XF 2.2 Welcome to XenForo 2.2 / What's still to come

We've spent the last few weeks talking about the new features in XenForo 2.2. Now, it's your first chance to try some of them out and help us put them through their paces. Welcome to XenForo 2.2!

As you may notice, we have started converting some of our forums to more specific forum types. We've also enabled all general discussion thread types in the testing forum.

What's still to come

While our previous "have you seen" threads have announced most of what's coming in XenForo 2.2, we haven't touched on our official add-ons. There are improvements coming to each of them (beyond getting support for changes we already announced in 2.2), but we're not quite ready to announce these changes yet. Until we do, what you see running here is essentially the same as the 2.1-based version of our add-ons.

Beyond the add-ons, we still have a few more improvements to XenForo 2.2 itself that are still in the oven right now. These include improvements based on feedback we've received from the previous have you seens and some improvements to things we haven't touched on yet.

Keep your eyes peeled! (Disclaimer: please do not actually peel your eyes.)

Next steps

We're now starting the first steps towards releasing XenForo 2.2 by testing it here. So please, if you notice any bugs or problems, report them to us.

Once we finish off the changes we still have in the pipeline and are happy with the stability of 2.2, the first beta will be released to all customers with active licenses. Beta versions are not officially supported and we don't recommend running them on production installs. This is an opportunity for people to test and for resource authors to make the necessary changes to support the new version. From there, we'll continue releasing beta versions until we're ready to move onto the release candidate stage, which essentially means that we believe the version is close to being an officially supported release (but it's not yet!). Finally, and only once we've gone through each of these stages, XenForo 2.2.0 will be released as an officially supported/recommended release... and we can all celebrate!

But in the meantime, we still have work to do!

 

[sbj]

You cannot deduct a "like" that you have'nt yet assigned. So -1 is not possible even with "Downvote".
I don't understand the whole hype about it. Before that you could make a "Like ==+1" then "Unlike==-1). But you always had to assign a" Like "before you could pull it off. So it is the same with the vote system or am I wrong?

You are wrong. Right now it is like you described it because downvoting is disabled. One cannot deduct a like which isn't assigned.
But if downvoting would be allowed, you can -1 the thread.

 

[SyTry]

Very cool !

 

[cmpe]

Not sure I follow. Sorry. If not bottom left or right corner as some sort of insert, why not just make articles look the same as New York Times (pictured) or most any other website you've ever seen? Put a little author icon/name at the top left and call it a day.

View attachment 228777

Having just gone through customizing integration between wordpress and xf 2.1, I understand what you are saying. But I noticed that technically, the "header" of articles which typically include title/author/date actually still exists with xenforo's article view. It may not look like it because it does not change the look between a regular thread and article thread but it is there right under the breadcrumb.

And I have noticed that some news sites do have like an "about the author" bit at the bottom of an article before the comments.

Still, I do agree that XF's article footer looks "off" but I am not sure how best to design that. If it was me personally I would remove it.

 

[cmpe]

I am not sure what the complaints are about the new editor.

But I'm in the process of upgrading from xf 1.5 to xf 2.1 so I'm not even used to the pre-2.2 editor.

Feels like a regular editor though.

 

[Tiki Tiki]

Obviously we're considering different options here, but "most any other website you've ever seen" isn't really true. It's rather common to have a block relating to the author on blog/blog-like sites, which is fairly comparable to the way ours currently looks.

I must not have seen very many blogs, then. Not to be flip, but can you show me an example of a blog that has an author icon/name centered within a couple inch strip that spans across the entire screen? It looks like an awful lot of wasted space to me.

Wordpress default blog entry, below, looks like the NYT story to me. Small author name at the top.

 

[btmgreg]

.but why don't you want to try to remove the gradient? You can simply change the background of the editor at focus.

Slightly off-topic, but a question - Why do you type a dot at the start of every post? Is it from a translation or something?

 

[NicolasZN]

I must not have seen very many blogs, then. Not to be flip, but can you show me an example of a blog that has an author icon/name centered within a couple inch strip that spans across the entire screen? It looks like an awful lot of wasted space to me.

Wordpress default blog entry, below, looks like the NYT story to me. Small author name at the top.

View attachment 228782

The XF implementation sort of reminded me of "Medium" articles with author bio/info at the bottom (but even these have small author info also at the top).
Example: https://gen.medium.com/america-was-built-to-fail-d077855f40a6

Honestly, I don't quite understand the push/pull about centring it (or right/left aligning it) as these are all modifications it's quite simple to make in your board's stylesheets so it can suit you and your users.

