Topic: Meteotemplate - new free website template

[Jáchym]

Link to what

[Jáchym]

Is it just me having constantly problems with the SPC site? Like when I reload it, there is always some image broken, link not working, I reload and a different one doesn´t load... and even when I look at some people´s websites who have scripts using SPC, many images are broken, I reload, different one is broken... looks like the server is extremely unreliable and sometimes even some text shows "Page not found" and 10s later it works and then again reload and it doesnt work at all

[nineback]

No problem here with the SPC site.

Tom

[stefanbagnato]

Anybody in the US using the NWS warnings block having the issues with it not showing current warnings, watches, advisories?  I know Jachym's has been dealing with the API issues with NWS for weeks now, but I wanted to see if anybody has it working for them.  I don't want to give up on it, but it's frustrating when it constantly says there are no current advisories.

[Jáchym]

The problem is that the RSS feed works - from my perspective as a programmer... the feed is working, data is coming in and correctly parsed. The problem is the content. It doesnt include all the warnings and I also noticed this might only be an issue with some areas.

[stefanbagnato]

NWS, you are so frustrating 

[Jáchym]

Yes, I just have lunch break so Im working on the SPC block.

For example look at this site:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk_1200_prt.html

And check the source code... the forecast discussion, which is delimited by the <pre> tags, should always only include pure text.... but some sloppy programmer also included a script at the end of it, before the </pre> tag. Which is why my script failed to load this. I then discovered it so I had to do some further "corrections" in the HTML before parsing it.

[Jáchym]

New Block – U.S. Storm Prediction

Hi guys,

This block show convective outlook as well as forecast discussion using data from the Storm Prediction Center.

DEMO: http://www.meteotemplate.com/template/indexBlockDemoWide.php?block=usSPC

Enjoy

[droiddk]

New Block – U.S. Storm Prediction

Hi guys,

This block show convective outlook as well as forecast discussion using data from the Storm Prediction Center.

DEMO: http://www.meteotemplate.com/template/indexBlockDemoWide.php?block=usSPC

Enjoy

Hi, Images (or text?) not loading.

Regards

[Jáchym]

I have no clue, it works in the demo, must be some issue with your server and its communication with SPC

[droiddk]

I have no clue, it works in the demo, must be some issue with your server and its communication with SPC

You are right, have tested with a computer at another location and it loads fine there 

[Jáchym]

About half of the time I load the block the image is broken. But the URL is the same, it is as I mentioned previously, obviously an issue with the SPC server. I see these broken images even directly on their webpage. Didnt I say Im not a fan of doing anything using data from NWS? ....

[Jáchym]

Attached an image of what just appeared to me when I loaded the SPC homepage....

If I reload it, it loads fine, I try reloading again and it looks fine but all images are broken and so on

[tstorm]

Interesting.  I've never seen a problem with links in the past or today with the SPC website.  I just loaded the block 50 times and didn't run across a problem

[Jáchym]

Interesting.  I've never seen a problem with links in the past or today with the SPC website.  I just loaded the block 50 times and didn't run across a problem

Well at least thats good news, I personally dont care about that website so if it works for you it fulfils the purpose

[nineback]

Thanks for adding the NWS SPC block.  FYI.  I have no problems accessing the site.

Tom

[droiddk]

I have no clue, it works in the demo, must be some issue with your server and its communication with SPC

You are right, have tested with a computer at another location and it loads fine there 

Works now 

[Jáchym]

 

[nineback]

Several of the blocks have "more" at the bottom.  Is there a possibility that you could somehow highlight this by maybe putting a box around it like you do for the drop down menus?  It is easy to overlook "more" and the additional data it provides.  A box would let people know to click on it.

Tom

[Jáchym]

Not sure about that, a box around it would look awful, trust me, "more" is I think relatively self-explanatory and when you hover over it, it has an interaction showing you you can click it

[nineback]

I disagree I think it would look better but it is your program.  I don't think it stands out like it should.

Tom

[Jáchym]

Also given how many blocks use it, you have to remember there is limited space, if every block has a large "more" button, it is a problem. Also, it cannot be done globally, each block that has this would have to be updated.

[nineback]

Did not say it had to be large and you could add it when you updated the block or added a new block.

Tom

[Jáchym]

Hi,
as I said, I personally dont agree with this, and there will be many others who will say your idea is good and many who will agree with me. There will always have to be compromises. Also the thing is I would have to do it at once. Making the "more" text look two ways (depending on whether I already updated it or not) would make it look awful and even more confusing for people, suggesting they have different functions

[Jáchym]

I had similar problems in the past. There is obviously no right or wrong answer. Design is always subjective. And it did happen to me several times in the past that someone asked for something like you did now, I changed it and I got several emails from people saying why did you change it, it was better as it was before... I am sure you will find people like you, who would like it bigger or think that a box around it would be nice. But if I were a normal MT user and the developer changed it, I would say, hey, can you put it back? I think it was better. And this is again not to say my opinion is the right one, but it is likely that such opinion is not just mine. I just have to choose one or the other and in some cases, like this one, it is really sort of 50:50 and then all I can do is choose myself.

It was different yesterday for example, when I said Im not sure I want to do an SPC block given how problematic NWS blocks are, but I did it because either you like such block and you use it, or you dont and you dont use it. But with this, it would affect everyone.