Introduction
Welcome to the upgraded website. There is still a long list of items to work on, but the main features of the site are working.
If you find any problems eg information or features missing, links that don't work, etc., please leave a comment below with a link to the problem page, and details of the problem.
If you want to check how a page used to look, you can still see the pre-upgrade website at: http://old.gwulo.com/
Regards, David
Work done
27 Nov Updates:
- I've made some changes to improve the performance on two of the big pages on the website: http://gwulo.com/place-map-search-OL and http://gwulo.com/list-of-person. You should find these load more quickly.
- If you find any pages that are very slow to load, please let me know in the comments and I'll see what can be done to improve them.
20 Nov Updates:
- Timelines are back for Places, so you can see older and newer buildings on a site. Please let me know if any aren't working properly.
- I've made some changes to the way uploaded photos are handled, which hopefully will stop the errors we've seen. Please let me know if you run in to any problems when uploading photos.
7 Nov Updates:
- All the overlaid scanned maps should be working again now (see the bottom of http://gwulo.com/old-hong-kong-maps for a list)> If you find any problem, please let me know.
6 Nov Updates:
- The first of the overlaid scanned maps is working again: http://gwulo.com/1924-map-hong-kong-western
- I've hidden the "My Recent Posts" list from users who are logged out, as the list only makes sense if the website knows which user is viewing it. Thanks to Sean for pointing this out.
4 Nov Updates:
- Moddsey pointed out the the "Places shown" gallery often showed the same photo twice and sometimes even three or four times! I can't work out what is causing the problem, so I've changed it to just show the first three (ie oldest three) photos, plus a link to the page that shows all the photos of this Place. That single-page view doesn't have the problem of showing duplicates.
- I've also used this changed it to move any undated photos to the bottom of the list. Pre-upgrade they used to appear at the top.
30 Oct Updates:
- Added "Navigate gallery" option on photo pages, to make it easier to flip through photos in a gallery.
29 Oct Updates:
- Repaired various problems with the photo galleries that were introduced with the upgrade.
22 Oct Updates:
- Enabled the new "Insert image" feature. See http://gwulo.com/node/21987 for more details.
21 Oct Updates:
- The Image-Atom pages now show links to add comments.
- You can now edit your Image-Atom after saving it.
- I've taken the "Add new comment" forms off the bottom of the page, in preparation for inserting media into text. Click the "Add new comment" or "Reply" links to access the form where you can enter a comment.
20 Oct Updates:
- I've upgraded the zoomify viewer to the new version. A couple of improvements:
- It now works on browsers that don't support Flash. This includes a lot of mobile phones and tablets, eg iPad, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, etc.
- The navigation window that used to cover the top-left corner of the image can now be hidden. eg view an image, http://gwulo.com/atom/19655. The navigation window is shown. Move your mouse pointer over the image then move it away. The navigation window disappears. Move your mouse over the image again and the navigation window re-appears.
16 Oct Updates:
- Image Galleries are working again <Click to view>. They are more flexible than the previous version giving you the option to view all images in a gallery and its sub-galleries, or just those in the sub-gallery.
- Images that were inserted into text are now linked to their pages again. Click the image to visit its page.
14 Oct Updates:
- Tidied up layout of Person page, and formatting of dates.
- Note that the "What links here" feature isn't accurate yet, as the site is still re-building the lists of links. It should be finished re-building by the end of this wek.
- Tidied up layout of photos on front page.
13 Oct Updates:
- Photos that were inserted into text should now be displayed correctly. If you find any pages or comments that are missing the photo, or show a code instead of the photo, please let me know in the comments below. (The code would look something like [ img_assist|nid=15026|title=View from St George's Court, looking down Kadoorie Ave.|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=320|height=213 ]).
12 Oct Updates:
- Photos on Places are working again, so you can see small copies on the main page (eg http://new.gwulo.com/node/2371) and large copies if you click the Place's "photos" tab (eg http://new.gwulo.com/node/2371/photos).
- When you upload photos you now have the option to upload several files at once, then fill in their details (title, date, etc), instead of having to upload them one by one.
- When Flickr photos are added to Gwulo, we now automatically record any tags from the Flickr photo, and also record the Flickr author so you can use them when searching.
