PROBLEMS WITH THIS (NAS) FORUM - February 2018

I accept that this may be a "Bad" Topic, yet it needs to be highlighted, surely where "NAS" can *not* avoid seeing it, surely...

Current Problems with this Forum:
- Posts Disappear and Reappear at Random.
- Notifications are not always received (apparently).
- Editing Posts - *after* they have been replied to.
- Things such as "Groups" or "BlogPosts" or "Questions"... seem to have no meaning, and so they cannot be applied...?
(Anyone reading, you may currently check your own "Profile" to confirm this. Click upon your own "Achievements", and then upon "List of Possible Achievements".)
- ... There is a great list of "Achievements". Again, many of these have no defined meaning and so are un-achievable. (Linked to "Questions", "BlogPosts", "Ideas", "Status"...?)
- Assigning "Tags" to a New Thread seems to change constantly, and has neither Logical Order nor Meaning.

Here is the "Main" Thread, at which Comments directly to NAS are supposed to be Posted... yet much of it is completely ignored by NAS; It is only responded to by "WebPM", but for whom NAS would not have this "Forum" in the first place, I would wager...
community.autism.org.uk/.../online-community---comments-improvements-and-feedback

Parents
  • An update regarding missing images. For the problem of images being posted and then disappearing afterwards, we believe that we have identified a software bug. This is fixed by a patch available from the suppliers. We are planning to apply the patch. That is designed to prevent any more images from vanishing. I do not yet have a time-scale for this, but obviously we will do it as soon as possible.

    We are trying to recover the images that are already missing. This may or may not be possible. I'll post updates when we have them. Apologies for any inconvenience or confusion that this has caused.

    I'll look separately at the notifications issue, not least because there is a thread for that.

    Regards

    (Later edit: sorry, but we have been unable to recover the missing images. Our backups are designed to protect the messaging database in the first instance. This problem is rather untypical for a forum, and the affected images are also missing from our backups.)

  • We've looked into the view count issue as well. It should be fixed. Something "broke". Sorry to have several issues at once. We have a patch from the software suppliers to fix the image issue, but we'll have to test it before we can apply it here, so I can't guarantee no more lost images in the meantime. See a separate thread for email notifications.

    The number of registered users is difficult to state meaningfully. Because we use single sign-on, the total number of people with potential access is the number who have registered with the NAS for any reason, including for example our Web shop, membership, and making donations to help fund our work, as well as this Community - they are all people with sign-ons that could be used to participate here as well as on our www site. That's bigger than the number of users that we've logged here. On the other hand, some users who have been logged here have not been back for some time, i.e. years, so it's debatable whether they are still meaningful users. Forums are always like that - a large number of users may just mean that you've been around a long time, as has this forum.

    What we're all looking for, I think, is a wide range of current users.

    Oh, and we started the NAS12345 sequence at a randomly-chosen number Grinning We just wanted a way to protect anyone whose sign-in username was close to that person's real name, not having been chosen with forum privacy in mind. It's not intended to have any particular meaning for any reason.

  • Thank you WebPM for getting these things sorted, I know I get a bit well!!! Stressed and often come across as mean but I get stressed at things that don’t work as they should and the long wait and sometimes the members having to report faults is a tad frustrating. 

    I am aware this valuable resource is free for me and others and should be grateful it exhist at all but the modern life and instant everything available ways sometimes makes me forget everything has a cost and as this is funded partly by charity and managed in part by volunteers needs to be remembered by me,

    sorry.

     Thank you thus far for putting up with me,

    ()

    oh and the view count has jumped from 740 to 1309, 

    I now have had eleven email notifications, 

    just the picture vanishing and inability to post any kind of image of any size whilst in PM area?

  • Closing this Post... no, it is not normal procedure as far as I know - and I would still appreciate some support about me saying this here and now...

    However well intentioned it is never good practice to give a password to someone as it can lead to you giving out passwords more easily in future.

