Better attachments handling

[radu81]

hello,

I'm not an active member on S M forums, but this is a good thing, because people always came here when they got problems I usually use the search function and always find answers here. I am using smf since 2007 an I can say it's the best free forum and has some very good mods.
There is no perfect software forum, and I have to say that for years I've been waiting a better handling of attachments, and after testing the 2.1 version I could say there were no big improovements for attachments. Nowadays forums are not just text, but also images

Let me explain it better, I own a few SMF forums, they're all dedicated to some autovehicle  models. On my forums I got some tutorials, or step by step how to do, and using images at the end of posts is not a good idea. I encoureged members to use some external host for images and after years some of my important topics have no images because they were cancelled from sites like imageshack or similar.

I tried different forums software, Xenforum (yes, I own a license) and even free forums like kunena or mybb (and phpBB3) has a better handling for attachments. They all have from default:

• inline attachments
• auto-resize images (based on width or height of images)
• higlight effect on images

Xf has also a nice flash uploader from default, there is also a similar paid mod for SMF, but this is not so important.

Why I need all those functions?
1- inline attachments - are very usefull for topics like step by step, tuorials, garage, etc. There were different inline attachemnt mods, one of them has more than 33.000 downloads
2- Auto resize attachments: I saw that somebody else was asking for this, but it was rejected. you may see it here. Why is so important? Because nowadays most people are using cell phones to take pictures. My 2 years old android phone with 5mb camera is making photos with dimensions between 1,5-2MB per image. Well... hosting 2MB image at 3600px on a forum it has really nonsense and I bet that most of SMF forums are not allow to post 512Kb images Please don't tell me that people could use alternative software for resinzing images, because they won't do it. From default SMF has a limit to 192 Kb which is a real shame
3- highlight effects: well this is not mandatatory, I can live without it, but I'm getting angry when even a forum like kunena has this by default.

One one forum I have to use: ILA attachemnts, Resize Attached Images, and  HS4SMF just to have a better handling for attachments.
Well using so much mods just for attachments it has no-sense. with inline atachments the images are not working from tapatalk and most of my users are asking for tapatalk. I also have the smf-media license, but it's not the same thing as tapatalk

So, when do we'll see a better images handling on SMF. One of my forums has just been converted to XF, I do not want to do the same thing with the others. Thank you

=== edit===
just some links corrected

[Arantor]

We'll see major changes when someone with the free time and motivation gets around to implementing them. Emotional blackmail is not a good motivator in trying to get people who do things in their spare time for fun to do things for you.

[radu81]

Well Arantor I'm afraid you did not understand me well and I'm somehow disappointed. I use smf since 2007 and yes I love it, but on one of my forum most people are asking for these functions that all free forums software have from default . This was not an "motional blackmail" as you call, it was just a suggestion to make this software better. But if suggestions are not welcome you can close this thread or cancel it 

[Arantor]

The reality is there are three people, in their free time, doing this. New features come along as we have the time to make them.

Then we have comments like:

So, when do we'll see a better images handling on SMF. One of my forums has just been converted to XF, I do not want to do the same thing with the others. Thank you

This comes across as though you're trying to emotionally blackmail us into making it so you don't have to spend $140. Maybe that wasn't how it was intended, but that's how it came across.

[radu81]

Don't get me wrong, I respect what people are doing here, and are doing a great job. Re-reading my post could seem an "emotional blackmail" but it was not my intention.

one of inline attachments mod has more than 33.000 downloads, I think it's a discret number, and there were other similar mods. I would like to know what the other users think about this kind of mod, it's a mod that I am the only one who's asking for?

p.s. I did not spend 140€, it was an used and just renewed license boght for 75€. 2 of my moderators contributed.

[Arantor]

one of inline attachments mod has more than 33.000 downloads

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1179 - 33,000 downloads since 2008. There are mods that have been around less time and earned more downloads - and still not getting put into the core.

We'd have to rewrite it from scratch in any case.