- I've used the upgrade as a chance to get the Harrison Forman photos displaying again.
11 Oct Updates:
- It should now be possible to create a photo, please see the "Create" link in the block to the left. You have the option to upload a file or paste in a link to a photo on Flickr. Please could you try it and let me know if anything is confusing or doesn't work as expected?
- The Search Index is now 100% complete.
9 Oct Updates:
- Today has been spent working on getting "upload a photo" to work. Making progress, but not quite there yet.
- The Search Index is now 62% complete.
8 Oct Updates:
- Photos & videos reappear in their new form. For reasons unknown, the new software describes them as 'atoms'. The big improvement is that they are all handled in a very similar way, regardless of whether they are an uploaded JPEG file, a photo on Flickr, a video on Youtube, etc. So when you're editing a page or a comment, you'll be able to insert any photo/video atom into your text.
- The Search Index is now 49% complete.
7 Oct Updates:
- Not much visible progress today - a day spent chasing bugs.
- The Search Index is now 40% complete.
6 Oct Updates:
- You can view & create Diaries and their pages, see links in the Directory block on the left.
- The Search Index is now 35% complete.
5 Oct Updates:
- You can view & create People, see links in the Directory block on the left.
- The Search Index is now 31% complete.
4 Oct Updates:
- You can view & create Places, see links in the Directory block on the left. On the map of Places you can now choose from any of the Google maps: Physical, Normal, Hybrid, or Satellite
- I've just deleted the first piece of spam from the new site - they didn't take long to find us!
3 Oct Updates:
- You can view & create forum topics, see links in the Directory block on the left.
2 Oct Updates:
- Enabled compression on downloaded content, which will help pages load faster in the browser.
1 Oct: Updates:
- The layout of the page now adjusts to better fit the screen you're using. The biggest change is for smartphones with small screens. On these the sidebars are moved to the bottom of the page, below the main content. That pushes the "What's new" link to the bottom of the screen, so I've added a "What's new" link to the menu at the top of every page.
- The ability to draw & embed maps is working again, eg see /comment/13956#comment-13956
30 Sep:
- There is still a lot to do before the upgrade is finished, but here's an early look.
- You won't be able to create new pages yet (image / person/ place/ etc), though you should be able to leave comments on existing pages.
Comments
well done David. Looking
well done David. Looking forward to using the new facilities.
Thanks Phil, and thanks for
Thanks Phil, and thanks for the first comment on the new site!
Best regards, David
Random Photo feature
I hope we have not lost The Random Photo feature? It was always great fun.
Ian
Just wondering what to do...
...if we find content that hasn't made it across. Should it be reported, or is it expected behavior that some stuff is missing, and it simply hasn't made the transition yet?
For example, I can't find the following through search on the new subdomain:
http://gwulo.com/node/9386
I was going to add a reply noting that the University of Hong Kong Museum Society have also used the same image as being a 1900s historical shot:
http://www.hkums.com/document/newsletter/May2009_newsletter_newId.pdf
Random photo, etc
Hi Ian, I like that too - you never know what will pop up!
The features from the old site will be added back over time in roughly this order:
Then there are several new features to add.
Regards, David
re: Just wondering what to do...
Hi,
A heads up that search isn't working fully yet as the search index is being rebuilt.
If you know the url of a page on gwulo.com, just add "new." on the front and you'll go to the page you want, eg
http://new.gwulo.com/node/9386
Regards, David
PS If you look carefully, you'll notice that in this case the page you actually see on the new site is
http://new.gwulo.com/atom/14810
That is a url from the new system for handling photos.
robots.txt for new site?
Google is not yet searching the new site. Do you have robots.txt set to stop them?
I tend to use the Google search because it is better that the Gwulo one.
re: robots.txt for new site?
Yes, the robots are blocked from indexing this site. The "new.gwulo.com" address will only be in use for a few weeks, then this site will be renamed to Gwulo.com.
In the meantime just use Google on Gwulo.com as usual. If you find a page there you want to comment on or edit, just add "new." to the front of the url.
Regards, David
lot of "new" comments
Norice a lot of new comments which are not new attributed to my personal posts. Alson clunky to move around between sections. Sometimes get a freze and have to reboot site.
