Thread display Options and you can turn them off. But in reality, mods should not be allowed to have such large annoying signatures advertising their wares.
JVH3 said:
Size of the signature is already greatly restricted by the number of characters in it.
If someone puts care into their signature, the number of characters could be much greater, but take up less screen space. Just changing the color counts as characters.
The total vertical pixels of all images in signatures could could have a limit, which would prevent the signatures that are blatantly too large.
Often times using more characters can actually reduce the total screen space taken up by the signature.
For instance posting a raw URL takes up more screen space than embedding it as something like
using { and } in place of [ and ]
{URL=the raw URL}link{/URL}
By doing this, many links can all appear on one line.
Rather than modifying the site to automatically restrict this, I think enforcement would probably be better done by making a site policy to not have obscenely large signatures.
If someone does, and a complaint is made, the user would be warned and the signature would be editted or removed by a mod with a message to the user.
That would be similar to how an inappropriate post by a user would be handled.
The mods already do an excellent job at handling those issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your points. Would you mind reducing the size of your signature?
me even too dont like big signaturs cause problems wid loading of page wen ur net sucks :-/
If you see someone with a ridiculously large signature image, report them using the "report post" button at the top right of one of their posts
Related
First of all: don't worry. Everything you are used to is still here. Your username still exists, all the messages are still here, and we're all still here.
There are a few changes though:
You can set a country flag, as well as which device(s) you have and a home GSM-provider. These will be displayed in icon form with your messages. It's completely uncomplicated and much more fun if everyone participates. So please use the 'Profile' button in the menu above to set these things for you. They help others help you by knowing what device you have and what provider you are using.
Topics now have an extra property, which defines whether they are relevant for the original XDA, for the XDA II or for both. A small icon shows with each message. You can set this property when you start a new topic.
The separate XDAII board is gone. All messages there have been moved to the forum where they are most appropriate (see below). The fact that the messages were originally posted in XDAII now shows with an icon.
We now allow attachments, both in forum postings and in Private Messages, sized up to 50MB (!).
The boards have new names, and are slightly re-organized:
[list:42f131921e]
General
Current events, news, etc.
Using it
messages formerly in 'PocketPC' go here.
Not too technical, about use and peculiarities.
Unlocking it
formerly called 'Unlocking'
Networking it
formerly called 'GPRS/WAP settings'
Stocking up for it
formerly called 'Accessories'
Upgrading and modifying it
formerly 'ROM updates'
Hacking it
formerly 'Programmers corner' and 'Other techie stuff'
Anything but it
formerly called 'Off-topic'
[/list:u:42f131921e]
We currently use the plain-vanilla 'subSilver' phpBB style. Expect further changes to the way things look over the next few days. Please let me know by clicking 'PM' under this message if anything that used to work for you all of a sudden isn't working anymore.
Hope you like it...
New look
Sexy!
Wow ! well done ! :wink: certainly a lot of work ...thanks
Sure does and it looks good too! 8)
But found the following to be missing:
no USA T-Mobile listed under GSM Provider
no AT&T radio stacks listed under Radio Version.
Qman said:
no USA T-Mobile listed under GSM Provider
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops. Fixed.
no AT&T radio stacks listed under Radio Version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're still confused about all these Radio Stack Upgrade numbers. And if we are confused, imagine what that means for the poor folks out there. But I will include some more numbers tomorrow...
A couple of suggestions:
In the ROM Version setting of the profile, there should be a "kitchen" option for 4.00.16, since this is on at least one kitchen (perhaps "kitchen" ought to be a check box?)
I don't know that I would have chosen to have a merged 'update it' forum for XDAI and XDAII. Most readers are interested in info for one device and dont care about the other.
pdhenry said:
A couple of suggestions:
In the ROM Version setting of the profile, there should be a "kitchen" option for 4.00.16, since this is on at least one kitchen (perhaps "kitchen" ought to be a check box?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Done. I might make it a checkbox later on.
