Geocaching.com site update May 4th 2011

[ON9CC]

I like the old layout more. Now, when displaying the map, I have terrible wide border on the left and right side and the map is much smaller! IMO this is NOT an improvement!!

[+Olddffart]

I like the old layout more. Now, when displaying the map, I have terrible wide border on the left and right side and the map is much smaller! IMO this is NOT an improvement!!

 

+ 100 !!

[+steben6]

Hotfix incoming!

 

We have released a hotfix to address the following issues. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of changes to be made. We will be reviewing all of your feedback over the next several weeks and making further adjustments as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

- Removed cache page transparency

- Added "Find My Location" to the home page below the search box

- Disabled caches now display on Beta Maps with a grayed-out icon

- Added Send to GPS, Log it, and Bookmark links to cache bubble on Beta Maps (must be logged in)

- Ignored caches no longer display on the Beta Maps

- Fixed IE8 issue displaying personalization options on original maps

- Fixed home page search to allow address searches

- Fixed public profile formatting bug which affected stats bar charts

- Fixed sorting issue (by last found date) when viewing list of finds

- Increased the size of text entry fields on E-Mail a User, Log, and Edit Cache pages

- Returned larger cache type icons to search results

- Searching by coordinates from the home page now correctly finds that exact location

The "short description" text box on the edit cache page is still only two lines long. Can that be increased a bit? Thanks.

[+searchjaunt]

There is still an issue with the personalisation of the old maps. When I click on 'Hide my finds' the founds are hidden on both the maps and cache list. But when I zoom out, the check box remains checked but the founds are shown again.

 

 

On top, it would be nice if one do some personalisation on the old maps, it would be saved when leaving the page in order to prevent to do personalisation all over again when one returns to the maps.

 

Concerning the fixed width. It would be more than nice if this fixed width adopts itself to the screen size. It ain't rocket science to determine the size:

http://www.javascripter.net/faq/screensi.htm

http://www.pageresource.com/jscript/jscreen.htm

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

- Disabled caches now display on Beta Maps with a grayed-out icon

 

Only in the most zoomed in state.

 

 

For me, they show grey on all the zooms where the full icons are displayed, except the level where the scale is 200m/1000ft.

 

That's what I meant to say, sorry for not being clearer.

[+steben6]

Don't know if this has been reported or if anybody else is having the problem, but when we check our statistics, it shows "0/finds per day" and "longest streak" as 1 day (we've actually done 101 days). When we try to update the stats, get the error screen directing us back to the website. Next time we check the stats, they are correct. Then, when check again, they are wrong again.

[+e6b_nfo]

How about adding the QUICK VIEW list menu items to a pull-down under YOUR PROFILE? Pocket Query added to the QUICK VIEW would also be awsome. Thanks for the great work.

[+Olddffart]

Don't know if this has been reported or if anybody else is having the problem, but when we check our statistics, it shows "0/finds per day" and "longest streak" as 1 day (we've actually done 101 days). When we try to update the stats, get the error screen directing us back to the website. Next time we check the stats, they are correct. Then, when check again, they are wrong again.

 

Yea, mine are all over the map too, keep changing, Fav. points don't match finds total, etc. etc. etc.

[+Matthew 7:7 Too]

I've noticed that cacherstats.com hasn't been updated since the 3rd of May. Has it been unable to access cacher stats since the update perhaps?

 

Chris

[+wigoweb]

Now the box that let's me send a message to another cacher is much larger. It apparently has a fixed width which is almost twice the size of the screen on my iPad. it seems to scroll on it's own and then return to the left when I reach the right margin. The size and behavior of that box in Profile section is very different than the box where I am typing now to respond in this forum.

 

However, I can live with the different box widths and much of the other broken features if you will get those maps fixed.

 

For us, and for many of the others we cache with, maps are an essential ingredient for a successful day of caching. We plan our routes with the maps.

 

Fix the maps.

 

Then, review the comments about focus groups and beta testing.

 

As a software developer and a teacher of computer science and project development, I can assure you that none of my students would have repeated the same mistakes that we see repeated here. How many times are you going to install features that no one (or very few) wanted without fixing the features that really cry for attention? Which cachers have benefitted from souvenirs? My students were expected to interview their potential users, learn the customers' needs and then implement those user specified features. They did not add features because they thought someone, somewhere might want that feature someday.