[radu81]

There is also the ILA mod made by spuds which is on github,  works well and it's updated. I don't know what kind of licence has and if it can be included on smf by default.

At this point I would really like to know what the other users are thinking, maybe it's not so requested mod as can seem to me

The resize mod for images is working fine, even if last update is from 2010, I am using it from a few years and I did not have any kind of problems with it, even using it together with other mods.

[Burke ♞ Knight]

Look, like the Dev said, it is NOT going to be made into SMF's core.
I do not understand this continual arguing about what has already been debated and rejected.

At a later time, it may be, but as stated, not now, as there are 3 devs that have their hands full as it is doing what needs to be done, not what people want and say they'll buy paid if not done.

[radu81]

Hi BK  and thanks for answering. On the other topic it was requested the resize mod, I already said that I can leave without it,  the actual mod is working fine even with the other mods.

My mistake was to mention a paid forum here, I know I was wrong

What I don't understand is how come phpBB, mybb and even kunnena has those mods builtin and here on smf nobody asks for them

[Arantor]

My question to you, then: if those other platforms serve your needs better, why not use them?

I have absolutely no problem telling a user to move to another platform if it will serve their needs better. Especially as trying to cater to everyone's needs is a guaranteed recipe for failure.

[radu81]

As I said before arantor, it's not so easy to move after you use a software for 7 years, it's not my intention to do it. I have 4 smf forums,  I did not start this topic saying that I love smf just to get a better handling of attachments I start it because after all these years using it and after testing the 2.1 version I see that were not made great improvements on attachments side.

I do not want to transform this topic on a comparison between forum software. I start my first forum on phpBB back in 2005, a big mistake and I'll never use it. I love Joomla and kunena, but is a headache running both, mybb does not have all the smf plugins. The all 3 sw are not offering the simplicity of smf.

I am a normal user on an old forum, a niche forum with 500 users and more than 120.000 posts, I could say it's an active forum. I convinced the admin to switch it from the old php nuke to smf. He was also impressed by the power and simplicity of smf and simple portal. We would like to find a solution for images inline possibly compatible with Tapatalk.

If we won't find it, we'll just use the mobile theme from smf media which I already got

[Arantor]

See, that's the thing... if you'd just said what it was you wanted - without trying to compare it to other platforms, you'd have gotten a much more positive response. Comparing to other platforms to spotlight a failing is not the way to argue for a feature, it just makes us suggest you go elsewhere.

[radu81]

Don't worry, I won't go elsewhere, you won't get rid of me so quick it was not the best way doing a request or making a suggestion comparing smf to other forums especially  paid ones. Sorry for that, and thanks for understanding.

I really like to know what  other smf users think about the attachments on smf

[Arantor]

So do I because if there's a significant demand, I'll implement it.

[Kindred]

Personally, I am of the belief that = if you intend to use the forum for images, then add a gallery script/mod and handle it that way.
Using the attachments as a gallery is a poor way to do it...

[Arantor]

There is an argument for using attachments in the body of a post when you're doing it occasionally and don't need a gallery, e.g. an announcement or similar where you want the image inlined into the body of the page. Heck, I've done that in the past, but I deliberately didn't use a gallery mod - or attachments - but uploaded the images directly to the server with a custom lightbox bbcode to handle preview/full size. But then again it was part of a blog conversion

[Burke ♞ Knight]

I use HighSlide and upload my images to my sites. Easiest way in my opinion.

[Kindred]

Oh, I can see the occasional call for it... but the "need" is generally expressed as "I run my forum with a whole ton of images, which is why I need this."

[Arantor]

And that's usually why it's needed. But that's not to say it's a need we should necessarily ignore just because it doesn't fit our preconceived notions of how people should use our software.

[emanuele]

Personally, I am of the belief that = if you intend to use the forum for images, then add a gallery script/mod and handle it that way.
Using the attachments as a gallery is a poor way to do it...

Sooo... SMF can be a blog, but not a gallery?