I don't know that I would have chosen to have a merged 'update it' forum for XDAI and XDAII. Most readers are interested in info for one device and dont care about the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was planning to create a one-click filter option for 'viewforum.php'.
Why damn, this blob-thing is ... growing.
As you may have seen the forum now has it's own hostname: forum.xda-developers.com. All existing links (/forum and /phpBB) will redirect to the correct thread or post on the new hostname (using a rewrite rule and sending HTTP 'Moved Permanently').
The uncompressed database for the forum is now 40 MB, the entire site is sending and receiving a few GigaBytes per day, to and from over 2500 unique IP-numbers each day.
Congradulation!
Hello
Well done and great work, keep it up.
thanks with best regards.
Othman
looks alrite but i miss the yellowy colour scheme now looks like every other forum on the web lol :roll:
how strange ...
the DB is only 40Mb ... this fits on 10% of my stamp size SD card ...
and yet, with just 2500 db-access (and how many posts? probably 100kb)
we get Giga bytes of traffic....
Just think how wasteful we're with current technology....
This goes double for a Pocket PC with two wireless communications,
100's of Mb of data, 400Mhz cpu ... and all that it does is displaying
who is calling your phone
Hmmm ....
[this is not a flame of the site or the PPC.... just a note on the status of the information/software age of the 21st century in general]
Looks
gazzaman2k said:
looks alrite but i miss the yellowy colour scheme now looks like every other forum on the web lol :roll:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries: this is temporary. There will be some proper design-work done on the entire site.
This is a good opportunity to say "Thank you" to Mario Giambanco, whose ideas and kind offer to work on the site prompted me to do some cleanup first, which resulted in the changes you see. Between him, myself, and hopefully some other volunteers we can now start to do a major overhaul concerning the looks and stale content of the main site.
The new 'main site' is going to be database-generated (from the phpBB database), and will have at least 'News' and 'FAQ' pages, pointing to topics on the forum. This will mean the 'main site' will be much more of an up-to-date tribute to the collective work of all of you on the forum, instead of a somewhat stale collection of some cool stuff we did way back. Creating layout in the way we did it before is just too much work.
Welcome to our new face
It looks very nice :lol:
But maybe we need added section: download & upgrade hardware ???
:wink:
very nice
Simply An excellent job
I preferred the old one. bah humbug
Thank You!
Thanks! For all the hard work it is much appreciated :wink:
Keep burning the midnight oil, it can only get better! ( like the XDA II )
Kind Regards, StayLucky Jim.
Hacking it ?
I written quite a few custom applications for the XDA and your site has some interesting infomation that has helped me.
I have replied a couple of times too with some code snipits.
All was very professional.
Now the Programmers Corner is under Hacking it, so I must of now become a Hacker. An interesting term, that I will have to add to my CV and see if it effects my future software appointments.
At last! Your decision to migrate to 2.0.6 is very welcome
If you interested - I can suggest two mobile adaptations for phpbb:
- read only version optimized for using as Mobile Favorites/Avantgo channels
and
- fully functional version for using from mobile devices.
These versions were developed and tested for one of the mostly visited (264,100 messages currently) PDA-related site in Russia http://www.handy.ru/board Unfortunately, all of the site is on Russian, but you may look though the following links just to smell it:
Mobile Favorites/AvantGo version:
Setup channels (Controls translation: forum name; timeframe; pictures (all/smiles only/none); link conversion mode; signatures on/off)
Ready-to-synchronize channel link (two days plus vacations, smiles only, links converted to text, without signatures).
Online mobile version: (banners should be visible from desktop PC only)
Forum index
Forum page
Topic discussion
All security is the same as in desktop phpbb version. Almost all functionality is implemented except site administration, advanced moderation panel (topic joining/splitting/mass deletes) and profile changing/private messaging.
These forum versions not include support for skins or language resources (sorry, but I develop them as fast as I can). So translation to English and slight adaptation to your mods (if any) needed. But I'm ready for this job.