 

Fix the maps.

 

Leave the stuff that works alone.

 

Read a book on software development and implement beta testing.

 

Fix the maps.

Edited May 7, 2011 by wigoweb

[knowschad]

Umm... Now the backgrounds are completely gone. I guess that's an improvement?

 

Not for me there not, showing as they always used to, i.e no transparent pages,

 

Others have reported that, as well. They are missing for me in Firefox 4. Greasemonkey is disabled. I was going to try IE8, but apparently the site is down again.

 

 

Is this still an issue? I'm running Firefox 4 at home and backgrounds were displaying when I last looked. I'm at work now, so I can't check.

 

I know alot of people don't like the fixed width, but I'm in the minority that thinks it's fine. I guess I'm just not bothered by whitespace.

 

A thumbs up to resolving the transparency issue! Pages with backgrounds look alot better with the change.

 

Thumbs down to the sorting issue by Last Find. When I sort by last find on caches I haven't found, it works. When I sort by last found on caches I have found, it still sorts by the last caches I found, not by when the caches were last found.

 

I checked three of my caches that (should) have backgrounds, one active, and two archived. The active one, and one of the archived caches both do show the background, but one of the archived caches still does not, as of this morning.

[+t4e]

Don't know if this has been reported or if anybody else is having the problem, but when we check our statistics, it shows "0/finds per day" and "longest streak" as 1 day (we've actually done 101 days). When we try to update the stats, get the error screen directing us back to the website. Next time we check the stats, they are correct. Then, when check again, they are wrong again.

 

i can't duplicate that, looks fine here

[+Artemis&Apollo]

Hotfix incoming!

 

We have released a hotfix to address the following issues. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of changes to be made. We will be reviewing all of your feedback over the next several weeks and making further adjustments as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

- Added "Find My Location" to the home page below the search box

The "Find My Location" is just there for a second, after the home page is fully loaded "Find My Location" is gone...

 

Find My Location does not show on IE8

[+marulhar]

Don't know if its just me, but today it seems I can't log my visit anywhere. Tried empty cache and navigation history (by the way, my browser is Chrome) but the bug persists...

 

Keep getting this empty screens:

 

What's up?

[Raver Dave]

Another problem, I've just discovered on the Beta maps that 6 out of my 39 caches (not my newest ones) are not detected as being mine, they are showing normal cache icons and do not disappear with the rest when I filter out "My Hides"

Edited May 7, 2011 by Raver Dave

[+Artemis&Apollo]

Wow, I have been a PM since 2007 and this is, by far, the worst "upgrade" to GC.com I have ever seen!

 

I’m not sure about “worst ever” but this certainly is one of the worst implementations of a release that I have ever seen. Lost functionality, poorly tested new features, toggling users between production maps and beta maps (neither of which work correctly), and on and on.

 

But I will say that I think the main page is kind of nice looking and appearance seems to be Groundspeak’s top priority.

 

[+The Campers]

Just FIX the maps. I like the old map the best, that I could print and have the caches listed on the right side.

 

Tom

[+Matthew 7:7 Too]

I've just been updating my PQs (using Win XP & FF4 without greasemonkey scripts).

 

When you submit a revised PQ, the acknowledgement "Thanks! Your pocket query has been modified and currently results in 997 caches. You can preview the search on the nearest cache page." now appears in a light green at the top of the page (on white background). This is much more difficult to read (to check the number of caches hit) than the rest of the black on white text. Is this is deliberate change or a bug?

 

Chris

[+wigoweb]

Don't know if this has been reported or if anybody else is having the problem, but when we check our statistics, it shows "0/finds per day" and "longest streak" as 1 day (we've actually done 101 days). When we try to update the stats, get the error screen directing us back to the website. Next time we check the stats, they are correct. Then, when check again, they are wrong again.

 

i can't duplicate that, looks fine here

 

This happened to me, but a page refresh corrected my stats.

[+geobrian-]

Hotfix incoming!

 

We have released a hotfix to address the following issues. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of changes to be made. We will be reviewing all of your feedback over the next several weeks and making further adjustments as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

- Fixed sorting issue (by last found date) when viewing list of finds

 

 

This still doesn't seem to be working, it's still sorting by the date I found the cache not the last found date.