  • I had the same problem a while ago but it seemed to correct itself.

    I stopped using the lightning symbol to view posts and viewed them by clicking the links in the e-mail notifications. Perhaps this helped "clear" the problem (although I have no evidence that was the case).

  • With regards to PM s - I keep saying that I cannot do this, and again I somewhat impeach anyone reading to explain it better than I can...!

    (There *are* bad people watching this site... if they do Post here, then I shall attempt to say something about it. That is all I can do.)

  • "...Don't Panic!" ...   ;-)

    "Hackers" are just "Computer Programmers" under a different name. The term "Hacker" is very fuzzy, and, as I said, there are good and bad hackers. I myself know how to "Hack", yet means that I know a bit about the depths of computers (Languages, Protocols, RS-232, x86... that sort of Jargon)...!

    Closing this Post... no, it is not normal procedure as far as I know - and I would still appreciate some support about me saying this here and now...

  • Oh! Jeez! Honestly I didn't mean anything bad, or illegal, by that!! I just thought to 'hack' meant getting into something without a password, I didn't know it was illegal if the person let you do it to them. I probably should have used a different word but I couldn't think of any, although 'Programming' is probably what I should have said. 

    The only reason I said about the password and PM is because the WebPM mentioned it so I assumed it was normal procedure. I guess now that you mention it though, I don't exactly know who 'WebPM' really is so you're probably right about it being a really bad idea  :/   

    It's fine. I'll just learn to live with the fake notifications, it's not a serious problem it's just irritating. 

  • Greetings... I just happened to be looking over this Forum, and so I see this anyway...! I am not WebPM, yet, A couple of things, here...

    It is not a good idea to discuss "Hacking", even though there is, of course good and bad "Hacking". I think that you are assuming that WebPM can solve (almost) all problems in that manner - via PROGRAMMING... - yet, the thing is, "we" as users are not supposed to acknowledge that or discuss that we know that...! (Hopefully certain others will support what I mean, if this is not understood...?) For example, I myslf began a Thread addressing "Computer Programming", sort of, yet it was well that certain details were not discussed at length upon it...

    So I need to give you my password to see what you can make of it, but I don't know how to send a private message!?

    DO NOT DO THIS!!! Whatever you do, ever, PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.

    Finally... perhaps this may help. In order to "Private Message" (PM), you must "Friend" someone, as far as I know. Go to your own settings and check that section...

    I dare not write much more just now... can someone else *please* give another perspective apart from my own, here...?

  • Hi again WebPM and Thank You for trying to help sort this out!

    I signed in to the online community on my partner's phone and the red dot was still on the lighning symbol with the number 2 in it.

    Back on my Chromebook, I went into my settings (eventually managed it) and cleared my Browsing data including Cache and Cookies (whatever all that is) and when I signed back into the online community (which took a little longer after the clearance) the red dot remains the same.

    So I need to give you my password to see what you can make of it, but I don't know how to send a private message!? I'm also not sure how to change my password? When are you 'here' to send private messages to, assuming they have to be done 'live'? Can't you just 'hack' in or something?  

  • To be honest, I'm not sure of the cause of this; I can't recall any similar report from anyone else. Some standard things to try would be:

    • Clear your cache - instructions for Chromebook
    • If you are able, use a different computer or device to sign in (even if you have to borrow one for the purpose - make sure you sign out afterwards)

    These are both testing the idea that there is something about your particular configuration that is causing the issue. The other possibility is that it relates to your account. I don't have a way to see how that is working. The only possibility would be for you to change your password to a temporary one, and send it to me by private message (not here in public, of course!) Then I could take a look before you changed your password again.

  • Hi DC, I tried clearing / switching off all notifications completely the other day and the red dot remained  :(    I'll give it another go and check in again tomorrow night. 

    Also, I didn't get a notification that your message was here! My notifications really do seem to be broken, somehow. I'm just being plagued by this red dot like a very singular case of acne. 