The only main forum changes needed are:
- adding 4 lines to template variables array initialization;
- modifying 4 template files to add links to mobile versions;
Re: Hacking it ?
vangelderp said:
Now the Programmers Corner is under Hacking it, so I must of now become a Hacker. An interesting term, that I will have to add to my CV and see if it effects my future software appointments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seemed like a logical term to combine 'Programmers corner' and the little used 'Other techie stuff'. We think of the term 'hacker' as meaning a benign and very advanced programmer or techie, and not in any negative media-sensationalist terms. (Even though some of us do smile when we take the SIMlock off.)
Ofcourse if you think the rest of the world would see this differently, you're welcome to say 'Programmers corner' in future job applications.
I sincerely hope this linguistic issue will not keep you from continuing to benefit and contribute in the future.
This Qur'an Viewer was developed for my own use and will be invaluable to anyone who has memorised the Quran and wants to view two-pages at once so that it looks very similar to the mushaf.
Two types of Indo-Pak script are available, as well as two types of Uthmani script.
WVGA (800x480) resolution is an absolute necessity to run this application, any higher or lower resolution will probably not work properly and has not been tested.
You may find the size of the script is a little small, but as a Hafiz I find it invaluable as a quick reference when out and about.
You can click the page to move next/previous. You can also click the upper part of the page to go next/previous juz or surah.
You can choose from three bookmark positions, which will automatically remember your page position on each of the three virtual bookmarks.
Download it here. Unzip and see readme.txt for full installation instructions:
http://www.acclaimit.co.uk/downloads/HolyQuranWVGA_Release_20091001.zip
*** Please completely uninstall the previous Quran13Line application if you installed it before. This new application uses all new script images and a different folder structure. ***
Screenshots attached.
Jazzak Allah Khair
Could you please tell me which screen resolutions are compatible ?
qvga,vga,wqvga,wvga ???
Thank you
I'm sorry, WVGA (800x480) resolution is an absolute necessity to run this application, any higher or lower resolution will not work and has not been tested.
Thank you very much
DOWNLOADED AND INSTALLED
It is wonderful !
But could we get better Pictures ? with better script ?
Jazak-Allah, I'm glad it works. I tried my best to make the pictures look good using the 480 pixels page height so that we can fit two pages on-screen at a time. It's not going to be possible to make it any better unless we have more pixels to play with, or do you have any alternative ideas?
What do you mean by better script? Which part of the script are you having difficulty with exactly?
Thanx for your reply
I meant a different set of pictures, even the 15 line ones
attached are two samples (Zipped with WinZip)
and if you like, I can guide you to the link where you will be able to download the whole set of the first or the second sample.
Thanx again
I see. You forgot the attachments.
Please let me know the link to the whole sets of any other images you know of and I'll see what I can do... 15 or other lined ones, but I will have to rename the application too
I've resized the sample images to 480-pixel height. See attached.
I think the script on these images is much finer than the 13-line ones and is unreadable with two pages on-screen at a time. It would make more sense to show a full page at a time for the 15-line ones, which does not quite fit with the original design goal of this application.
I guess the answer would be to create a new application called "Quran15Line" showing one page at a time, but I am not sure how many people would be interested in this. Poll?
So? have you checked the samples ?
I guess the images without the frames can be visualised better especially when two of them are joined together on a horizontal WVGA screen, right ?
waiting for your reply
Well, as I have mentioned in my previous post, ( sorry just seen ur answer ), the ones without the frame are better.
Regarding your suggestion of the "Single Page", I don't think too many people will be interested in it since the images are originally taken from a software with a single page, full screen style.
These are the links to the 'non frame images' try them and give me your feedback ( Horizontal and Vertical )
http://www.4shared.com/file/96364556/390c2fa6/v_wvga.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/97539687/b3476020/h_wvga.html
Thanx again
Ahh, about your attachment, in fact they both seem readable ! and do not forget that this software is intended for a 'two page style' which means that it is obviously with smaller pages.
