IPB iPhone App Feedback

[Charles]

In the future, I'd like to see IPS offer an economical service to create a custom version of this app for a specific website (custom icon, custom configuration of forum list that would be uneditable - except for user/password) and post this custom version to the app store.

Basically, I'm suggesting a brandable app for maybe $100/year (something affordable for the average forum).

You could integrate the mobile skin even more to provide configuration details once first connected (like whether facebook or twitter integration is visible) so all you really need is the custom icon and forum title/url to create a version for the app store.

I'm assuming that eventually you will allow upload of files through the app since that it the reason many sites do a separate app rather than just have users use Mobile Safari. Of course, maybe Apple will be allowing uploads in Safari at some point in the future (they are paranoid about encouraging wrelessi sharing of licensed music).

I mentioned a private-label service in the announcement actually :)

[.Ian]

don't you just hate it, when people do not read the whole announcement ;)

[Wolfie]

don't you just hate it, when people do not read the whole announcement ;)

People now a days assume they know what the other person is saying or what the other person really means or that the other person hasn't thought something out, etc.

[Eduardo Bautista]

I would suggest trying to make it work with other applications such as IP.Blogs and IP.Content Articles.

[bfarber]

I would suggest trying to make it work with other applications such as IP.Blogs and IP.Content Articles.

I personally like the idea of specialized blog support. The main things I could see using this app for are

1) Checking in on private messages
2) Quick read through/reply of topics
3) Uploading gallery images
4) Posting blog entries


Realistically, you can link to your IP.Content pages and so on, but you would have to create mobile versions if you want them to show up different in the mobile skin.

[RevengeFNF]

Hey,

I saw this, and its fantastic :D

But one thing, an Android App will also be done... But and what about Windows Mobile?

[Brandon D]

Congrats on yet another awesome development from IPS. Keep up the great work, you're definitely setting the bar for forum software.

[Charles]

We will do a windows phone if the market share warrants it :)

[Brandon D]

My suggestions at this point are mostly cosmetic. The app is great as it is, but I believe the below will help give it a more "native" feel (styled more like stock iPhone apps):

• Left align the field titles, the right alignment looks odd
• When adding a forum, the first time I tap the entire field highlights blue and I have to tap again for the field to gain focus. Remove the blue (black text on blue isn't great) and make it so it only requires one tap to gain focus.
• Remove the colons from field titles
• More padding on the forum listings
• Use the slimmer arrow for the forum listing, instead of the bulky arrow with the blue circle around it
• Is it necessary to have the URL on the forum listing? The user titled it themselves, I don't think they need the URL to help identify the forum and adds clutter, more so when you add more than one forum
  

Outside of those polishing suggestions above, the app is great. I particularly love the gallery integration.

[Brandon D]

One last suggestion: It's be cool if you attempted to get the forum's favicon and show it to the left of the forum title on the forum listing (kind of like the Settings app has icons next to the setting category). Perhaps cache it to help save resources.

[Josh]

One last suggestion: It's be cool if you attempted to get the forum's favicon and show it to the left of the forum title on the forum listing (kind of like the Settings app has icons next to the setting category). Perhaps cache it to help save resources.

That feature is actually in the code, it's just disabled for the moment because there's a few issues that need to be worked out with it.

[jboucicaut]

We will do a windows phone if the market share warrants it :)

I'd like to see a Palm WebOS version as well.

[Josh]

• Left align the field titles, the right alignment looks odd
• When adding a forum, the first time I tap the entire field highlights blue and I have to tap again for the field to gain focus. Remove the blue (black text on blue isn't great) and make it so it only requires one tap to gain focus.
• Remove the colons from field titles
• More padding on the forum listings
• Use the slimmer arrow for the forum listing, instead of the bulky arrow with the blue circle around it
• Is it necessary to have the URL on the forum listing? The user titled it themselves, I don't think they need the URL to help identify the forum and adds clutter, more so when you add more than one forum
  

I've made some changes to the forum edit screen, here's a screenshot:



It has some usability improvements, clicking the labels will now bring up the keyboard, also pressing return on the final field will submit the form instead of returning to the first field. The blue highlighting doesn't show up anymore either.

We can't use the slimmer gray arrow, that isn't a button that can detect a click, it's just used to indicate that clicking the cell will load something. The bulky blue arrow is an actual button, clicking it loads the edit form instead of the forum.

As for the forum list, we'll likely make some changes to that later on.

[Guest]

One thought i had whilst trying to access this site with it the other day, On the screenshot above, you need to enter your 'Username' but for this site you have to enter your 'Email' so it took me a few failed trys before i remembered.

[Wolfie]

One thought i had whilst trying to access this site with it the other day, On the screenshot above, you need to enter your 'Username' but for this site you have to enter your 'Email' so it took me a few failed trys before i remembered.

It pays to read. :)

Since IPS uses IP.Converge and IP.Converge uses email instead of user name, it makes sense that it would ask for email.

[Brandon D]

I've made some changes to the forum edit screen, here's a screenshot:

It has some usability improvements, clicking the labels will now bring up the keyboard, also pressing return on the final field will submit the form instead of returning to the first field. The blue highlighting doesn't show up anymore either.

We can't use the slimmer gray arrow, that isn't a button that can detect a click, it's just used to indicate that clicking the cell will load something. The bulky blue arrow is an actual button, clicking it loads the edit form instead of the forum.

As for the forum list, we'll likely make some changes to that later on.

Much cleaner :-) Thanks for the improvements.

[bfarber]

I'm noticing that with the mobile skin, when I reply and the page reloads, it doesn't jump to my new post but rather stays at the top. We should check to see if the HTML anchor is missing for posts in the mobile skin so it can jump down properly.

[Martin A.]

Speaking of the mobile skin, there's no way to get to the newest post either.

[Guest]

I didn't say it should not use email as the login, I was commenting on how it asks you to enter your username in the app, when this site requires you to enter your email instead

[Charles]

I didn't say it should not use email as the login, I was commenting on how it asks you to enter your username in the app, when this site requires you to enter your email instead

Email or username works. I login with my username here.

[Wolfie]

I didn't say it should not use email as the login, I was commenting on how it asks you to enter your username in the app, when this site requires you to enter your email instead

Oooh.. So what you're saying is that it wasn't asking for email, even though that's what it took.

[NeilC]

I'm noticing that with the mobile skin, when I reply and the page reloads, it doesn't jump to my new post but rather stays at the top. We should check to see if the HTML anchor is missing for posts in the mobile skin so it can jump down properly.

I mentioned something similar as an afterthought in a bug report about VNC in the mobile skin (http://community.invisionpower.com/tracker/issue-22642-mobile-skin-vnc-last-post-info/) but maybe I should have posted it as a bug in its own right?

[bfarber]

Email or username works. I login with my username here.

"Username" generally only works for people who were registered on the company forums before we initially installed Converge. Anyone who registered after that (circa 2005-2006) will need to use email address.

The main problem, however, is that the app has no way to know initially whether the site requires username or email address for logging in.

I mentioned something similar as an afterthought in a bug report about VNC in the mobile skin (http://community.inv...last-post-info/) but maybe I should have posted it as a bug in its own right?

Yeah, I'm going to post it as a new bug report shortly.

[Wolfie]

"Username" generally only works for people who were registered on the company forums before we initially installed Converge. Anyone who registered after that (circa 2005-2006) will need to use username.

Me thinks you meant to say "their email address" at the end there.

[bfarber]

Yes, updated my post.