Wow- New Look Control Panel !!

[caroline]

Just went to my control panel and it has a whole new look - Is this brand new or am I behind the times ?? What ever, very nice, thanks Smugmug:D

Caroline

[richW]

Hi Caroline :wave C/P is smoooooth


Release notes blog updated :thumb

http://blogs.smugmug.com/release-notes/

And we hope to keep it fresh now, every time we make an update :deal

[Dna]

Cool, it must have just been rolled out, because it wasn't that way this morning.

Good job :thumb:thumb

Andrew

[AnneMcBean]

Cool, it must have just been rolled out, because it wasn't that way this morning.

Good job :thumb:thumb

Andrew

You noticed! :lust

We made some other changes tonight as well, so keep an eye on our Release Notes (http://blogs.smugmug.com/release-notes) . An update will be coming soon. :deal

-Anne

[Dna]

Hi Anne,

I only noticed because I was bored at work and was fiddling with my site ... :wink

Hope everything is going well with you. I love the recipes you posted the other day too ! :clap

Andrew

[devbobo]

Hi Anne,

I only noticed because I was bored at work and was fiddling with my site ... :wink

Hope everything is going well with you. I love the recipes you posted the other day too ! :clap

Andrew

yo Andew..

what photographing bikini-clad models getting you bored these days :D

We should catch up for a beer at some point.

Cheers,

David

[I Simonius]

Just went to my control panel and it has a whole new look - Is this brand new or am I behind the times ?? What ever, very nice, thanks Smugmug:D

Caroline

me too also as well included!

That;s MUCH better!:D

[Garga]

Its awesome! Great stuff. :wink

[kp-pix]

wooo just saw it myself and its awesome! I missed the released notice though :dunno

but love it :lust thanks :clap

ahh ok - see the section now.

loved it when I first saw it but wondered where the note or message was - thought, well hoped it just wasn't a funky glitch as it was so much nicer!

[Andy]

wooo just saw it myself and its awesome! I missed the released notice though :dunno

We haven't released last night's release notes yet but we will, soon :thumb
http://blogs.smugmug.com/release-notes/

[kp-pix]

It's great! Top job! :thumb

hee hee and I just got called on not understanding most of the release notes 'anyway' *LOL*

so technically void on a good day but you have made life easier - many thanks :)

[kml]

Great job SM - love the new look!

[RogersDA]

:barb:clap:thumb:clap:thumb:barb

[simplykristi]

Hi All,
I really like the look of the new control panel... very sleek and organized. :)

Kristi

[ebwest]

I hate the new look, why can't you just leave things alone.


Not really, but somebody ALWAYS complains about every change. I just wanted to be the first.:rofl:rofl:rofl

It really does look better and seems to be easier to use. Thanks for the work.

[ShepsMom]

Wow, i had to go and take a look. It's nice, well organized, much simpler than it was. Bravo! :clap

[jfriend]

We haven't released last night's release notes yet but we will, soon :thumb
http://blogs.smugmug.com/release-notes/

I like the new control panel a lot. Here's one nit that could be easily fixed (you already use a solution to this in the Smugmug view).

The tabs don't work with the back key in the browser. Here's an example:

Open the control panel
Hit the Stats tab
Click on the comments link to see recent comments
Hit back in the browser to get back to the control panel or hit the control panel breakcrumb link
You're sent back to the News tab in the control panel, not to the tab you were on. It makes drilling in and coming back less friendly than it could be.Presumably, this could be fixed by using anchors in the history list for each tab rather than just pure dynamic JavaScript that never gets into the history list. This would also allow people to bookmark individual tabs.

[Andy]

I like the new control panel a lot. Here's one nit that could be easily fixed (you already use a solution to this in the Smugmug view).

The tabs don't work with the back key in the browser. Here's an example:

Open the control panel
Hit the Stats tab
Click on the comments link to see recent comments
Hit back in the browser to get back to the control panel or hit the control panel breakcrumb link
You're sent back to the News tab in the control panel, not to the tab you were on. It makes drilling in and coming back less friendly than it could be.Presumably, this could be fixed by using anchors in the history list for each tab rather than just pure dynamic JavaScript that never gets into the history list. This would also allow people to bookmark individual tabs.Thanks John - in fact I pointed this out while the sorcerers built this - I do hope that they'll implement such an enhancement.

Thanks!

PS: Whaaaaat - no mention of the filesize thing? :D

[RogersDA]

PS: Whaaaaat - no mention of the filesize thing? :D

I noticed that earlier, but didn't know that was a recent change with the control panel upgrade.

Cool!

How about allowing users to set a default tab each time they access the control panel? That or possibly remembering the last tab selected and use that for the next time.

