One issue not mentioned is that it is unclear how to save a new and unpublished post using the new EasyBlog composer. I tried clicking on done editing but this did not work. i saw no save button and it is very unclear how to save a post that is not yet ready to be published.

Earlier today i saved one which wound up being posted prematurely and i had to go back and unpublish it. I believe this is a critical area that is vague or unclear in easy blog 5. In easy blog 3 i was always able to see how to save an unpublished post.

I submitted a support ticket request with all my private site access info and summary of problems.

Add:

1. Date buttons don't work.

2. No video insert.

EasyBlog 5 seems to create an ongoing collection of initial versions without being instructed to do so. Its crazy. I keep deleting them. They have no content and I didn't create them. PLEASE restore simple option to have a single version of a post that is either unpublished or published.

I'm experiencing continued frustrations with version 5 and wish i was back with the simplicity and effectiveness of 3.9.

I cannot get my normal CK editor to work with the component. Commands simply do not work. just embedding a link into a word or phrase does nothing.

The new composer does not give me ANY significant controls with normal text editing so despite the fact that it offers some new features it is really useless because i have lost everything i had before. Why create a new editor that eliminates everything you had just to get some new fancy drag and drop features? This makes no sense to me.

With 3.9 i could assign an image to a blog post and it would appear right at the top of the post. Now with 5.0 I have no idea how to assign an image to a post. There are no controls. If you have video tutorials that explain this please let me know where i can find them.

At the moment I'm stymied and cannot get any of my work done. I'm hoping hear back from you soon. It may be best for me to return to 3.9 until all the many issues can be worked out, then i can upgrade again.

I agree and feel your frustration, Howard. I'm considering just uninstalling 5.0 and using 3.9. There's nothing that I feel is needed in 5.0...for me atleast. Too many issues and not enough incentive to switch. The drag and drop thing is odd, anything that I select then drag and drop just kind of goes where it wants to anyway.

Thanks for validating my feelings. The big question for me is how can i re-install 3.9 and be sure all my existing posts will be retained and i won't have any additional weird issues to deal with? Maybe the tech guys can do this for us or give us clear instructions. Seems like the company got so enamored with their new features they forgot the basic tools we need to have.

I thought about that too. I hope it's not an issue for you. I only have 2 posts on my new site now so it won't be too hard on me to switch. Before I make any decisions though, I'd wait for the team to get back to us first. Maybe these issues are already being ironed out.

I have about 20 posts and writing a lot of new ones these days. So I would need to have them preserved since I'm using them quite a bit in my marketing efforts.

The Page is lifecraftingprogram.com/blog in case you're interested.

I can't imagine releasing version 5 and not having all the normal editing features working so hopefully they're fixing these issues

Unfortunately, I agree with your comments. I have all the problems mentioned above. EasyBlog 5 is out too with Tod too many bugs and missing features. I am really disappointed and angry against myself for succumbing to the presentation of this new EasyBlog. EasyBlog 5 does not load the files of other languages in the site folder but in the admin folder. As you said, the biggest problem is the incompatibility of this new version with third-party publishers. I am very very disappointed this time.

Hi Cedric, thanks for sharing your similar experience. I think the sensible and fair thing would be for Stackideas to help us return safely to 3.9 and refund our version 5 fee. Then take a few months or whatever to make this new version actually work and let us use a trial before we purchase it so we know it is working.

Let me echo the Editor/JCE aspect:

I can't get normative behavior from the EB 5 Composer (WYSI) either. No matter how many changes I make to JCE, including completely disabling JCE for front end and all components. Once a post uses any other editor, it will not switchback to EB5's.

Most frustrating: If I take the content from an article that is "locked out" of EB5's composer and paste it into a NEW post, it does use EB5's composer **BUT** the content is lacking every shred of formatting. No bold/italic, divs, images—just plain run-on text.

So...rebuild all from scratch? NG.

From everything i've seen and heard it looks like EB 5 is an embarrassing mess. I cannot imagine how they released it in the state it is in. If i were then i'd refund purchases and get back to the drawing board and re-create the product and help the purchasers get back to a stable 3.9, then give them a free license to 5 when it is released. That would at least limit the public relations damage to some extent

Hey Guys,

They released a new version today, which fixes good many issues. I have not tried it yet so I can't comment on it. You can read the changelog here.

I still agree however that more time should have been spent testing EasyBlog 5 prior to releasing it in the state it's in. I'm sure the team is fully aware of this now though and will hopefully learn from it for future reference.

Welp,

"Fixed issues with tag's permalink when unicode aliases are disabled"

Nope, tags still don't work for me...

Edit: It does work now, but only on Blogs that were created after installing 5.0.8, I think. My very first post still shows the "blog/tags" URL but a newer post shows the tag in the url.

Edit #2: sigh...ok, while the tag shows in the URL, clicking the tag gets me a "There are no blog posts available yet currently".

On the plus side, the "Post Properties" section (creation, Publish and Unpublish Dates) works as it should now as does TinyMCE Editor and the Meta Keywords Field.