Sean
How do i delete a photo I
How do i delete a photo I just added?
David, can I no longer edit unread posts?
David, can I no longer edit unread posts?
re: lot of "new" comments
Hi Sean, If this is just a short-term problem, we'll just put it down to the website waking up from its upgrade feeling a bit confused. Ignore anything from before today and just look at anything declared "new" from now on.
If it continues to be a problem where things are marked new that you don't think should be, please email me a screenshot of your "My Recent Posts" page, and let me know which items you think are wrong.
Regards, David
re: clunky to move around between sections.
Please can you give me an example?
Thanks, David
re: Sometimes get a freze and have to reboot site.
If it happens, please can you let me know:
I've also seen the site freeze since it has been upgraded, but I made some changes earlier and I haven't seen any errors logged in the last 10 hours. They're probably not all fixed yet, but should be much less frequent.
Regards, David
re: David, can I no longer edit unread posts?
I think you're asking about being able to edit your comments.
I've just updated the settings so that users can now edit their comments.
Regards, David
PS I hope that also answers the "How do i delete a photo I just added?" question, but if it is about something else just let me know.
Places in Kowloon
Hello David,
This is the first time I am trying to use this Website, and I am already having a problem. I have a question/comment of a photograph but couldn't find a space to add my comment.
I also want to submit a general query to your readers about another place in Kowloon, but don't know where to start this dialogue.
Maybe my problem is computer illiteracy. I don't even see a "send" button for this query, except a "save" button. Help.
Bob
Place - Victoria Riding School
Would any of your readers know of the above subject. I believe it was in operation sometime in the early 1930s and was located in Homantin near the Kowloon Hills. It was also popular for people who could rent horses to go hunting for wild boars in the surrounding hills. I would appreciate any information.
Bob
re: Places in Kowloon
Hi Bob,
It's not your problem, the website is still in a bit of a muddle after the upgrade, and several things aren't working or aren't clear. I'm working on them, but there are several more weeks' work yet. On to your questions:
Q. I have a question/comment of a photograph but couldn't find a space to add my comment.
There should be a link under the photo that says "Login or register to post comments", but it isn't there yet. I've been working on it over the weekend, but it isn't finished yet. In the meantime, please log in (visit http://gwulo.com/user/login, or use the "User login" menu in the blue bar on the left). Once you're logged in, you'll see an "Add new comment" box below the photo, where you can type your comment.
(That will also change in a few days time, and instead of the box you'll see a link to "Add a new comment".)
Q. I also want to submit a general query to your readers about another place in Kowloon, but don't know where to start this dialogue.
If it is a new question, the best way to ask it is to create a new forum topic: http://gwulo.com/node/add/forum/2
Or if it is continuing an existing conversation, just add a comment to that page. eg I found an earlier page where you've asked about the Victoria Riding School at http://gwulo.com/node/13682.
Q. I don't even see a "send" button for this query, except a "save" button.
Yes, it's a bit different from email where you're sending a messge to an individual. Here you're saving the page to the website, so it is visible for all to see.
Sorry for these difficulties. The website will get easier to use as the post-upgrade to-do list gets shorter. But if you run into any more problems, please let me know.
Regards, David
Why do I keep having to log in?
Q. Sean asks why he is asked to log in so often, whereas before the upgrade he was only asked to log in "now and again."
A. As I'm making changes to the site, either fixing bugs or adding features, I often need to clear out the web-server's records so that the changes take effect. Unfortunately this means the web server also forgets you are already logged in, and so the next time you visit Gwulo.com you need to login again. This will carry on a while longer (my post-upgrade "to-do" list still has over 100 items on!), but should get less frequent.
logging in
Thanks David. No problem. Probably my parania athaving my personal email hacked!
Apologies for being fussy.
Sean
Shop section is not working
Hi David,
I just noticed that the "Shop" section is not working. There is no button to select to buy photographs, and clicking the link to buy the book results in a "Page not found" error page.
re: Shop section is not working
Thanks C. Online ordering won't be available for a while yet, so I've updated it to be a static page.
Regards, David
Image pages no poster
The owner of image pages does not seem to be listed on those pages.
