APG vNext 4.3 Released - New Features and UI Improvements

APG vNEXT 4.3 is released today (May 15)!
 
Many features and refinements you'll find in this version are based on clients' feedback after running the software live for a couple months after the release (beta in Feb and 4.0 in March).
 
The Main Forum List in particular is redesigned to incorporate the Featured Articles and the Top Article Slider, so it can be used effectively as the community home page now, if you decide not to use the default home page for your community:
 

 
Site-wide searching is improved too, as I removed the confusing search box from the Posts menu and make the top right master search box return results instantly:
 

 
For uploading files on the WYSIWYG editor, users can now drag and drop files directly below the editor, without having to use the popup upload window separately. Attachments can be removed directly on the editor too (without using the popup):
 

 
In addition, the Mobile Web App framework (jQuery Mobile) is updated to version 1.3.1, making the app more compatible with older devices. This framework upgrade fixes many bugs with iOS and Android phones, too...
 

 
Finally, there are many UI enhancements designed to make the software easier to use and provide better UX (user experience).
 
Please see the details below:

Fixes , Improvements & Additions

1. General Features and Behaviour Upgrade
   1. Featured Articles (vertical scrolling) and Slider added to the main Forum List page
   2. Poll Choices re-ordering capability
   3. Combines and Simplifies View Poll Voters and Poll Editing interface
   4. Better RegEx to turn Email in plain text to link (pattern configurable in AdminCP)
   5. When redirecting to Mobile App (phone detected, e.g.), "page number" is taken into account
   6. Mobile App: When guests click on the post button, the software shows options to sign up / log in
   7. ListCount become Protected variable (available on ASCX files) for MessageDisplay/ItemTemplate (easier to customize)
   8. MemberInfo.GetCustomRegDataDictionary returns Dictionary (Of String, CustomRegDto) instead of untyped Pair (easier to customize)
   9. Email Subscription now uses author's Screen Name (if turned on) instead of Login
   10. Session Clean Up algorithm re-designed to make sure it runs periodically (under some weird circumstances, it may not work properly)
   11. Membership Provider Integration: The software no longer export forum's System Admin account (memberID = 0) to external membership provider
   12. Membership Provider Integration: Auto Import Members from Forum to Provider Fails
2. UI Presentation Improvements:
   1. Featured article style changed to horizontal stacking - works better on fluid design
   2. User-friendly Top Search Box UI presentation + Removal of search box in Posts Top Navigation menu
   3. Mobile App Forums List default to "Flat" style
   4. Textbox highlight effect - easier to see where the focus is
   5. Login window now shows "forget password" , "forget username", and "request validation email" links
   6. "Cancel" button style improvement - more contrast from other Action buttons (submit, update etc)
   7. Forum list page buttons improvement - easier to spot, and more consistent to the software's style
   8. Post Approval and Support Ticket Awaiting Notice colour improvement
   9. Restored V3 Styling for a. Moderator Name display on Forum List; b. Sticky Level display on Thread List
   10. Online / Offline Avatar Style Improvement
   11. Header text added for Social Media Login page
   12. PM quick reply editor now has a link to open Full editor, just like forum's quick reply.
   13. A small square still shows when Avatar display in posts is turned off (one of the speed options)
   14. Custom Reg data extends over the boundary on the public profile page
3. WYSIWYG Usability Improvements:
   1. Drag & Drop upload below editor - more intuitive to use without using a popup upload window
   2. Attachments can be deleted while editing, without using the popup window too
   3. Photo embedded in the editor can be moved without having to delete and re-embed
   4. Content pasted from external sources looks consistent on Quick and Full editors
   5. "Dismiss" button available in the "Similar Threads" tooltip
   6. Cache issue for embedding images after previous images got deleted
4. 3rd party Frameworks Related:
   1. jQuery Mobile 1.3.1 - improves performance and compatibility with more phones
   2. jQuery UI 1.10.2 - bug fixes and more efficient
   3. Introduces Google's Angular JS framework to improve JavaScript code for
      1. User Profile Avatar / Profile Photo Management
      2. Poll Editing and Voters List
   4. qTip jQuery plugin (tooltip and popup used in the software) updated to latest version to fix a few bugs
      1. You'll need to update the styles if you updated the CSS in previous versions.
5. Admin CP Improvments
   1. Attachment Download can be turn on / off based on members' permission in the forum (readonly, reply, post, etc). Previously it can be limited only by members' "post count".
   2. Can now add Analytics script to the <head> (previously, analytics can be added to end of <body> only)
   3. Theme and Home Page / Forum List pages are now separated (better organization)
   4. Default Expand / Collapse switch for Sub Forums display on the main Forum List
   5. Mobile Theme Options (on/off switch): a. Default Forum List style set to Flat; b. Sub Forums show on Threads page
   6. 2 New Email Notifications: a. When posts marked as Helpful / Best Answer; b. When PM inbox quota limit reached
   7. Request Validation removed for User Rankings page (problem occurs if rankings contain special characters)
   8. Ability to define Email RegEx pattern for Posts and Registration
   9. Added a link to Manage Social Media integration on the User Registration page
   10. Repositions Screen Name checkbox on the User Registration page so that it looks better
6. Other Bug Fixes
   1. Home page "What's going on" opacity issue during auto refresh (page idles for a while)
   2. Members who choose to hide from the Online List still show up
   3. Can add users to wrong User Group by accident
   4. When Banned users try to log in an error occurs
   5. Users with [ or ] in their name cannot stay logged in
   6. Registration page error when registration is turned off
   7. Top search box remain visible to Guests even if Guests aren't allowed to search
   8. Forum Search redirect users to home page when Search Engine Friendly URL is turned off
   9. Quick Reply editor steals IE's cursor / focus
   10. PM sending error occurs when attachment is uploaded and then deleted
   11. Freeze Thread feature incorrectly freezes new threads
   12. Email filter not checked when user registers through their Social Media login (esp Twitter)
   13. Email validation required for Twitter authentication when the system is set to not require email validation
   14. User profile page update error when Signature is disabled due to User Group permission
   15. User Group Member List paging error
   16. Incorrect Canonical URLs for various Message Lists (latest / unread / active etc)

