Screen grabs from new UI

Still not in beta, but I'm confident this can happen next week. (Apply to RHP beta club to help out) Still the branding (timeforchess.com, etc) to do, and some IE backwards compatibility to sort out. (For IE, IE6 now dropped, IE7 supported in some form, IE9+ target platform.) Plus a few minor issues on iOs.

All other browsers should be latest releases where possible. We have tested on Android and iPad tablets, touch events for moving pieces supported on both platforms.

Reiterating what I posted before a bit here, but the goal of this update was update legacy ui code (we painted ourselves into a corner with a lot of the old stuff) and to make RHP more suitable for the tablet platforms as a result.

Very nearly every part of the UI has been revisited (re-coded), but the new interface should not confuse existing users - nothing should feel dramatically different or out of place. Once the new code is in, and stable, we can go back to making evolutionary changes.

Feature wise, not a lot is new. A few minor things, such as promotion taking place in one request now, are finally in; conditional moves should be less confusing with the new interface too.

I’ve added a selection of screen grabs here. You’ll notice we are now fixed width. This means there is less horizontal space, so some compromises have been made, to tables in particlular which were heavy with information. This is generally not an issue.

A larger board size is now available - and will become the default after the switch over. (And better scaled images have been produced)

My Home

Game Board

Drag and drop (mouse or touch) is supported in parallel with the regular two click method. So either method can be used when viewing a board without any changes to settings.

Game Board - Drag and drop

The message and games notes have broken out into very different places. Notes on a tab, messages as shown. (So, no more messaging your private notes anymore, and if you do, well, there really is no one to blame but yourself. :p)

Game Board - Message

Board is a animated smoothly, similar to the current PGN viewer for the forums.

Game History view

“My games” has 3 different views, but the compact view below matches the existing layout closest.

My Games - compact view

My Games - Gallery view

Every single form (there is more than you think, believe me&hellip😉 has been re-coded. They will look a little like this below.

Random Form - Site settings

A grab from the forum thread view. Nothing new, just slightly different presentation.

An optimistic forum post

I’ll leave it there. Feel free to post comments here, but if you want to help test, then request membership of the beta club, and I’ll bring you online over the next couple of weeks leading up to rollout to the main site.

One last thing, the area to the top right is not final, some duplication going on up there.

Originally posted by Russ
Still not in beta, but I'm confident this can happen next week. (Apply to RHP beta club to help out) Still the branding (timeforchess.com, etc) to do, and some IE backwards compatibility to sort out. (For IE, IE6 now dropped, IE7 supported in some form, IE9+ target platform.) Plus a few minor issues on iOs.

All other browsers should be latest releases ...[text shortened]...

One last thing, the area to the top right is not final, some duplication going on up there.

Can we all make links now?! Let's see:

[=http://www.google.com]Go with Google![/]

[=http://www.redhotpawn.com/img/rhp-beta-grabs/playchess-draganddrop.jpg]Game Board - Drag and drop[/]

Blast. 😠

Originally posted by Russ
Still not in beta, but I'm confident this can happen next week. (Apply to RHP beta club to help out) Still the branding (timeforchess.com, etc) to do, and some IE backwards compatibility to sort out. (For IE, IE6 now dropped, IE7 supported in some form, IE9+ target platform.) Plus a few minor issues on iOs.

All other browsers should be latest releases ...[text shortened]...

One last thing, the area to the top right is not final, some duplication going on up there.

Looks good on a concept level. I'm already in the beta test club. I'll bet you can't wait to read my feedback. 😉

Wow! Very good work there. If I can still make a suggestion I would leave the messages where they are and won't introduce that one has to click them away.

I'll spread the word 🙂

Looks good Russ....Keep it up....!!!!!

Looks really awesome--great work!! 🙂

This needs to be at the top of the thread list. Bump.

Change for change's sake.
Alteration without innovation. Find it to be a bother, personally, as that is a trend in today's culture.
However, given the mess of code already written on a site that may be more complex than World of Warcraft, a re-write most likely was necessary.
But altering the format as you did disconcerts an older individual (like me). Nonetheless, it looks to be trying to attract the 20-something crowd, and since that is the "prime demographic", I am not surprised to see the "look" tend in that direction.

Originally posted by DanTriola
Change for change's sake.
Alteration without innovation. Find it to be a bother, personally, as that is a trend in today's culture.
However, given the mess of code already written on a site that may be more complex than World of Warcraft, a re-write most likely was necessary.
But altering the format as you did disconcerts an older individual (like me). ...[text shortened]... t is the "prime demographic", I am not surprised to see the "look" tend in that direction.

As another oldie, I agree with you about change for change's sake. On the other hand, the site is only as good as its customers, and the customer base falls away if nothing changes. Today's customers are not all using desktops, and the new design allows a lot of tablet and smartphone users to participate as well. It must be a nightmare for programmers trying to keep up with platform changes. I'm impressed that they've been willing to tackle the enormous amount of work required, even if some of the changes don't personally suit me at all.

The modern mantra for seniors is "use it or lose it". Watching some of my contemporaries resolutely rejecting the entire computerised world, and become more and more confused and out-of-touch with today's realities, has made me more inclined to stray out of my own comfort zone technology-wise, even if my learning curve is steeper than the younger generation's would be ...

It is true, you have to consider all the different 'formats' users actually require now...I had made comment about certain aspects of the site appearing very 'smartfone like'...in game messages are just like sms messages now, you can read multiples of previous comments 'instantly'...without going through the ritual of 'message log' and scrolling down to whatever move number a comment was made on...people require \ demand little or no effort to retrieve what they need, everything has to be 'instant' for most anything these days, the new site does reflect this to varying degrees...

Originally posted by Russ
Still not in beta, but I'm confident this can happen next week. (Apply to RHP beta club to help out) Still the branding (timeforchess.com, etc) to do, and some IE backwards compatibility to sort out. (For IE, IE6 now dropped, IE7 supported in some form, IE9+ target platform.) Plus a few minor issues on iOs.

All other browsers should be latest releases ...[text shortened]...

One last thing, the area to the top right is not final, some duplication going on up there.

Just one question.

I am not technically minded this is why I am asking.

In the MY BOARD SETTINGS,

I use piece type BOOK
board size STANDARD
and board theme WHEATFIELD

Will I still have the same look in the new set up?
I like the above settings and would not like it
if they were removed. I am comfortable with
those settings and would like it if I could retain
them.

I do not like the choice of piece style you
chose in your screen grab. I hope I would
be able to change that style to my own
preferences listed above.

Thanks.

Originally posted by johnnylongwoody
Just one question.

I am not technically minded this is why I am asking.

In the MY BOARD SETTINGS,

I use piece type BOOK
board size STANDARD
and board theme WHEATFIELD

Will I still have the same look in the new set up?
I like the above settings and would not like it
if they were removed. ...[text shortened]... . I hope I would
be able to change that style to my own
preferences listed above.

Thanks.

The beta site board options are the same as the 'ordinary' site...the only difference I could find was that beta further extends the board options, giving the biggest board...an 'x-large' option...

Originally posted by RevRSleeker
The beta site board options are the same as the 'ordinary' site...the only difference I could find was that beta further extends the board options, giving the biggest board...an 'x-large' option...

Thanks Dean.