New site layout

[Guest Lynz]

Hello, I am writing to you because I have some concerns about the new site layout. I'll start with the initial concern that brought me here: I have been reading and following an original story for quite some time and with the new layout I can not figure out how to leave a review. Most of my other concerns/complaints are based on my own opinion or interpretation but the above concern is what I am truly tying to express. Anyways, I am not a fan of the chapter side bar on the left mostly because it cuts off what I am reading and moving the page over is an easy fix but the story is not centered in the screen which I find kind of annoying. I no longer frequent AFF as much as I used to so I'm not sure when these changes were made but compared to what the site was before this 'upgrade' is a huge step backwards in my opinion. The site now has a less organized and more amateur feel to it.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk but I have respect for AFF as I have read and been introduced to some of my favourite fiction here. I hope you find my words constructively criticizing and I hope an explanation may be forthcoming from you. Thanks! Lynz.

[WillowDarkling]

Hey, there.

You might want to read this: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/61874-not-able-to-see-stories/ , and at least the last couple of pages of this: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/61765-server-upgrade-is-complete/page-6#entry386839 . And even this link: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/61875-empty-page/ as they all address exactly the problem that you are having.

As has been stated a number of times, in multiple threads, our head tech admin and our coder have been working on fixing the coding issues that have been coming up after the upgrade. This latest one they have been working on for over 30 combined hours already and are still at it, while dealing with their RL stuff as well.

So, please be patient and give them time to work on the issues, they are after all only two people.

[AlfonsoLing]

Forgive me for piling on, but I've got to agree with Lynz's appraisal of those side buttons. What's worse is that there's no way to tell which chapter you're on and there's no "Next Chapter" button at the bottom. If you're not reading with a notepad and pencil, you've got to click around. "Wait, did I read that chapter already? Did I miss one?" I'm guessing the issue is being addressed, but I figure I'd mention it just in case it isn't.

And, of course, let me not forget the disclaimer: This is a great site. You guys do awesome work. etc...

[DemonGoddess]

It is all being addressed. As I said before, just to get the chapters to display AT ALL took a combined 30 man hours for manta and I, in one day. yesterday, we both opted to give our weary eyes a much needed break. Today, AFTER work, I've got some things I'll look at, and show manta before I even think about going live. Remember, she's the primary coder for a REASON. Just as I'm the primary on database, for a REASON. That's where our strengths lie. Hers in code, and mine in overall db stuff. Which is why BEFORE she does something to the db, we talk first, just as BEFORE I do anything in code, we talk first.

[Guest DaFossil]

I hate to add to the problems, but I'm seeing weird symbols in odd places all of a sudden. Mainly a black Diamond with a question mark in the middle. Is this a glitch caused by the upgrade or my hardware? And thanks so much for all the hard work, you guys have worked wonders.

[WillowDarkling]

DG and Manta are aware of that problem, but here is a quote from DG, the head tech admin, on why that is happening and how you can fix it for the moment:

"The odd characters are from the database language upgrade, which means that the database is now utf-8 for charset. This means I have to convert each and every table from latin1_swedish (the old charset from earlier versions of mysql) to utf-8. In the meantime, you can easily fix this by selecting the character set within your browser. Set it to utf8 and the odd images will disappear."

[End quote]

That's all the help I can be on that matter.

[Guest DaFossil]

Thanks for the info, wasn't sure if the problem was on my end or the site. Been having hardware issues the last couple of days.

[Guest staar]

well my questions were answered but !!!! it still does not let me make a review and can't find the "next page". I have been a fan of this site for over 6yrs. and these change are not user friendly ok !!!!! sorry hope it cane fixed !

[BronxWench]

staar, you need to be patient. AFF is staffed entirely by volunteers, which means we need to have RL jobs to keep roofs over our heads, and pay for Internet access, and vital stuff like that. DG lost a day's work already, money she won't recoup, and she spent 16 straight hours reading code. manta spent 14 straight hours reading and writing code to get the stories visible again.

I'm an author here as well as a moderator. I became a mod to help the site I love. So please, try to do your bit by being patient and not complaining about things we know need to be fixed, and that you know we're working on. Pointing out a new glitch is good. Restating the old stuff doesn't help and is actually frustrating and outright demoralizing, because it makes us all feel like we're supposed to be bots and not people, which is not very pleasant.

[Guest Lynz]

Thank you admins for responding so promptly. I did not realize that the site was undergoing work as I haven't been here. To me it just seemed like a jarring difference and I assumed this was just a new layout. I appreciate the thorough explanations that have been provided and I apologize if my complaining seemed to undermine all of the hard work that you've been putting into the site. I don't know a thing about code or websites but I don't doubt that it is a large undertaking. Thank you for all that you do and for keeping this site going. Not currently, but typically AFF has the best layout and most user friendly features out of any site I have posted or read on and for that I am sure we are all grateful.

[Guest Shelley]

I don't see where to enlarge the type so I can read it.

[BronxWench]

Lynz, thank you! Any upgrade can be a bit trying and this one decided to be even more so, but we'll get things back to working. It's just often a tedious process given how very large the database of stories is (over 9GB).

Shelley, that was another button that was temporarily disabled. I miss that one myself! It will be restored soon, I hope!

[Guest DaFossil]

I don't know if this helps but many browsers have the capability of increasing or decreasing the font size in the settings. Also, I read the stories in the cell phone. It's browser has an open in reader option. The reader allows me to adjust the font size there.

[DemonGoddess]

I actually use the browser increase/decrease myself.