Recent Changes To AustinExplorer.com

Jan. 11, 2010

• Cemetery search option "Show All" was showing historic sites by mistake. This has been corrected.
• Applied a couple of security patches to the forum code.

Nov. 8, 2009

• Reworked the layout of the show location pages to make navigation easier. Links to add a log entry, view a topo map or download track files are now combined in the upper right hand corner of the page.
• Modified the latest log entry list to include a link to the log entry in question instead of the location.
• Fixed a bug that prevent some user stat averages from appearing in the My Explorer page.
• Fixed a bug in the Find A Cache page that prevented a search from succeeding when a cost was supplied.

Oct. 15, 2009

• Added the ability to view track files on a dynamic map. These track files area also visible in log entries that contain them. For logs without a track file a map is centered on the location.
• Fixed a bug that was incorrectly prevented logged hikes from showing up in your My page.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the "Update Stats" link on the My Page from updating stats properly.
• Fixed bug in personal hike list page that prevented sorting by hike name.
• Fixed a bug in the My Page that prevented some log entries from being displayed in the summary list.

Sep. 25, 2009

• Fixed a bug that was incorrectly detecting an invalid track files and preventing valid .gpx files from being uploaded.
• Increased the size of the of the log entry caption field from 50 to 80 characters.

Sep. 10, 2009

• Cleaned up the main menu code, making it smaller and more efficient. It also resulted in the menu showing up properly on Google Chrome browsers.
• Added a new Manage My Account page for a single source to links for updating one's profile or managing newsletter subscriptions. More work needs to be done in this area.
• Fixed track file links on many hike pages.
• Added the ability to upload GPS track files and associate them your hiking log entries. Look for added functionality related to this later.
• Fixed a bug in the hike log edit page that prevented the hike duration from being changed in some circumstances.
• Added some layout enhancements that give boxes a rounded corner for Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers. Sorry, Internet Explorer doesn't support CSS rounded corners yet!

Aug. 1, 2009

• Changed the location of the hike and geocache pages to use the common location page design already in use by historic sites and cemeteries. Now all Austin Explorer location types use the same code.
• Visits to both historic sites and cemeteries may now be logged, just like you can with hikes and geocaches. Overall counts for cemetery and historic site visits are not yet listed on the "My Explorer" page, but that's coming in a later rollout.
• A general "enjoyability" rating may now be added to Geocache log entries just like those that can be entered for hikes.
• Log entries that are deleted are instead archived and visible to the user who logged the entry. Archived files can be unarchived in case of accidental deletion.
• A dialog box on the add and edit hike log pages now allow for clearer entry of how long you were on the trail. Separate text boxes for hours and minutes are available.
• Created a single starting page for finding for locations. Currently this contains links to location type specific pages, but eventually all search functionality will be found here. For now, this allows for the removal of the secondary menu that contained the link to the search page depending upon what location types you were viewing.

Mar. 25, 2009

• Changed the location of the historic site and cemetery pages. They are now represented as common locations. Hikes will be moved to the location table next. This will allow for easier implementation of new features in the future. It is not certain at this time if geocaches will be moved to the Locations table as well.
• Fixed a bug that was preventing the dogs and bikes allowed flags from being shown on the hike pages.

Dec. 10, 2008

• Add log and edit log pages modified to ensure that log dates are set to today or earlier.
• Changed the way in which the area covered by AustinExplorer.com is calculated. Now, instead of selecting a few counties around Austin a rectangle bordered by longtude and latitude is to be used. The area is similar to the old system, but the new scheme allows for automating certain tasks to keep the site up to date. It will also play a part in later enhancements both on AustinExplorer.com and on sites covering areas outside of Austin. To see the AustinExplorer.com area visit the Maps page and click on the "Show Site Boundary" checkbox.

Oct. 8, 2008

• Fixed bug that was preventing cache logs from being edited.
• Fixed the My Explorer page list of recent cache finds so that they show the recorded Terrain value.

Sep. 29, 2008

• Photo uploads have been enabled once again.
• Fixed some bugs related to the ability to delete log entries.
• Fixed up some non-working .asp redirect pages to maintain compatibility with older versions of the site.

Jul. 30, 2008

• Applied an temporary workaround to viewing photos after a problem surfaced when the site was moved to a new machine. For now photo uploads are disabled until a more permanent solution can be found.

June 10, 2008

• Enhanced the add a log page to set the default date to today and also added a popup calendar picker as an alternate date selection method.
• Fixed an error that occurred when editing a log entry that included a rating that was not previously set.
• Improved the ability to search for hikes or sites using keywords.
• Added a new registration page that allows for quicker signup.
• Added several help pages to assist with various activities and operations on the site.
• Added Terrain view option to Google Maps on the site.
• Fixed the page to add a link to the links database.

Mar. 16, 2008

• Fixed the "list them" pages on the My Explorer page so that it does not lose track of whose logs it's sorting. Also added a link to the user's page at the bottom of the table. This change also makes the page suitable for linking to.
• Fixed a problem some people were having when logging in, particularly when going directly to the login page.

Jan. 27, 2008

• Added a link from the geocache log pages to the log a cache page for that cache on Geocaching.com. Now it's easier to log cache finds on both sites.
• Added the ability be able to automatically find your lost login name and to change your password on the login page.
• The add a log pages now have some code in place to try and prevent duplicate log entries when pressing the submit button more than once.
• Cleaned up the view log page so that the text of comments flows more nicely around any pictures that the user may have uploaded (example).

Dec. 30, 2007

• Fixed the Print A Hike links from hike writeups.
• Miscellaneous other minor fixes and tweaks.

Dec. 9, 2007

• Fixed a bug in the Find A Hike/Cache/Site pages that prevented some items from being displayed in the results.
• Fixed virtual cache confirmation page and the contact us pages so that emails will once again be sent.
• Users can now submit articles, including trail and site writeups. To submit a writeup for a hike that does not have one just navigate to the hike and press the link that says "Submit a writeup". WYSIWYG editing will come in a later rollout.
• It's now possible to edit the captions and descriptions of your uploaded photos.
• You can now submit news headlines for others to see.
• Added a login and registration help file.
• Many of the main pages have been cached so that they update no more than once per minute. This was put into place to help cut down on server load.
• Re-added the "Update Stats" link on your My Explorer page in case the stats are not properly updated.

Sept. 3, 2007

• Look for the "BOOKMARK" button on site detail, article or log pages. They provide an easy way to save a page in which you are interested on social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us or Digg.
• Better support for Firefox browsers. It's now used as part of standard testing.
• Rollout of Google-based mapping. Google maps are also used in place of the old Tiger census maps on undocumented hikes (example here). Note: Firefox browsers show the markers faster than Internet Explorer.
• Added the ability log and display hike duration.
• Enhanced all of the search pages. More input validation is done to the parameters to ensure a valid query. A "Clear Fields" button allows for easy refresh for starting a new query. Search results have a cleaner look and are easier to read.
• Search pages include new search options. The Find A Hike page now includes the hike enjoyability rating in search criteria. The Find A Site and Find A Cemetery pages now includes the ability to search by keyword.
• Find A Hike results have a cleaner look and are easier to read.
• The list of hike logs returned by the "List Them" link on the "My Explorer" page now includes a link on the hike name (which brings you to the hike details page) and the date of the hike (which brings you to the specific hike log view page).
• Enhanced options on the view hike and geocache log page. Now it's possible to edit the log, upload photos or delete the log from the log view page. This no longer has to be done from within the hike or geocache details page.

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