Considering a forum upgrade...

Ian

Ian

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We've been using vBulletin for many years now, but the version we're currently on will be coming to the end of being supported in the coming year or so. With that in mind, I've been considering upgrading the software at some point in the future.

For the last couple of days I've been toying with a new design in the new software that we'd upgrade to, it's fairly similar to what we've got at the moment in terms of colours.

I should mention that the new software is lightyears ahead when it comes to uploading images, using the site on your phone or being alerted to what is happening on the forums (there's an alerts system which you can use).

It's far from certain if/when we'll upgrade, but I thought I'd post a little about it so I can get some feedback on the design in case it does go ahead at some point. I've taken a few things onboard that have been suggested over the years, such as increasing the font size a bit, etc...

Here's a sneak peak of the possible forum homepage and an article page:

attachment.php


attachment.php
 

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  • PCR Test.webp
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  • PCR Article Test.webp
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I like it. Looks a little more modern. :)
 
from what I 'see', I like it a lot ... so, who is this new software from?

I take it forum mod tools are as good if not better to use? :)
 
V_R said:
I like it. Looks a little more modern. :)
Click to expand...

:thumb:

muckshifter said:
from what I 'see', I like it a lot ... so, who is this new software from?

I take it forum mod tools are as good if not better to use? :)
Click to expand...

The new software is XenForo - it's made by some of the original vBulletin developers, but it's far far superior to the current vBulletin latest version.

The mod tools are an absolute breeze :). Everything is done from the frontend in a couple of clicks - similar to the way that they work at the moment, but faster and more choice.
 
Will the forum still be free & as good as it is now, just looking a bit more techie?
Then, Yes go for it Ian and any thing we can do to help?
What sought of time scale & how long would the forum be offline for?
 
Yep, still free and the same as now - just an upgrade on the software :)

I'm not sure on timescales yet as I'm testing a lot of things, but I'd estimate we'd have to have the forum on "read only" mode for a day while the upgrade takes place. There would be plenty of notice in advance though!
 
Then go for it!
The sample looks good!:thumb:
And if it's going to be mobile friendly all the better!:bow:
 
Looks like it would be a very nice upgrade Ian. I particularly like that new threads/members online, etc., are listed in an easy-to-view column on the side. :thumb:
 
Thanks guys :D. I'll get a demo online as soon as I've ported all of the functionality over.

I've got the WCG stats script working on the new software (and I'll improve it further once it's live).
 
The Demo is ready... it's VERY rough as I just need a proof of concept, as I can't port over a lot of the work to the final design. The article don't work for example, or have icons - but the 1st article gives enough of a feel for how it works. Same with the WCG stats, they do work, just not on the demo.

It's using an old backup and your logins won't work - it's just meant as a quick demo :).

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/pcrv2/index.php

To access the demo, use these details:

username: pcr
pass: test

Please do let me know your thoughts on the design - don't worry too much about things that seem broken or unfinished, as they'll go live with the full site :).
 
Thanks folks :)

I'm hoping to perform the forum upgrade from the evening of the 15th Feb, probably lasting until sometime on the 16th. This site will be working during the upgrade, but in read only mode for the duration - I can normally avoid doing that last part when doing big updates, but not this time.

I'll post more toward the end of the week once I'm sure about timescales :).
 
I'm a bit late, but it's looking good Ian, well done! I wish you success on upgrade night and hope that everything will go smoothly for you. :D
 
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