Catfish drawings obscure toolbar features.

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 09 Oct 2006, 00:01

Here's something that's been a major problem to me for several months. I am finally mentioning it here.

The fins of the characature drawings of catfish in the upper left of the toolbar hang down into the Forum Search feature, rendering it non-functional. Depending on which drawing is displayed at the time, the Forum Search feature may work, but usually it is obscured.

There is no alternative for Forum Search (please don't suggest Site Search; it is not the same at all!) so I am sort of wondering why no one else has said anything. Or have they?
Anyway, if you would please look at it as time permits, that would be great!

As an interim fix, I've set up the link to the forum search as a "favorite" or "Bookmark" so I can go to it directly.

Deborah

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 09 Oct 2006, 10:23

what is your screen resolution? it might be a problem with a lower resolution, say 800x600?

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 09 Oct 2006, 14:30

I don't know what screen resolution is? How can I determine my screen resolution?

Right now, the Forum Search feature is working for me, because the words "Forum Search" are exposed and not obscured by fins. This means I can get the mouse to click. Do you see what I mean? If the words "Forum Search" are obscured or mostly obscured, the mouse can't get a grab on them and refuses to recognize the imbedded command. So nothing happens.
Like I said, it depends on what drawing is being displayed.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 09 Oct 2006, 16:44

Assuming you're using a PC, using Windwos:
There's several ways, but here's a way that I think will work reasonably well on all machines and without knowing too much about other things:
1. Click the start menu.
2. Selecton Control Panel
3. If it says "Switch to Classic view", click that.
4. You should now have a "display" item - double click that one.
5. Click the "Settings" tab. At the bottom you should have "Screen resolution". This will be something like 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 or some other X x Y combination. Make note of this.
6. Close the "display properties" by clicking Cancel.
7. If you clicked at step 3 above, you can get back to the previos view by clicking on "Switch to category view".

[Brag: When I used to work as a graphics driver writer, I used to know how to change the settings in that control panel without seeing what I was doing - I probably could still do it, but I'd have to practice a littel bit first - note that the mouse becomes pretty useless if you can't see anything, so you have to do everything by the keyboard too!]

--
Mats

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 09 Oct 2006, 16:46

Screen resolution:

-put the mouse on "empty" screen; so minimize your internetbrowser.
-Rightclick the mouse
-you get a small menu: lowest option is "properties", leftclick it.
-you get a screen with 'tabs'; those are the titles on top. the last one (at the right corner) should say "settings"; leftclick it.
-now you see in the center right area of that page "screen area" or something similar. for example I have "screen area" set on 1280 x 1024 pixels, but I have a 19" flatscreen monitor.
if you have a 17" monitor (flatscreen or the regular 'TV' like things) a setting of 1024 x 768 will do fine; a smaller moniror (15" is still widely used) 800 x 600 is almost standard.

you can change it and close the settings screen; it'll ask you again if you want to save the new settings. say 'yes' (you can always change it back; it won't crash your system!).
dare to experiment a little. if it looks shite (like microscopic icons or something) just change it back using the very same method.

hope this helps.

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 09 Oct 2006, 19:58

Thanks, Mats, Sid. Good directions. It's 1024 x 768.
I am sure it's not my resolution. I am certain it's the fins; the instructions that display the graphics are somehow blocking the mouse from recognizing the imbedded command in the word block "Forum Search." That is the best way I can explain it. When the fins move, the "Forum Search" works.

Just realized something else, which makes me sure it's a bug. I like to display a sidebar of "favorites." These take up room and "push" the graphics of the catfish drawings over to the right, where they now interfere with the toolbar options. Without the sidebar displayed, the toolbar is free of catfish drawings. So, I suppose I could suppress my side bar, but why? The drawings should not prevent us from using toolbar features. Right?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 10 Oct 2006, 13:34

I've just experimented by reducing the size of the browser window, and at least in Firefox, the "fish" on the left-hand side of the screen are definitely able to obscure the menu, and when they do, clicking on the menu-item obscured doesn't work...

If it's a viable solution: Perhaps the "fish" could be layered under the menu, rather than on top?

--
Mats

bedwetter · Post by **bedwetter** » 10 Oct 2006, 16:04

I also have some issues caused by screen resolution (1600*1200). For me, the whole of the forum toolbar at the top is obscured by the planetcatfish toolbar. In order to access it I have to greatly increase the font size. kinda frustrating

jeff

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 10 Oct 2006, 16:37

This is one of these things that depends on the browser, screen resolution and a few other, more obscure, settings. To fix it I'm going to need each persons specific environment. I have tested it on my windows XP machine with a screen Res of 1204x768 in firefox and it looks OK UNLESS the text size is set quite big. That's a hard thing to be sure of in all uses of the site as the width of the whole set of links in the boxes can be a variable length (i.e. Log out [ Username ]) as well as be controlled by text size.

