Forum: Site Announcements

Huge Change

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Today I pushed a code change to the site that affected a large number of files.

The main change is in the javascripts that work throughout the site.

I tested and tested as much as possible on my end of things and as far as I could tell, the changes work wherever I tested them.

But of course, testing on my own never reveals all the bugs. So whenever you encounter something that works without reloading the page, as in loaded inline, that stopped working, please let me know here.

This change breaks the site for all 14 people still using IE, so if you're on IE, Sorry, but enhancing the reliability of the site can't be held forever.

Replies: Zellus Flar REP Cly Anders greensocks PaulFrederick livin bandeau_rouge BlacKnight awnlee jawking john_z_doe tul3guy Jody Daniel JSTor jimq2

Zellus 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Read, download and flag icon has disappeared. Tested with Opera, Brave and Chrome.

Edit: It works now.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Zellus

Fixed. Updated script somehow failed to reach the server.

Replies: Zellus LonelyDad

Zellus 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Thanks!

LonelyDad 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Thanks! I was going crazy working through all my settings trying to find find why they weren't showing up, then all of a sudden, there they were!
I was just about to PM you asking what I did wrong!

I always hated updates when I was the system manager.

Flar 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

The "Show Similarly Tagged Stories" link at the end of each story does not work.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Flar

fixed.

REP 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

FYI All - Double clicking a code does a search and displays the results.

Lazeez - Double clicking Pollical takes you to the top of the page instead of doing a search.

Replies: Switch Blayde Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Switch Blayde 🚫

@REP

FYI All - Double clicking a code does a search and displays the results.

What does that mean? What code? Where? What kind of search?

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@REP

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. I read it multiple times and couldn't figure it out.

Replies: brockley REP

brockley 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Maybe he means a story tag or genre? And it searches for stories with the same tag? But "political" (pollical) just goes to the top of the page instead of searching. Possibly a browser extension as I can't double click on an iPad and don't see any links in story tags.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@brockley

Maybe he means a story tag or genre?

AFIK, the only place the tags are clickable like this are on the tag definitions page.

The political tag works correctly for me.

REP 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Sorry about that. In Tag Definitions the clicking the Political Genre takes me to the top of the page. The other tags would display the results of searching on the tag or genre.

Replies: Switch Blayde Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Switch Blayde 🚫

@REP

In Tag Definitions the clicking the Political Genre takes me to the top of the page. The other tags would display the results of searching on the tag or genre.

When I click on "political" it displays the results of the search.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@REP

In Tag Definitions the clicking the Political Genre takes me to the top of the page.

That was not related to the change. Fixed.

Thank you for the bug report.

Cly Anders 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I don't know if this has to do with your updates, but my blog will not work properly all of a sudden. I had a bunch more written and it absolutely will not save past a certain number of characters, even though I've tried saving it and editing, unpublishing and republishing and even deleting it entirely and trying again, but it keeps cutting the blog off. Again, don't if that's something to do with the update, or if anyone else is having this issue.

Replies: Dinsdale Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Dinsdale 🚫

@Cly Anders

it absolutely will not save past a certain number of characters

How many? Roughly.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Cly Anders

I don't know if this has to do with your updates, but my blog will not work properly all of a sudden.

Not related. The blog system has a 32000 characters limit. But usually when you exceed that limit it will tell you.

I added a character counter to the blog editor. It would give you a hint of what's going on.

Replies: Woofajuana

Woofajuana 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Oh, okay. Now I see it. It wasn't there yesterday, and it did not tell me I had reached any limit. It also would not allow me to edit the blog. When I click "edit", it goes to that entry, but without the title. When I tried to save it, it said it needs a title. When I gave it the same title, it said there was an error and to copy/paste the blog into a new one, which I did, and it still would not take it. Then when I hit the refresh button for the browser while on the blog list, it just posted the same blog over and over. It was really odd, but now I see the character limit. Never gave me so much trouble before.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Woofajuana

I went through the blogging code and fixed a couple of bugs in the editing parts. Maybe that helps with the problem you faced.

greensocks 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

all 14 people still using IE

LOL, nothing more, carry on

PaulFrederick 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Uploaded a new chapter 20 to Meting and Alien -Steampunk. It seemed to have disappeared. I just tried again to see how it goes.

livin 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Double clicking the Tag works for me but the resulting list has no sort options.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@livin

Nothing on the site requires double-clicking. It's a website. All single clicks.

The tag listings pages were never meant for normal consumption. They were designed for search engines. They were never sortable. They are simply category search but using a single category/tag.

