Update - Iteration 2!

We've recently updated the yaytrail extension code with some new features.

In order to get the new code you may need to refresh your browser, or failing that, clear your browser's cache and refresh again. With future updates, clearing your cache should be unnecessary.

This update replaces the previous code with a whole new set of code we've been working on over the past number of weeks.

So what’s the difference?

The biggest difference this update brings is behind the scenes - the new code is based around an entirely new foundation. The net result of this should be much faster and easier updates in the future, as our code is now built for extensibility rather than as a quick-and-dirty prototype.

Although most of what's new is in the plumbing, there are also some changes to the user experience we'd like to highlight in this blog. These include:

Blinking cursor

Most text-input on computers is guided by a little blinking cursor, and we don't think yaytrail should be any different! Now when you double click, a blinking cursor will indicate where you are typing. You can move this cursor to another part of the page by clicking on another word, and can move it within your edit using the left and right arrow keys too.

Copy & Paste

Another important 'must-have' in a text editing system is copy-and-paste, and this update adds this functionality to yaytrail.

Save indicator

As before, you double click a second time to end your editing session and save your edits. Now when an edit is saved it will momentarily flash yellow to confirm to you that it has indeed been saved.

Better control over where you can type

A lot of you have asked some good questions like - why can't I insert an edit between a word and a full stop or after a space? Why can't I create a new paragraph?

Now you can do all these things. You need no longer be constrained to the paragraphs already in a webpage - bring the cursor to the end of a paragraph and hit enter, and you're in your own little space underneath. We don't yet have full punctuation detection, but the cursor now also can see where there's a fullstop, a space, and a number of other special characters to let you edit in and amongst these on a page.

Identity

An obvious shortcoming of the old code was the lack of any identification on edits. It was impossible to see who wrote what! We're still working on the best way to present this information while keeping a light visual presence, but in this update we've added a user's profile photo to the start of an edit. Mouse over the avatar and the author's username will pop up, or click on the picture to go to the author's Trail page.

You can change your picture in the Settings page. We've had feeback to say that the upload system hasn't been working for some users, but we're currently working to fix that, so hopefully soon you'll all have your own profile picture for handy identification of edit authors. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

Notes on other differences and usage

Please do note the following differences from our first iteration:

Usage of the new interface is quite similar to the previous iteration, but there are a couple of differences to bear in mind.

When you first double-click on a page now, it is more akin to turning on the page's edit-mode, so to speak. Rather than just opening up one space within which you can type, a double-click will bring the cursor onto the page and allow you to move it around elsewhere on the page with a single click of your left mouse button. So now, you can double-click, type an edit in one place, and then click to move the cursor somewhere else on the page and make a second edit there, and so on. Then, when you are finished, double-click the page again to turn edit-mode off and save your new edits. Also, be sure that when you double-click to save that you double-click anywhere on the page outside of any edits you have made (clicks on edits are currently disabled so a double-click on an edit to save will go unrecognised!).

Work in Progress

This update represents a work in progress. As always, we need your help to test and refine yaytrail. Undoubtedly there are bugs to be found and fixed with this updated code, so give yaytrail a whirl and let us know what you think. Heck, invite your friends too and let them experience the power of having their own personal web!

If you need any help at all in using yaytrail, don't be shy about letting us know, no matter the problem. And questions, comments, bugs and feedback are welcome at feedback@yaytrail.com or you can just drop us a comment on this blog below or better still, an edit with yaytrail.

Have fun!