Follow Up to the Compose Screen Upgrade

A huge thanks to everyone who has sent in their feedback and questions about the recent upgrade to the Compose screen!  We wanted to take a moment and address a few of the most common concerns we've heard from the community.

First off, we'd like to answer a few common questions you brought up:

• Is this a beta release of the Compose upgrade? No. Though not every TypePad member is seeing the new Compose screen yet, every member will eventually be upgraded to it over the next few weeks.  The Compose screen is no longer in beta -- as we mentioned in our previous post, it is being rolled out in phases to all members. 
• Is my browser affecting my experience with the new Compose?  For the best experience with the new Compose, you should use one of our supported browsers. If you need a free upgrade for the browser you're using, our list of supported browsers includes handy links for you.
• I already like the font I selected in my design - do I have to select this font again when I use the new Compose?  The formatting you’ve applied to your blog will stay the same unless you override it by selecting a font and/or formatting in the new editor.  You do not have to set the formatting for each and every post to match your blog’s design.
• How do I format text?  In order to use the formatting options, first type and then highlight the text, then select your desired formatting.  We understand that this is a change from what you're used to, so we're looking into a way to bring back the formatting process some of you are more familiar with.

Next, we'd like to point out a few of the issues we've addressed since the launch, thanks to your prompt feedback:

• Accented and special characters now display properly in Preview: We fixed a bug in the Preview window where characters with accents and other special characters weren’t displayed properly in the Preview window. They should now appear correctly.
• Text selection is maintained when you resize: We fixed a bug that caused only part of your selected text to be resized.  The entire selection of text should now be resized.
• Quickpost correctly handles draft posts: The quickpost tool was publishing posts meant to be saved as drafts.  It's fixed so that posts saved as draft will not be automatically published to the blog.
• Category selection errors are fixed: We fixed a bug where a small subset of you were seeing categories show up twice, or not at all.   

There are a few common open issues we're still working on:

• The Insert Image dialog doesn’t always display properly on Mac + Firefox: The dialog is sometimes cut off. We’re working on fixing this.
• Some users are experiencing slowness: Typing in the new editor is slow for some of you.  We're working on fixing this.
• Some users are experiencing formatting difficulties:  If you're having trouble applying formatting, whether the line spacing is off or formatting is not being applied correctly, some of these issues could be addressed by making sure you're using a supported browser.  If you're still having problems, please help us understand your issue by filing a support ticket describing the problem along with telling us what browser and version you're using and whether you're on a Mac or PC.
• Other issues: We have updated the Known Issues list with the full list of open issues.

Still Have Questions?  Please Reach Out To Our Support Team!
Finally, if you are experiencing any difficulty with a feature in TypePad, the best thing to do is reach out to our Support team by opening a help ticket.  You will receive a timely, personal response from one of our Support team members.  When we receive comments here on the Everything TypePad blog that describe a problem or confusion with a feature, we forward them to the Support team to make sure you get a direct response and the specific answer you're looking for.  When we have to forward your comment, it takes a bit longer for you to get into the Support queue, so your best bet for a more prompt response is to open a ticket instead.  Please be patient, we promise each new Support ticket will get a response!

Again, we thank you for all the feedback you've given us.  Though the new Compose screen was tested by hundreds of TypePad members over several weeks prior to this first launch phase, we can't anticipate the needs of every single one of our members.  Feedback from a larger group always helps us improve our offering. 

Thanks everyone!

Comments

[Laura]

Hi,

Any word on the problem with titles and tags showing up but the body of entries disappearing? I've opened up a ticket over 24 hours ago on this problem and haven't gotten a response.

The problem appears to be associated with this new composing window. I've seen other typepad people mentioning this, and there hasn't been a mention of it anywhere. Is there anything I can do about this?

[Lori Seaborg]

Would love to see auto save!!!

[Brian Smith]

I haven't used it a lot. But, it looks like a huge step forward. I love the ability to justify text automatically (finally).

Yes, autosave would be sweet! Sometimes I get typing away and forget to save a draft. Doh!

Great job.

[Sophie]

I am still not used to the new version.

1) it becomes little bit slow when loading the new compose page.
2) the re-scaled image looks different, before is better.

Anyway, still appreciate for all your improvement efforts!!

[Krissy]

@Laura Axelrod - This bug has been fixed. If you're still experiencing any issues, please let our Support team know [http://www.typepad.com/t/app/control/help] so that they can assist you.

[elephantschild]

I like the changes, except that it's all working so slowly as to be nearly unusable.

Glad to hear that issue is being addressed - otherwise, it looks great.

[Mexico Cooks!]

Is there or will there be a way to be able to format in the title of a post? I often need to use italics in the title (my blog is frequently bilingual English/Spanish) and so far no of no capacity to accomplish title italics.

Thanks for the new composer!

Cristina
[email protected]

[Krissy]

@Cristina - The ability to format titles isn't in our short-term plans, but we'll definitely take your request into consideration for the future!

[Fred Tung]

Is there a way to format text or insert hyperlinks into Typepad comments? I blog at Conglomerate, and sometimes I'd like to put just a little something extra in a comment.

Thanks!

[pedantic123]

Any one else having problems with the import/export since the upgrade?

Export does not export all of my posts.

Import just halts with the text "Import in progess..." and no posts are imported.

Really annoying! :(

[Krissy]

Hi Fred - Blog owners can enable some basic formatting like hyperlinks, bolded text, etc. in comments. It’s set in Weblogs > Configure > Feedback, there’s info in this Knowledge Base article under Comment Formatting: http://kb.typepad.com/id/51

[Krissy]

Hi pedantic123 - We're sorry you're having trouble with import/export. Our engineering team is working on the issues and our Support team has reached out to contact you directly.

[JimF]

I know you haven't even fully deployed this yet but I'm greedy :) -- please consider offering an offline editor for the Mac. Since you already have this code, and support Safari on the iPhone, perhaps it wouldn't be a huge amount of effort.

I used Microsoft's free Windows Live Writer to work offline on Windows, and miss that capability on the Mac.

Thank you for listening, and good luck with the roll out.

[Barbara Hagerty]

I'm not in a hurry to use the new compose features, but am wondering when those of us who are still using the old screen will see the new one? Truly no rush for me--I'm still happily composing away with the old screen. I'm just curious.

[Krissy]

Hi Barbara - our plan is to release the new compose editor to all TypePad members some time in mid-summer. We'll let you know when it's coming!

[Krissy]

Hi JimF - You mentioned using Mars Edit in an earlier comment. Have you tried Ecto as well? Curious to hear your thoughts!

[JimF]

1) Not sure if I have the new editor or not. Using Safari 3.0 on 10.5.2. A dialog says that only plain text is supported in this browser. When I insert an image I see not plain text, but HTML. So, there is no way to see the formatting.

2) TO: Krissy. I have not tried Ecto. I will look for it. Thank you for responding.

[Krissy]

JimF: Our Support team let me know they've been in touch regarding #1, and regarding #2, you are welcome!