Possible?

And the "Homepage" tab should be renamed "Galleries" since it really does not replicate most user's customized homepage.

[NavyMoose]

The changes look just awesome! :barb:thumb

I noticed that earlier, but didn't know that was a recent change with the control panel upgrade.

Cool!

How about allowing users to set a default tab each time they access the control panel? That or possibly remembering the last tab selected and use that for the next time.

Possible?

And the "Homepage" tab should be renamed "Galleries" since it really does not replicate most user's customized homepage.

[devbobo]

And the "Homepage" tab should be renamed "Galleries" since it really does not replicate most user's customized homepage.

Roger,

it's called homepage, as it contains all the stuff that people have removed from their homepage by clicking 'hide'.

Cheers,

David

[RogersDA]

Roger,

it's called homepage, as it contains all the stuff that people have removed from their homepage by clicking 'hide'.

Cheers,

David

O.k....and you can call me David, too. :wink

[devbobo]

O.k....and you can call me David, too. :wink

:lol3 :lol3


sorry reading is hard

[papajay]

Mucho Nicer Look on the Control Panel. (Not near as intimidating, either...even though the information is essentially unchanged from the earlier one-size-fits all layout).:clap

[alpacaboy]

I hate the new look, why can't you just leave things alone.


Not really, but somebody ALWAYS complains about every change. I just wanted to be the first.:rofl:rofl:rofl

It really does look better and seems to be easier to use. Thanks for the work. Wow, from looking through this thread, I'm clearly in the minority, maybe even the lone voice, but am I seriously the only one that prefers the old layout?

I've actually discussed this with Andy a little already, but I'm interested in the discussion. The things that I don't like are:

- My primary reason for going to the control panel was for the Stats, and now that takes 2 clicks (ctrl panel ->Stats). Even if I could bookmark it, that still requires extra effort on my part to bookmark it on every browser/location I use, when I used to get the stats when I just clicked "Control Panel". Now, I can't even refresh the Stats page - I get taken to "News"
Am I the only one who blows a significant part of his day looking at the stats page and hitting "Refresh" several times an hour just to see little changes in the download numbers?

- I can easily parse the old control panel for the information I want. I get greatly annoyed at having to search through tabs. Or if I want to see info in 2 tabs (Stats, Customize), I have to flip between them when it was much easier for me to just have it all on one page. (I realize I may be unusual in this and I actually get into heated design arguements with the UI guys at work about that.)

- Looking through the source html, it's still downloading all the same info as before, but the script is just set to hide information from me. And that just frustrates me.

- I really don't like not having the option to go back. Clearly most of you like the new layout and that's fine. But it would have been nice to have a back door with the old one still available as an account preference for folks like me (or is it just me?) who strongly preferred the old style...
But it's seriously bad enough that I'm considering learning the API just to try to simulate the old behavior, but one of the things I liked about smugmug was that the old default behavior was exactly what I wanted already with no work on my part.


Fundamentally, I got all the info I wanted with 1 click before, and now it takes more. I don't see that as a good thing.

I wouldn't mind the new layout so much if "Control Panel" took me to Stats and not News. If I could customize it so hitting "Control Panel" took me to Stats and Customize together, I would actually prefer this to the old layout.

[caroline]

Am I the only one who blows a significant part of his day looking at the stats page and hitting "Refresh" several times an hour just to see little changes in the download numbers?


Just interested to know why you spend a "significant part" of your day doing this ? No sarcasm intended here, genuinely curious :)

Caroline

[Andy]

- My primary reason for going to the control panel was for the Stats, and now that takes 2 clicks (ctrl panel ->Stats).

So very easy:

1) use SmugManager as I suggested (cool cool Firefox Addon :)

http://smugmug.jot.com/WikiHome/SmugMugHacksAndApps

2) even without SmugManager, you could easily just save the link to your stats page as a book mark in your browser, and hey, even put it in your browser toolbar - then it's always "Front and Center" :thumb

Thanks again for taking the time to tell us how you feel though, we really do crave this.

[alpacaboy]

Just interested to know why you spend a "significant part" of your day doing this ? No sarcasm intended here, genuinely curious :)
Caroline
It's one of those things like refreshing tabs that are on a discussion forum or on email - something might have changed! Especially after I let people know I uploaded some galleries, I'm curious to see when they get hit and how fast/when the traffic sets in.

2) even without SmugManager, you could easily just save the link to your stats page as a book mark in your browser, and hey, even put it in your browser toolbar - then it's always "Front and Center"
Since it's all done in javascript, the url doesn't change when I change tabs within the control panel. (I'm using Mozilla on WinXP right now) At work (Mozilla, Linux), I remember seeing something change in the url, like a "#tab2" in the url- I think because they disable some javascript over there, so the page falls back to a straight url.

