things wrong with 3.0

[ToonArmy]

who knows, maybe IE8 will solve the issue. but i think regardless of who's to blame, phpbb should want to keep it from happening, even if it means not being xhtml compliant on this one point. jmho.

Just tried IE8 still the same problem. phpBB will not be dropping XHTML compliance to (hackishly) work around a problem with IE, furthermore our desire for XHTML compliance is not 'misguided'. Implementing a global option to open links in new windows is really not feasible from a technical aspect, it would be hideously inefficient. If you want post links to open in a new window apply the changes in the KB and the automatic updater will merge them in with each update for you.

[thecoalman]

You're missing my point, you have a hole in the road(browser bug in IE that causes input text to be lost). Instead of fixing the hole you're proposing building a road around the hole through a swamp that only few cars are going to be able to use.

You would have to open every link in a new window, then every link there would open a new window, on and on. That certainly does not enhance the users experience. See where I'm going? Do you think a user is going to appreciate navigation links opening new windows? That was not the default behavior in phpbb2.

i don't follow what you mean here at all. who is talking about a bookmark?

It's bug that causes text in an input filed to be lost. It appears that any action that navigates away from the page will cause this. If you click a bookmark then you lose the text just like when you click a link on the page. Same bug, same problem. You're solution of fixing it with links that open in new windows doesn't address fixing it for other situations.

[MrSinatra]

who knows, maybe IE8 will solve the issue. but i think regardless of who's to blame, phpbb should want to keep it from happening, even if it means not being xhtml compliant on this one point. jmho.

Just tried IE8 still the same problem. phpBB will not be dropping XHTML compliance to (hackishly) work around a problem with IE, furthermore our desire for XHTML compliance is not 'misguided'.

well, that [second part] is afterall, a matter of opinion, isn't it?

Implementing a global option to open links in new windows is really not feasible from a technical aspect, it would be hideously inefficient. If you want post links to open in a new window apply the changes in the KB and the automatic updater will merge them in with each update for you.

this interests me, b/c i know very little about how this works...

i understand how to edit the files as described. but if a future update has a new version of the file i edited, how would phpbb know to "absorb" my manual edits into the new version of the edited phpbb file? and how would i instruct phpbb to do so at that time?

if it works as you describe, it sounds like it might fix my issue, now and going forward, which is very welcome. but it leaves everyone else's installation in a lurch, including this one here that i am posting to. IE7/8 users will lose their work if they forgetfully click a link on the composition page, (in a previous post or not).

and why you would describe the proposed point and click option as being not feasible when manual edits make it actually work, i guess befuddles me?

[Phil]

who knows, maybe IE8 will solve the issue. but i think regardless of who's to blame, phpbb should want to keep it from happening, even if it means not being xhtml compliant on this one point. jmho.

Just tried IE8 still the same problem. phpBB will not be dropping XHTML compliance to (hackishly) work around a problem with IE, furthermore our desire for XHTML compliance is not 'misguided'.

well, that [second part] is afterall, a matter of opinion, isn't it?

No, it's actually not. Standards compliance is a very good thing in the case of popular software as it ensures that everything works in most major browsers (aside from Internet Explorer, which sadly seems to have its own way of doing things).

Implementing a global option to open links in new windows is really not feasible from a technical aspect, it would be hideously inefficient. If you want post links to open in a new window apply the changes in the KB and the automatic updater will merge them in with each update for you.

i understand how to edit the files as described. but if a future update has a new version of the file i edited, how would phpbb know to "absorb" my manual edits into the new version of the edited phpbb file? and how would i instruct phpbb to do so at that time?

The auto-updater takes care of this.

if it works as you describe, it sounds like it might fix my issue, now and going forward, which is very welcome. but it leaves everyone else's installation in a lurch, including this one here that i am posting to. IE7/8 users will lose their work if they forgetfully click a link on the composition page, (in a previous post or not).

The Knowledge Base article only handles opening links in posts, etc. The new post window will still not be opened in a new window (not even sure how that would help), and, as has been said, is most likely unfixable as it is a browser issue.

and why you would describe the proposed point and click option as being not feasible when manual edits make it actually work, i guess befuddles me?

Enabling it as a per-user option would be ridiculously complex due to how the script works.