Likewise for me too. [uk using the dd/month/yyyy format, though it still doesn't work if I revert back to the old date format - oh and thanks for making the date format user configurable - much better ]

 

*edited to correct typing error*

Edited May 7, 2011 by geobrian-

[+entogeek]

Add me to the list of those who don't like the fixed width.

Text on My Last 30 Logs is now broken into multiple lines and words are split in inappropriate places.

WinXP with FireFox 4.01

 

[+mumbo jumbo]

Previously, I could access gc.com on the move from my work BlackBerry. No idea what it runs on but it's terribly slow. But the point is I could access gc.com. Now I can't. I can get up the homepage but when I try to sign in I get "HTTP Error 413: Request Entity Too Large". This means absolutely nothing to me. Can anyone enlighten me; is there some setting I can tinker with which will resolve this?

 

mj

[+curious4cache]

msrubble, what is the trick to logging in *at all*

 

mr can log in on home computer, but I can not from my laptop, even after signing off the home computer.

 

thanks!!

[+schnookies]

How do you turn personalization on? I have to have my map smileys.

 

And I can't jump to a cache description from a map.

 

 

i still can't figure out personalization..i miss my smileys! help please?

 

schnookies

[+steben6]

Just got a notification that a trackable that I am watching has a new log entry for 5/7/11. The log entry isn't showing up on the trackable's page. Anybody else experiencing this?

[+Olddffart]

Just got a notification that a trackable that I am watching has a new log entry for 5/7/11. The log entry isn't showing up on the trackable's page. Anybody else experiencing this?

 

Seems like now it is taking up to 3 hrs for the database to catch up to the notifications - no other option but to just hurry up and wait!!!

[+Spatial Distortion]

Ok, I'm not one to complain, and I'm not.

I just want to know why puzzle cache icons on the map now show as and orange question mark?

And not blue?

 

---------------

ok

I answered my own question.

The orange is for PMO caches.

-----------------

IMHO thats just confusing.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Spatial Distortion

[+wigoweb]

Not sure if what I am seeing is seen by everyone else. I am using both Safari and Firefox on my MacBook Pro and just Safari on my iPad.

The Last 30 logs that someone posted with the multi-line log seems to have been changed so that the log has its own line all the way across the screen. Much nicer that way.

My pages don't seem to have as much white space as they did. Has the fixed width been widened or have we gone back to a liquid layout? Whichever, this seems to be an improvement.

As with other releases, Groundspeak seems to be responding to our comments after they go live with the release rather than having some time with testers who could have helped prevent all of the agita.

A few more updates and releases will probably have back to a working site with real utility for those of us who go out and find the caches.

Thanks for your efforts.

Edited May 7, 2011 by wigoweb

[+crazycachingcouple]

I still can't get the site to load *AT ALL*. It keeps saying: The server at www.geocaching.com is taking too long to respond. Boooo! No website for 3 days now! Multiple browsers and computers and no luck.

[+AtwellFamily]

I am sure you are getting lots of feedback about the new site, I know I have been more vocal then usual. I did want to make one suggestion regarding the maps.

 

There are three levels to the icons. I really think you should just go back to the two (colored boxes and the icons).

 

As for the premium member caches, why not use the same icons but instead of a square white box, make it the circle. No need to make the icons different, we can tell they are premium from the shape of the background. You can also then just make the white grey when they are disabled.

 

Mush cleaner and nicer in my opinion.

 

Thanks for your work.

Mike

[+Dgwphotos]

WHAT IS WITH THE TILED BACKGROUNDS??!?!?!?!?

 

Please tell me that this is in the works to be fixed. It looks tacky as HE^^.... Plus, for some caches things now become visible that shouldn't.

 

It's always been that way. It's just more visible now due to the fixed width.

 

I'm glad the semi transparency is gone, but the find icons still need to go back to the original.

[+entogeek]

"Save as default" when editing a cache page doesn't stick. Each time I edit a listing I have to check both of these boxes.

 

 

One other thing, the box for editing the short description of a listing only allows me to display three lines of text at a time.

 

WinXP with Firefox 4.0.1.

 

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Edited May 8, 2011 by entogeek

[+msrubble]

msrubble, what is the trick to logging in *at all*

 

mr can log in on home computer, but I can not from my laptop, even after signing off the home computer.

