Version 4.5 Fully Released

We have completed our roll-out of version 4.5 to all forums. If you are experiencing any problems with your forum please visit our support forum where our staff will be happy to assist you with any issues you may have.

Special thanks to Martyn Dale for all his hard work on this release, and to everyone who helped test it out!

Future upgrade discussion

There has been a bit of talk on the blog lately from some who would rather have the option to upgrade or not to version 5 when it becomes available due to some concerns they have. I would like to address those concerns.

Planned v5 Upgrade Process

First, I'd like to talk about the v5 upgrade process and what our plans are at this time.

Before v5 is released we will re-open our BetaZone which allows you to make a copy of your forum to test with before your real forum goes live with v5. This will allow you to play with all the new settings, update your layout, etc. Essentially you will have a "test" forum that you can play with.

One of the great (until now, unannounced) features of version 5 is the ability to export many of the settings on your forum to import them on another forum. This means you can set everything up on your test forum, export your settings (for things such as your skins, headers and footers, etc), and then save them into your forum once you upgrade to v5.

When version 5 is ready to be released, we are going to give all board owners a period of 2-3 months with an option to upgrade to v5. This way you can take all the time you need to make get your changes ready for the upgrade. After this period of time we will then force-upgrade the rest of the forums that have not opted to upgrade ahead of time.

We feel this is the best approach to give all forum admins the time they need to make sure their forum upgrade goes smoothly.

Templates in v5

As was documented earlier, version 5 is implementing a new templating system. This gives you full control over the HTML of your forum. This also allows you to change or even remove some things that you don't want them.

For example, some have expressed a desire to not have the "last 24 hours users" box. In version 5 you can simply remove the HTML code for this from the Info Center template. Further to this, in v5 there will be a simple option in the settings area to remove this box as well. This is just an example of how you can customize the HTML code in your v5 forum.

Headers/Footers Codes in v5

Some have said that they are worried that the future v5 upgrade (because of the size of the upgrade) will mess with their layouts.

We are overhauling all the HTML for version 5. Many of our coders have requested that we add new features to the code such as using id="[name]" on any elements that would be useful for coders to access. Other changes include naming of all forms. As a result of the major HTML changes, the majority of JavaScript codes that are in use today will not work in version 5.

Further to that, the new codes that will be developed to be compatible with v5 will be much easier for our coders to create.

Another important thing to note is that many, many of the codes in use today are designed to manipulate the HTML of the layout. These codes will not even be needed any more in v5 because we let you edit the HTML code yourself!

So, what is going to happen?

First off, our code database will be upgraded to have all new codes that will work with version 5. Again, we are giving 2-3 month grace period before the upgrade so that you can prepare your forum upgrade. If you have header/footer codes that you need to be updated we will make sure those new codes are provided in our code database.

Now, instead of simply upgrading your forums and keeping all the header/footer codes in which will not work, we will provide a copy of your headers/footers in your admin area and you will need to add in the new JavaScript codes which work with v5. Again, the majority of codes from v4 / v4.5 will not even be needed since you have direct access to the HTML.

We understand that for some forums which have extensive headers and footers this may be a fair amount of work, but the end benefit will be tremendous because of the amount of control that we are putting into your hands.

Last Thoughts

We will take your suggestions to heart in regards to this upgrade. I appreciate your constructive criticism and hope that this discussion will help alleviate some concerns you may have about this future upgrade.

It is important to note that if our members feel that they need more time to prepare their forums, we will give you that time. We would like nothing more than for this to be a smooth upgrade for all of our members and will provide you the support and assistance you require in this process.

New V5 Feature and Beta Info

Another great new feature in the upcoming ProBoards Version 5 is our new auto-save feature. As you type your message it is periodically saved on our server. In the event that your browser crashes or other problems occur, when you come back to the post page your message will be automatically restored for you to continue working on.

Now, plenty of people have been waiting to hear when we think Version 5 will come out. While we're not set on a date for that, we do have an estimate for when our beta period will begin.

I will say that the absolute earliest I could expect a V5 open beta would be July, but please, don't come down on me if it's not here by then or even soon after. V5 will not be released before it is complete to my standards. If it takes extra months of work, that's what it takes.

Version 4.5 Upgrades

We have begun the process of mass converting servers to version 4.5. Today we started on servers 70-89 and hope to push forward with more servers in the coming days. I understand many of you have been waiting for this update for a while now and I am happy to announce it is on it's way to you.

Anyone on servers 70-89 can simply login to their admin panel and click the upgrade link at the top to convert their forum. Anyone who does not opt to convert now will be converted within a few days automatically.

Welcome Adam!

We have recently added a new staff member, Adam Petersen, to further assist and speed the development of Version 5. Adam will mostly be working behind the scenes, but I'm sure he'd love to get a welcome message from people :)

Welcome aboard Adam!

New Version 5 Features

Today I'm going to introduce some more new features that you can look forward to in Version 5.

With the introduction of Version 4.5, all forums can already expect an update letting them restrict categories based on a member's post count rank. We've taken this a step further in V5.

In addition to having this capability for every category, every board will also have the option to be restricted to certain member groups and post count ranks.

This means that you won't have to create a new category specific for each member group (or post count) that you want to make boards for. Just go straight to making a board, throw it in whatever category you want, and only those with the correct permissions will be able to see and access it.

Another new feature we plan to add is a "name history" in each member's profile. Sometimes people get confused who a member is because they changed their display name. Now you will be able to see a list of names that any user has been known as in the last 30 days just by viewing their profile.

More updates soon!

Answering some questions..

I have had a few questions come out recently regarding the new icons (in the blog post below), so this entry is to address those questions along with one other frequently asked question.

Is this the actual size of the buttons?
Yes, this is the real size. All icons in v5 will be slightly larger than before and much more readable.

Am I stuck with the blue color?
No, you aren't. We will have many colors of icons to choose from available for every board so that you can pick what matches best. We'll also have one neutral gray set available that can work with any color board.

What if I want to resize the images down?
That is your option. The ability to change any image you want via the admin area will still be there waiting for you :)

Besides these questions about the menu buttons, we have one question that is consistently coming up:

When will v5 be released?
This is a tricky question. I know many of you are waiting on your server to receive version 4.5 still. We are working on that roll-out, but wanted to make sure we had every bug smashed first.

In terms of a planned roll-out for version 5, no date is set in stone. It is hard with such a large release to put a date out there. Knowing our members, if I set a date people will be hounding me to release on that exact date regardless of any bugs that may still exist in the system.

The fact is this is a major project, we are actively developing it and working hard to get it done. It is a ways off, and we are updating you about our progress on this blog to keep you informed. When an estimate does get announced, it will be simply a date that is the earliest possible release date. It will not be a planned release date. Please take it as just that - an estimate, not a solid release date. Everything from new features to unforseen events can all delay a release.

That being said, our very-rough-earliest-possible-estimated-release-date will be announced in the next issue of the ProVision: Vision Press due for around April 1st.

As we move down the road, the best I can do for you is to keep this blog updated with as much information as I can publicly reveal. We will keep you informed as to when things are in the final stages and at that time we will announce a better estimated release date.