question for the admins.

[artw]

can we get a Mark All Forums Read button or link on this page

http://ovas.ca/bridge/phpBB/index.php

I dont like going into each forum and having to click it.  yes I can all hear your little fiddles playing for me now.

[gvv]

Good idea!

[Marc]

I'll check if there is an existing modification that I could add in.  I'll let you know in a day or two.

[Nelson]

I'll check if there is an existing modification that I could add in.  I'll let you know in a day or two.

Marc, did you have time to look into Art's suggestion?  Would be very convenient.

[Marc]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a pre-existing "mod" that does it.  I'll leave it on the back burner and check again in a while.

[Nelson]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a pre-existing "mod" that does it.  I'll leave it on the back burner and check again in a while.

Thanks Marc, here's another question for you.  We've all referenced and dialoqued on other sites/forums and it's apparent that there are many variations of this basic format available - some that are extremely attractive, versatile and that permit larger sized emoticons.  Is this a case of the more you pay the better you get?  Do we own the program that allows us to do what we do on-line, or do we subscribe to a service?   Just curious..thanks

[Marc]

phpBB is free software.  It is one of the most often used bulletin boards on the internet not only because it's free but because of its many features.  

It is open source, meaning we have the source code for it.  People commonly make modifications ("mods") to the code to provide extra functionality.  Many of the mods are posted on the phpBB website.  Those posted there have been reviewed by the pbpBB programmers and are deemed to be functional and not a security risk.

The OVAS website has a number of these mods installed but we dont want to stray too far from the base code because every time there is a phpBB update I have to manually reinstall the mods into the new version.  It's important to keep the pbpBB up to date to try and discourage hackers.

We can make our own changes to the code too and have made  a few simple changes.  However other changes require more knowledge of the inner workings of phpBB and more time.

The attractiveness of a bulletin board is usually a function of how proficient the webmaster is at creating graphics and how much time the webmaster has to give.

As for the size of the emoticons... we're using the default emoticons that came with phpBB.  When posting don't forget that you can click on "View more emoticons".  If anyone has an emoticon they want added I can add it easily enough but it should be the same size as our other emoticons.

Maybe you meant size of the avatars.  On phpBB that's a decision the webmaster(s) make.  The larger the size of the avatars the longer it takes for pages to load, that can be a problem for people still using dial-up connections.

phpBB website: http://www.phpbb.com/

I hope that  answers all your questions.

[Nelson]

As I anticipated, an outstanding response to my questions Marc.  I now understand - greatly appreciated

[Marc]

Hi Art,

I found was you were looking for.  Weird thing is it's been there all along and we never noticed it.

Check the picture....

[Aiglos]

Just to chip in for the future, I am an experiance PHP programmer if there is ever a problem or you need an addon written for you.