Still can't add links to my biography page. Truncation still fails to work on older posts as does any editor other than the EasyBlog Composer.

Edit: hmmm...while the post properties section technically works, selecting unpublish, unpublishes the post as it should, but still shows as published in the backend.

So much for the update today. Mine has stalled on 20% and hasn't shifted for over an hour. What a total piece of rubbish. Shane on StackIdeas for having the nerve to release this.

Thank goodness for uninstall. Going back to try 3.0.9 and see if that's even 1/2 decent.

I installed 5.09 today. Had to jump through several hoops just to complete the upgrade. Still not seeing ANY ways to embed links or have any significant text controls in the EB composer. Seems useless.

They did fix embedded link capability in my CKEditor but if i use this editor why would i need EB 5? I will not have any of the drag and drop features. Seems pointless unless they have plans on introducing a significant editor into composer. why wouldn't they release the product with these features already built in?

It would be great if support would reply to this thread. Not sure why they have not gotten to us yet.

If i use the CKEditor for my posts the old fashioned way how to i assign an image to the post like we did in 3.9? If i use the composer to edit my post how do i open a text embed block and how do i assign one image to the post like we did in 3.9? These areas still feel elusive.

Hey guys,

I sent Support a new ticket:

"Please see this thread that is yet to receive a response from the Stack Ideas team. I, as well as a few others in this thread are having issues.

http://stackideas.com/forums/multiple-issues-with-easyblog-5-0-8

I've found a few more issues since that thread.

1). Disabling the "Show Website" field within the EasyBlog Comment Form section reverts to Enabled upon saving.

2). Trying to insert a module using "easyblog-before-content" and "easyblog-after-content" no longer works. Have these been removed? Please tell me they haven't been.

I tried looking at the Documentation at this page: http://stackideas.com/docs/easyblog/administrators/modules

but that too, does not work.

Needless to say, I'm quite disappointed with the current released state of EasyBlog 5. At this point, I'm ready to revert to 3.9 or start using a competitor.

My new site is kind of at a stand still because of these issues. It's hard to move forward knowing the issues that it has will hinder growth and engagement.

I feel mislead into using 5.0 because I (and many others according to the Forum), had no idea there'd be this many issues from a "stable" version coming out of beta.

I understand the occasional bug here and there, but, how thoroughly was 5.0 tested prior to release?

You guys do great work and are a wonderful service for the Joomla Community so I know you can redeem yourself. Please help me fix these issues."

So maybe we can get a few answers now...

So maybe we can get a few answers now...

I wouldn't hold your breath! Given the complete and unmitigated disaster 5 has been, and the almost total lack of "support" or feedback by them so far, I don't see it changing anytime soon. Hardly even a "We're sorry, we really screwed up. We're busy fixing stuff." That's what a serious company would do.

You guys do great work

Really? v5 is "good work"? Please define good work in light of v5.

At this point, I'm ready to revert to 3.9 or start using a competitor.

Went back to v3 a few days ago after the 5.0.9 update stuck at 20%. At least it's stable and without (to my knowledge) any major bugs. As to moving to a competitor, this is one area Joomla does NOT shine. There is no serious competitor. Look at the reviews/forums of other blog components. And I've tried a number. The sad fact is, EB is the best of a very poor lot.

Hi Ian,

I have to admit that 3.9 is pretty flawless. That version (to me) is pretty impressive. I'd probably just stick to 3.9 myself if I knew that it wouldn't be phased out eventually with 5.0 replacing it.

In my opinion, they should go back to the drawing board and build off of 3.9. Don't fix what isn't broken.

I do agree that it's pretty unprofessional to not release a statement regarding the issues with 5.0. We've heard absolutely nothing.

A blog post regarding these issues would be sufficient.

Instead, I've been waiting 3 days for a response. I figure they're busy between fixing bugs and replying to the plethora of threads regarding 5.0 issues seen in the forum.

The team has always been polite and quick to help me with issues before 5.0, so I still have faith in the them. I just hope they don't get burnt out too quickly.

Hello Guys,

Sorry for the late response. As you guys have suspected, our team are overwhelmed with an influx of tickets since the release of EB5. We are working our very best to solve all issues sent to us via both our CRM and our forum. thank you so much for all of the input and kind consideration, I truly appreciate it.

Moving on to the initial cases that Sean posted earlier, some of it has already been resolved in the released of 5.0.9 while some of it will be included in the next release of easyblog.

For issue #1, there are two types of truncation, composer truncation and normal post truncation, http://screen.stackideas.com/2015-06-25_1302_001.png . The truncation for composer blog post is determined by the number of blocks to be displayed. I've check your blog post and it seems like it only contain 1 block in it which is the text block. However it is reasonable that the truncation should also apply to the content within the block itself and I will consult with our developers regarding on this issue.

For issue #2, I've applied the fix on your site by enabling the unicode alias, http://screen.stackideas.com/2015-06-25_1314.png and purging the old sh404sef url and it's working fine now, http://screen.stackideas.com/2015-06-25_1315.png .

