Smc specific question for iPad users

[Matt Meiser]

I'd like to ad an icon to my home screen that takes me directly to a new posts search. On my pc I do that by copying the URL from the new posts menu, but I can't do that on the iPad, nor can I edit the URL behind the icon as far as I can tell. And actually, I don't think I could even do this with a bookmark.

Any tricks?

[Graham Wintersgill]

Matt

Found http://browsers.about.com/od/howtousemobilebrowser1/ss/Add-Home-Screen-Icons-Safari-Ipad.htm this for bookmarks and this http://browsers.about.com/od/howtousemobilebrowser1/ss/Add-Home-Screen-Icons-Safari-Ipad.htm for home screen icons.

[Matt Meiser]

That works where the URL shown in the browser is the one you want. But if the URL you want redirects you to another, it doesn't. To do a new posts search, you need to go to something like http://www.sawmillcreek.org/search.php?do=getnew&exclude=17,43,42,20,38,8,35,0 which redirects you to something like http://www.sawmillcreek.org/search.php?searchid=123456

[Peter Froh]

To be honest I think that SMC has really dropped the ball when it comes to serving forumites with mobile devices.

All reports that I've read suggest that mobile devices will outgrow computers.

I've suggested they start using Tapatalk software (one of many that do the job). They site concerns over security. The last time I checked Tapatalk has a huge number of forums that are using their software (over 10,000). 10,000+ forum owners can't be that lax about security.

It's free for forum owns and a very small fee (about the cost of a cup of coffee these days) for the end user.

Come on SMC, get with the times and lets get a proper plug in for mobile devices (especially the iPhone cause that's what I own)!!!!

[Bruce Page]

Matt, I’m sure there’s a better way but what I did was copy the URL with the search criteria into notes. I just have to open “Notes” and touch the link.

As for dropping the ball..I can only speak to the iPad but SMC works with full function and looks great on it.

[Harry Hagan]

Peter, I think you're right. Mobile devices will rule in the near future.

Last night ABC news did a story on Apple's astounding success during this "recession". They said 16% of households now have at least one iPad in the short time the device has been on the market.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I don't have an Ipad but SMC works just fine with my Droid.

For the record folks.....everyone here on the staff at SMC except a couple of the Mods have full time jobs, are working on a doctorate or are working a job and have an aditional business to run too.....and then have to deal with SMC.... a little patience if every whim isn't immediately resolved please.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

And I probably speak for THOUSANDS of us Ken, when I express sincere thanks for all y'all do keeping this wonderful forum alive.

Also, I'm typing this on an IPad and SMC works flawlessly for me on it - as is.

Matt, I have SMC on my bookmarks bar, I tap it, it remembers my username and password and takes me directly to the homepage. Just one more click on "what's new" and I'm at all the new posts. Takes perhaps a millisecond :D

[Keith Outten]

Peter,

I own an iPhone and an iPad. I will benefit more than most when we implement better access for mobile devices.

I admit we are slow to install new features, we waited almost a full year before we upgraded to vBulletin 4. We have always been shy of upgrades and have intentionally stayed away from certain types of apps that have been available for years. Caution is the key, this is a very large Community in fact The Creek is the largest woodworking forum on the Net. We host over 60,000 visitors every day now and we are very conservative when it comes to access to our server and vBulletin. Of primary interest to us is protecting the privacy of almost 60,000 registered members.

We will get it done but it will have to be on our schedule and when we feel comfortable opening up another hole that we feel is an acceptable risk or no risk at all would be preferable.
.

[Scott Shepherd]

Forget Tapatalk. You cannot upload photos to the forum from there, it forces you to upload photos to THEIR server, which will cause serious issues for forum owners at some point.

ForumRunner is superior to Tapatalk and it's easy to install on the server as well. It's not intrusive at all and allows people to upload photos directly to the forum, rather than having them stored on someone elses server.

You can have ForumRunner installed in no time. Less than 15 minutes to install it. It's a plug in for the forum. You install that, then notify them, and you're set. Doesn't get any easier than that.