 

[Chris D]

can you show me an example of a blog that has an author icon/name centered within a couple inch strip that spans across the entire screen?

Seems to be a fairly common feature. Not just of blogging platforms, like Medium pictured below, but many news/article type sites, like 9to5Mac and their sibling sites.

It may well just be the case that you don't like how ours is styled or you feel it doesn't have enough information.

It's really a simple solution though: populate it with more details as appropriate or restyle it or remove it entirely if you don't like it.

 

[Tiki Tiki]

these are all modifications it's quite simple to make in your board's stylesheets so it can suit you and your users.

Correct. I already said that. Nothing I will be losing sleep over.

 

[Tiki Tiki]

View attachment 228783

It may well just be the case that you don't like how ours is styled or you feel it doesn't have enough information.

Your example isn't centered. I think the centering is what is throwing me/others off the most. Easy for me to change.

 

[Mendalla]

No complaints so far. Have the PWA on my phone and it works great (Chrome on a Galaxy S9 running Android 9 so probably pretty bog standard as phones go). Need to use it more, but I think I am down with it. Haven't posted much yet, but I like the editor. Might tinker with the bars a bit (I did in 2.1, too) but we'll see. Getting used to Preview being where it might take some time, oddly. Not sure why my eye finds that out of place. Upvoted a couple suggestions and I'm good with the voting system. Hey, maybe I'm just in an agreeable mood today, but at first look, I'm good with 2.2.

It may well just be the case that you don't like how ours is styled or you feel it doesn't have enough information.

It's really a simple solution though: populate it with more details as appropriate or restyle it or remove it entirely if you don't like it.

I have a little side project that might actually turn into a new forum site (running Xenforo 2.2 of course ) and article forums will play a big role in it. I will probably restyle the attribution box. Not totally crazy with the current placement and layout. I can live with it, but have ideas on how to improve it. But as long as we can restyle it, then I don't think a change in base is necessary.

 

[PS5Forum]

Your example isn't centered. I think the centering is what is throwing me/others off the most. Easy for me to change.

Maybe ask for a toggle or edit? That would help everyone...? Xpress has the centered design as default.

 

[PS5Forum]

No complaints so far. Have the PWA on my phone and it works great (Chrome on a Galaxy S9 running Android 9 so probably pretty bog standard as phones go). Need to use it more, but I think I am down with it. Haven't posted much yet, but I like the editor. Might tinker with the bars a bit (I did in 2.1, too) but we'll see. Getting used to Preview being where it might take some time, oddly. Not sure why my eye finds that out of place. Upvoted a couple suggestions and I'm good with the voting system. Hey, maybe I'm just in an agreeable mood today, but at first look, I'm good with 2.2.



I have a little side project that might actually turn into a new forum site (running Xenforo 2.2 of course ) and article forums will play a big role in it. I will probably restyle the attribution box. Not totally crazy with the current placement and layout. I can live with it, but have ideas on how to improve it. But as long as we can restyle it, then I don't think a change in base is necessary.

Ohhh. I like how I can highlight the text on the quote itself and it would let me Bold it! Niiiiiiiiice. Makes editing threads easier.

Anyhow: +high fives+ Another Galaxy S9 user!

 

[Mendalla]

Must add, I do prefer the "ribbon" that appears when you view additional icons on the editor toolbar to the current dropdown menu, esp. in the fairly small space of the Quick Reply box.

 

[Aivaras]

This website is now a progressive web app which means some browsers may allow you to "install" it to your home screen.

Is the installation of the PWA version initiated from the user's account? Couldn't find the setting for it.

 

[Greg K]

Love the update.

Can't wait to get my hands on it!

 

[Mendalla]

Anyhow: high fives Another Galaxy S9 user!

Yeah, it's a company phone and we standardized on Samsung a while back. I like this one even more than the one it replaced (an S5 or 6, IIRC). Prior to that we were a BB shop.

 

[PS5Forum]

Is the installation of the PWA version initiated from the user's account? Couldn't find the setting for it.

No. Not from what I've experienced. All you do is click the popup, wait for the PWA to build a new prompt, and press the image, move the image into your phone's home.

I just tried it with firefox on Android 9.

 

[Mendalla]

Is the installation of the PWA version initiated from the user's account? Couldn't find the setting for it.

Use the hamburger menu in the top left beside the Xenforo logo. Option to install should be at the bottom of the menu. At least that's where I found it based on an earlier post.

 

[Tiki Tiki]

I am not sure what the complaints are about the new editor.

I've only got one: I don't want to have to go hunting for the BB Code toggle. But I'm assuming I can easily move it to a prominent spot.