 

Click on your username in the forum

 

OR

 

Go to an individual cache listing and choose "Log in to log your visit"

 

OR

 

Go to http://www.geocaching.com/my/

[knowschad]

"Save as default" when editing a cache page doesn't stick. Each time I edit a listing I have to check both of these boxes.

 

 

One other thing, the box for editing the short description of a listing only allows me to display three lines of text at a time.

 

WinXP with Firefox 4.0.1.

 

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

 

I think the "Save as default" options are a 3rd party Greasemonkey extention, aren't they?

[+dfx]

"Save as default" when editing a cache page doesn't stick. Each time I edit a listing I have to check both of these boxes.

 

One other thing, the box for editing the short description of a listing only allows me to display three lines of text at a time.

 

WinXP with Firefox 4.0.1.

 

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

 

That's a greasemonkey script, innit?

[+Don_J]

Premium Only caches will display for all users on Beta Maps, with coordinates slightly obscured

 

What exactly does this mean? Coordinates are not shown on the map, icons are. I have two PMO caches. I logged on with non-premium account and not the the icon for those two are exactly where they are when I am logged on with my premium account.

 

One of these caches could be easily found by going to that location and using the hint.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Don_J

[+Gan Dalf]

I really want to know what this means:

 

26958: Terms of Use Agreement Modification

Hotfixed the TOU to add language prohibiting the publication of spoilers for any geocache without consent of the cache owner

 

Does this mean that it gives CO's the right to delete your log if you talk about the cache or hide in any manner that they deem is revealing ho wtheir cache is hid?

 

If so, it seems to me that this new policy encourages the short non-descrpit logs that everyone is complaining about...

[+Brooklyn51]

On the old maps, you could click on a cache icon and load it to your GPSr using just the little summary pop-up. The new beta maps don't have this feature. Now if you want to load a cache into you GPSr you have to actually go to the cache page. This really slows down the process. We're disappointed that this functionality was lost.

 

The new look of the site is okay--just kind of boring. It's okay for those of us who have been using the site for awhile, but I don't think it will be inviting to new people.

[+Don_J]

On the old maps, you could click on a cache icon and load it to your GPSr using just the little summary pop-up. The new beta maps don't have this feature. Now if you want to load a cache into you GPSr you have to actually go to the cache page. This really slows down the process. We're disappointed that this functionality was lost.

 

The new look of the site is okay--just kind of boring. It's okay for those of us who have been using the site for awhile, but I don't think it will be inviting to new people.

 

They added this yesterday. Are you not seeing it?

[+steben6]

:anibad: Statistics STILL not accurate. Every time I check, the "Find Rate" and "Longest Streak" are totally wrong (shows 0/finds per day and longest streak as 1 day). If I "update my statistics," the correct info shows, but if I go out of the screen and come back in, they are wrong again. Friends' are doing the same thing. I'm not a big fan of the Statistics link, in the first place (I'd MUCH rather have the maps and fixed width issues fixed), but if we're gonna have the Statistics link, then I want it to be right. Sigh....

[Raver Dave]

Premium Only caches will display for all users on Beta Maps, with coordinates slightly obscured

 

What exactly does this mean? Coordinates are not shown on the map, icons are. I have two PMO caches. I logged on with non-premium account and not the the icon for those two are exactly where they are when I am logged on with my premium account.

 

One of these caches could be easily found by going to that location and using the hint.

 

I can't understand why they show at all, the fact that they display a different icon (round instead of square) means the code is already there to determine which caches are PMO so why not just add the extra few lines required to check the users membership level and hide them?

[+Harry Dolphin]

WHAT IS WITH THE TILED BACKGROUNDS??!?!?!?!?

 

Please tell me that this is in the works to be fixed. It looks tacky as HE^^.... Plus, for some caches things now become visible that shouldn't.

 

It's always been that way. It's just more visible now due to the fixed width.

 

Hunh??? I've lost the backgrounds, except for a narrow strip below the cache page.

 

Also, going into "My Public Profile" - "Geocaches" - "All Geocache Finds" can take several minutes. And when I get there, the pages are almost impossible to read - print is too small.

 

I don't know what the fixed page width was supposed to solve, but it has definitely screwed up a lot of things.

[+technetium]

We have released a hotfix to address the following issues. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of changes to be made.

 

Thank you, I hove You've seen you've forgotten to add to remove the fixed with and the mutulation of the images, tables etc.