Complete list of buildings on a site
I assume that the complete list of buildings, both previous and later, will return?
re: Image pages no poster
Q. The owner of image pages does not seem to be listed on those pages.
A. Yes, the new software doesn't show the person who posted the image. That information is stored, and it is shown on the list of images at: http://gwulo.com/view-atoms. It'd be good to show it on the image page too, but it's a low-priority task.
re: Complete list of buildings on a site
Q. I assume that the complete list of buildings, both previous and later, will return?
A. We've never shown a complete list of buildings on a site, but a Place page did show the previous generation and next generation of buildings on the site if known. That feature will return.
I just started checking the
I just started checking the site on my iPad and it is exceedingly user-friendly. Thank you so much David.
iPad
That's good to hear, thank you.
One of the benefits of the upgrade is to make the site easier to use on tablets and mobile phones. One improvement is that photos now display ok on the iPad, and the zoom viewer works. The second is that the layout adjusts itself - hold the iPad in landscape orientation, and the menus are shown on the side of the page. Turn the iPad to portrait and the menus drop down to the bottom of the page, so the main content stays visible.
To see the why that's important, here are the % of sessions connecting to Gwulo that come from an iPad or iPhone:
2010 - 1.9%
2011 - 5.2%
2012 - 11.2%
2013 - 14.9%
2014 - 18.3%
I like the "see more photos" on "places'
Much better than the old thumbnails.
Error messages - undefined index or undefined variable
Hi David,
Just for your information... I noticed that sometimes I get error messages about undefined index and/or undefined variable at the top of the web page. For example, when I clicked the link for this page: http://gwulo.com/atom/19827, the following appeared:
Notice: Undefined index: und in scald_flickr_scald_fetch() (line 80 of /var/www/vhosts/h6hh-7xml.accessdomain.com/batgung.com/drupal7/sites/all/modules/scald_flickr/scald_flickr.module).
Notice: Undefined variable: image in next_prev() (line 70 of /var/www/vhosts/h6hh-7xml.accessdomain.com/batgung.com/drupal7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
re: Error messages - undefined index or undefined variable
Thanks C, I think I've found the cause of this and stopped the error messages, but please let me know if you see any other pages showing error messages.
Regards, David
PS The underlying problem is that we have some Flickr images created where the Flickr owner does not permit downloads, so we don't have any image file to show. The quick solution is that in the "Navigate" block on the right column, now you'll occasionally see the text "Missing image" where the thumbnail is supposed to appear. Long-term I'll need to clean out these images, or ask if the owner is willing to allow download.
more error messages
Trying to view gwulo.com/atom/19853 and getting the follow lines at the top of the page:
"New" comments
Hi David,
Still a lot of "new" lines in My Recent Posts" Taking a long time ti go away.
Sean
re: more error messages
Thanks Phil, the "upload a photo" isn't working 100% reliably. I'll be looking into it this week.
Regards, David
re: "New" comments
Hi Sean,
I'm not seeing the problem on my account, so I haven't been able to look into this one.
Here's how it is supposed to work:
1. Visibility
You can only access the "My Recent Posts" page, http://gwulo.com/tracker/my-recent-posts, if you are logged in.
2. It shows a list of pages. What should appear on the list ?
One line for each page that you created, or that you've left a comment on.
3. When does the red "new" or "updated" text appear on the line for a page ?
When someone adds a new comment, or makes a change to the page or its comments.
4. When does the red "new" or "updated" text disappear on the line for a page ?
If you are logged in, and you view that page, the server records that you have seen the latest version of that page and its comments. Next time you check the "My Recent Posts" page, the red "new" or "updated" text is not shown.
So the steps are:
If that isn't working, please let me know which line is causing the problem and I'll look at your account.
regards, David
re" New Comments
Thanks Daviid. Your fix works.
May take some time as the thing looks like it has chickenpox!
Not to worry at least I know how to do it now.
Regards,
Sean
Thanks Sean, glad to hear it
Thanks Sean, glad to hear it is ok now.
Regards, David
3 Dec Update : You can create an image while editing
The "Add" button on the toolbar is working now:
Let's say you're writing a comment, and you want to add a new photo to the text. Previously you'd have to save the comment, upload the photo, then return to the comment and edit it again. Now you can upload the photo without leaving the comment page.