 
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4.3: Bringing back the familiar forum home page with some new features

Common Complaint and Solution

One complaint I got most frequently is that members are not familiar with the new home page design. They still want to see the list of forums.
 
Even though the new home page makes a lot more sense to encourage people to participate (it's the result of extensive research in usability / user experience / best practices recommended by experts in community building), I've decided to let community owners choose what's best for their members.
 
To do this, I redesigned the forum list and brought over the essential features from the home page:

1. Top Article Slider - helps highlighting activities in your community (grab attention)
2. Featured Articles - providing "content" navigation that helps engage members

So, in 4.3, you'll be able to use the Main Forum List as the community home page without missing functionalities exclusive to the new home page.
 
 
 
I just wanted to mention that the new home page still is the best choice for community home because people can access the latest and active discussions right on the page (no clicking to a different page).

Top Search Box Enhancement

The other thing that is confusing in vNEXT is the search feature in the Posts Menu.
 

 
Some people asked what the differences are between the search results returned in the Posts Menu and the top right search box, and there isn't that much of a difference, other than the # of records returned.

• The search box in the Post menu shows you the result right away, but the search box is hidden in the menu.
• On the other hand, the top right search box is very accessible but users are redirected to a different page to see results.

I've decided to combine the best from both implementation by removing the search box in the Post menu and making the top right search box return results on-page.
 

 
Give it a try. It's now very easy to use, as you get search results instantly on any page.

Additional Improvements

In addition, I'll be implementing the following email notifications in 4.3:

1. Post marked as Answer or Helpful - notifying the author when his posts are marked as acknowledgement
2. PM quota limit exceeded - notifying the recipient about PM quota limit being reached (so he can delete some old PM to free up space for new PMs)

Thanks for your time and I plan to release 4.3 with the above enhancements + improvements listed here in about a week.
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+ Better Mobile Compatibility + Intuitive Upload UI

What happens when people using mobile devices can't navigate your forums?
 
What happens when people trying to attach files couldn't find the upload button?
 
Answer: They won't like it and will probably leave.
 
In the next version, along with ~30 improvements and fixes (many are UI improvements to make the software easier to use), I'm gonna address these issues so that the users won't stop participating because of these problems.

Mobile Compatibility Upgrade - supporting wider range of devices

 
jQuery Mobile just released version 1.3.1 and your members will start using this improved version in the next forum update!
 
While most people using mobile devices have no problems with our current Mobile App, a couple old phones don't work as well (display issues).
 
