Small Editing window .... WHEN IS THIS GOING TO BE FIXED?

[mr_lincoln]

It's been how many months since this new Community format rolled out and the Edit window is STILL TOO SMALL! 

[a_c_green]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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sheila@ebay wrote:

@mr_lincoln the text box is working as intended and if you want to bigger, you'll have to drag the corner. I know it's not ideal but that's the only option we have.

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sheila@ebay   Thank you, I have not tried that yet, does it retain the new size or do we have to do that every time we Edit a post???  When you say its "the only option we have" I am a little confused ... its just programming and can be enlarged ... I don't get what the problem is ...

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@mr_lincoln we're trying to stay out of box with the Community as much as we can and not add additional code right now. Additional code = errors or other issues like we saw last Friday, 07/16

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Well, yes, they do need to test the new code before releasing it into Production, something that was apparently not done properly prior to the last attempted release (although to be fair, eBay is much worse than Khoros regarding failure to test their new code), but in the case of this issue here, the change to be made is simply to the default height and width values of the edit window... or more specifically, to the height value alone.

In other words, it's not a coding change; it's a setting change. I would suggest making the correction request something simple, such as "Please double the height of the reply edit window." Nothing more needs to be said, really. If they have questions, they can certainly get back to you for clarification.

A better change, but one that would require a bit more coding, would be to make the setting sticky, so that when the user drags the window to a larger size, its new dimensions become the default going forward. That revision would be a bit more involved, so I would not stand on one foot waiting for that to happen.

[mr_lincoln]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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sheila@ebay wrote:

@mr_lincoln the text box is working as intended and if you want to bigger, you'll have to drag the corner. I know it's not ideal but that's the only option we have.

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sheila@ebay   Thank you, I have not tried that yet, does it retain the new size or do we have to do that every time we Edit a post???  When you say its "the only option we have" I am a little confused ... its just programming and can be enlarged ... I don't get what the problem is ...

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@mr_lincoln we're trying to stay out of box with the Community as much as we can and not add additional code right now. Additional code = errors or other issues like we saw last Friday, 07/16

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Well, yes, they do need to test the new code before releasing it into Production, something that was apparently not done properly prior to the last attempted release (although to be fair, eBay is much worse than Khoros regarding failure to test their new code), but in the case of this issue here, the change to be made is simply to the default height and width values of the edit window... or more specifically, to the height value alone.

In other words, it's not a coding change; it's a setting change. I would suggest making the correction request something simple, such as "Please double the height of the reply edit window." Nothing more needs to be said, really. If they have questions, they can certainly get back to you for clarification.

A better change, but one that would require a bit more coding, would be to make the setting sticky, so that when the user drags the window to a larger size, its new dimensions become the default going forward. That revision would be a bit more involved, so I would not stand on one foot waiting for that to happen.

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@a_c_green   I suspect that maybe one party is hoodwinking the other party in to thinking changes are not possible without a stiff upcharge ...

[a_c_green]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@a_c_green   I suspect that maybe one party is hoodwinking the other party in to thinking changes are not possible without a stiff upcharge ...

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Always a possibility, sure, although in this case I think it's another of the omissions that were left behind during that big recent update (i.e. not the one this month, but the one before it when all the eBay-specific details got lost, such as pagination controls, the little eBay logo on threads containing an eBay response, etc.).

I'm pretty sure I remember the small reply edit window as a previous complaint that was fixed, but is now in the Khoros category of Things We Forgot to Bring Forward (Again).

[wesk_36]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@a_c_green   I suspect that maybe one party is hoodwinking the other party in to thinking changes are not possible without a stiff upcharge ...

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Always a possibility, sure, although in this case I think it's another of the omissions that were left behind during that big recent update (i.e. not the one this month, but the one before it when all the eBay-specific details got lost, such as pagination controls, the little eBay logo on threads containing an eBay response, etc.).

I'm pretty sure I remember the small reply edit window as a previous complaint that was fixed, but is now in the Khoros category of Things We Forgot to Bring Forward (Again).

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I also remember complaints about this when "they" changed it to a small box, then it was fixed, but they changed it back after a short period. Apparently, the powers that be see no problem with this petty but annoying change.

[a_c_green]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

It's been how many months since this new Community format rolled out and the Edit window is STILL TOO SMALL! 

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While we're on the topic of this reply edit window, sheila@ebay, this screenshot above shows another programming error that I don't think has been mentioned recently (although maybe I missed it): that heading of "Edit reply to mr_lincoln" is wrong. He's the author, not the recipient. The actual recipient should be retrievable from this edit session and displayed in that text string, since it's the author ID of the post to which he's responding.

Either the line should be corrected to show the ID of the post targeted by the reply (e.g. "edit reply to a_c_green"), or at minimum should be reworded to read "Edit reply from mr_lincoln" instead. The former solution would be preferred; the latter would be easier to code but sort of pointless. 

[...]

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I echo what mr_lincoln said..good catch! Thank you for letting me know!