  • ...Greetings, myself again (!)... That your "Red Dot" still "has number 2 in it"... may well be because of what I said: If you no longer want said DOT then you must turn off all notifications quite constantly, and then clear all of the ones showing, in that order. If this is true, then my Posting here, now, should tally-up,  so long as you have "Notifications" for *This* Thread still switched on...

  • I've just clicked again on the red dot (with the number 2 in it) and then clicked on 'View All'.

    On my 'Your Notifications' page, on the left it showed 'All Notifications' . I changed the option on the right to 'That Aren't Read' and the message comes up saying 'You don't have any notifications that match your filter'. 

    Despite this, the red dot still has the number 2 in it.  

  • Thank You for getting back to me!!!

    When I click on the red dot (on the lightning bolt) it shows my 'notifications'. 

    When I go down the list and tick off 'as read' any new ones, I was STILL left with the number 1 in the red dot.

    Tonight when I logged on and did the same thing, I'm now left with the number 2 in the red dot.

    When I click on the red dot (now showing number 2) there are no unread notifications listed at all!?!?Instead, it just shows a box with 'view all' on the left and 'settings' on the right. 

    If I click on either of these and try to find these 'ghost' notifications I just see those I've already read - there are no unread ones!! So why am I not able to clear this red dot completely even when I have read ALL of the listed notifications? What does this number 2 mean if it clearly isn't showing me any unread notifications?

    Can you make it disappear? Or is it telling me that i have 2 of something else? I don't have blogs or anything else, all i do on here is read and chat on the threads. If this number 2 isn't about thread notifications, what else could it possibly be 2 of? Or is it just broken?    

  • To Endymion...! Assuming that the Orange-Red-Bolt Dot is as Mr.LoneWarrior says, then, I had motre than ten of these yet managed to get rid of them. All. Here is something you may attempt, and please Post back if this works.

    LOG ON.

    Close that window (all Tabs)... and you should still be "Logged On" for a short time.

    Enter this address into your next Search:

    http://community.autism.org.uk/user/notifications

    ...Following this will give you a stable screen (i.e. not "Jumpy"), via which you may explore all of your own notifications at your leisure, and what may be done is to "TICK OFF" all Notifications which are listed...

    ...Explore the options presented upon this screen, and variations. And then close all of it completely. Then the "Dot" should be gone or at least reduced in Tally (Number)... until someone Posts again upon that Thread!

    ...As I say, let me know if this helps (sort of).

  • Hi Endymion

    Sorry for not replying quicker. What happens if you click or touch the orange/red button? Do you get a list of outstanding notifications? What's on it? If you click/touch the one item that hopefully shows, what happens then?

  • Seriously WebPM? I'm just to be completely ignored? 

    Why?

  • LoneWarrior wrote:

    OFF TOPIC,,,,,,

    I suppose I must start a new thread topic on not being able to send or upload pictures when in PM area as WebPM quite rightly points out they cannot monitor it if they cannot see it????


    ...Glad Tidings from myself, (after skipping 2 days, I shall admit,) and this is sort of to both Endymion and LoneWarrior...

    This "Orange/Red dot" was a thing of curiosity to myself as well, and so Thanks also from myself in discussing and explaining it. It has nothing to do with EMails, else I would not gain them either... it is internal to the Forum...

    Regarding Quoting LoneWarrior... Yes, perhaps, as I have said earlier here, I can do nothing with regards to EMAILS, PMs (Private Messages), or Notifications-via-EMail, because I can not do any of that sort of thing. Yet I did say at the very start that it was a problem -apparently - as I take the word of others concerning that.

    Concerning this Thread, WebPM says that the Pictures business (not via PMs) is being sorted out... and so all else I can currently think of which remains is:
    - Disappearing Posts
    - Disappearing-whilst-being-typed Posts

    ...That is all which I recall for now, outside of EMail functions. (I still ask for the "To Bottom" and "Back To Top" Buttons, as ever...!)