To sort, use the category search page, select the tag you want and go through it. You would be able to sort it whichever way you want.

bandeau_rouge 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

IE is fun. besides not worth transfering to another browser.. all my passwords are saved into IE, and it wont let me SEE what the passwords are anymore..

and for some reason if you cut and paste a string of ********************, no webstie accept it as password..

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@bandeau_rouge

IE is fun. besides not worth transfering to another browser.

I would think transferring passwords from IE to Edge would not be that difficult.

Replies: Grant

Grant 🚫

@Dominions Son

I would think transferring passwords from IE to Edge would not be that difficult.

There's a lot of work involved (getting it the way you want it). As for favourites & passwords,

1 Install Edge.

2 Open Microsoft Edge and select Settings and more at the top corner of the window.

3 Select Favorites > More options > Import favorites.

4 Under Import from other browsers, select the browser from which you want to import your favorites or select Favorites or bookmarks.

5 Choose what you want to import from the browser or choose the file you want to import.

6 When the import is complete, you'll see a notification. Select Done.

If you imported from a file, you'll find your imported favorites in a folder on the Favorites bar. The folder may be called Imported.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-edge/import-favorites-in-microsoft-edge-eb26f747-ab82-c8fb-ad3b-c227f99ba8a4

Replies: Dinsdale

Dinsdale 🚫

@Grant

Apart from Windows 10, Edge was originally supported under Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. The support for those three older levels ended in Edge 109. bandeau_rouge has a problem if he is running an older version of Windows.
There are Youtube videos explaining how to install Edge on Windows XP, of course I have no idea whether that means the "original" Edge or the version based on Google Chrome.

Other browsers such as Firefox or Chrome could also import IE settings, I have no idea whether passwords were included in that.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dinsdale

Other browsers such as Firefox or Chrome

I read the U.S. government is going to force Google to sell Chrome (and not get into the browser business for 5 years). Don't know what the future of Chrome will be which sucks because that's what I use when Safari doesn't work (like with the state of Arizona's websites and occasionally others).

Replies: Dinsdale campbell349

Dinsdale 🚫

@Switch Blayde

A lot of sites only work with Chrome (or one of its clones), Chrome has become the new Internet Explorer. One of the many things I like about this site is that it is pretty browser agnostic, notwithstanding the removal of those specials necessary for IE.

Replies: Switch Blayde LonelyDad

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dinsdale

A lot of sites only work with Chrome (or one of its clones)

The state of Arizona told me several times they work with many browsers, but don't test with Safari so they can't guarantee that it will work properly. When it doesn't they suggest using Chrome. I've had problems with Safari with JP Morgan Chase as well and had to use Chrome, but those problems eventually went away. They don't go away with the state of Arizona. My guess is their IT department doesn't have any Macs to test with.

LonelyDad 🚫

@Dinsdale

I have been using Firefox for at least the last 10+ years, and have never had a problem with any site. As the ad used to say, "It just works!"

Replies: Michael Loucks

Michael Loucks 🚫
Updated:

@LonelyDad

I have been using Firefox for at least the last 10+ years, and have never had a problem with any site.

I use a mix of browsers, but Zen (a Firefox fork) is my current main browser, along with Arc (a chromium-based browser).

Sadly, though, if the US Government gets their way, most of Mozilla's funding will go away (Google pays them $400 million a year for being the default search engine; can't imagine anyone will pay anything like that if Google can't bid against them.)

campbell349 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Can't see that happening. For the same reason they couldn't make MS split off their OS. Google is almost impervious to government intervention because of their world wide data centres.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@campbell349

Can't see that happening.

Google "Google forced to sell chrome" and you get a lot of articles on it. This was the first thing that appeared in the search result (it's not an article):

District Judge Amit Mehta agreed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that Google broke the law by paying $41 billion to ensure it was the default search engine on smartphones and browsers. This week, the DOJ has asked the same judge to force Google to sell Chrome due to its market dominance.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Even if the district judge agrees, which while likely, isn't a given, Google will almost certainly appeal.

The DOJ does not have a great track record in the appellate courts with anti-trust suits against tech companies.

Replies: LonelyDad

LonelyDad 🚫

@Dominions Son

I could easily see this hitting the Supreme court.

Doe Google have any other major apps bedsides Chrome?

Replies: Switch Blayde Dominions Son

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@LonelyDad

Doe Google have any other major apps bedsides Chrome?

Gmail. Google Docs. Google Cloud. Google Maps. Analytics. And of course their search engine. And I'm sure there are more.

Dominions Son 🚫

@LonelyDad

I could easily see this hitting the Supreme court.

If it does get to the Supreme Court, odds do not favor the DOJ.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dominions Son

If it does get to the Supreme Court, odds do not favor the DOJ.