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I noticed just now, while editing a reply I had just posted, that the heading now reads "Edit reply from a_c_green" (and with the user ID no longer in bold), so I suppose they took the easy way out (i.e. change the static wording rather than plug in the ID of the person to whom I was responding), but I guess a fix is a fix. 😁

I need to watch more posts to see if there's any improvement to the missing "In response to" lines as well...

[mr_lincoln]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@a_c_green   I suspect that maybe one party is hoodwinking the other party in to thinking changes are not possible without a stiff upcharge ...

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Always a possibility, sure, although in this case I think it's another of the omissions that were left behind during that big recent update (i.e. not the one this month, but the one before it when all the eBay-specific details got lost, such as pagination controls, the little eBay logo on threads containing an eBay response, etc.).

I'm pretty sure I remember the small reply edit window as a previous complaint that was fixed, but is now in the Khoros category of Things We Forgot to Bring Forward (Again).

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@a_c_green   The small Edit window was brought up very soon after the roll out because we were asked to give them our feedback. 

[eleanor*rigby]

Some posts that contain a large number of huge screenshots take up almost entire page--especially with the recent community redesign. Is that how large the box should be in order to accommodate all those screenshots with all the arrows and whatnot? There are some posts that are never going to have a large enough box for all the stuff some posters want to include. Why redesign the box to make it larger when a user can just enlarge the box by pulling it down by the corner to serve one's individual needs.

Not everyone agrees with the criticism--especially when there is such a simple remedy like pulling down the corner of the reply box when necessary. That's all that needs to be done to address this "complaint." Imposing the needs of the few onto the many is what causes dissent among users. Next thing you know, members will be complaining about why that reply box is so unnecessarily large. I'd be one of them.

"Now we have this unnecessarily huge reply box when all I'm posting is one sentence. Is there a way to make the box smaller? Why in the world did they make that box so large? Who thought that was a good idea? Can the redesign it so it doesn't take up so much real estate on my screen?"

It's good to keep in mind that software programs like the eBay discussion board Community are not our personal venues. There are probably dozens of changes each participating member would like to see implemented. Vociferously advocating a change one finds cumbersome would seem to be a bit, well, "entitled," for lack of a better word.

A software feature is never going to be designed to please 100% of users--especially when those users aren't familiar with how to actually use the feature to its best benefit. The box can be made bigger by pulling down the corner. Problem solved. 

[mr_lincoln]

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@eleanor*rigby wrote:

Some posts that contain a large number of huge screenshots take up almost entire page--especially with the recent community redesign. Is that how large the box should be in order to accommodate all those screenshots with all the arrows and whatnot? There are some posts that are never going to have a large enough box for all the stuff some posters want to include. Why redesign the box to make it larger when a user can just enlarge the box by pulling it down by the corner to serve one's individual needs.

Not everyone agrees with the criticism--especially when there is such a simple remedy like pulling down the corner of the reply box when necessary. That's all that needs to be done to address this "complaint." Imposing the needs of the few onto the many is what causes dissent among users. Next thing you know, members will be complaining about why that reply box is so unnecessarily large. I'd be one of them.

"Now we have this unnecessarily huge reply box when all I'm posting is one sentence. Is there a way to make the box smaller? Why in the world did they make that box so large? Who thought that was a good idea? Can the redesign it so it doesn't take up so much real estate on my screen?"

It's good to keep in mind that software programs like the eBay discussion board Community are not our personal venues. There are probably dozens of changes each participating member would like to see implemented. Vociferously advocating a change one finds cumbersome would seem to be a bit, well, "entitled," for lack of a better word.

A software feature is never going to be designed to please 100% of users--especially when those users aren't familiar with how to actually use the feature to its best benefit. The box can be made bigger by pulling down the corner. Problem solved. 

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@eleanor*rigby   I respect your opinion, like I do everyone's. but I don't agree ...

[kh-ornesh]

This thread is getting a bit heated and off-topic. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain courteous, respectful and on topic.

[a_c_green]

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@eleanor*rigby wrote:

Some posts that contain a large number of huge screenshots take up almost entire page--especially with the recent community redesign. Is that how large the box should be in order to accommodate all those screenshots with all the arrows and whatnot? There are some posts that are never going to have a large enough box for all the stuff some posters want to include. Why redesign the box to make it larger when a user can just enlarge the box by pulling it down by the corner to serve one's individual needs. 

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I think we're losing focus here. mr_lincoln's complaint is specifically about the reply edit window, the window you get when you want to modify a reply that you just posted. That comes up less than half the size of the others for no apparent reason.

He is not complaining about the main reply window, the one that opens up when you click the Reply button to respond to someone, nor does this have anything to do with screenshots (which are the user's choice as to how big to make them).

The reply edit window comes up significantly smaller than the others, and must be manually expanded in order to see anything of the reply you want to modify. In addition, the size to which you drag it does not "stick," so that the next time you need to modify a reply before your time runs out, you have to do the click-and-drag routine all over again, every time.