I am so interested in the new images !
hope you can make them.
and regarding the software, you can change the options in the TOOLS key, to 13 lines ( your old images ) and 15 lines ( my suggested images ) !
What do you think ???
Jazakhallah Khair Brother Ashiq
Inshallah you will receive Sadqah Jariya every time i use it
this is what i have been looking for for ages
if you do update it can you consider a transalation in english which corresponds to same
13 line quran if possible,maybe i am asking too much
but thanks anyway
Salaams
I was already considering English translation which should correspond with the script. However, it will take a while to do this because there are so many English translations and because we have tell the application which aayaat are on each page so that they can be matched up to the translation. It may take a few weeks, but Insha-Allah I will work on it during any spare time I have.
jaguaralani said:
These are the links to the 'non frame images' try them and give me your feedback ( Horizontal and Vertical )
http://www.4shared.com/file/96364556/390c2fa6/v_wvga.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/97539687/b3476020/h_wvga.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bro what difference with this?
Code:
http://www.4shared.com/file/134351630/60362269/h_wvga-800x480-medina2.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/134114828/f2fe41e9/v_wvga-480x800-medina2.html
thanks bro
we need another resolutions plz
thanks alot
there is a collection of indopak script at pdaquran .com
which is clearer to read as it is a page per screen
wonder if you you could use the images in you excellent software
ibrahimh said:
there is a collection of indopak script at pdaquran .com
which is clearer to read as it is a page per screen
wonder if you you could use the images in you excellent software
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This application is designed for WVGA to show two pages per screen, so unfortunately I cannot use the pdaquran images. I would urge you to contact pdaquran and ask them to provide you with a Windows Mobile application (they already provide an iPhone one). In any case, couldn't you just download the PDF and view it using Adobe Reader one page at a time?
Dear monzoyt and all - thank you for the various uthmani images you sent - I am currently preparing the Uthmani/Madinah images and will release a new application within a few days InshaAllah.
It takes a while because I have cropped the images to maintain high quality after resizing and need to also match up the bookmarks to the page numbers, and also need to render the page numbers in arabic on the page sides due to the fact that the images do not have enough space to render the page numbers at the top.
monyozt said:
bro what difference with this?
Code:
http://www.4shared.com/file/134351630/60362269/h_wvga-800x480-medina2.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/134114828/f2fe41e9/v_wvga- -medina2.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
800x480 and 480x800, landscape and portrait screen mode!
Hi there,
I found today a website which contains all applications for WP7. You can use specific filters like language, price and category. You can also get statistics about WP7 apps. I think it's better than wp7applist because very simple and intuitive. It's easier to find applications.
http://www.windowsphoneapplist.com
Very nice, I like!
Thanks for sharing!
Great place !
thanks for sharing
Similar sites for WP7 apps
CyKin said:
Hi there,
I found today a website which contains all applications for WP7. You can use specific filters like language, price and category. You can also get statistics about WP7 apps. I think it's better than wp7applist because very simple and intuitive. It's easier to find applications.
http://www.windowsphoneapplist.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like clone of this site http://www.monsmartphone.net/marketplace/
I don't like them both because out of date information in WP7 programs descriptions, screen shots.
There is also no information about the date of the application update.
Both http://wp7applist.com/ and http://www.marketplacebrowser.com contains more adequate information about programs, but not good for browsing.
They very good when you want to read info about the particular program.
http://www.appsfuze.com/ also has filters by category, free or paid app.
Good for browsing, but I'm not sure in their statistics info.
Also out of date info related to the applications screen shots.
Wrong text formatting in app description.
Of course, all above IMHO
Please keep discussion threads out of the app release section
I will move this to WP7 General.
