some observations from a new user:

1 - we chose "threads" because it offered a threaded view, necessary for users to parse complex, interleaved discussions. (It WOULD be nice if it could somehow be made easier for someone who hasn't used threaded views, to understand how they work!)

2 - I really agree that the admin panel needs some reorganization and additions (like clicks to enable/disable options) - I get embarassed that I saw something somewhere, and then can't find it again

3 - as to design, I hope Josh doesn't mind if I diasgree with his statement that "it's just html". Based on my limited experience, 1t's actually a pretty complicated interaction between templates and stylesheets, and that's getting into the second or third volume of html, as far as I'm concerned! I've had a couple of experiences in trying to change or alter templates that have foundered when I couldn't figure out the interaction between templates and stylesheets, though fortunately people like Josh and Dalantech have been available to help. But when it takes and hour or two a day over several days to solve one modest problem, that's not trivial. I'm sure that in a year or so, at this rate of time expenditure, I'll be a bit better at it, but meanwhile I'm half-way through the couple of months I have to get this board up, and still have several problems to solve (not counting getting some content, e.g., tips, in the board so our users will have a better idea of where stuff is and how to use the board). By the way, one trivial thing would be to have a page explaining what page or screen, or perhaps part of screen, each of the templates covers...I've come to understand more or less what a quarter of them are related to, but a guide would be handy for the would-be template editor who is trying to alter something.)

I did a lot of computer programming a long time ago, as part of my research, and I've had - in the last several years - a couple of minor interactions with html...it's one thing to remove a couple of line breaks from one of these templates, but figuring out how the details work - which you have to do if you want to make a modification - is another thing entirely, IM(very)HO.

Anyway, I'd encourage improvements in the CP, as suggested, plus some work on design (I found I was trying to get some of the look of ubb.x, but with great difficulty), and perhaps other things that make changes in design and options more accessible to people with less experience than Josh or DLT

Thanks - Tony <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

PS: As for specific suggestions of changes, I have a few that I have mentioned recently on other occasions, e.g., -

- have an option (mostly for the convenience of moderators) where a user CAN get email of new posts in their "favorite" forums - an option that IS mentioned, as I read it, in one of the documents, but doesn't exist. This is so that, if they really are moderating, they don't have to keep checking the board, and - alternatively - they don't have to wait a whole day or so for a subscription to know that there is something they should respond to. (Actually, maybe they do get emails if post approval is required; if so, it wouldn't be hard to modify this so they have the option of getting the email even if approval ISN'T required);

- if registration approval is required, the resulting email ought to have the details that the registrant entered or a link to wherever that is!

Related to this, it would really be nice if it were possible to add fields to what a user has to fill out on registration, so you can really know if the person qualifies (e.g., details to determine whether he/she is a member of our association, in the event we have to adopt that requirement); and the add-field option ought to include any required changes to the database. Now that I think about it, the 4 empty fields already available, but not required for registrtion, must already have places specified in the database (???) So all we need is a second set of such fields that are available for the registration process, but that don't show up if the field names are empty...?

- I really think there should be an option to have the category descriptions displayed on the main page, even when the forums are also displayed, and, like, ubb.x that it should be possible to include a link (i.e., html); J.C. and Dalantech helped me make this change. (However, I have to make it again, now that I've installed DLT's facelift..This may be trivial, but may not be, because I didn't understand one of the changes. So I'm hoping I can just find that last change and copy it over to the new ubbthreads.tmpl, and that it won't intereact with any of the changes in the facelift...)

Enough, already!