I could redesign it I suppose. How about putting all the rules, memberlist, usergroups and labums links into the parent forum drop down just leaving the rest?

Jools

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 10 Oct 2006, 16:45

bedwetter wrote:I also have some issues caused by screen resolution (1600*1200). For me, the whole of the forum toolbar at the top is obscured by the planetcatfish toolbar. In order to access it I have to greatly increase the font size. kinda frustrating

jeff

It's unusual to run such a high res with smaller text, it should work in a smaller window at that resolution WITHOUT changing the text size.

Do you know you can very quickly change text size (in windows) by holding down the CTRL key and scrolling your mouse wheel?

Jools

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 10 Oct 2006, 16:47

Jeff, that's the same exact resolution I use, and it works fine.

I've read before about problems caused by ad-blockers - in which case you'll have to "blame yourself". Jools makes money on those adverts! [Not that it's a valid reason for it to not work, but it sort of makes it less important to fix, if you see what I mean...]

--
Mats

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 10 Oct 2006, 18:17

This might be considered repeating myself somewhat, but as it's not uninteresting, and I think it might explain things further, I'll do it.

My screen resolution is set to 1024 X 768.

In Firefox, I like to display the sidebar, known as "Bookmarks," to the left of my screen. As mentioned in the previous post, this forces the catfish drawings into the toolbar. At this very moment, enough of the box "Forum Search" is obscured by catfish fins to render it unusable.
"Rules" is obscured, too, and can't be used.

Switching to IE: The sidebar known as "Favorites" is displayed, and the effect is a little different. The same catfish drawing does not enter as intrusively into the tooblbar, and does not prevent "Forum Search" from working. There is just enough of the words "Forum Search" free and clear to get a connection. Even "Rules" is working okay.

Jools wrote:

I could redesign it I suppose. How about putting all the rules, memberlist, usergroups and labums links into the parent forum drop down just leaving the rest?

Jools, I think that would make the parent drop-down a little hard to navigate. How about moving only Rules and Forum Search over to that drop-down?
They might logically belong there anyway, with Rules at the top and Forum Search second from top.
Deborah

bedwetter · Post by **bedwetter** » 10 Oct 2006, 19:19

adblockers, what adblockers

I had read that before but totally forgot. My bad.

I never realized you could zoom the font with the scroll wheel - I have always used 'ctrl' + '+'.

mummymonkey · Post by **mummymonkey** » 10 Oct 2006, 19:37

Looks like this?

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 10 Oct 2006, 21:04

Yes, exactly like that.

(Referring to the displayed portion of Planet Catfish page.)

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 25 Oct 2006, 18:47

Posting back to say that I may have solved the problem.
Anyone else having the same problem try this: use your horizontal arrow to pull the screen over to the left by just a fraction of an inch. This will pull the catfish fins over, too, and place them in the "Rules" box, leaving the "Forum Search" feature accessible.
This maneuver compresses the list of favorites or bookmarks, too, but you can still read what everything is.
And you always have the option to pull the screen over even more, until it's in the right place for you.
Jools, I don't know if you still need to do anything.

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 26 Oct 2006, 09:05

I've redesigned it a bit for folks with smaller screens. What do you think?

Jools

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 26 Oct 2006, 11:20

Looks fine, I'm at work looking thru 800x600.
forumsearch is accessible and not "eaten" by the Panaque

the "rules" button's gone. but heck, do we really need it?

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 26 Oct 2006, 13:02

Also fine, in Firefox and IE through 1024 x 768. In fact it's been moved over so far, that I can display my longest named Bookmark:
ACSI - Amazonas - Loricariidae LIST.
So, that's pretty good. I can still expand the screen, if I want to, but I don't have to, now.

The "Rules" box is gone, though, and I didn't see it listed under "Help!" where I thought it might be.
Did you mean to lose it?
(Oh, nevermind, I see Sid's mentioned it.)

I have to add that I'm impressed that you were able to take care of this so quickly, Jools.

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 26 Oct 2006, 17:56

It's not lost, it's the forum drop down.

Jools

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 26 Oct 2006, 19:10

I don't see it in the Forum drop down, I had checked that and all of the drop downs.
Perhaps I don't know what the forum drop down is. I thought it was that selection of Forums that you see when you click it. Is that not it?

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 26 Oct 2006, 19:18

deb wrote:I don't see it in the Forum drop down, I had checked that and all of the drop downs.
Perhaps I don't know what the forum drop down is. I thought it was that selection of Forums that you see when you click it. Is that not it?

Yes,that's the right place. Refresh the page...

Jools

Deb · Post by **Deb** » 26 Oct 2006, 22:40

Got it.