Hi Roy, Perhaps you could expand on your communication with Doug and why it is not that simple?
Sadly those not party to the PM'S etc do not ever get the full picture as in this case. Why is it not that simple?
Actually it was me that Roy contacted about making the Location field a compulsory one.
From memory, I think I said this modification was more extensive than one imagines as it would require prompts, some checking of the input and error messages.
The trouble with any modification is that it takes our forum further away from the standard. Each time an upgrade is issued for the underlying forum software, these modifications may have to be re-done on new code on which it has not been tested.
As security updates and upgrades can come at any time, I can suddenly find myself with large lumps of work to be done at very short notice. As more modifications are added, the situation soon becomes un-manageable and the latest updates or upgrades just don’t get done.
That’s why you'll see many heavily modified forums are running on out-of-date software which in turn leaves them exposed to security threats such as having their pages replaced with hacker advertising, database corruption or complete wipeouts.
Initially, I had lots of little modifications installed on this forum. But as time passed and the updates came thick and fast, I gradually reduced the number to the bare minimum of essentials.
So unless a modification is of significant benefit, or easy to implement and maintain, my view now is to keep custom code to a minimum and try and keep maintenance as simple as possible.
One way of handling the location issue with newcomers is, before replying to their post, to ask where they are located. Maybe if this question appears frequently enough, new members will realise the benefit of others knowing their location, and add it to their profile.
Dave
ps ... having said all that, suggestions for modifications are always welcome!
