Well with the new year I've flipped the switch and made the new PandS 2.0 layout the default for everyone! Feel free to use this topic to discuss the new layout or ask questions about how it works.

New User Bar
You'll notice right off that the logo is no longer at the top of the page. Instead you'll see your new user bar. The first button is your link to new post since your last visit. The first number are new post in threads you have not posted in. The second is the number of threads that have a new post where you've already posted. Click and you get a drop down a list of the new post.

Next is the PM or Private Message link. First number is the number of new PM's and the second is the total of all PM's that you have not deleted. There are limits on how many PM's you can have so you may need to keep these cleaned up.

Next comes the Profile link. This takes you to the where you can view what others can read about you and where you can edit or change that information. It is also where you edit different options for your account. 

Bookmarks are the favorite threads you've set via the system here and appears as a drop down list just like the New button.

Last is the Logout button if you need it.

If you happen to be a guest or have not logged in yet then you'll see the log in form in this area.

To the far right is the search box.

Navigation Buttons
Below the User Bar you'll find the navigation buttons to the main areas of the site. These are pretty much the same but we have added a new FAQ button that leads to our new Frequently Asked Puppet Questions area.

Main Content
The main content area changes depending on what page you are and should be similar to what you are used to seeing.  The neat thing though is that as you scroll the page the top user bar and the bottom logo bar will stay in place!

Logo Bar
As mentioned above the Logo Bar stays in place anchored to the bottom of the page (unless you are viewing with a mobile device or iPad). Here you see the Puppets and Stuff logo and the list statistics of who is on-line.  Clicking on the statistics pops a dialogue box up showing the members who are on-line if there are any.

Posting Screen
The posting screen has changed some. Now all the smilies are shown to the left of the post box. The bbCode buttons have been streamlined and improved.

The big differences are the three buttons for inserting images and media. There is a button for inserting images from the web that allows you to preview the image you are inserting. Next to it is one for inserting images from the Gallery here. It gives you a pop up of interface to that takes you direct to your album in the gallery if you have one from there you can navigate elsewhere if you need to. Clicking on a thumbnail image inserts that image into the post. The next button is for inserting media from places like YouTube.  In truth this one is not really needed since by simply pasting the share link in a post will embed the video but this pop up lets you preview it to make sure it is available for embedding.  It also gives you an option to post it so that it is not auto embedded if you want but simply a link to the video.

At the very end of the buttons is the Preview button. Previewing no longer requires a whole page refresh and the simply grabs the preview and shows it above the post box.

Please feel free to let me know about any issues you may be having. I am leaving the older PandS theme available for the time being so if you want you can switch back to it via your Profile if you are having problems.

A 'bug': the hyperlink CSS in the announcement area isn't different from the other CSS, which means you wouldn't know it was a link unless you happened to hover over it.

And ah, I'm not on the new template... ?? I'm on the old one still, so probably ignore my comment above.

Oh, by the way...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And ah, I'm not on the new template... ?? I'm on the old one still, so probably ignore my comment above.

That is odd.... Hmm I better go check my switch!

Even in the new layout it is a bit obscure.  I simply underline links.  I should make them the same red as others I guess.  In fact not real sure why they are not.

I think I love this change. Being old, it takes a while to adjust to new things, but this looks great. I especially like the list of 25 postings. Sometimes I want to read something that was a few days, or longer, old. This should make finding those type postings much quicker.

I've made a New Year's resolution to get back to being more active in puppetry, be it building, training or performing.

A Happy New Year to all !!!

Cruppetman   

Glad you like it Cruppetman! Besides the 25 last post listed on the Home page, you can also see a list of current post once you have exhausted the listing of New post in the drop down by using the links there. They only show up after you have viewed all the new ones.

I haven't looked around much but I know I will love the bookmark feature! Happy New Year!

The bookmark feature has actually been available for some time. You have your row of buttons at the top and bottom of each thread. Should be the third button after "Add poll". That may actually be the second button for some if you don't have the permission to add a poll to the thread. Click on it and it adds the thread to your "Bookmarks".  Remember this is not for your browser but just for here at PandS.

I posted a comment in the wrong place, but basically I miss the recent comments on the left LOL I think I said right in my other post.  I liked seeing the latest stuff and also the who was on line section.  Everything is in such small print that it makes a lot of work to find things.  I'll give it a shot but I really think for a puppet site it should be bolder and more exciting.  Why would you delete the logo?

Okay, now  I see the home page and it is nice but it did not show up when I first went on.  So i guess ignore most of what i said.   I need to log off and try again and see what happens.  Thanks for all your work.  It is appreciated Shawn.