With a business-friendly administration coming in, that might be true. However, I found this:

A Google News bias analysis conducted by AllSides in 2022 found the news aggregator displayed articles from left-wing media sources far more often than sources from the right.

The 2022 AllSides Google News Bias Analysis found 61% of media outlets presented on Google News' homepage over a 5-day period were from sources AllSides rates as on the left, with just 3% from outlets on the right.

If that's true, I'm not sure how friendly the new DOJ will be to Google.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Switch Blayde

With a business-friendly administration coming in, that might be true. However, I found this:

Unless Trump gets to appoint new justices before the case is heard or Trump orders the DOJ to drop the case (unlikely for the reason you specify), the new administration is irrelevant to how the DOJ vs Google case would fair at SCOTUS.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@Dominions Son

the new administration is irrelevant to how the DOJ vs Google

The president chooses the Attorney General who is the head of the DOJ. It's very relevant.

As to the Supreme Court, why would they even hear it? It's not a Constitutional matter. It's anti-trust. A monopoly issue.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

The president chooses the Attorney General who is the head of the DOJ. It's very relevant.

It is not relevant to the outcome of a theoretical Supreme Court review.

As to the Supreme Court, why would they even hear it? It's not a Constitutional matter. It's anti-trust. A monopoly issue.

They hear plenty of cases that are strictly matters of statutory interpretation with no constitutional issues.

And there certainly are potential constitutional issues that intersect with anti-trust law.

This link is a list of anti-trust cases decided by the Supreme Court.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases-by-topic/antitrust/

Also, I'm not the one who suggested it might reach the Supreme Court. My only comment on it was that it's not a clear win for the government if it does reach the Supreme Court.

BlacKnight 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

When I attempt to comment on a story, instead of a text box, it pops up, "You must Log In to comment on a story."

I am logged in; it shows my user info on the main page, and I'm able to access full stories normally. If I click on the link, it appears to automatically re-log me in and redirects me back to the story page, but I still get the same message if I attempt to comment. Force-reloading the story page doesn't help.

I was able to leave comments... well, I guess my last one was a month ago.

Replies: Michael Loucks Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Michael Loucks 🚫

@BlacKnight

Suggestion — log out, remove the cookies for SOL/WLPC, then login again. This has solved similar problems for me in the past.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@BlacKnight

When I attempt to comment on a story, instead of a text box, it pops up, "You must Log In to comment on a story."

Some older browsers like Firefox 52.0 support the new fetch API (introduced in 2015, which is about 10 years old now), but they don't do it right. The browser should send the set cookies along with the fetch request.

Unfortunately, Firefox 52, which you're using, sends the fetch request without the cookies. This means the request reaches the site without any user identification markers.

I've already fixed the scripts yesterday to address this issue. Please give it a try and let me know if it's still causing problems.

awnlee jawking 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I just tried to send a PM to an author using the 'Contact Author' facility. I filled in the form and clicked on send. There's what looks like a progress bar just under the 'Send' button. It iterates to and fro and eventually the greyed-out 'Send' button becomes ungreyed-out, but it appears the message didn't get sent and the progress bar is still going to and fro.

ETA - I've just tried to send a copy of the message via the E-mail link on the author's page. Same symptoms.

ETA2 - I've just tried to access the story comments to send the message but I got the 'You must be logged in' message.

AJ

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@awnlee jawking

I've just tried to send a copy of the message via the E-mail link on the author's page. Same symptoms.

I made a small change for the private messaging. Give it a try and let me know if the problem persists or not. I'll deal with the commenting system tomorrow.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

It's not looking good. I tried to contact an author via the 'contact author' facility and although the 'SEND' button was ungreyed out much quicker, I don't think the message got sent.

I logged out, shut down Firefox to clear cookies etc, logged back in then tried to contact you via the form thread PM envelope. That's been going for a while now and I don't think it's going to make it, although it might be worth checking your 'In' box.

AJ

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@awnlee jawking

I added some activity logging to the system. Try sending a message with something specific in the subject line for me to search for, and once you do send me a message about it and I'll see what's coming from your browser.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

The title was:

Test PM to Lazeez From Forum

The SEND button returns to black immediately so I don't think it's getting anywhere.

AJ

Replies: Dinsdale Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Dinsdale 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Well, I just sent a PM from here (the Forum) to AJ and it seems to have gone out ok.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@awnlee jawking

The SEND button returns to black immediately so I don't think it's getting anywhere.

The frustrating thing is that you can post on the forum but you can't send pm when the sending code is exactly the same for both. I must be missing something.

Replies: Switch Blayde awnlee jawking

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I must be missing something.

Anything to do with the code that blocks users?

