Opinions needed on new format for slipperorchids.info

[silence882]

Hi everyone,

I have decided it's time to change the format of the galleries on at least some pages of slipperorchids.info. The old format is table-based and takes way too long to edit and add new photos. Consequently, I have been poking around with gallery software and have found one that I like. I am starting with the Paph. complex page since that is the most straight-forward. I was hoping people could take a look and let me know what they think. I have uploaded one of the new galleries here:

http://slipperorchids.info/paphcomplex/index.html#brachy

The old table style is directly below it.

If anyone has time, could you please take a look? I want to know what you like or don't like about the new style, and what I could do to improve it. There are tools available in the new software that I haven't played around with yet, so this is very much a work in progress.

Thanks!

--Stephen

 

[quietaustralian]

The new format looks and works well. I liked the old format too. Many but not all of your pages have the option to return to the home page. I'd find it handy to be able to return home from any page. I like that the site is relatively simple, less to go wrong.
Thank you for your effort in developing the site. I use your site more often than any other slipper site. I particularly like the literature page.

Regards and thanks, Mick

 

[SlipperKing]

I assume you are talking about the Brachypetalum & Parvisepalum complex section? If so, It looks good the old is also very nice. The roll and scroll is a bit slow but I could get over that part. It's nice the name/cross pops up when the curser moves over the pic( I assume you haven't had time to do all pics). It's also very nice after enlarging a pic there is a pop up menu to work with and the roll and scroll works with the enlarge pics as well.

Overall nice change.

 

[Secundino]

I like both. Great work - choose that one which is easier for you to change!

 

[reivilos]

I prefer old-school HTML... but that's a matter of taste.

 

[TDT]

The new format is easy to use and great for browsing, but we lose the ability to scan multiple photos for comparisons between flowers - i find that a powerful feature of the table format. I also very much appreciate this website, refer to it constantly! Thank you for the quality work.

 

[NYEric]

Dude. I'm just appreciative to have either format. Thanks.

 

[Ruth]

Both formats are very nice. When I clicked on it, I got so in to the slippers, that I almost forgot to come back to ST. I also refer to the info a lot!

 

[jeremyinsf]

I prefer the old format. I'm a tech guy who thinks that sometimes there is nothing wrong with 'old school'!

And I agree with all the thanks and everything for the work and your site. I am another that looks at it all the time. Very much appreciate what you are doing with it all.

 

[silence882]

Thanks for all the comments and the support!

I probably prefer the old school layout too, but there are just too many photos now that have to be organized by hand each time I want to update things.

I agree that the major issue with the new format is the ability to scan almost all the pictures in each section quickly. I have shrunk the header and widened the galleries to 5 columns to address this, but unfortunately that's about all I can do.

The Return-To-Homepage links are definitely gonna stay. I get annoyed when other sites don't have them because visitors may not enter the site at the top page and then they have to edit the url to get there.

--Stephen

 

[SlipperFan]

I don't mind the layout, providing it is just for the complex Paphs. I like to use the "file/find" option in browsers to look for a specific name. That doesn't work in the Brachy/Parvi section.

I also, refer to your site very regularly, and often recommend it to others. I particularly fin the data pages useful for understanding how to grow the various species. Thanks, Stephen, for all your work on this.

 

[abax]

I definitely like the new version much better.

 

[eaborne]

You keep up a great site and am thankful we have it for reference.

 

[fibre]

Thanks a lot again for this quite usefull webpages! I prefer the old table-based format. Wouldn't it be a possibility to split the hybrid-page into more pages, maybe one for every section?

 

[lepetitmartien]

Well new version doesn't work for me, I'll try with a better connection tonight.

HTML is fast, tables are evil.

(and ajax, java, javascript, flash are shaitan!)

 

[Chicago Chad]

The new format looks good. Larger pics when you scroll on the hybrid would be nice. It would also be appreciated if you showed multiple examples for each hybrid. I know that when I started collecting I based some purchased on a hybrid photo, only to find out later that it can vary considerably.

Also with hybrids and new growers it can be very beneficial to have links to pics of the original parents.

 

[mormodes]

Stephen, what web page editor did you use to update your page?

 

[silence882]

I am using jAlbum for the new galleries. It's a great program except for running into rather annoying bugs occasionally.

Hmmm the new uselessness of the find function is definitely an issue. Unfortunately i don't think i can do anything about that.

I am adding links to where each gallery can be viewed in its own page if the visitor prefers. That way the gallery expands to the height of their screen instead of being constrained in a frame on the main page.

I put up as many pics of each species/hybrid as I can, but there are so many out there that I usually don't have duplicates of all but the most popular crosses.

The galleries are only going to be used on the Paph Complex and Phrag Complex pages for now. I like the way the species pages are organized by subdivision and showing the parents of the primary hybrids next to the thumbnails.

--Stephen

 

[mormodes]

Thanks Stephen, I've been looking for something to sort the index page at the CSNJC web page. Like you, I found adding pics into this framework became too daunting so I stopped last year. http://csnjc.org/indexlist.html Add in name changes and I could sit here 'coding' in perpetuity when I'd really rather sit here googling in perpetuity. And posting silly cat photos to my Facebook page.

 

[silence882]

Hmm jAlbum may work well for you. I believe there is functionality where you can make each picture a link (I have never tried it). It's worth a shot and jAlbum has a trial version so you can test it out before purchasing.

Thanks Stephen, I've been looking for something to sort the index page at the CSNJC web page. Like you, I found adding pics into this framework became too daunting so I stopped last year. http://csnjc.org/indexlist.html Add in name changes and I could sit here 'coding' in perpetuity when I'd really rather sit here googling in perpetuity. And posting silly cat photos to my Facebook page.