~~Tito~~
Yet another site for WP7 apps
I've found another site for WP7 applications:
http://wpappshub.com
IMHO it is not so good for apps browsing, but contains actual information about published or updated programs.
s_v_l said:
It looks like clone of this site monsmartphone.net/marketplace/
I don't like them both because out of date information in WP7 programs descriptions, screen shots.
There is also no information about the date of the application update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello s_v_l,
I'm in charge of development of monsmartphone.net & windowsphoneapplist. I've attached importance to your post and the main bugs are corrected. All apps are now updated directly. The update job will take about 24 hours, so tomorrow you will see the good prices & informations. If you have any suggestion, pm me
MrDesch said:
Hello s_v_l,
I'm in charge of development of monsmartphone.net & windowsphoneapplist. I've attached importance to your post and the main bugs are corrected. All apps are now updated directly. The update job will take about 24 hours, so tomorrow you will see the good prices & informations. If you have any suggestion, pm me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi MrDesch,
You're the only one of the owners of WP7 sites who responded to my criticism.
Thanks.
I present my point of view, as a developer.
We both have a common goal - give the user the ability to make the right choice by the shortest way.
Currently there are near the 7600 applications on the WP7 marketplace.
Very good, but most of them weak and a great risk WP7 marketplace transformation to the garbage place.
I am disappointed with Microsoft in this regard.
I will not even talk about the lack of moderation of false feedback, about black PR, etc., etc.
Sorry for off topic.
More details about your sites tomorrow in PM.
Thanks again.
here is another one
http://wp7.apphab.com/
i like to use http://wp7applist.com/
webwalk® said:
here is another one
http://wp7.apphab.com/
i like to use http://wp7applist.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://wp7.apphab.com/ good.
Contains actual info about applications.
IMHO need New,Update,Free,Paid,Price Change view by category.
windowsphoneapplist has been updated. What do you think about the new design ?
MrDesch said:
windowsphoneapplist has been updated. What do you think about the new design ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good, in WP7 style
Some problem with the text overlapping at the upper right corner.
The main problems:
1. The out of date information in the app description and screen shots.
2. Wrong info about pricing!
Actual info about my app:
http://wp7.apphab.com/gps4me-by-sergei-v-lepitko/
Your info
http://www.windowsphoneapplist.com/gps4me-a4094.html
Also I can suggest add filter for paid applications too for better browsing.
For example I'm interesting on paid applications only and want to browse them in different category.
(BTW if you check both Free & Trial you will discard ~50% applications)
Thanks for your feedback s_v_l !
What kind of problem did you have with the text overlapping ? It works for me with ie, chrome and firefox.
I found the bug (the last I hope ) It's now corrected. Sry Sry !
Good suggestion for paid apps.
MrDesch said:
Thanks for your feedback s_v_l !
What kind of problem did you have with the text overlapping ? It works for me with ie, chrome and firefox.
I found the bug (the last I hope ) It's now corrected. Sry Sry !
Good suggestion for paid apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Text on the background image overlaps the top banner and right menu block.
See attached screen shots for home window and product window.
I'm using Firefox 3.6.13
2. IMHO download button should be detached from the ads block,
because end user may be confused by the info on that ads.
(this is against google rules related to the ads placement)
Also would be better to make accent on download button by color (light green).
See my other screen shots for product download section and my suggestion with detached button.
3. Price info fixed, but info in the program description and program screen shots still out of date.
s_v_l said:
1. Text on the background image overlaps the top banner and right menu block.
See attached screen shots for home window and product window.
I'm using Firefox 3.6.13
2. IMHO download button should be detached from the ads block,
because end user may be confused by the info on that ads.
(this is against google rules related to the ads placement)
Also would be better to make accent on download button by color (light green).
See my other screen shots for product download section and my suggestion with detached button.
3. Price info fixed, but info in the program description and program screen shots still out of date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Ok thanks
2. I don't think it's a problem for Google. The ad is just highlighted but for me there is no confusion. Good idea for the button.
3. Have you updated the numbers of the version ?
MrDesch said:
...