Since our mobile app is developed on top of the jQuery Mobile framework, I make it a top priority to update our app whenever jQuery Mobile releases a new and stable version.
 
The new 1.3.1 jQM framework fixes a lot of bugs and improved compatibilities with phones (the framework is now tested on 70+ real devices, not simulators) so I think with the update, we can provide even better access for a wider range of phones.

Posting and Uploading Improvements - feature no longer hidden

Drag and Drop style uploading is the new norm for sending files on a web app.
 
While we already support this feature, it still feels "hidden" because you need to hit the attachment button on the editor to see the upload window.
 
By the time you see the upload window you probably aren't gonna drag and drop files, which defeats the purpose of having drag and drop interaction on the UI.
 
In the next version (you can see on this support forum now), you will find the upload box immediately available below the editor. This makes uploading much smoother, allowing you to drag and drop files directly into it, without a mouse click:
 

 
Note: The current implementation takes as many as 4 mouse clicks to upload a file (not including finding your files through the small window), the next version takes zero.
 
And no one has to look for the upload button any more.

..... plus, the Text box focus effect

If you go to the registration page now, you will see a nice CSS3 effect that highlights the first text box (username). This small touch helps direct your user's attention to the exact place we want him to focus right away:
 

 
And this effect shows up for any text box that is focused (either auto or mouse clicking).
 
Making the software easier to use (even just a little bit) pays off in the long run. And I'll continue refining the UI to improve User Experience.
 
Stay tuned for the update!!
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FAQ for APG vNext (V4)

Can you tell me what this new version is about?

What's new in APG vNext is its unique Content Publishing capabilities that can help you build your online community:

1. Integrated Blogging makes it easy for you to publish and re-purpose expert & community content (guest blogging) in your forum;
2. Content Slider & Featured Articles gives you the ability to visually grab users' attention by highlighting interesting activities & discussions in the community;
3. Dynamic page creation (simple CMS) allows you to create pages for special purposes. You can create:
   
   1. sign-up pages for people from different traffic sources (typically called landing pages),
   2. about us page,
   3. thank you page,
   4. ... and have them show up on unique URLs as well as under the forum menu.
4. Feature embedding in posts makes it easy to:
   
   1. increase member sign-up with a short registration form embedded in the forum posts.
   2. generate and embed a survey from multiple polls in a post to collect opinions from your community

 
Click here to see a short Content Publishing guide. And you can test these features on the demo forum.

What are improved in this new version?

The whole User Experience (UX). APG vNext's interface is redesigned and streamlined for better UX over the last versions. Everything was tested to ensure the final product is very easy to use and understand.

The most noticeable improvements are found in:

1. General UI - better styles for buttons, fonts (golden ratio) & layout spacing to improve readability & draw attention;
2. WYSIWYG - enhanced formatting tools, auto save draft, drag 'n drop, multi-file uploads & attaching photos from the gallery;
3. Social Media Accounts Integration - One-click login support for Facebook, Twitter and Google+ (and a host of openID providers);
4. Search functionality - feature rich results filtering and sorting, and you can search right where you are without leaving the current page;
5. Top Navigation - easy to access menu lets you access important features from any page (like the latest posts and search) without leaving the current page;
6. Private Messaging - messages are now grouped in threads that makes reading the entire conversation easy. Quick reply enabled too;
7. Full Read Tracking - keeps visitor's read history across devices making it easy to pick up where you left off from any place.
8. Built-in Mobile Web App - a lightweight mobile web app compatible with all modern mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows... phones and tablets) are included. See the next section for more info.

Take a look at this Top Community Feature Presentation and see why you should choose APG vNext for your community needs.

Does the software provide better support for Mobile Devices?

Yes, APG vNext now has a lightweight, auto-detecting mobile web app built in. It is based on the jQuery Mobile framework which means the web app supports nearly all A & B level devices jQuery Mobile supports (the list cover all smart phones that have market share). It is not just for iOS, but Android phones and Blackberry too.
 
Check out the Mobile Web App.

Do Photos and Videos show correctly on Mobile Devices?

Yes. If you embed photos or videos from Youtube, they show correctly without distortion. APG vNext Mobile Web App displays responsive content to ensure readability.

Does the software support file attachments for iOS 6 devices?

Not yet. At least you can't see it on the support forum yet. I'm testing it but iOS 6 has bugs in Safari that prevents it from uploading correctly in .NET. Will see if I can make it available in the final release. If not, it will definitely be available in the next update.