We are not looking for a change in coding here, only a change to the default height value of the reply edit window, so that it matches the others (such as the main reply window). It's a trivial correction which has been made in the past, but then got lost in revisions, a problem which affected several other details as well.

P.S. It's worth mentioning here that the other minor error with the reply edit window, the heading that used to read "Edit reply to (your user ID)" instead of "Edit reply from (your user ID)," has already been fixed within the last couple of days.

[mam98031]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

I think that they think they fixed it.  In my browser, there's a little thing in the corner that can be dragged to make the box as big as you want.

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Mine too.

[a_c_green]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

I think that they think they fixed it.  In my browser, there's a little thing in the corner that can be dragged to make the box as big as you want.

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Mine too.

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Yes, that's a standard feature of an edit window, the ability to drag it to a larger size, but the problem in question has not been fixed. What we're talking about is the default size at which the reply edit window first opens. It's half the size (or more specifically half the height) of the main reply window.

There's no particular reason why the reply edit window needs to be that small, especially since its purpose is to edit content that has just been posted... so to begin with, you need room to see that content so you can make your revisions to it. You have to waste time clicking-and-dragging the reply edit window up to a workable size that could be set that way as a default to begin with. All they need to do is set the default reply edit window dimensions to the same size as those of the main edit window. It's a two-minute fix.

[eleanor*rigby]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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There's no particular reason why the reply edit window needs to be that small

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It can be enlarged by grabbing and dragging the corner of the edit box. Problem solved.

I frequently edit my posts and rarely need to make that box bigger. If it do want the box bigger, I make it bigger. It doesn't need to be made larger permanently when it can be made larger optionally. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The point of my earlier post is that discussion forum software cannot and should not be redesigned every time a user is dissatisfied with a feature. There were plenty of criticisms with the old format and plenty of criticisms with the new iteration. IMO, neither eBay nor Khoros could or should cater to the whim of every user who has an objection to the design of the Community software--especially if there is already a way to accomplish the task.

There are some users who prefer to post everything in a larger font. Should eBay/Khoros change the default size to something larger? Some posters prefer to post everything in a bold font. Should that become the standard so those posters don't have to "bold" every post they type? Of course not. And that is my point exactly. As long as there is a way for those posters to make the font larger or bold, the software is accomplishing its purpose and should not be changed just to suit their preferences. 

[mr_lincoln]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

I think that they think they fixed it.  In my browser, there's a little thing in the corner that can be dragged to make the box as big as you want.

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Mine too.

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Yes, that's a standard feature of an edit window, the ability to drag it to a larger size, but the problem in question has not been fixed. What we're talking about is the default size at which the reply edit window first opens. It's half the size (or more specifically half the height) of the main reply window.

There's no particular reason why the reply edit window needs to be that small, especially since its purpose is to edit content that has just been posted... so to begin with, you need room to see that content so you can make your revisions to it. You have to waste time clicking-and-dragging the reply edit window up to a workable size that could be set that way as a default to begin with. All they need to do is set the default reply edit window dimensions to the same size as those of the main edit window. It's a two-minute fix.

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@a_c_green   I have to agree with this, if the window is drug open by a User to a size they prefer then it should stay that way as a default and as you mentioned before on this subject it is not a big or involved change ... or improvement depending on how one looks at it.  eBay is saying the default size can not be changed because they are trying to keep this Community format "out of the box" with regard to Khoros's product ... to me it could be more of a simple oversight  and a reluctance to go back and change it ... and the reason there might be they have already paid the Khoros bill for this version of The Community.  In any event, that is my view on the subject ...

[a_c_green]

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@eleanor*rigby wrote:

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@a_c_green wrote:

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There's no particular reason why the reply edit window needs to be that small

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It can be enlarged by grabbing and dragging the corner of the edit box. Problem solved.

I frequently edit my posts and rarely need to make that box bigger. If it do want the box bigger, I make it bigger. It doesn't need to be made larger permanently when it can be made larger optionally. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

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I am not suggesting that it's "broke," and we are talking about a settings change, not a coding change. In fact, it was larger in the past, and we are simply trying to get that restored. It is no more difficult of a change than the correction to the title wording that I pointed out and which has already been resolved. 

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@eleanor*rigby wrote:
There are some users who prefer to post everything in a larger font. Should eBay/Khoros change the default size to something larger? Some posters prefer to post everything in a bold font. Should that become the standard so those posters don't have to "bold" every post they type? Of course not. And that is my point exactly.

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In fact your point is bringing up another possible resolution, which is that the dimension settings could be sticky, as they apparently are already for default font face and size, per your description. If Khoros wants to resolve this by making the user's reply edit window settings sticky instead of changing the default height, that would be fine, too, though I'm sure that would require an actual coding change, not something that we are really asking for here.

If you don't need the edit reply window, then you'll never see it. If you do need the edit reply window, then you'll also want it to be a useful size at the outset in order to get your updates done. There is simply no reason for it to be unworkably small, especially when there is existing content that needs to be displayed in it, plus a short time limit within which all the desired revisions must be done.