3. Have you updated the numbers of the version ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
s_v_l said:
...
Actual info about my app:
http://wp7.apphab.com/gps4me-by-sergei-v-lepitko/
Your info
http://www.windowsphoneapplist.com/gps4me-a4094.html
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See differences both in textual app description and screen shots.
It's done !
MrDesch said:
It's done !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much better than initial view.
App description has been updated properly.
Good idea with "video" section and clickable links in description.
Some problems still exist:
1. Incorrect screen shots update, see attached images.
a)your screen shots set;
b)original screen shots and their order, as they published on WP7 hub (7 items)
2. And text overlapping looks not good (third image in attachment)
Some words about app submitting logic on the WP7 hub.
When developer submit new application or update app to the new version all published data could be changed.
After publication on the WP7 marketplace developer has the ability to correct price information only for current publication. All other data remain the same.
Thanks
All images are in your cache browser. You have to clear it to see the actual screenshots. The text overlapping is alse corrected. It's not perfect but it looks better on high resolution
Yes, I know about that. Thanks s_v_l
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Hi Guys This is a guide on app design guidelines.This can be applied everywhere and not only app design. I have seen many apps that perform awesome but their UI scares people away! This won't be a very detailed guide, only basic pointers on UI Design.
First off i would like to say that User experience and functionality of the app is equally or more important than it's UI. There's no point in a app that has a awesome looking UI but is very laggy or lacks functionality.
Lets begin with a few tips :
Try to make the UI simple and clean with no extra clutter.Hide extra functionality in menus. Keep the main function of the program in the front.
Make the UI flat.Use subtle gradients and shadows. Don't make it too flat like the metro ui,in which you can't distinguish an icon from a button
Use a specific color scheme. Select two to three lead colours. and select 1 or 2 background colours.
Either make it dark themed, or light themed, don't mix the two!
Use transitions. But not too fancy.
Split your app into different parts and provide a easy way to navigate
Fix Whatever you can behind the scenes
Use short Phrases, No one wants to read too much to do a simple task!
Use pastel colours or darker colours. ie. one shade lighter or darker than the original color.
Have contrast between the text color and the background color, making it easier to read.
Tricks :
Don't waste much time making animations. Use LayoutTransitions (android 3.0+)
Test your apps on different screen sizes.
Download the color swatches provided by google -click here
Google is your friend. Go to developer.android.com for more guidelines, application fundamentals etc.
Use good typography. Roboto and helvetica are some of the good fonts. Download roboto - click here
Guide on iconography - click here
Warnings! :
Do not use harsh gradients! for eg.. black to white , It makes the app feel cheap.
Try and stay away from putting ads
Do not let the app make decisions for itself, let it ask the user!
Do not make the app too colourful.
Make sure it runs smooth without jitter.
Don't put too much info. at once!
Don't use too flashy colors that hurt the eye.
Again, this isn't meant to be a very long guide, just a few basic things you should keep in mind while designing. For more detailed guidelines use developer.android.com
If i missed something important let me know! :good:
That's really helpful..
Thank you
wad!e said:
That's really helpful..
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you liked it
Amazing guide! Thanks so much! I'm glad more people love great design.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Hello there, thanks for this guide.
I am no developer so I don't have to mess with the graphics, but I still often wonder : in android programming, where there will always be the probrem of multiple display size / resolution, why isn't the most primary & most basic guideline to use as much as possible vector graphics instead of bitmap based graphics ? wouldn't it save a huge amount of hassle of having to make gfx resources for different screen sizes ?
thx in advance
phentex said:
Hello there, thanks for this guide.
I am no developer so I don't have to mess with the graphics, but I still often wonder : in android programming, where there will always be the probrem of multiple display size / resolution, why isn't the most primary & most basic guideline to use as much as possible vector graphics instead of bitmap based graphics ? wouldn't it save a huge amount of hassle of having to make gfx resources for different screen sizes ?
thx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it would be easier.
