Glitch Examples

[AB Editor]

Dear AnswerBank Users,

I need help finding examples of some of the site problems, such as:

1. Broken links in answers
2. long links which run off the page
3. any other glitch you have spotted

All the best,

Spare Ed

[swedeheart]

Broken link in my reply here

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Arts-and-Literature/Arts/Question809187.html

[AB Editor]

Does this break for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cantos#LXXIV.E2.80.93LXXXIV_.28The_Pisan_Cantos.29

[redcrx]

not only a long link, but it drags the text into the link with it
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/Question816528.html

[AB Editor]

Thanks Swedeheart

[snags]

Well for some strange reason my avatar pic doesn't seem to be showing ;-)

[jno]

I posted an example yesterday of text (not links) running off the right-hand side of the page; I don't know if it's been sorted (it wasn't happening all the time) but I'll have another look for it if you want.

[redman41]

Have alook at Music Section Mr.Ed, as the Text is part missing !!!

[jacey]

I have no lines seperating the answers, just pages of text. Also the text in the Pst an Answer/Question is extremely small. Hate the space taking non-active avatars. But that's just my personal issue. Thanks for takin feedback.

[AB Editor]

Thanks guys, we're sending the techies off to work on it!

All the best,

Spare Ed

[AB Editor]

It is always welcome Jacey! Are you on IE6 per chance?

All the best,

Spare Ed

[mrs.chappie]

Howdy Ed!

Hey Ed, I don't come onto AB much, but when I do, I see you around. I find it hard to spot Big Ed though. Has he eloped with Ethel or summat?

(Come on - spill the beans. I'll keep it to myself).

[:o)

PS: I have lots of problems accessing AB, but I suspect it has summat to do with my computer, rather than your end. xxx

[jacey]

Hi Ed, No I'm on IE7 and had just signed back in to tell you that in Law (not looked other topics) the ends of the sentences, in replies, are cut off. so you can't make sense of the answers .

[jacey]

sorry example.. http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question815717.html

[AB Editor]

thanks guys, we will work on it

Spare Ed

[JoolsTwo]

Hi Ed, If you're still there. Is there anything you can do to stop people putting the whole question in the box meant for the title of a question. This makes it difficult to read, I've attached a couple of examples. I don't know if you could make that box a bit smaller or something?

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Question809679.html

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Question810090.html

[yapisle]

hi Ed

(Firefox) When you have multiple tags open (all different threads of Answerbank) ....

when you post an answer to the first open thread ...... the answer is 'processed, BUT the thread then returns to the LAST Tag thread that you have open!

Most frustrating

(the caps are not to offend, or 'shout', simply emphasis to explain this glitch)

thanks

[naomi24]

Only a minor thing, but when I type an apostrophe, a backslash appears alongside it.

[AB Editor]

interesting - will pass these further comments on.

All the best,

Spare Ed

[mallam]

Aha, Ed, I see how it works: you start one suggestions thread to flush out the moaners, and then divert the flood to another as soon as the first threatens to overwhelm you.

Or is Big Ed back and giving you a hard time? Are the pair of you going to let even your own threads die on their feet? I tried on our last thread to draw your attention to gremlins in the Link Locations (check under Properties) and "other glitches I have spotted". See below for details.

Re 1: Your software isn't recognizing common suffixes in urls, like those beginning with +, #, etc. When it permitted hypertext, as the bracketing of hrefs prevented this happening. It looks a bit as if some of the probs with links may have been caused by people still trying to post hypertext. However some of the "broken links" posters have linked to here are now working. Dare one hope this is evidence of some of your morlocks beavering at it?

I take it that by "non-active avatars" jacey means that on a functioning site they would typically link to a Public Profile as opposed to My Profile, enabling users to refer to previous postings by the subscriber. What about it? And I take it they are "space-taking" because they are big fat boring nuisances that are a waste of space. If they are "place-marking" rather than "space-taking" I further take it that the the marked places will be available for personalized ones at the end of eternity. I bags one of the big fat boring nuisances. It will do for me.

I append my summary of your last thread:

Dear Acting Ed (if I may so paraphrase your clarification that you are indeed of the Spare persuasion),

My impression is that there is a considerable preponderance of ABers for whom forum-juggling is one thing they do NOT want you to do. And culling (except of CB) would strike at the heart of what this site is for. I often search key

[mallam]

I often search key bits of text on the site for previous answers (NOT with your site search, which as far as I can see only searches titles). They are an extremely valuable resource and they ARE just about searchable, though even the Recent Qs tab is hopeless for resurrecting any of the threads involved beyond the hyperactive attention span of the software.

The forum list aint broke, but could do with one fix: the subsections should not have to be accessed in two snail hops, but should be accessible from pulldowns as on any sensible site. And do even you know on what principle we are supposed to post to them rather than the main sections? I cannot descry any rhyme or reason in the way things are listed under the headings and subheadings even when people dont blindly post at random. And I dont think as many people do that as the software makes it appear: I have become convinced that it makes mercurial decisions of its own, as well as being more prone to human error on the part of the poster than most systems. Certainly in my brain-fagging blunderings around the jumble of tabs on My Profile I have found that the links in the different tabs claim that one post is in several different places! They seem on the whole to link to the actual post, but the scrambling of the link locations in their Properties does not augur well.

See how the Preview is necessary even for text? Are we expected to count the words? But when it reappears as promised, again at the end of eternity, can it be a New Improved version which shows the cut-off point rather than merely refusing to post as it did before, so that you had to experiment to an extent not far short of counting the words? Now that would be an antihypertensive aid for those of us with a prolixity problem.