XenForo 2.3 is here!

[Retro]

Ok people, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally upgraded the forum software to the latest XenForo 2.3.4 which contains various performance, feature and security improvements over the previous 2.2.

It has various extra features, but most are under the hood, so aren't that obvious. What you can finally do however, is to upload .webp images which it now understands and is something that I've been wanting for a long time.

As I write this, I'm noticing an annoying editing gremlin with full stops appearing at the start of the line when I type them, so be ready for it. The workaround is to toggle BB code mode with the [ ] brackets. This issue could be related to theme compatibility since the Ukraine one was created a long time ago, I've not seen this issue before and haven't seen it on xenforo.com or felineforums.com when they upgraded a while back. I'll have to investigate and get back to you.

 

[Retro]

Ok, I've had a fiddle in the ACP and managed to get rid of that full stop issue, along with enabling the new XF default dark mode which is darker than the NZ one you've seen up to now.

Note that quite a lot of work has to go into tidying up the themes on this site, not least the new Core theme which has been in beta for the longest time, but at least the site works pretty well as it is with no showstopping issues until I get round to sorting the themes out.

Note that there's a little light / dark widget to the right of the XenForo Theme (Dark Blue) selection at the bottom of every page. This is a new 2.3.4 feature. The other themes don't yet support this and some of these legacy ones may just be deleted anyway. The orange Core theme by Pixel Exit will support this once it's updated and customised, however.

 

[Astro What]

Hitting specific CSS for use with the variation style is fairly easy once you get a grasp on it.

I give examples of hitting the light version, the dark version or both on XFH. Also how to use the duotone FA icons and changing the colors up.

Customizing CSS based upon style variation

Customizing CSS based upon style variation

xenforohelp.com

It took me a bit of time to get it down pat and I am still finding areas that I either want to tweak on the light only or the dark only on my site.

 

[Nebulous]

Looks and feels the same to me but thanks for the update!

 

[Retro]

Yes it does pretty much. It's probably a little snappier though and that webp functionality is long overdue.

 

[Nebulous]

Yes it does pretty much. It's probably a little snappier though and that webp functionality is long overdue.

Yeah that image thing is convenient. I used to put those webp files into gimp and convert them into a png or jpg before uploading to a forum.

 

[Retro]

I used to just open them in Windows Paint and save them as jpg. What a pita, so glad I don't have to bother anymore. And of course, the file sizes were significantly bigger after conversion, too. I quite often lowered the resolution to compensate for it.

 

[Astro What]

Looks and feels the same to me but thanks for the update!

Really there were VERY few end user (also known as QOL) updates in 2.3.
The nearest one would be the search results. Another is the ability to use passkeys for login. Other than that, it was all admin/under the hood stuff, which has been somewhat disappointing to many that waited years for the 2.3 upgrade. There is also the ability to optimize images using WebP, but that is more an under the hood issue and if you have users that are on older software/browsers, you immediately lose them the ability to see images. It's only about 8-10% of the public, but that still is a noticeable number for a general chat site. For a niche site like mine it is not that big of a deal as most of those users have more recent hardware.

 

[Retro]

Apparently, 2.4 will have those QOL updates that we're all waiting for, including the new editor. Here's waiting with baited breath...

 

[Retro]

Ok, if you're wondering why you can no longer find and use the Ukraine theme that's been the default here since day one, it's because there's a significant problem with it. Try entering some text in the editor and then selecting it either with the mouse, or the keyboard: nothing happens other than the cursor disappears, right? What's actually happening, is that the text is getting selected, but no highlight shows.

This is obviously a showstopping bug, hence I've disabled the theme for now, leaving the official default XenForo dark theme as the default. It's got several other bugs in it anyway, so if I can't get this fixed, I'll remove it permanently as it was a homebrew theme and the member who created it is no longer active here, unfortunately.

I haven't tested any of the other themes on here, but chances are that they'll cause problems too, so use them at your own peril!

 

[Retro]

Ok panic over: found the setting and highlighting is now fixed. Ukraine theme enabled and set back to default.

 

[live627]

This must be why the blue links are darker and harder to read.

 

[Retro]

I'd been meaning to look at that. Fixed.

 

[Retro]

ppl, if you notice certain things like links looking a different colour, it's because I'm fiddling with them to find the ones that look best. It's a trial and error process.

 

[Astro What]

ppl, if you notice certain things like links looking a different colour, it's because I'm fiddling with them to find the ones that look best. It's a trial and error process.

Suggestion... a suggestions & comments section is ideal for users to point out that stuff, and it can be excluded from indexing so that is a benefit.
It's similar to what I am doing over on XFH (which has a new logo) and on my astro site.
Not a fan of the red on hover. Either a different shading would be better. Usually you do the link a little darker and then brighten it when hovered.
I also generally try to do away with the text-decoration underline as it flashes back to 2000's era.
I still need to go through my site and clean it up again since I am not using my old style.

As an example (something I am tweaking)

Normal



hovered

 

[Retro]

Suggestion... a suggestions & comments section is ideal for users to point out that stuff

Great minds think alike as it already exists:

Feedback

Your suggestions for improving the site.

nerdzone.uk

Note that all sections of the forum have post count enabled and this is by design.

Yes, I could make the text brighten instead. It's how the default XF theme works and I tried that, but I like the change of colour as it really stands out and looks nice in my opinion. Regarding the underline, if I look at how the system links at xenforo.com work as a reference point, they're a dark blue which brightens and underlines when hovered over, so not that different to how they work on here.

Note that the XF system links in the Ukraine theme are white and don't change colour, so the underline is required there to indicate that it's actually a link.

 

[Astro What]

if I look at how the system links at xenforo.com work as a reference point, they're a dark blue which brightens and underlines when hovered over, so not that different to how they work on here.

Don't look at XF style as "cutting edge" for style design. Remember, they still are stuck on the idea that forums rule the world and you don't need much more than that.

The underline in the "bad old days" was used typically to designate a link. Hover colors without that is generally considered to be less obtrusive in modern styles. A drastic change in colors is also discouraged usually in design. Generally you want a similar shade, just darker or lighter. But it is personal preference. I just find it rather grating.
Personally, I think when the colors change drastically it's a flashback to the MySpace days. I keep waiting to hear music start playing.

 

[Retro]

I get what you're saying and about general style design, which has merit, but I still like it this way, so it's gonna stay like that for now.

Tell ya what, how about this for a leftfield suggestion: I export my Ukraine theme and let you have it. You tweak it to how you like it and send it back to me. I'll then make it available to everyone and call it Astro What, everybody's happy. Waddya think?!

Note that the member who created it also fiddled with the original default template, something I'd never do, so I don't know if this is gonna mess it up for you on your forum. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Astro What]

Exporting the style won't have anything to do with the template unless they did special CSS for what they modified.
And I'm still busy enough chasing down the little places here and there in my style that it's keeping me busy. I'm using the system variation function so it's even more involved than just having a static dark or light style.
Then to top it off, Neo pushed a lot of the initial setup of XFH off on me as "payment" for jacking his account.