21 September - Bonkers is changing, very slowly
BiB was written before anyone expected to browse the web on a mobile phone and
when the most commonly used web browser was Internet Explorer 6. When mobile
browsing first became possible the site was modified to allow reconfiguration to
a smaller screen. However it was done before web pages could communicate with
viewing devices to establish the best display size and before I bought my own
mobile to conduct tests.
Currently the site displays as intended when tested on a small window on a big screen,
that is on my PC, but not always on a real mobile device.
Some regular mobile users tell me that BiB never displays correctly for them
while my experience is that every page can be made to display correctly on
my own phone. That may be because my phone just happens to suit BiB better than
others but it will also be because BiB’s underlying code does not take full
advantage of all the web facilities that have become available in recent years.
Upgrading the site is a massive undertaking, basically the whole site other than
content will have to be rewritten.
Meanwhile a few tips on how to get the best out of it on a mobile phone.
On a small device like my own, don’t bother with portrait mode viewing, turn it
sideways, it will rarely look right in portrait mode.
If the display is far too wide try tapping on the central part of the grey bar
underneath the banner heading or on the Mobile icon to the left. A screen
refresh sometimes helps. Clear history cache in extreme cases.
If the display is too narrow and a red letter A is shown to the left of the
menu, try tapping on that.
The code that runs the blog pages is very different to the original part, that
is everything else and they can behave slightly differently.
Each has its own Configure facility listed under the Miscellany menu. Once there
choose Mobile mode. There is no need for a Save or OK button and BiB then should
go to the chosen format immediately.
It is possible when so configured for the screen to become very narrow indeed -
I have no idea why - but a click on the red A should fix it.
It is near impossible to find the time to keep the blog content going and find
time to redesign the site but it should be fun to try.
‘Permanently’ Reconfigure blog :
http://www.bexley-is-bonkers.co.uk/blogs/configure.php
‘Permanently’ Reconfigure other parts of BiB :
http://www.bexley-is-bonkers.co.uk/site/configure.php