  • Hi @Lonewarrior, Thank you for getting back to me about this (it really is driving me bonkers not being able to get rid of that red dot). 

    Yes!! It is the red dot on the lightning bolt! I've read all of my notifications, including checking my profile page in case I missed any (which apparently I haven't, it says there that I have no unread notifications) but the red dot still says '1' unread notification.

    My screen does look different to yours though, it's laid out differently for a start but also, I don't have that arrow pointing up / down next to the wee magnifying glass icon.  I too just thought everyone could see the same things on their screens but, thinking about it now, I guess all of what I'm seeing wouldn't fit on a phone screen. Oh well. 

    If the '1' ghostly unread notification doesn't go away by tomorrow I might just turn ALL of my notifications off just to get rid of it.

  • Hi Endymion.

    are you talking about the red dot in this first screen shot?

    also in picture two you will see the whole page as I see it,up on the right corner you will see an arrow that points down, if I touch that arrow it shows three icons towards the top middle of my screen,(third picture) the lightning bolt one is new notifications, then a message icon and the round one for selecting my profile.

    if your arrow is stuck pointing upwards try touching it or selecting it and the notification spot will not be so irritating.

    oh by the way the new notifications are wrong on mine, they say one day ago, actually about three days, so only appeared recently due to WebPM fixing things,

    I am still learning as I go on here, lots of things don’t seem quite right in how they work, or it could just be me?

    x()x

  • Hey! I'm using a laptop, it's called a Chromebook - apparently that means it does things differently from a 'normal' laptop but I don't know anything about that. The way my daughter describes it to me it sounds like my poor Chromebook is AS like me!

    This is the only device I've ever used on this site, I don't have a mobile phone or any other gadgets, but the red dots usually disappear when I read my notifications.  

  • Seems the newly fixed email notifications was short  lived, none received since yesterday at 11:58am,

    Shame as things were  looking more stable.

    Anyway just wanted to report email notifications no longer seem to be working.

    To Endymion the red dot? I don’t remember ever having seen such a thing. Maybe different for each apparatus?

    I use an iPad tablet, I do know using a mobile phone is completely different in layout and to be honest typing a reply inside a tiny thin text box is rediculouse, one line of text can be seen in my phone, trying to scroll such a tiny box usually means the whole screen layout moving as to actually move the tiny slider on the right is painfully difficult to hit.

    Also tryingvto read PM messages is the same.

    I have tried visiting this site on my laptop,,,,still not good, again tiny area for replying to threads, strange layout that is difficult to navigate.

    I assumed wrongly that every one could see as much as me , I am lucky to actually have an iPad, not something I could afford but a long service payment (30 years)from work was put to use to purchase it, I treated myself and it has been relatively bug free and does more than I can actually ever use.

    OFF TOPIC,,,,,,

    I suppose I must start a new thread topic on not being able to send or upload pictures when in PM area as WebPM quite rightly points out they cannot monitor it if they cannot see it????

    Uhm a little contradictory me thinks, you see, you understand you try to fix.,,,,,,,,

    maybe I should start a new one for you on how can I turn off that annoying red dot that won’t go away.?( joke)

    X()x

    r=74,

    v=1424,

    s=20,

    01:03:2018,

    23:29.

Reply
  • Seems the newly fixed email notifications was short  lived, none received since yesterday at 11:58am,

    Shame as things were  looking more stable.

    Anyway just wanted to report email notifications no longer seem to be working.

    To Endymion the red dot? I don’t remember ever having seen such a thing. Maybe different for each apparatus?

    I use an iPad tablet, I do know using a mobile phone is completely different in layout and to be honest typing a reply inside a tiny thin text box is rediculouse, one line of text can be seen in my phone, trying to scroll such a tiny box usually means the whole screen layout moving as to actually move the tiny slider on the right is painfully difficult to hit.