To upload a photo, click the photo icon under the "+" (it looks like a sun and mountains). The Source, Add, and Options screens are the same as the ones described at: http://gwulo.com/node/2076
Please give it a try, and let me know if you have any questions.
Regards, David
11 Dec Update : E-mail notification for new comments
The next new feature lets you have Gwulo send you an e-mail notification whenever someone comments on something you've written. It works in two different ways:
1. Comments on a page you've commented on
Next time you write a comment, just above the "Save" button you'll see a checkbox:
[ ] Notify me when new comments are posted
If you tick the box, the next time someone adds a comment to that page, you'll be sent an email.
You can turn this on or off for individual pages.
2. Comments on a page you've created
If you've made a new page (a Person, a Place, a Forum Topic, etc) you can be sent an email whenever someone adds a comment to that page.
This is an all-or-nothing setting, that you can change at http://gwulo.com/user :
If you visit Gwulo regularly, you probably won't use this feature. Too many emails will be annoying and you can just visit the "What's new" page to see what's been added since your last visit.
This feature will be most useful for someone who creates a page, doesn't return to Gwulo often, but would like to know if someone replies with a comment. eg They create a Person page about one of their ancestors, and asks some questions. They would like to be notified whenever anyone posts an answer.
If you have any questions, or if it doesn't work as expected, please let me know in the comments below.
Regards, David
new comments
Hi David
More of a wish than a bug, I feel, but it would be good if, when I clicked on the "1 new" comment link at the end of a thread title (when I go to 'What's New') the page took me to the actual comment(s). I noticed on the pagoda thread, which has now spread over 2 pages, that even when I clicked on the new comment link I was still taken to the top of the first page.
It's just that...I'm a bit lazy ;-)
Cheers
Phil
re: new comments
Hi Phil,
I agree, the current way it works is annoying.
It only happens with photos, other types of page work the way you'd like them to. Getting comments onto photos has relied on that tried & tested technical solution - "a bit of a bodge". I'm not sure how to get the new comments links working on them yet, but when inspiration strikes I'll duct tape them into submission.
Cheers, David
Superimposed Images
Not sure if it is connected with the latest upgrade. Images created e.g. 1936 Ping Shan is superimposed with the original image of the thread for a small period of time before image stability sets in. Cheers.
New comment email came
New comment email came yesterday. I could link to it from the email, but it is not in the "my posts" section when I login. The comment was on a photo.
re: Superimposed Images
Sorry, I don't understand what's happening - please could you tell me the steps I can follow to cause this problem, so I can try them out here?
Regards, David.
re: New comment email
If you still have the email, please could you forward it to me so I can take a look?
If anyone else is getting false alerts, please let me know and forward a copy of the alert message to me.
Regards, David
Re: Superimposed Images
For some strange reason, the issue appears fixed. Will highlight if the problem resurfaces.
Navigation for Books & Diaries
Navigation for Books & Diaries is working again (the links to next & previous pages, and links to other documents with information for this day).
See http://gwulo.com/node/22660 for an example.
If you find any problems with it, please leave a comment below with details.
Regards, David
gwulo.com/node numbers
David
How do we now find the gwulo.com/node number that used to appear at the top of each post? It's useful to be able to refer back to them, or to refer other people to them, as above. I may be afflicted with "screen blindness" - forgive me if so.
Jill
re: gwulo.com/node numbers
Hi Jill,
Look up the page to the top of your web browser, and it should show the address (url) of the current web page. So if you do that now, you should see the url of this page:
http://gwulo.com/node/21873
It used to be good enough to just note the number, 21873. After the upgrade there are two different sets of numbers in use, one for photos (eg http://gwulo.com/atom/12345) and one for any other type of page (eg http://gwulo.com/node/12345). So to be sure you reach the correct page, make a note of the whole url, not just the number.
If you want to refer someone else to a page on Gwulo, just type the page's url on its own line like this:
http://gwulo.com/atom/17712
Then when you click "save", it will automatically turn into a web link that other readers can click.
I hope that makes sense, but let me know if anything isn't clear.
Regards, David
re: new comments
Hi Phil, that should be working again.
So if you go to "What's new" and click on the "1 new" link for a new comment, you should go straight to the new comment.
Regards, David