BBO Web-Client Thread 9

[fred]

The latest version of the BBO web-client (V30) is now available.

 

Please let us know what you think by posting feedback in this thread! Alternatively you can send me an e-mail (fred@bridgebase.com) with your thoughts.

 

You can find out how to access the new version of the web-client and read about the changes that were introduced in it through:

 

Link to post announcing web-client V30

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[1eyedjack]

Fred I tried to follow you through the yellows tournament today (22 Dec) and while the menu suggested that I had successfully flagged you to follow (if I right click on your name one of the options is "stop following fred"), when the movement came up I found myself at a table at which you were not present.

[fred]

Fred I tried to follow you through the yellows tournament today (22 Dec) and while the menu suggested that I had successfully flagged you to follow (if I right click on your name one of the options is "stop following fred"), when the movement came up I found myself at a table at which you were not present.

For this to start working, the next version of the BBO server will have to be installed. Not sure when this will happen, but it won't be too long.

 

Sorry I did not think to mention this in my post that listed the new features. I think all of the other new features I mention should be working already.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[A2003]

Keyboard option is preferable than moving the mouse to a specific location to go to "Back" and click.

Takes more time and mouse is quicker, jumping and annoying.

"Esc" Keyboard should do "Back" function.

[A2003]

"Warning message" Too many times to read the same message. Time consuming to close the activity.

[A2003]

Chat Manager:

I can create message and save.

I can click on the message from chat manager and it pastes in the chat message area without a recipient. I get the warning for No recipient.

Now, I can not clear the message.

The cursor is the message area and right click, menu pops up.

"clear chat" is not functioning.

Now I select all and clear chat not functioning.

Now, I select all "Delete" works.

 

Prefer clear chat to function instead of multiple actions.

[A2003]

I like Chat manager concept.

This can be used for prealert messages.

I requested for prealert box for Suggestions for the Software.

[fred]

Chat Manager:

I can create message and save.

I can click on the message from chat manager and it paste in the chat message area without a recipient. I get the warning for No recipient.

Now, I cannot clear the clear message.

The cursor is the message area and right click, menu pops up.

"clear chat" is not functioning.

Now I select all and clear chat not functioning.

Now, I select all "Delete" works.

 

Prefer clear chat to function instead of multiple actions.

"Clear chat" is used to get rid of any chat that has already been sent or received and is currently displayed in the chat-output area.

 

It is not used for clearing what is displayed in the chat-input area.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[barmar]

Do you think you could have the "About BBO" box display the version number of the client? This is where most applications display their version number.

[1eyedjack]

Is it possible to adjust the background colour of dummy? On my machine it is barely distinguishable from the other backgrounds. Only of relevance when kibbing of course.

[fred]

Is it possible to adjust the background colour of dummy? On my machine it is barely distinguishable from the other backgrounds.  Only of relevance when kibbing of course.

No sorry. At this point in time the user has no control over colors.

 

I will take a look at this and possibly change this for the next version. However, if I think the problem you are experiencing is a function of your specific monitor I am not going to change anything - sorry.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[A2003]

Home page

Click on "Help me find a game".

click on "Play - I want to find or start my own table".

click on "I want to start a new table".

click on "Teaching". "start table".

click on "south - click to sit".

Robot Pops up and hides Click to sit.

 

May be word like this "Sit (Click)" may give spacing for Robot pop up.

I can resize the window by dragging to full size, still complete wording is not visible.

 

"Sit (Click)" instead of "Click to Sit " may give spacing for reading.

 

Bidding Table, "Click to Sit" this is not there. So, this is ok.

[Zmud99]

Hi,

 

is there a way to reach "partnership bidding" area in Web client ?

I didn't see it - :(

 

Perhaps , I miss something cause I'm new on BBO :) - Thanks for tremendous Job indeed

 

Regards

[uday]

Same as above, but select table type = "Bidding"

[barmar]

FYI, the warning about closing the window or using the browser's back button doesn't work in Safari. I know you said it was only known to work in IE and FF, I'm just letting you know.

 

I'm pretty sure I've been to other sites that have Javascript that detects this properly in Safari, so it should be doable.

[1eyedjack]

Just now I was in on the web client and although most of the functionality appeared ot be present it would not download any player profiles. Just said "searching" before timing out.

[1eyedjack]

How impractical would it be for the server to keep a record of the tables on display to each logged-in user at any instant?

 

The reason that I ask is that for me a significant shortcoming of the web version contrasted with windows is the failure (in the web version) automatically and instantly, without prompting, to refresh the tables list when there is a change. If the server has on record the tables that I have on view then only sends to me refresh when MY view would change, this might cut down on the net traffic that I suspect may be the principal disinstentive to sending out global refreshes to all logged in users in the manner that currently happens with Win-based users.

[1eyedjack]

Very small point, but I would prefer it if the screen refreshed dynamically as you drag the scroll bar. Under the current config the screen is frozen during the process of dragging and then refreshes when you release the scroll bar. Trouble with that method is that you have to guess whether you have scrolled to the right point.