    Also tryingvto read PM messages is the same.

    I have tried visiting this site on my laptop,,,,still not good, again tiny area for replying to threads, strange layout that is difficult to navigate.

    I assumed wrongly that every one could see as much as me , I am lucky to actually have an iPad, not something I could afford but a long service payment (30 years)from work was put to use to purchase it, I treated myself and it has been relatively bug free and does more than I can actually ever use.

    OFF TOPIC,,,,,,

    I suppose I must start a new thread topic on not being able to send or upload pictures when in PM area as WebPM quite rightly points out they cannot monitor it if they cannot see it????

    Uhm a little contradictory me thinks, you see, you understand you try to fix.,,,,,,,,

    maybe I should start a new one for you on how can I turn off that annoying red dot that won’t go away.?( joke)

    X()x

    r=74,

    v=1424,

    s=20,

    01:03:2018,

    23:29.

Children
  • LoneWarrior wrote:

    OFF TOPIC,,,,,,

    I suppose I must start a new thread topic on not being able to send or upload pictures when in PM area as WebPM quite rightly points out they cannot monitor it if they cannot see it????


    ...Glad Tidings from myself, (after skipping 2 days, I shall admit,) and this is sort of to both Endymion and LoneWarrior...

    This "Orange/Red dot" was a thing of curiosity to myself as well, and so Thanks also from myself in discussing and explaining it. It has nothing to do with EMails, else I would not gain them either... it is internal to the Forum...

    Regarding Quoting LoneWarrior... Yes, perhaps, as I have said earlier here, I can do nothing with regards to EMAILS, PMs (Private Messages), or Notifications-via-EMail, because I can not do any of that sort of thing. Yet I did say at the very start that it was a problem -apparently - as I take the word of others concerning that.

    Concerning this Thread, WebPM says that the Pictures business (not via PMs) is being sorted out... and so all else I can currently think of which remains is:
    - Disappearing Posts
    - Disappearing-whilst-being-typed Posts

    ...That is all which I recall for now, outside of EMail functions. (I still ask for the "To Bottom" and "Back To Top" Buttons, as ever...!)

  • Hi @Lonewarrior, Thank you for getting back to me about this (it really is driving me bonkers not being able to get rid of that red dot). 

    Yes!! It is the red dot on the lightning bolt! I've read all of my notifications, including checking my profile page in case I missed any (which apparently I haven't, it says there that I have no unread notifications) but the red dot still says '1' unread notification.

    My screen does look different to yours though, it's laid out differently for a start but also, I don't have that arrow pointing up / down next to the wee magnifying glass icon.  I too just thought everyone could see the same things on their screens but, thinking about it now, I guess all of what I'm seeing wouldn't fit on a phone screen. Oh well. 

    If the '1' ghostly unread notification doesn't go away by tomorrow I might just turn ALL of my notifications off just to get rid of it.

  • Hi Endymion.

    are you talking about the red dot in this first screen shot?

    also in picture two you will see the whole page as I see it,up on the right corner you will see an arrow that points down, if I touch that arrow it shows three icons towards the top middle of my screen,(third picture) the lightning bolt one is new notifications, then a message icon and the round one for selecting my profile.

    if your arrow is stuck pointing upwards try touching it or selecting it and the notification spot will not be so irritating.

    oh by the way the new notifications are wrong on mine, they say one day ago, actually about three days, so only appeared recently due to WebPM fixing things,

    I am still learning as I go on here, lots of things don’t seem quite right in how they work, or it could just be me?

    x()x

  • Hey! I'm using a laptop, it's called a Chromebook - apparently that means it does things differently from a 'normal' laptop but I don't know anything about that. The way my daughter describes it to me it sounds like my poor Chromebook is AS like me!

    This is the only device I've ever used on this site, I don't have a mobile phone or any other gadgets, but the red dots usually disappear when I read my notifications.