However, in both cases, with or without the "#tab2," in the url, saving the bookmark doesn't retain the "Stats" tab, and the bookmark brings me to the News tab. (I just tried it just now to make sure) (Hitting "refresh" while in the Stats tab also takes me back to the News tab.)

[alpacaboy]

So very easy:

1) use SmugManager as I suggested (cool cool Firefox Addon :)

http://smugmug.jot.com/WikiHome/SmugMugHacksAndApps

I don't have Firefox (yet), but I looked at the predecessor on:
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=44605
and it looked like it was heavily based on URLs, so it would be subject to the same limitation - not being able to bookmark the inner Stats tab.

The Firefox xpi had a lot of paths to js, but since it was more or less a binary, I couldn't tell if it shared the dependency on URLs or whether he was constructing the targets through the API.

[Andy]

I don't have Firefox (yet), but I looked at the predecessor on:
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=44605
and it looked like it was heavily based on URLs, so it would be subject to the same limitation - not being able to bookmark the inner Stats tab.

The Firefox xpi had a lot of paths to js, but since it was more or less a binary, I couldn't tell if it shared the dependency on URLs or whether he was constructing the targets through the API.

It would be this link: :D

http://nickname.smugmug.com/homepage/stats.mg
for all your stats

http://nickname.smugmug.com/homepage/stats.mg?AlbumID=3160314
for a gallery (XXXXXX) 's stats

[Mitchell]

Bravo on the new control panel!!

[scwalter]

Wow, from looking through this thread, I'm clearly in the minority, maybe even the lone voice, but am I seriously the only one that prefers the old layout?

Fundamentally, I got all the info I wanted with 1 click before, and now it takes more. I don't see that as a good thing.


I totally agree with you. I had the same comments when we went to the new photobar thing and saving a photo became a much more tedious process.

I will say that the new interface is pretty, but honestly it makes the Comic Sans smugmug logo and that nasty green color look pretty dated.

-Scott

[schmoo]

PS: Whaaaaat - no mention of the filesize thing? :D
!!!!!!!!

:D

MWAH!

[dogwood]

I know I'm slow to the party-- but love the new control panel, SM. Very slick and intuitive for me so far. :D

[richW]

I know I'm slow to the party-- but love the new control panel, SM. Very slick and intuitive for me so far. :DPete, You can't be too slow, you caught Bigfoot :D http://www.petespringer.com/gallery/980763#72378402
I'm with you, I like the new tabs. I'm in c/p's all day long and I don't mind the extra click. I disliked those long scrolls to the bottom of the page.....

[Matthew Saville]

Scrolling and scrolling, and then scrolling back up cause you went too far = BAD.

Clicking once = GOOD.

I rest my case.

However it would be nice to be able to click refresh and not have it default back to the news, but not a biggie to me, just for the other ppl who really want it...

=Matt=

[Andy]

However it would be nice to be able to click refresh and not have it default back to the news, but not a biggie to me, just for the other ppl who really want it...

=Matt=Hey Matt: "Stay Tuned...."

[CAS]

Hi,

I have a request, but while online wanted to say nice job on the control panel tabs. More organized and quicker to the desired task. Appreciated.

My request is pure and unadulterated begging! I would like to watermark, but don't like "proof". Help indicates that I need a PNG file with transparent background in order to custom mark my images - via Photoshop. I don't use Photoshop, and can't produce such a file.

Would some kind Smugmug soul be willing to create such a file for me? I'd like to apply a simple unobtrusive mark in a professional looking font in the lower right corner of each image - the copyright symbol followed by my name: c chuck schug. Being unable to test this, I don't know if my best option is to produce the text in white or black or colors. I intend to slide the intensity level down quite low so as not to distract viewers.

If you could help, or educate me if I've missed something in the Help file, would appreciate it. Thanks,

Chuck Schug

[RogersDA]

Hi,

Would some kind Smugmug soul be willing to create such a file for me? I'd like to apply a simple unobtrusive mark in a professional looking font in the lower right corner of each image - the copyright symbol followed by my name: c chuck schug. Being unable to test this, I don't know if my best option is to produce the text in white or black or colors. I intend to slide the intensity level down quite low so as not to distract viewers.

Chuck Schug

PM Sent...

[CAS]

I responded privately to RogersDA, but it seemed appropriate to let the dGrin community know of another kind deed performed by the members. I now have a custom mark with which to experiment - very nicely done.

Another reason why re-subscribing when my Smugmug anniversary date just occurred was a no-brainer - the help is always promptly there, even when unabashed whining or begging is included! Thanks again - Chuck