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I must be missing something.

I know how frustrating that is. Perhaps you should do something else for a while and let your subconscious work on the problem. While it's annoying for me not being able to PM authors with errors in their stories, at least the world is still going round.

AJ

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@awnlee jawking

Perhaps you should do something else for a while and let your subconscious work on the problem.

It's not that it's in front of me and I'm not seeing it. On my end everything works. On your end it doesn't. I don't have proper debugging data. I don't have access to anything that old. You're still on XP, right?

If I had an old computer like that here in the room with Firefox on it, I would solve it in few minutes. But the way it is, it's all guess work. I just read the code and try to figure out any possible scenario where the browser may not do what I want it to do.

When you sent the test message, the data that I saw on my end didn't help at all.

I'm not sure what the debugging tools in firefox 52 look like for me to attempt to guide you through gathering the data.

Anyway, I made some changes yet again. Everything works on my end. Forum posts, private PM in the forum, messages to authors from stories, messages to authors from the Author's email pages.

I don't have any error or any flags in any log files.

Check to see if it works.

Replies: awnlee jawking Pixy

awnlee jawking 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Check to see if it works.

Test message sent

Title: "ZZZZZZZZ Test PM From Forum"

I got a 'Message Sent' response.

That's a good sign.

ETA: I just sent a PM using a story's 'Contact Author' facility. I got a 'message sent' response. Unfortunately the 'lucky' recipient isn't the most responsive

AJ

Replies: jimq2 Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

jimq2 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

This might be part of the problem, Laz and the server are in Canada, and your message is getting lost going through customs.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

Unfortunately the 'lucky' recipient isn't the most responsive

You can check if it was actually sent through the 'Sent' box in the messaging system.

"ZZZZZZZZ Test PM From Forum

Received.

So it seems the latest changes may have fixed the issue for you.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

So it seems the latest changes may have fixed the issue for you.

I hope so. And thank you for all your hard work on this. I just wish I were a better author and could attract more paying members to the site.

ETA The message is in my 'Sent' folder but the title is still bold so the 'lucky' recipient hasn't read it yet.

AJ

Pixy 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

You're still on XP, right?

Well, that explains why AJ is so grumpy all the time... 😛

On a possibly related matter, I sent a PM to another site member this morning and the contents were lost. Subsequent messages seem to be getting through though, so 🤷

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Pixy

Well, that explains why AJ is so grumpy all the time...

I'll have you know I'm also Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy and especially Dopey much of the time. Happy and Doc not so much.

AJ

john_z_doe 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Firefox 133 on my old tablet loaded the desktop page rather than the webpage.

Replies: john_z_doe

john_z_doe 🚫

@john_z_doe

Just figured out it might be on my end as I just upgraded Firefox and other websites are doing the same thing.

Replies: john_z_doe

john_z_doe 🚫

@john_z_doe

Fixed it on my end. New version has new setting that loads desktop sites on large devices by default. Turned it off and all is good now.

tul3guy 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Congrats on getting through(?) the debug process. Part of the fun, I suppose. Solving puzzles is why you got in the business anyway, right?
-Mark (retired Sysop / WM / SysAdmin)

Jody Daniel 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

So far it works fine for me. Thanks.

JSTor 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Just noticed this morning and possibly related to Edge update but when I click Bookmark button on either the New Stories or Updated Stories pages it's not properly opening the popup. I'm seeing only a very small sliver of the top of the box appear, basically only large enough to fit the X in the right corner.
Bookmark within the story itself works but that isn't a modal window.

Replies: Dominions Son Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Dominions Son 🚫
Updated:

@JSTor

Just noticed this morning and possibly related to Edge

I'm seeing the same thing on Firefox.

ETA: I checked Chrome and I see it with that as well.

Replies: jimq2

jimq2 🚫

@Dominions Son

Ditto, on all 3.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@JSTor

Just noticed this morning and possibly related to Edge update but when I click Bookmark button on either the New Stories or Updated Stories pages it's not properly opening the popup. I'm seeing only a very small sliver of the top of the box appear, basically only large enough to fit the X in the right corner.

I was working on updating that system and I must have pushed one of the files to the servers without the rest.

I've updated the whole thing now. It should be working.

Give it a try. It worked when I did. But as usual, the true test is with the variety of systems you guys have.

Please report any bugs.

jimq2 🚫
Updated:

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Now instead of a pop-up window, on the regular page it fills the whole screen. Haven't tried the other screens.

Yep does it on the New Stories screen.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@jimq2

Now instead of a pop-up window, on the regular page it fills the whole screen.

Yes, that's the new behaviour.

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Forum: Site Announcements

Huge Change

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...