Website bugs being fixed

Below is a list of the bugs the web team have recently fixed:

1. Unable to view the Latest Uploads Gallery / website very slow - STATUS: INTERMITTENT - STILL BEING RESOLVED - This issue seemed to happen on a Tuesday for the first few weeks after the website moved to a new server in July. The issue was triggered by weekly automatic website updates. Our web team and the server's tech team worked together to find what was causing the problem, and for a time the bug appeared to have been resolved. More recently, the issue appears to have recurred on a couple of occasions. The server's web team have escalated the matter to for us and our web team are working closely with them to find a permanent resolution. 
2. Unable to like or comment on uploads - STATUS: RESOLVED BUT BEING MONITORED - This is actually not a separate issue, but a symptom of the bug mentioned above. This applies only to photos that were uploaded to the website during the hours when the above bug was affecting the site. When you click on those few photos, they do not have the option to like or comment. Now that a resolution is in place, we don't expect this to happen to any more uploads. If it's happened to one of yours, the best thing to do is upload it again. If you're trying to comment on a photo that doesn't have the option to upload, you can go to the member's Timeline and leave a comment there.
3. Some uploads not appearing in gallery - STATUS: RESOLVED - There was a link between using emojis in your comment and the upload not appearing in the respective gallery (e.g. tutorial or Indy artwork gallery). This was affecting some, but not all website users. This is a bug within the third-party software our website uses for community features. We have reported it to their developers and hope they will roll out a fix. In the meantime, a temporary resolution is is now in place where our website filters out emojis, and allows the uploads to appear where they are supposed to. We hope that in the future, the developers of the software we use will iron out the cause so we can use emojis in comments.
4. Some messages unable to post in forum - STATUS: PART RESOLVED - This is part of the issue described above. If you are unable to post a forum message, please remove any emojis you may have included and try again.
5. Replies to comments on uploads are hidden -STATUS: RESOLVED (BUT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE) - When viewing uploads in the pop-up box, replies to comments are hidden and need to be expanded to read them. Also the text you need to click on to read the replies is too small. Our web team have found that this was not actually a bug, but a change that came in when the third-party software we use was recently updated by its developers. The reason behind this update is so that comments will load more quickly than they were before. Our testing has shown that comments do load significantly more quickly since this update, so we're inclined to keep it so that replies don't automatically load, and hope that we'll all soon get used to clicking to see replies. The 'View 1 reply' text has now been made bigger, so it's now nicer to navigate.
6. Can't use side arrows to scroll between uploads - STATUS: RESOLVED - When you click on an uploaded image and the pop up box appears, the left and right arrows, which allow you to scroll to the next upload, are not working. This happened because of an update in the software our website uses. Our web team have found the cause and implemented a fix.

If you notice a new bug which is not in the above list:

1. Please first check that the problem is not being caused by your browser, which is often the case. You can easily check this by logging into the website in a Private or Incognito browser window, or in a different browser, and seeing if it still happens. If the problem does not happen, it means it's happening in your browser and not in the website. The fix is to clear your browser's cache (essentially delete old cookies which stay in your browser after you've visited websites). The link shared above shows you how to do this. Though it sounds technical, it's just a few clicks and is quick and easy.
2. If the issue is not only happening in your browser: Please email our support desk with details of the problem. This will help our team to deal with the bug most effectively. The email address is info@naturestudio.com
3. How to report a website bug:  Before we can pass issues over to our IT team, our support team need to replicate the problem you're having so we can rule out browser issues. This helps us to make sure our web team can work most effectively. Please help us to replicate the problem you're having and report the issue clearly by providing us with the following information when you email us:
   
   
   1. The URL of the web page where you're experiencing the problem (e.g. https://members.naturestudio.com/members/me)
   2. A clear description of the problem you're having. (e.g. "When I click the 'reply' button under Elizabeth's comment, nothing happens")
   3. If at all possible, a screenshot showing what you're seeing
   4. What browser you're using (e.g. Chrome)
   5. Which device you're using (e.g. iPhone 12)

   
   This will help us to make sure we're aware of any new issues and enable our web team to work efficiently.

Why has the website experienced some bugs recently?

There have been two big updates in the back-end of the website recently.

1) In June 2024 we moved the website to a new server (the digital equivalent of moving house). 

The new server is overall superior to the one we were using before, but as can be the case with moving server, we experienced some teething issues in the process of transitioning. 

2) Around the same time, the third-party software we use for the community features of the website was updated

This update created some bugs with the customizations we have in place for our website.

Some of the bugs were being caused at server-level (not within our website) and fixing them has required a coordinated effort between 1) our own IT team who look after the website, 2) the tech support team who work for the Server, and 3) the tech support team who work for the software our website uses for community features. 

These teething issues / bugs affect certain community elements of the website, and our IT team are working diligently to get them fixed as top priority. 

Please note that the core functionality of the website, including the tutorial videos, is unaffected by these bugs, and is working normally. 

Between the three teams, they will smooth out the snags and understand what's causing them so they can prevent these issues from recurring.  

We appreciate your patience whilst these issues are worked through. 

Are you having problems playing the tutorials?

As mentioned above, the bugs affecting certain features in the website do not affect the tutorials (or any of the learning content in the website).

The tutorial videos are hosted and streamed to our website via a third-party, dedicated streaming platform which is extremely reliable.

If none of the videos are playing for you, this would indicate that the streaming platform is temporarily down, and is extremely rare (happens less than once a year). If you think this has happened, please email our support desk (info@naturestudio.com) so we can make sure the streaming platform is aware and let members know once the service is working again.

If you can play some tutorial videos but not others, this is the sign of an issue happening in your browser, not in the website itself. In the vast majority of cases, clearing your browser's cache resolves the problem. (It's quick and easy to do). If clearing your browser's cache didn't work, try using a different browser (e.g. Edge or Firefox if the issue was happening in Chrome, or use Chrome if the issue was happening in another browser).