anabolism

What does the add content function do? It seems to allow adding tags, but it isn't clear if this is public or private or what the purpose is.

IBobi

Where in the app are you seeing this add content feature?

jackal

I could have sworn I've seen this before and been confused by it, too, but I'm not finding it. Perhaps it was in an older version that anabolism is still running?

The only place I see the words "Add Content" are where the body of a post goes when you click the plus sign to create a new post. The "Tags" feature below that is now grayed out (it didn't used to be).

Reading/replying interface seems to be a little odd, too. The main reading view still doesn't show marked-up BBCode (bold, italics, etc.) or emoticons. In order to see those, you have to tap on the post (which brings up the single post in a larger font with all formatting and emoticons intact). Also, in order to reply to a specific post, you have to tap on that post (as above) and then click reply or quote. It's an annoying extra tap.

Beyond that, though, the navigation and feel of the app is nice--fairly modern and smooth. I just can't use it until the "View First Unread Post" functionality is fully incorporated into it. Otherwise, I'll spend 3/4 of my time in the app switching pages and scrolling trying to find where I left off.

IBobi

Good feedback, Jackal, thank you.

anabolism

The plus sign.

IBobi

I'm seeing it now -- Jackal, it's in the top RH corner when you make a new post in the iphone app.

After you hit the plus sign, it should give the option to "Insert: image/video". Is that not happening for you, anabolism? Working well for me...

IBobi

Add Content

IBobi

Ha, at least, that is what it is supposed to do!

Checking with tech about why the image does not post...

jackal

Well, if you can attach an image or video directly to a post with the FT app, then you are able to do something in the app that you can't do in the regular FT interface.

Most users in most forums are not able to add an attachment directly to a post. Users must upload the image/video to a separate hosting service and then link (inline for images or as a link for video) to it in a post.

Perhaps it's a permissions issue, then? Though I would have assumed that you, as an admin, have the ability to add an attachment to any post anywhere, and as such it should have worked for you in your test post above...

anabolism

I see the plus sign when reading posts, so I didn't realize it was to make a new posting. If I click it I get a top box and a bottom box for keywords. I don't see anything about inserting a picture.

jackal

OK, I just checked--and my experience matches anabolism's. I think what you're (IBobi) seeing was what I saw in a previous version--you sure you have the latest? The option to add photos/videos appears to have been removed in the later versions--probably because it didn't work.

As such, the "add content" that's referenced in this thread now refers to "body of post." Maybe that should be clarified...

IBobi

I have the latest, 1.0.2 released May 28. Looks like we may have a functionality that is currently built into the app but is not supported by the site (which is fine) -- except that does not explain why you two are NOT seeing the "insert photo/video" function.

Just to be sure, you:

1. Open a thread
2. Click the "+" button in the upper right to make a new post, opening up the two white boxes that say "add title" and "add content"
3. In the "add content" box, you do *not* see the round "+" sign in the upper right? (clicking on this brings up the "insert" function)

Correct?

Also, are you using iPhone 4 with IOS 4.3.3 or an earlier version?

jackal

iOS 4.3.2 (8H7). Hmm, guess I need to upgrade. Haven't connected to a computer in awhile. Doubt that would affect this app, though, but I suppose it's worth a try.

Can't find the FT app version anywhere in the app (I thought it displayed on the splash screen before, but I didn't see it just now), but the app is not listed in my App Store updates tab, so I assume I have the latest version.

OK, here's what I see:
1. Open thread, click plus sign to add new post
2. See a screen with three buttons across the top (Back, Home, and Submit)
3. Blank fields below labeled "Add Title" and "Add Content"
4. Grayed-out field at the bottom labeled "Tags" (with the word "None)

BUT:

5. If I tap in the "Add Content" field (i.e. to type in it) and then click "Done," now I see the blue rounded plus sign in the upper right corner.
6. Tapping that plus sign pops up a menu with "Insert: Image | Video"

Just to be sure, I tried this in a forum I do have permissions to add an attachment in (the private TalkBoard forum), and the attachment did not post. I did note, however, that when I navigated to the TalkBoard forum and then clicked the new thread button, the plus sign appeared instantly (as if the app recognized that I had permissions to include an attachment in that forum), but the attachment (a .jpg image from my phone) did not post.

IBobi

Hi Jackal,

Thanks for the follow-up. I am experiencing very similar behavior (I found the FT app version by browsing to it in the app store -- I don't know that it's listed in the app itself). I also doubt that it has anything to do with the minor IOS version change between us -- I think it was just an Apple security hole they closed.

I'm following up with tech, but I think probably what will happen is they will fix image posting in the next app version or they will just eliminate this function as it is seldom enough used anyway.

I'll post updates as I have them.

Paul

jackal

Little bit of a bug report:

I was helping someone sign up for FT today using the iPhone app. Noticed a couple of bugs:

1. On the sign-up screen (where you enter a username, password, etc.), the keyboard covers the bottom third or so of the fields, so you can't see what you're typing in those fields.
2. No UI feedback after submitting the sign-up page. It just shows the spinning data-transmission circle in the top menu bar (or whatever it's called on an iPhone--next to the 3G logo) and then the data-transmission circle disappears, leaving you on the sign-up page without a submit button. Not intuitive what to do next, especially since the activation email was a couple minutes delayed (leaving us unsure if the sign-up request went through).
3. Even after tapping the activation link in the email, opening the iPhone app still displayed the sign-up button in the upper-right corner of the home screen. It wasn't clear if the app recognized us as being signed in until we noticed the red bar with the "welcome [username]" in tiny text.
4. The welcome note that popped up in the app after we opened it after activating the account shows the raw HTML markup for the links, so the "Looking for a place to make your first post? How about in this thread:" shows up with <a href="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thread.html">an HTML tag</a> instead of a clickable hyperlink.

Then being dumped on the home screen with a list of new threads instead of forums is kind of jarring--it gives no sense of the organizational scheme of FlyerTalk (this became apparent as I was trying to walk this new user through FT). I would suggest considering making the forum listing the default home page and retitle the current "Home" screen to something like "Hot Topics" or "New Threads" or "Subscriptions" or something.

Hope the thread content view is fixed in the next version to show marked-up text instead of the raw BBCode, which is also confusing for new members.

But still #1 on my priority list is synchronization of the "first unread post" function.