Can I upgrade my existing V3 or V2 license?

Yes. The upgrading process is streamlined and takes only a few minutes to complete for Version 3 users. It is similar for version 2, but a little longer because of the database structure change involved.
 
(Ends Jan. 31, 2013) We are running a pre-release special now. Take a look.

How much is it to upgrade existing unbranded licenses?

Please take a look at the pre-release special summary page.

How much is it to upgrade existing commercial licenses to unbranded?

Take a look at the pre-release special summary page.

If I upgrade, will my current message URLs from V3 continue to work?

Yes, the URL structure is the same as the previous version. Nothing is changed in this area other than we are support an additional URL structure. You won't lose traffic during the V3-> vNext transition.

What are the new System Requirements?

• Web Server: Windows 2003, 2008, 2012;
• IIS Version: IIS 6, 7, 7.5;
• ASP.NET Version: 4.0, 4.5;
• SQL Server Version: 2005, 2008, 2012;

• Minimum Edition: SQL Express w/ Advanced Services (for Full-Text Search)
• Server using Turkish collation is not currently supported (due to the many different variations of the "i" character). We do support Turkish language if the server collation is Latin or any other non case-sensitive collation;

We no longer support ASP.NET 3.5 and below.
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APG vNext 4.2 Released!

APG vNext 4.2 is a maintenance release to fix bugs and improve UI consistency and usability.
 
The following are the highlights:

1. Better attachment embedding support - real photo embedding instead of placeholder
   
2. Better Menu and Popup styling
3. User Control declaration improvements - make overriding easier
4. Drag n Drop ordering for smilies, PGDCodes and Custom Reg Fields in the AdminCP

 
Full details below:

Fixes , Improvements & Additions

1. Allow connecting existing forum accounts with Facebook & Google (OpenID)
2. A separate regular expression validator pattern for Screenname (separate from Login)
3. Hot (active) threads threshold taking into account an additional date range filter
4. When embedding image attachments in editor, show real image instead of placeholder
   1. "break out" removed from attachment placeholder
5. Drag n Drop ordering support in AdminCP for
   1. PGDCodes
   2. Custom Reg Fields
   3. Smiley faces
6. Public Member List ordering according to Last Activity (Last Login)
7. Better Top Nav, drop down menu and popup styles (standing out more from background)
8. Allow members of the System Admins user group to access Custom Stats
9. Includes Facebook & Twitter on "more social login options" page
10. Approving thread refreshes page automatically
11. Auto focus cursor on textbox on page load for popup windows on the Login page & the registration form
12. Reorganize some User Controls to make overriding easier
    
    1. Home page slider control incorporation change
13. Featured Article subject length restriction on editor
14. For posts already in the recycle bin, show "permanent delete" option in the quick management menu.
15. Added ability to detect login / connection string error in the software
16. Added ASP.NET 4.5 version check in Server Checker page in the AdminCP
17. Added Forum Filter page "hidden" CSS classes
18. Incorrect flagging posts for approval after edit due to "attachment change"
    1. Correct the timing for triggering "post awaiting approval" email notification after changing attachments
19. Does not flag posts for approval after editing when needed
20. Singular / Plural noun correction for several interface language strings
21. "Thread Moved" notification popup doesn't auto close
22. Online User List on home page display issue (only single line)
23. Signature not formatted correctly in WYSIWYG & forum post page
24. AdminCP Profile Photo preference not saved
25. Better OpenID login error handling when the provider doesn't return email address
26. Search box in top nav menu still shows even when its disabled for Guests
27. Guest blog comment or quick reply ReCaptcha javascript error
28. Search page coming from "Top Nav View More" does not show phrase and time filter
29. Lavalamp top nav effect doesn't hide on large monitors (27"+)
30. Unable to edit "Link" in forum management interface
31. Track read table cleaning up incorrectly removes forum & board tracking
32. Mark Thread Unread Conflict with Mark Forum Read: conflict happens when you mark the forum read at a time that is later than the "last update" for the thread. In this case, threads marked unread still show up as read.
33. IE 10 posting issue when attachments are embeded into WYSIWYG before text content is added
34. Attachment embedding issue for files that contains ' in its name
35. Forum or Link Delete error
36. Template error when handling a Nullable property in messagelist/itemtemplate.ascx.vb

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