Where are these thumbnails coming from?

[Mike Bellamy]

They only expand if you hover over the thumbnail and close when your mouse is not over the thumbnail. Therefore don't hover over the thumbnail, just click on the topic title or the spot/star to the left of the topic.

 . . I realise that - but that's the problem and it's just as annoying (to me at least) as the status box that pops up when the mouse pointer is over a user's name - another feature that doesn't interest me at all.

 

I use VNC to scroll down to see what's new since my last visit and I don't take too much notice where the mouse is pointing at the time. Now it looks like I will have to be a lot more precise about the positioning so that I don't get either the status box or the image.

 

Sorry to sound so negative and like others I wonder if all of these additional features put a excessive strain on the server and the database as all the information has to be retrieved and sent everytime the mouse is in the wrong place. Spare a thought for those with a slow machine and a slow connection . . .

 

Mike

[eastwestdivide]

Like others, I'm not sure if they help or hinder. They seem to make it harder to see which threads are starred (i.e. those that you contributed to), and the thumbnail expands "instantly", meaning rapid motion of the mouse across them to get to a spot or a star still triggers them. Also, the essentially random nature of the chosen image doesn't always help, especially at the very small size used. On the other hand, a bigger sized thumbnail would expand the list vertically, which doesn't really help with scanning through either.

Can I suggest: 

a. a bit of a delay until the thumbnail expands, to avoid inadvertent triggering while you're mousing around

b. some way of triggering the original poster to choose a relevant image: until they choose one, don't have an image at all?

 

Not sure how b would work to be honest, as if the OP didn't post an image, they're lumbered with a later editing task, and the "key" image for that thread may not come until a few days in.

[Ian J.]

It's a nice idea but, bearing in mind the loads on the server, is it really enough extra information to help with picking out a thread?

 

As for local computers and slower internet connections, if I'd still been on my mobile connection and had show images on it would have made it unworkable so I'd have had to switch off images in Firefox in order to get things to load reasonably (as I generally did anyway, tbh).

[Andy Y]

Never mind, have the new toy.

You devalue your input with such comments; interesting to read your signature.

[BG John]

I tend to run down the list of topics with my mouse, and then move across to click the dot to go to the last unread post. The images pop up on my way past in Firefox. I also have to avoid the popup authors details, so I will have to be even more precise about where my mouse is pointing.

 

If they're staying, can the thumbnail and the dot be swapped round, so the dot is next to the topic subject, where it used to be?

[DIW]

I've had difficulty in my attempt to change the thumbnail picture in one of my threads - clicking (and/or double-clicking) just sent me to the top of the page within the topic on which my thread resided. This happened with the thread on page 18 (ish) of the topic, and (after an addition to the thread) with the thread on page 1. Any suggestions?

[Stubby47]

In Chrome, the images open to just the size of the image. In IE8, the images open to the correct height, but with a randomly wide black box which does obscure the rest of the row and the one below.

 

I use the spot/star in VNC to return to the next post I've not read within the thread, clicking on the thread name takes me to the 1st post.

 

Useful, but they do make the list of threads look cluttered.

[Andy Y]

I h8 IE8. 

[Andy Y]

I've disabled the preview.

[Talltim]

If you do decide to re enable it in any form check the mobile view, it was giving an error
 

 

Warning: Missing argument 3 for skin_topicthumbnail_3::showThumb(), called in 
/home/rmwebco/public_html/community/admin/applications_addon/other/topicthumbnail/sources/class.php 
on line 1 and defined in 
/home/rmwebco/public_html/community/cache/skin_cache/cacheid_3/skin_topicthumbnail.php 
on line 47

[Andy Y]

Thanks Tim.

[Mick Boyd]

I find the thumbnails distract me from reading topic titles, I seem to subconsciously eyeball the thumbnail rather than the topic.  It's rather like TV's in pubs, no matter how much I want to ignore them and get on with drinking my eye is always drawn to the tele.

 

Personally I'd like to be able to turn them off.

 

Mick. (trying to sup a pint but glued to RMweb!).

[eldavo]

Is there an option for those that don't like 'em to disable altogether Andy? I see a noticeable difference in page scrolling and loading on my elderly desktop machine. I really could do without caching hundreds of images I'll never view.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Miss Prism]

The very small size of the thumbnail doesn't impart any significant improvement for me. If this functionality is seen to be needed, a visual enhancement of the current 'Preview this topic' button would probably be a better option?

 

Also, it doesn't seem to very sensible to load up VNC with extra stuff, as this is the main area where server delay seems most pronounced.

[Guest Natalie Graham]

I like it, it adds a bit of interest. Maybe if there is no image available, it could show the OP's personal icon?

 So do I. I think it will be a good feature once people get the hang of adding a descriptive photo at the start of threads. Even if it is perhaps a bit awkward to add a photo of your model at the start of a build thread. Viewing the page on a smart phone I would have liked the preview to stay as well. Otherwise I have to zoom in the page to get the photos big enough to see what they are. On the computer no issues with it at all. 

[coachmann]

Now't happens on my screen.....Been hovering all over the pages but no thumbnails anywhere. Wots wrong with me?

[Andy Y]

Wots wrong with me?

Nuffin wrong with you (apart from you made me choke with the Facebook unlikes ). I just got fed up of some of the grumbles so I've disabled it.

[coachmann]

Thanks Andy, I'm always last at the post so thank goodness I've missed now't.

[Kenton]

Odd, especially coming from me, a new feature that doesn't seem to be by popular request - I actually quite like.

 

If only it worked! Usual reliance on buggy security risky javascript and it doesn't seem to pick up images added with bbcode. So needs some more work, bug fixing. Yes it does seem to slow browser down quite a bit, I guess that is the price and adds to the issue of slow broadband connections or mobile browsing.

 

An on/off option (we can all get to) would be ideal, though there are many other unwanted "features" that come into that list.

 

4 out of 10 - room for improvement.

 

[Ed] having now refreshed this topic and read the posts since I first loaded it - I see it has now been removed. I think a bit hastily (perhaps only the grumpy old ***s - me included have had chance to see it) maybe a full 24hr / long weekend sounding would have brought a more balanced vote for/against.

 

But it definitely needs more work to make it er ... work.

[stewartingram]

And it seems to be running faster now.....coincidence?

 

Stewart

[laurenceb]

I like em the only suggestion I would make if possible is to use the most up to date image rather than the first to show progress.

Laurence

[DIW]

I've had difficulty in my attempt to change the thumbnail picture in one of my threads - clicking (and/or double-clicking) just sent me to the top of the page within the topic on which my thread resided. This happened with the thread on page 18 (ish) of the topic, and (after an addition to the thread) with the thread on page 1.

 

Now the 'change thumbnail' feature works perfectly - smashing! 

 

I've disabled the preview.

Ha! Just as I got round to interacting with the feature! But the thumbnail is still there, so that is probably the best compromise for the situation.