[MrSinatra]

You're missing my point, you have a hole in the road(browser bug in IE that causes input text to be lost). Instead of fixing the hole you're proposing building a road around the hole through a swamp that only few cars are going to be able to use.

i absolutely agree with you that fixing IE7 is more appealing than messing with phpbb. but i have about as much leverage with MS as i do with you all.

maybe you guys can submit a bug to IE8 developers?

You would have to open every link in a new window, then every link there would open a new window, on and on. That certainly does not enhance the users experience. See where I'm going? Do you think a user is going to appreciate navigation links opening new windows? That was not the default behavior in phpbb2.

well, as i recall, links in posts did open in new windows, nav links changed the current window, right?

but in either case, the composition was not lost. if you clicked back from a nav link, your work would still be there.

that is the goal, right?

maybe i misunderstand, will the manual edits cause EVERY link to open in a new window, or just links in posts? if the latter, thats what i want, and as i've said, i'd like to enable that optionally in the ACP, but you know that.

if its the former, then i don't want that in any way, regardless of how i enable it.

i don't follow what you mean here at all. who is talking about a bookmark?

It's bug that causes text in an input filed to be lost. It appears that any action that navigates away from the page will cause this. If you click a bookmark then you lose the text just like when you click a link on the page. Same bug, same problem. You're solution of fixing it with links that open in new windows doesn't address fixing it for other situations.

i understand. thx.

[Phil]

maybe you guys can submit a bug to IE8 developers?

It's probably intentional.

maybe i misunderstand, will the manual edits cause EVERY link to open in a new window, or just links in posts?

The latter.

[thecoalman]

i absolutely agree with you that fixing IE7 is more appealing than messing with phpbb. but i have about as much leverage with MS as i do with you all.

maybe you guys can submit a bug to IE8 developers?

Fixing IE may not be required, this might be addressed in total by changing the behavior of phpbb so the text isn't lost to begin with. Whether the developers can do that or will is their decision but if they do fix it I can guarantee it won't involve links opening in new windows.

For the record I just tested this in another major forum software and the issue exists there so its not just a phpbb issue.

[Golf Girl]

This business of the text disappearing when you're composing a message and say, click on a link when you are previewing your message, has been bugging me for a while too. I am using IE7. I don't remember having the same problems in phpBB2. Did we come to any conclusion about what to do about it?

PS sorry about the lateness but I just came across this thread and felt it was important to point out that this is not such an uncommon issue.

[Kellanved]

Sadly this an issue in the internet explorer; we are not aware of any way to fix it without causing IE to display stale content.

[Golf Girl]

Dear me, that's bad. IE7 is used by around 80% of my board's visitors.

[Techie-Micheal]

Dear me, that's bad. IE7 is used by around 80% of my board's visitors.

There is a workaround, which I've gotten in the habit of doing anyway as some sites have timeouts and that is to do a ctrl+a and ctrl+c to copy the post to the clipboard before doing anything else. In fact, I'll do it before submitting this post just in case something goes wrong and the post doesn't make it through.

[thecoalman]

to copy the post to the clipboard before doing anything else. In fact, I'll do it before submitting this post just in case something goes wrong and the post doesn't make it through.

I've been in the habit of doing that myself especially if it's a long post. Been burned more than once...

[BertieZilla]

Dear me, that's bad. IE7 is used by around 80% of my board's visitors.

There is a workaround, which I've gotten in the habit of doing anyway as some sites have timeouts and that is to do a ctrl+a and ctrl+c to copy the post to the clipboard before doing anything else. In fact, I'll do it before submitting this post just in case something goes wrong and the post doesn't make it through.

I generally type messages in my head and then they ooze onto into the topic in a new reply when I wish it.

-- But for mere humans, I would think that typing a reply in a text editor and then C/P-ing into a reply is plenty efficient. Holding it in your clipboard is also a good idea.

I could see potential for a MOD here that would save the post (via AJAX) to a draft. Although this will not help connection difficulties, but if it saved similarly to the way wordpress saves blog posts, then it could work.

[Golf Girl]

Of course, I now always try to remember to copy to notepad when I'm composing a post, but let's face it, it's not good that we have to do that, is it?

[momentum]

You could always install & use Firefox and be totally rid of the problem.

Craig.