# Notes And Observations, Tip And Tricks



## Administrator

_Now that we are a week into the forum software upgrade and have had a chance to get to know it a bit, it's clear that there have been a lot of changes. In consideration of that, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where we can pool our experiences and share what we have learned about the upgrade so far.

If you have solutions or have discovered neat new features, please share it here in this thread. If you have questions about how something works now, this is the place to ask. I do request however, that at least on this thread, you keep your posts concise and to the point. The idea is for this to be an informative and easy to use guide. To that end, any posts that stray off topic or are repetitive will be edited or removed.

Further, in order to make the information you need easier to find, as they are submitted and verified I am going to consolidate the observations and tips onto this first post, and present them in a concise Q&A format.

We'll start off with The Big One&#8230;_

*Q. I am using Internet Explorer 6, and everything is all messed up now. What gives?*

*A.* Unfortunately, IE6 is not fully compatible with the new version of the forum software and will no longer be supported by the vendor. If you are a current IE6 user, in order to gain full functionality you will need to upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use another browser such as Mozilla Firefox. For a more in-depth discussion of this issue, please see Post #2 of this thread.


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## Administrator

*Internet Explorer Version 6 compatibility discussion*

The newest version of the Invision forum software that Outbackers.com uses is no longer fully compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 (IE6) and earlier. Later versions (IE7 onward) are compatible, as are other current PC and Mac browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. Furthermore, Invision will no longer provide official support for IE6 related issues.

What it comes down to is that the internet state-of-the-art has advanced to the point that IE6 is no longer able to keep up. At the versions introduction in 2001 it may have been the state-of-the-art, but now - eight years later (an eternity in the tech world) - it has fallen behind and is unable to support the advances in the language and current techniques that allow for the rich internet experience we all currently enjoy and expect.

Software publishers always make the effort to make new versions of their product backward compatible as much as they can. It is, however, virtually impossible to make it forward compatible as you just can't predict with any degree of certainty what the future holds in store. In fact, the only realistic way to make your software forward compatible is by releasing improved versions. Just as Microsoft has done many times now with Internet Explorer since its original introduction in 1995.

Faced with the need to upgrade its own software, both from a competitive aspect and a need to be responsive to its customer's demands for added capabilities, Invision was left with a difficult decision. Do you advance your product to take advantage of new opportunities and capabilities at the expense of older browsers, or do you forgo future improvements and features in order to maintain compatibility with obsolete technology? It's a tough call, and in most cases mainstream developers will not make this kind of jump quickly, usually lagging behind the latest browser and/or hardware technologies by a generation or two in respect for the currently installed base. IE6 however, is now two generations past its prime and is considered by many (Microsoft included) to be a 'dead' browser. The time has come to move forward.

I understand that this is small comfort to the legions that still happily use IE6 (myself included), but think back to the many people still using IE2 or Netscape Navigator when IE4 became the standard. It was a pain then, but I don't hear many people anymore pining for those good old pre-IE4 days!

That being said, Invision has been making every effort to maintain as much IE6 compatibility as they can. They have helped me with IE6 workarounds on a number of issues that initially came up following the upgrade. The bottom line though, is that there are certain things IE6 simply can't do. And, if it comes down to a choice between moving forward or maintaining IE6 compatibility, priority is going to be given to the former.

So where does that leave Outbackers still using IE6? Basically you will need to either upgrade to a newer version of IE, or switch to another browser such as Mozilla Firefox. I hate having to ask people to change browsers just for Outbackers, but that is where we are at. And for what it's worth, I think you are going to be seeing more and more internet sites going the same route soon anyway, so&#8230;

For those of you that consider yourselves PC challenged and need some help with a browser upgrade (it really is pretty painless, and both IE8 and Firefox are free), there are a lot of fellow Outbackers around here (myself included) that can assist you with the upgrade. All you have to do is ask!


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## Camping Fan

On the old site, when you clicked on a link in a post it opened up a new window to view the contents of the link. Since the transition to the new site, clicking on a link does not open up a new window, the link opens in the same window. Is there any way to restore the "link opens in a new window" function? I keep forgetting and closing out the window







then have to get back to Outbackers again.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too

ok! like I asked you in a pm, on the old site you could click towards the bottom and see todays posts or yesterdays or a weeks worth or two weeks (something like that) and I really miss that , but other than that , I really like this! Still learning though!


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## LarryTheOutback

Camping Fan said:


> On the old site, when you clicked on a link in a post it opened up a new window to view the contents of the link. Since the transition to the new site, clicking on a link does not open up a new window, the link opens in the same window.


If you are running a newer browser, such as Internet Explorer 7 or 8, there is a more flexible way to do this using the browser. Point at the link, press the right mouse button and select either "Open in New Tab" or "Open in New Window". (updated)Firefox has a similar behavior.

Try it with this link to the Forum Rules.

Ed


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## Rogdon

LarryTheOutback said:


> On the old site, when you clicked on a link in a post it opened up a new window to view the contents of the link. Since the transition to the new site, clicking on a link does not open up a new window, the link opens in the same window.