 

This proposal probably involves a bit more net traffic, as it would require the client to download the entire table list or whatever, including those not currently on display, when in the current method it presumably re-downloads the list in context of the position of the scroll bar.

 

As an end user I know which way I would prefer it, is all.

[1eyedjack]

If you ask GIB to analyse a hand within the web browser the number of overtricks or undertricks assigned to each card almost completely obscures the card lying under that number:

 

http://www.keepandshare.com/photo/view.php?u=336410&fv=y

 

Increasing the window size doesn't help.

 

I can of course deduce the cards from the other three visible hands, but even so ...

[1eyedjack]

I find the current procedure for saving hands locally when using the web client very frustrating. Are there any plans to make this easier? I appreciate that Flash prevents you doing this in real time, but there is a roundabout way of doing it in arrears, by going to MyHands and clicking on the Lin version. I guess I am asking if we can cut out the "roundabout". For example, when in the web version, clicking on Options when viewing a file provides a handviewer link, but this link only takes you to a "movie" version, it does not take you to the "Lin" version. Only the latter option gives you the option to save it locally. This means that if you want to save a hand locally you have to manually navigate to the approprate MyHands page, and it would be nice to have that as a direct link from the web client.

 

Perhaps another desirable option, if feasible, would be within the Export options to include "send Lin by email to [prompt for email address]" Is that barred by Flash?

 

Ideally I would like to be able to instruct the server to save locally (by email if necessary) a single lin file that contains an entire session of play. Currently I do not think that this feature is available even by saving files to the server. Yes you can get there by MyHands, but it involves a lot of mouseclicking.

[fred]

How impractical would it be for the server to keep a record of the tables on display to each logged-in user at any instant?

Unfortunately it would not be practical at all.

 

We are working on some alternatives that may make this unnecessary.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[fred]

Very small point, but I would prefer it if the screen refreshed dynamically as you drag the scroll bar. Under the current config the screen is frozen during the process of dragging and then refreshes when you release the scroll bar. Trouble with that method is that you have to guess whether you have scrolled to the right point.

 

This proposal probably involves a bit more net traffic, as it would require the client to download the entire table list or whatever, including those not currently on display, when in the current method it presumably re-downloads the list in context of the position of the scroll bar.

 

As an end user I know which way I would prefer it, is all.

This is actually not about network traffic at all. When you request a list of tables, the entire list is loaded before any of the list is displayed.

 

The reason that we have disabled "live-scrolling" of some lists is because of performance issues relating to drawing the actual lists on the screen (especially with large lists on slow PCs). Unfortuantely Flash is weak in this area, but Adobe is aware of this problem and hopefully they will address it at some point.

 

As soon as it is realistically possible to do something about this I will make it so.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[fred]

I find the current procedure for saving hands locally when using the web client very frustrating. Are there any plans to make this easier? I appreciate that Flash prevents you doing this in real time, but there is a roundabout way of doing it in arrears, by going to MyHands and clicking on the Lin version. I guess I am asking if we can cut out the "roundabout". For example, when in the web version, clicking on Options when viewing a file provides a handviewer link, but this link only takes you to a "movie" version, it does not take you to the "Lin" version. Only the latter option gives you the option to save it locally. This means that if you want to save a hand locally you have to manually navigate to the approprate MyHands page, and it would be nice to have that as a direct link from the web client.

 

Perhaps another desirable option, if feasible, would be within the Export options to include "send Lin by email to [prompt for email address]" Is that barred by Flash?

 

Ideally I would like to be able to instruct the server to save locally (by email if necessary) a single lin file that contains an entire session of play. Currently I do not think that this feature is available even by saving files to the server. Yes you can get there by MyHands, but it involves a lot of mouseclicking.

Is the source of your frustration the user interface that allows you to save hands in the database or is it all about your inability to get a local copy of a .lin file directly through the web-client? If this is about the user interface, let me know what frustrates you as I may be able to improve it.

 

Although we don't have any definite plans to do any of these things, we have discussed concepts like:

 

- Allowing users to upload existing .lin files to their own "hand database" in the web-client (from where they can later upload those hands to teaching tables, tournaments, or team matches).

 

- Providing a service whereby users can sign up to have their results automatically e-mails to them. It would be trivial to include links for downloading .lin files in such e-mails.

 

Probably both of these things will happen - it is just a question of when.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[fred]

Do you think you could have the "About BBO" box display the version number of the client? This is where most applications display their version number.

In principle, of course we could do that.

 

But why do you think a user would care about the version number of the client they are using? We arrange so that everyone automatically gets the latest version.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[fred]

Keyboard option is preferable than moving the mouse to a specific location to go to "Back" and click.

Takes more time and mouse is quicker, jumping and annoying.

"Esc" Keyboard should do "Back" function.

Unfortunately keyboard support is really awkward for web-applications in general. This is mostly because of interaction with the browser. The browser is really in control of the keyboard and different browsers have different rules for what they will do with various keystrokes.

 

That is why, at this point in time at least, we can't realistically add "hotkey" support to the web-client. If and when this state of affairs changes, we will certainly do something about it.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com