Initial Impression

[Andrew B.]

Hi. I just installed SMF 1.1 RC3. Before this, I've had experience setting up several other types of forums. I was so impressed with SMF, I invited some staff from another forum to test drive it, before I actually set it up for go-live.

Anyway, lots of things impress me.

1. The admin panel is easy to navigate.
2. Easy to set up boards.
3. Easy to deal with permissions.
4. Full text  in notifications.
5. Nice attachments feature.
6. Members can cancel their own memberships.
7. The board just looks good. Looks like a mature application.

During the testing, we also ran into a couple of oddities.   

1. The setting called "Return to topics after posting by default" is confusing, or possibly reversed. When it is unchecked, the user is returned to the list of topics (the subject list). Which is what this feature seems to say will happen when it is checked.

Given my choice of how this should work, unchecked should return the user to where he was right before he posted the message. And this should be the default for the board. Checked, it should return the user to the subject list. I don't understand why anyone would want to lose their location in the board and be bounced back into the subject list. But I guess this option is there for a reason.

2. When a user has email hidden, it still appears to the user that it is not. He or she can see the email icon on his/her messages, and see the email address in his/her profile. In only two days of testing, I had two people contact me to confirm that the email is hidden. So for a user to feel secure, it should probably appear as it appears to others.

...Andrew

[vbgamer45]

Glad you decided to give SMF a try.

For #2. I have an email system mod
http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=371
Basiclly it replaces the email links with a button to a email form to email the user.
This will probably put that more at ease since they can't see someones email address.
Admins can still see the user's email address in their profile.

[Skipdawg]

Glad you decided to give SMF a try.

For #2. I have an email system mod
http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=371
Basiclly it replaces the email links with a button to a email form to email the user.
This will probably put that more at ease since they can't see someones email address.
Admins can still see the user's email address in their profile.

And a awesome Mod at that. My members love it. 

[Trekkie101]

Glad you like SMF

[Andrew B.]

I have an email system mod
http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=371
Basiclly it replaces the email links with a button to a email form to email the user.
This will probably put that more at ease since they can't see someones email address.
Admins can still see the user's email address in their profile.

Thanks for the heads up!

[Anncp]

The setting called "Return to topics after posting by default" is confusing, or possibly reversed. When it is unchecked, the user is returned to the list of topics (the subject list). Which is what this feature seems to say will happen when it is checked.

Where is this in the admin panel? I've been trying to change that as well and can't seem to find it. Thanks!

[MarkRH]

It's in your Profile settings, not the Admin panel.  It's in the Look and Layout Preferences.

Mark H.

[Anncp]

Got it, thanks!

[pmhoran]

The setting called "Return to topics after posting by default" ... etc.

I guess when I went through mine ... since I read it wrong it made sense to me.

When quickly going down the options I thought it read ""Return to topic after posting by default" ... which I assumed meant if I checked it, after I posted I would go back to the topic I was posting in.

Maybe just a "label change" ... making it topic instead of topics is all that is needed.   

Peter