[Matt Meiser]

Honestly the only reason I'd like to see an app is to be able to directly upload photos from the iPad. Everything else the browser is just fine for me. And in reality, 90% of the photos I upload here are added from my shop PC since I have a digital camera that lives out there. Next highest % is probably Sketchup drawings and that's not available on the iPad.

Anyway, I found out you can edit the URL of a bookmark. First add the bookmark, then on the bookmarks menu, click the edit button, then the > next to the bookmark and paste in the new URL. I also discovered the Bookmark Bar and as a result, I no longer have any web shortcuts on my home screen.

[Peter Froh]

.... a little patience if every whim isn't immediately resolved please.

Ken, I have a lot of patience. I used to teach high school. I first asked about installing Tapatalk onto SMC over 18 months ago. Some people pointed out the shortcomings of Tapatalk (ie. pictures are not uploaded to the forum's servers but Tapatalk's servers) and I can understand those shortcomings. There are other alternatives including the one that Scott mentions, Forumrunner. Forumrunner is used by over 10,000,000 people and one of the largest forums (over a million users) on the internet uses forumrunner. You can't tell me that Forumrunner (or Tapatalk for that matter) has huge security holes. It would simply not survive the market if it did. Both software companies work very hard to make their plug-ins compatible with all types of add-on plugins for the big forum software makers. Without this type of support they would simply not survive.

Just based on this information alone I would think it would be a great idea for SMC to get one of these plug-ins to support mobile devices. Both plugins for the software I mention above installs in minutes on a forum server. I asked Canadian Woodworking Forum to use Tapatalk and they installed it quite easily and it was very painless.

FOR THE RECORD, I too appreciate all that the volunteers do to make this awesome forum work. I just want to help make it a better place.

Yes, SMC works on my iPhone but it's not a great experience.

I await eagerly for a mobile solution.

[Shawn Pixley]

With all due respect to others wishing the creek to add tapatalk or another plug-in, I don't see this as a burning platform. Most of my posts and reading are from my iPhone or my iPad. While I might appreciate being able to post a photo directly from my devices, the limitations as is are not something I feel strongly about.The administrators and moderators are very much appreciated for what they do. As a person who wears many hats in addition to their job, i am not bothered to any great extent by this issue or the pace of other's requests. I appreciate the content and civility here more than my immediate gratification need. Just one man's opinion.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

For the record.....Please don't think I am trolling for pats on the back when I remind everyone that most of the staff here are unpaid volunteers....who are employed elsewhere....additionally may have a business of their own to operate and then have their duties here at SMC to perform. I am simply trying to remind everyone that the staff members may be busy.

I am one of the lucky ones who recently retired.

Speaking for myself, I don't function as a moderator for the "attaboys", the glory or time on the SMC corporate jet. Frankly, it often gets old asking adults to obey the rules or be civil...but.....I joined SMC when I started building my shop some years ago. Everytime I walk into that shop, perform a woodworking operation I am overjoyed with it's design, the way it performs for me and the tools I have to use. I owe it all to information I gleaned here at the Creek and I appreciate the Creek more every time I use my shop. I also cherish the many friends I have made since joining here.

With over 58,000 members of whom over 10,000 are active, we will never please everyone. It's not going to happen. We try to satisfy the majority but we will never satisfy everyone.

Technological advances come and sometimes go even faster. Remember Sony Beta Max? I bought my wife the best Sony BETA Max recorder manufactured. I paid cash. If I had put it on an installment plan, it wouldn't have been paid off before you were no longer able to get blank tapes for it anymore. How about the Blue Ray.....was it HD ........battle more recently....
Cell phone and other mobile technology will be even more shortlived IMHO. Manufactures today are more interested in selling new equipment than in investing into longevity of technologies.

You have voiced your opinion....the administration has responded...maybe it isn't the answer you wanted but it is an answer.

[Greg Portland]

Is there an iphone RSS feed app? You can subscribe to the entire forum or the subforums of your choice. The RSS feed will display the most recent posts...

[Jim Becker]

I didn't read all the posts, but iOS makes this easy...when you go to bookmark a page, you have the option to do what you want to do. Once the icon is created, you can move it to any page or "folder" you wish on your device.