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Mordel
Mordel.Net
Administrator
Joined: 03-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 6088
Location: United States
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 Posted: 30-Jun-2017 22:16 Post subject: Site Update [2.17.9] |
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I wasn't planning on uploading the new code updates just yet, but I figured why not, there's enough good things here. And while it's only a few enhancements, they resulted in changes to a whopping 209 files on the server! The below lists these changes in more detail:
Enhancements
- I overhauled how canon units are associated with a given product. This not only makes it easier for me to indicate a unit is part of a product, but it also allowed me to list all those units as a separate table within that product. So now, when you view Technical Readout: Prototypes; for example, you'll see a complete list of all canon units that are defined in that product. You can then click on the Name/Model for any of the units to view the readout page.
- I updated the unit designer so you could select jump jets in excess of your walking speed provided Improved Jump Jets are available to that unit. When doing this, the jump type will automatically change to Improved. Previously you had to select Improved Jump Jets before you could select a higher jump capacity, which I always found to be somewhat of a nuisance.
- Users are now able to move their site messages that they have saved a copy of in the Sent folder to any other folder they may have created. Previously any messages saved to the Sent folder were restricted to that folder, and could only be deleted. I found this frustrating, because I prefer to keep all "like" messages grouped together. So this will now allow me to save all messages related to a Play-by-Web game; ones I send as well as receive, to a single folder for easier reference.
- I replaced the existing Search functionality that was part of the Electronic Request System with the existing filter feature utilized in other parts of the site, such as when Viewing BattleMech units. This makes searching the electronic request system more robust as the filter functionality provides far more features then the old search. It also allowed me to remove some of the redundant code that existed with the edit request page.
- I modified some of the site CSS to utilize sprites. This may not sound like a big deal, but there were several images used throughout the site that were loaded dozens of times on each page (e.g., the little screw icon). Utilizing CSS sprites will result in faster page loads as there is less data to download (each image downloads just once) and less requests sent to the server (each time the image loaded was a separate request). Limited testing on my sandbox site showed that this small tweak improved page load times by half-a-second! It may not sound like much, but every small improvement made helps.
- Last but not least, the most visible change everyone will see, is I revamped the menu! As was pointed out by someone recently, everything that was in the left side panel previously was completely useless. I also never liked the rollover menu because it wasn't very mobile friendly and it was all-too-easy to roll out of the menu and have it close on you accidentally. With that, the following tries to summarize what was done:
- The top panel was removed entirely, allowing for slightly more to be seen on the screen without needing to scroll.
- The Mordel.Net logo was moved to the top of the left panel and all the icons I previously had for links have been removed. The only exception to that was the icons for Site Messaging, Administration, and the Electronic Request System. Those still remain as I found them useful there. Everything else was rolled into the menu.
- Login input fields as well as all your user information that was previously shown in the top panel when you were logged in has been moved to the middle table in the left panel.
- The rollover menu has been replaced with a collapsible clickable menu in the left panel. Clicking each row either expands the sub-menu options or takes you to the applicable part of the site. Further, the menu will remain expanded and highlighted on the part of the site you are on.
- As was mentioned in a previous bullet, there are new menu options for the Store and the Calendar which were previously accessed via obscure icons. Furthermore, I removed the equally obscure 'Ministry of Intelligence' top-level menu and now list out each of the sub-menus as their own items, making it easier to not only access them, but also to just simply know they exist.
- The 5 Houses Lottery that was featured at the top of the home page has been moved as the last table in the left panel. This makes it more visible no matter where you are browsing on the site.
_________________
Mordel Blacknight - Site Administrator
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