New version of forums optimized for mobile

I've been wanting to add a mobile version of our forums for some time now, but the recent upgrade of my Treo to a Palm Pre gave me an extra incentive to do so.

While many of today's smartphones can display nearly any web page, typical pages often require a good deal of zooming and scrolling. The new version of Liftlines optimized for mobile display is designed to enable easy viewing without any such hindrances.

Mobile version of forum index

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The new version will detect the mobile browser automatically and display the mobile version for users of not only the Pre's new WebOS but also Apple's iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Opera Mini, PSP, T-Shark and more, including many WAP phones.

Mobile version of topics list

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Mobile version of a post with images attached

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If you want to view the normal, full version instead, a link appears at the bottom of every mobile page to force the full version of the forums any time you wish.

Selecting the full version

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Enjoy!

Nice!!!

I'm writing this from my iPhone, so I guess that in itself is pretty neat. However, some of the icons on the mobile version are grossly distorted. For example if a thread has an attachment on the forums page, the thread title looks completely wrong. It's too big or something. I know this is wishful thinking..., perhaps you could make an app where I can take pictures with the iPhone and automatically upload them onto first tracks.

Also, the emoticons are unattainable with the mobile layout.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

There are some improvements pending. The theme is written in pure XMTL to maximize compatibility, but without having an emulator for each phone browser to test I can't ensure everything. I just have to count on the browser to respect and properly display pure XTML. I tried to use an iPhone emulator prior to announcing the new theme, but couldn't get any to function properly. I did test on a Blackberry emulator as well. I can tell you that on the Pre, even the slightly limited feature set is a huge improvement in convenience over the normal layout.

And FWIW you can still use an emoticon if you know it's BBCode.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

I just have to count on the browser to respect and properly display pure XTML.

Actually, the difficulty isn't browser support for XHTML, but the quirks in interpretation of CSS.

I just have to count on the browser to respect and properly display pure XTML.

Actually, the difficulty isn't browser support for XHTML, but the quirks in interpretation of CSS.

Agreed.

Oh well, at least you have a mobile version. If the glitch with the Iphone ever gets fixed let me know.

Based on the feedback of other iPhone users I've changed it so that the browser detection won't change the format for an iPhone user. Could an iPhone user please let me know how it works now.

It still has the mobile version. The emoticons are ridiculously large as well the photos, icons, and the banner on the top of the page.Should I be seeing the same page I see when I use my computer? As it is right now, this looks just like it did earlier this week.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Damn, I thought I had it. How about now? I want it to look like the computer version on an iPhone.

I'm on an Iphone and I actually thought the previous way the page looked was unusable so I emailed admin who got it working again, and it looks great again.

BTW, any iphone users who don't know it, if you hold the top button and press the button at the bottom (middle) it'll take a screen shot and put it in your photo gallery.

Here's some before the changes and after the changes screen shots (in case you didn't get my email admin)

Edit, links weren't working for some reason, got me why oh well.

Last edited by socal on Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yeah, it's better now. I don't know it's faster or slower but it certainly looks and reads better now.

Yeah, those images at the beginning of the topic were screenshots from the Pre. Ironic that the theme was touted as one for an iPhone, and while I doctored it up a bit I really didn't change the core style sheet any.

So I've removed the iPhone's browser agent from the sniffer. Users of Pre, Blackberry, Symbian, etc. will still see the new stripped down version, but iPhone users will get the full version.

Any other problems, just let me know.

And all the smilies work on the iPhone too.

From my phone.

And all the smilies work on the iPhone too.

From my phone.

Indeed, but nobody will know from now on whether or not we used our phone. I guess, for some reason I think when you post from your phone it's better than if it's just from some ordinary computer.