Recently, we asked for your input on improvements you'd like to see in our software. We made these inquiries both publicly on our blog and through direct communications as well. Without a doubt, two of the most common requests have been for improvements to the WYSIWYG editor and for more blog functionality. Well folks, next week we're taking a swing at both of these issues and we know you're going to love the results.
WYSIWYG improvements
We'll be rolling out a major upgrade to the WYSIWYG editor. This is the editing interface used in our text elements, as well as on blog posts and calendar events. Here's a look at the improvements we're making:
- Built-in image editing. A simple-to-use, built-in image editor lets you resize, flip, rotate, crop, and set opacity on images you upload to the system. This is a huge time saver and process simplifier as it eliminates the need for external photo editing software.
- Ease-of-use. We're adding several enhancements (including the image editor mentioned above) to make the editor easier and less-confusing for non-technical users.
- XHTML compliance. The new version forces XHTML compliant output across all major browsers.
- Cross-browser improvements. The editor continues to support all major browsers. Ongoing improvements have been made, especially on Opera for Mac. Plus, Safari support has improved, though there are still some issues with the rendered HTML output in Safari.
- Layout options. The interface has been cleaned up and a "module manager" selector has been added. This allows you to choose to display the items you want to see on the editing interface, including a new, real-time HTML view, side-by-side with the WYSIWYG. You can now also drag to resize the editing interface.
- Vastly-improved performance. This should increase load times substantially.
This update makes some huge improvements that we know you will love, but WYSIWYG editing is a complex and constantly evolving field. We'll continue to solicit feedback and make improvements as necessary to ensure that our software provides the best user experience possible. As always, our goal is to balance simplicity and ease of use with needed functionality.
Blog archiving
A stellar new blog enhancement will be rolling out next week as well. True blog archiving will be possible and it is so simple to use. Just add a new blog element in any region, then go to the settings for that element. Set the "skin" to the new "Blog Archive" skin and, at the bottom, select the existing blog elements on your site that you wish to archive. I can tell you I am super excited about implementing this one on the Element Fusion blog as soon as it goes live.
Scheduled for next week
We don't have an exact day on the upgrade but it will be next week (sometime between June 17-19). We'll send out a tweet when we know the exact time so be sure to follow us on Twitter for up to the minute updates. No downtime will be required for these new features to be released.
Posted on
Friday, June 13, 2008
by Tim Wall