However, you would need a proper library to do that. Android does not support adding *.svg vector graphics by default. So all the conversion of the vector graphics need to be done manually. (There are some libs out there, but they do not support all features of *.svg graphics.)
For basic things there is support to do that using the standard Android development APIs provided by Google (declaring drawables in xml files) but it will not be enough for shapes which are more complicated than lines, rectangles or circles or a combination of those.
Addititionally the conversion of vector graphics to bitmaps (graphics consisting of single pixels) would need much processing power and would slow everything down.
Hence *.png and *.9.png files are still the standard way to do that.
@TechMasta: By the way, great guide.
TechMasta said:
Try and stay away from putting ads
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No ads? How does one go about monetization then? Don't get me wrong. I'm a Windows and Windows Phone developer. I was thinking of porting my apps to Android. I'm just getting started. But I'm using Windows Azure for which I do have to pay for. How should I go about those expenses?
TechMasta said:
Do not let the app make decisions for itself, let it ask the user!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes it should. However, the user should be able to change the default behaviour. Or as the android design guidelines express it:
Decide for me but let me have the final say
Take your best guess and act rather than asking first. Too many choices and decisions make people unhappy. Just in case you get it wrong, allow for 'undo'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(http://developer.android.com/design/get-started/principles.html)
Great guide, though.
akshay2000 said:
No ads? How does one go about monetization then? Don't get me wrong. I'm a Windows and Windows Phone developer. I was thinking of porting my apps to Android. I'm just getting started. But I'm using Windows Azure for which I do have to pay for. How should I go about those expenses?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can put ads if you want. Just don't bombard the user with them, place them in a way it does not interrupt or come in the way of the user when he is using your app
phentex said:
Hello there, thanks for this guide.
I am no developer so I don't have to mess with the graphics, but I still often wonder : in android programming, where there will always be the probrem of multiple display size / resolution, why isn't the most primary & most basic guideline to use as much as possible vector graphics instead of bitmap based graphics ? wouldn't it save a huge amount of hassle of having to make gfx resources for different screen sizes ?
thx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With google's plugin for eclipse you can add your graphics in multiple resolutions by Copying your layout from "layout" folder of resources and paste it in the "layout-land", "layout-xlarge" etc.
SahilC said:
Amazing guide! Thanks so much! I'm glad more people love great design.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you liked it
Thank you very much, very useful information.
Thx for it mate I will develop good think
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Looks good
graphics design
Thank you for this information about web design. Really nice.
Good set of tips for the first version of an app!
The next level of designing should ideally be with testing different design variations via split testing.
Making Decisions
TechMasta said:
Do not let the app make decisions for itself, let it ask the user!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hai,
Thanks for your guide. But I am having a different opinion from one of your warnings.
Let the app make decisions by itself, for example when user deletes an item DELETE it. But do provide an option to UNDO it. Showing another dialog to confirm it, in your words "ask the user", is redundant.
Because providing too many options makes the user overwhelmed in an unexpected way. Choose the best/defaults for your app and provide some ways to configure them [Ex : Colors, Themes, Font size etc]
Ahamed.M said:
Hai,
Thanks for your guide. But I am having a different opinion from one of your warnings.
Let the app make decisions by itself, for example when user deletes an item DELETE it. But do provide an option to UNDO it. Showing another dialog to confirm it, in your words "ask the user", is redundant.
Because providing too many options makes the user overwhelmed in an unexpected way. Choose the best/defaults for your app and provide some ways to configure them [Ex : Colors, Themes, Font size etc]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. This can also be found in the Android design guidelines:
Decide for me but let me have the final say
Take your best guess and act rather than asking first. Too many choices and decisions make people unhappy. Just in case you get it wrong, allow for 'undo'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Source: http://developer.android.com/design/get-started/principles.html#simplify-my-life)
a
nice
Nice Tips
These tips are very useful. One should keep in mind while dealing with apps whether in Android or iPhone.