 

Tc

[+wigoweb]

WHAT IS WITH THE TILED BACKGROUNDS??!?!?!?!?

 

Please tell me that this is in the works to be fixed. It looks tacky as HE^^.... Plus, for some caches things now become visible that shouldn't.

 

It's always been that way. It's just more visible now due to the fixed width.

 

Hunh??? I've lost the backgrounds, except for a narrow strip below the cache page.

 

Also, going into "My Public Profile" - "Geocaches" - "All Geocache Finds" can take several minutes. And when I get there, the pages are almost impossible to read - print is too small.

 

I don't know what the fixed page width was supposed to solve, but it has definitely screwed up a lot of things.

 

I wish I had lost the backgrounds. I just viewed a cache with two bright yellow tennis balls as the tiled background. Even on my laptop with the fixed width page, I still see way too much of the tiled image. What I see is two bright yellow tennis balls on each side of the fixed width listing. The only way I can view the page without visual pain is to make my browser window smaller and squeeze the tiled images out view. Here is the cache page: http://coord.info/GC22YYK When we found this cache several days ago, the Great Update hadn't yet been published, and this was a nice looking cache page. I'm glad that I didn't revisit this page while the translucent effects were still in place.

 

After you get the maps fixed, please work on getting the fluid widths to work rather than using the fixed width. Web page designers all over the world have learned to work around the limitations of Internet Explorer. Your crew should be able to find a solution, too.

[+Koblenzer]

Today i was not able to login on my device app nor with my username/passwort at geocaching.com after logout there. Then i set a new (the old one again) via the email-procedure. Now i can log in again, the mobile app works again without a change, too. I don´t believe account was hacked (nearly secure systems with all patches and virusscan, software only from serious sources etc. / complex and unique password / no other people with access to my computers). Maybe the update broke some passwords?

Edited May 8, 2011 by Koblenzer

[+wigoweb]

I noticed that these forums still have a fluid width for the pages rather than a fixed width.

 

If a fluid width works here in the forums, why doesn't it work on the cache pages? Do people who use IE read the forums? Do they have display problems while reading the forums?

[+Spatial Distortion]

I noticed that these forums still have a fluid width for the pages rather than a fixed width.

 

If a fluid width works here in the forums, why doesn't it work on the cache pages? Do people who use IE read the forums? Do they have display problems while reading the forums?

 

I am using IE8 and I have no problems reading the forums

[+twomax]

Thanks for removing the tranparent backgrounds, but you did so only AFTER I'd gone through all my cache pages and removed the background images because they looked so awful.

Now I'm having to go through all of them again to reinstate the background images.

 

And I still can't get cache info box to appear on the new map when I click or hover on a cache icon. When I double click on an icon, the map just keeps zooming in further and further. Really annoying

[+t4e]

On the old maps, you could click on a cache icon and load it to your GPSr using just the little summary pop-up. The new beta maps don't have this feature. Now if you want to load a cache into you GPSr you have to actually go to the cache page. This really slows down the process. We're disappointed that this functionality was lost.

 

 

why you even bother doing that when you're a premium member and can run PQ?

 

And I still can't get cache info box to appear on the new map when I click or hover on a cache icon. When I double click on an icon, the map just keeps zooming in further and further. Really annoying

 

works like a charm here in FF,but i'm not even sure if this is browser related anyway

why would you double click if you don't want it to zoom in?

Edited May 8, 2011 by t4e

[+AndrewRJ]

On the old maps, you could click on a cache icon and load it to your GPSr using just the little summary pop-up. The new beta maps don't have this feature. Now if you want to load a cache into you GPSr you have to actually go to the cache page. This really slows down the process. We're disappointed that this functionality was lost.

 

 

why you even bother doing that when you're a premium member and can run PQ?

 

 

I can give you one example of this. Boss walks into my office and says, "drive to town X" which happens to be 60 miles from office. Boss knows that I cache and allows me to grab a cache after I complete the job (note I don't charge for the time I am caching) I have no way of knowing which town town X is going to be as I am an emergency responder.

I don't have time to run a PQ and I am not allowed to have GSAK on my work computer. I can however pull up the map, and quickly send 2 caches to my GPS. Very easy and quick.

 

Not everyone caches in the same way and for me the I have less then 5 minutes usually to get out the door after my pager goes off. Speed is necessary.