If you are running a newer browser, such as Internet Explorer 7 or 8, there is a more flexible way to do this using the browser. Point at the link, press the right mouse button and select either "Open in New Tab" or "Open in New Window". I'll try to check this in Firefox tomorrow, but I seem to recall a similar behavior.Try it with this link to the Forum Rules.Ed
[/quote]

A "Wheel-click" will also open a new window, or tab, depending on preferences...

Roger


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## Rob_G

Rogdon said:


> On the old site, when you clicked on a link in a post it opened up a new window to view the contents of the link. Since the transition to the new site, clicking on a link does not open up a new window, the link opens in the same window.


If you are running a newer browser, such as Internet Explorer 7 or 8, there is a more flexible way to do this using the browser. Point at the link, press the right mouse button and select either "Open in New Tab" or "Open in New Window". I'll try to check this in Firefox tomorrow, but I seem to recall a similar behavior.Try it with this link to the Forum Rules.Ed
[/quote]

A "Wheel-click" will also open a new window, or tab, depending on preferences...

Roger
[/quote]
With a wheel mouse, this is definitely the way to go.


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## Camping Fan

LarryTheOutback said:


> On the old site, when you clicked on a link in a post it opened up a new window to view the contents of the link. Since the transition to the new site, clicking on a link does not open up a new window, the link opens in the same window.


If you are running a newer browser, such as Internet Explorer 7 or 8, there is a more flexible way to do this using the browser. Point at the link, press the right mouse button and select either "Open in New Tab" or "Open in New Window". I'll try to check this in Firefox tomorrow, but I seem to recall a similar behavior.

Try it with this link to the Forum Rules.

Ed
[/quote]








Thanks, forgot about that option. It does work in Firefox too.


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## BigBadBrain

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> ok! like I asked you in a pm, on the old site you could click towards the bottom and see todays posts or yesterdays or a weeks worth or two weeks (something like that) and I really miss that , but other than that , I really like this! Still learning though!


Go to the HOME page (in one of the tabs across the top of the FORUM page) and find the 'Site Navigation' box in the upper left and click on 'Today's Active Topics'. At the bottom of the results page you can select the period of time that you want to see.

Not as easy as it used to be but it works OK.

BBB


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too

BigBadBrain said:


> ok! like I asked you in a pm, on the old site you could click towards the bottom and see todays posts or yesterdays or a weeks worth or two weeks (something like that) and I really miss that , but other than that , I really like this! Still learning though!


Go to the HOME page (in one of the tabs across the top of the FORUM page) and find the 'Site Navigation' box in the upper left and click on 'Today's Active Topics'. At the bottom of the results page you can select the period of time that you want to see.

Not as easy as it used to be but it works OK.

BBB
[/quote]
BBB, you da man!


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## PDX_Doug

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> ok! like I asked you in a pm, on the old site you could click towards the bottom and see todays posts or yesterdays or a weeks worth or two weeks (something like that) and I really miss that , but other than that , I really like this! Still learning though!


Tawnya,

Ask, and you shall receive!...

Personally, I like BBB's solution, but the original method you asked about is still there. And we have been staring at it the whole time!

If you are on a forum index page, scroll to the bottom and there is a dark blue band across the page (just below the list of topics). Right smack dab in the middle of that - in white letters - are the words:

"Click here to show filter options"

Guess what happens when you click there.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too

PDX_Doug said:


> ok! like I asked you in a pm, on the old site you could click towards the bottom and see todays posts or yesterdays or a weeks worth or two weeks (something like that) and I really miss that , but other than that , I really like this! Still learning though!


Tawnya,

Ask, and you shall receive!...

Personally, I like BBB's solution, but the original method you asked about is still there. And we have been staring at it the whole time!

If you are on a forum index page, scroll to the bottom and there is a dark blue band across the page (just below the list of topics). Right smack dab in the middle of that - in white letters - are the words:

"Click here to show filter options"

Guess what happens when you click there.









Happy Trails,
Doug
[/quote]
That is way cool when you are on a forum index page! More often than not I click View New Content and scan it, then like to go and see yesterdays, etc and go backwards to make sure I didn't miss something really super duper informative, important, vital, funny, useful, noteworthy , silly, dumb, intelligent , ridiculous, argumentive,insightful, sad,scary, crazy, and/or necessary!








It's awesome how we are all learning this new layout together, even the boss man!


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## mswalt

The only issue I have (at least right now) is when I get a PM. When I try to reply to the PM, the original message disappears from sight and I don't have it available to reference in my reply.

Am I missing something?









Mark


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## tdvffjohn

mswalt said:


> The only issue I have (at least right now) is when I get a PM. When I try to reply to the PM, the original message disappears from sight and I don't have it available to reference in my reply.
> 
> Am I missing something?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mark


Just the original message














( I just had to Mark)


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## mswalt

Well, yeah, that, among other things!









Mark


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