SITE UPDATE Site Upgrade Coming

[BowhunterNJ]

Hey guys and gals, just a heads up, there is a site upgrade coming at some point in the next couple weeks.  I don't have an exact date picked yet, really is going to depend on a bunch of stuff I'm juggling, but I want to get it done before the turkey contest starts.  There will be some changes, there will be some adjustment, that's just the nature of the upgrades to this type of site software.  However it's important to stay on top of the upgrades to minimize issues with the site functionality, security, etc.  Rest assured, we'll work through any issues we encounter, please be patient as we do.

 

So what can you expect?

 

1) The most used part of the site is the Recent Topics.  I realize how important this is, and feel we've created a main landing page that best represents this with the current software.  Mods have been involved in testing the new site layout, and have been positive about the changes overall.  We've identified a few things that need tweaking, and users will as well once this site gets officially upgraded.  We will work through those issues as we encounter and discuss them.

 

2) Some lesser used parts of the site may be missing as they get developed/converted, and will be added as they are completed.  One of the most used features of the site is the Rating system.  The underlying implementation of this has changed, so I will need to port over the data to the new structure.  It will happen, just don't panic initially if things seem a little different or don't mesh up right away.

 

3) The overall look and feel of the site will naturally be a little different, but I'll work on getting things working as fluid as possible based on user feedback.  It's a large platform change, so the development learning curve (for me) takes some time, and there are a number of things that don't just automatically port over due to how much the software has changed (i.e. they have to be re-coded with the new site design/architecture).

 

4) Downtime is tough to estimate, but barring any hiccups, I'm hoping the initial upgrade will complete within a few hours.  Some things may take time to "rebuild", like stats/counters/etc...so there will be a delay in some data, but it will eventually get updated sometime in the first 24 hours.  Don't panic if we're not back up in a few hours, it will complete or if something catastrophic happens, we will back out the changes and restore the old site to get things figured out.  Thus far, I've attempted a complete upgrade with existing site on another domain and it went pretty smoothly.

 

With that said, I welcome any input on features you are most concerned about (i.e. ones you use the most right now and very much want post-upgrade).  

And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

 

I'll post another topic before the official upgrade day, this post is really to just get it out there for users that aren't on every day so they are aware it's coming and don't visit on the upgrade day, find the site down/offline, and have no idea why!

 

 

[3Blade]

Hey, make sure it's not down too long, I don't want to go into a Woods and Water withdrawal!    

[Thunderchicken]

Look forward to it!!! Making an  awesome site even better!!

Edited March 3, 2018 by Thunderchicken

[Bill from NJ]

Sounds good, thanks for the heads up. 

[BHC]

Excellent news

[Live to Hunt]

We are ready Matt looking forward to it.

[3Blade]

You may have to add a feline section for the cat "guys".

[MGHunter66]

Anything going to change on the mobil version?

[Thunderchicken]

You may have to add a feline section for the cat "guys".

3 Blade you maybe onto something!!

[Rusty]

CHANGE??????    

 

CHANGE BAD!!!!!!!  

[Booner]

How about logging in and passwords? Once the upgrade happens,will we need to login back in or if we have it set up to save passwords, will we be automatically logged in?

 

I ask this cause I have no idea what my password is.

[BowhunterNJ]

Anything going to change on the mobil version?

Yes it is a different look. The forum software company has adopted current common web design approaches, so it should match up with man other websites in terms of navigation etc.

 

Screenshot sample of mobile view:

 

 

 

 

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[mazzgolf]

So long as the "View New Content" link still works (or you have something that does the same thing). That's the link I use the most - helps to see what is new since you last checked or last clicked "Mark Community Read" (that's the link I second-most use )

 

Oh, and my condolences If there is one thing I hate to do, it is upgrade software. I never do it unless forced to.

[BowhunterNJ]

How about logging in and passwords? Once the upgrade happens,will we need to login back in or if we have it set up to save passwords, will we be automatically logged in?

 

I ask this cause I have no idea what my password is.

That’s a good question. Theoretically since the cookie domain is remaining and the domain itself is the same your browser should just work. But honestly I wouldn’t depend on it. If you have your password saved in your browser you can see it under the browsers Advanced Preferences or Security. Would be a good idea to write it down or save it somewhere, otherwise a password reset will be required.

 

 

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[BowhunterNJ]

So long as the "View New Content" link still works (or you have something that does the same thing). That's the link I use the most - helps to see what is new since you last checked or last clicked "Mark Community Read" (that's the link I second-most use )

 

Oh, and my condolences If there is one thing I hate to do, it is upgrade software. I never do it unless forced to.

That will be there. It is the backbone of Recent Topics in the new version

 

And yes, this is unfortunately a necessary upgrade.

 

 

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