For issue #3, the old post that are composed using the old editor will not changed to the new composer editor as the layout and styling will get messed up if it do so. Regarding on the hyperlink biography within the Author section in the back end, I've applied the fix inside your /administrator/components/com_easyblog/controllers/bloggers.php so that it will get the raw content instead of html format.

For issue #4, this issue has already been addressed in 5.0.9 as the issue is caused by the z-index value of the composer is too high and caused the hyperlink/image popup is actually appear at the back of the composer. I've tried to insert hyperlink and image on your site and everything is working fine now, http://screen.stackideas.com/2015-06-25_1214.png

For issue #5, Currently there is no option to turn AddThis off. Regarding on the selecting styling does not change anything, this is a bug in our end and I already applied the fix inside your /administrator/components/com_easyblog/includes/bookmark/bookmark.php.

Hope these help and we are sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Regarding issue #1:

Right Truncation should absolutely work as it does in prior versions of EasyBlog. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for the continue reading button or even clicking within an article.

Regarding issue #2:

Why is it not possible to view tags with unicode aliases off? In 3.9, I don't have this turned on and tags work just fine. I'd rather not have the id's within my URLs by default. I can manually change them within sh404SEF which is fine, but could a fix be worked on that allows us to use tags without needing that option be turned on?

Regarding Issues #3 and #4:

Thank you.

Issue #5:

Why is there no option to disable? In 3.9 I am able to disable that feature among others that I'm not sure can be disabled in 5.0 such as Author Name, Date, Hits, Print and Font-Size, Comments and Category.

Thank you for your response and assistance.

Hello Sean,

I am sorry for the delay of this reply.

For issue #2, this is a known bug where the fix has already being included in the latest release of easyblog (5.0.11). I have turn off unicode alias on your easyblog seo setting and re-purge the sh404sef url. Everything should working correctly now.

Issue #5:
Why is there no option to disable? In 3.9 I am able to disable that feature among others that I'm not sure can be disabled in 5.0 such as Author Name, Date, Hits, Print and Font-Size, Comments and Category.

To be honest I'm not quite sure why there is no settings to turn off this feature but if you want to turn it off on your site, you can download the attachment below and place it inside your /administrator/components/com_easyblog/includes/bookmark/ folder and see how it goes.

Thanks for the reply.

I've been back and forth with Mark though support. It's extremely frustrating that for every 1 issue fixed or a solution is given, I find 1-2 more bugs in the process.

Ezrul,

Is there no option to toggle the Author, Dates, Hits, Category, Comments, Print and Font-Size?

I'm assuming not.

Do you know if there are any plans to continue upgrades to EasyBlog 3.9 as they are needed?

Do you know if there are any plans to continue upgrades to EasyBlog 3.9 as they are needed?

Yes, it's called v5! DON'T DO IT!!

Ok,

I figured out that there ARE options to toggle that stuff off/on including bookmarks. It's under the Categories Section of EasyBlog.

I finally submitted my ticket tonight requesting a refund for EB 5 and that they help me restore 3.9 on my site as painlessly as possible. Here's the content of my ticket:

Dear Sirs:

I have spent many hours trying to use your new version 5 of Easy Blog and no matter what i try, i find it awkward, uncomfortable and a struggle to use. It does not flow. I find myself constantly fighting with the software to do simple tasks that before in 3.9 were easy and straightforward.

From the widespread feedback on the forum it appears that I'm not alone in this experience. My strong recommendation to you is to refund people's money and go back to the drawing board and rethink and redesign EB 5 to work for real users. I have not seen one user who is pleased with it.

My request is simple. PLEASE get me back to 3.9 as painlessly as possible with hopefully no loss to my posts and data. I will be a happy camper just being able to do blogs as i did before. All the bells and whistles are unnecessary for me now. Please also refund my payment. I do not want to use version 5. It is awkward and extremely unusable for me.

I request that you do this for me ASAP since I've been stopped in my tracks of getting my blog work done for at least 2 weeks now.

Whatever you do with a future version 5, PLEASE ask and test it with real users. It is so unprofessional for a company as respected as yours to put out a product like this that is so unusable for so many people.

I'm available to discuss this and support you in whatever way i can.

Hello Sean,

I am sorry for the delay of this reply as it weekends for all of us here,

Is there no option to toggle the Author, Dates, Hits, Category, Comments, Print and Font-Size?

Looks like you have found it. Yes it is located under the categories sections of easyblog.

Howards,

Thank you for your kind feedback and suggestions. Hopefully things will get better for you and hopefully for us too.

The issue with EB 5 is usability. This is the measure of how easily and effectively the user is able to interact with software. Version 3.9 has high usability and version 5 near zero. It isn’t comfortable or easy at all.

The problem apparently arose when the company became so enamored with their new exciting features that they neglected to check how people would actually experience their new product. EB 5 is not easy to use, period. They may not like hearing this because they have undoubtedly devoted a lot of manpower hours and money in its development but we need to call a spade a spade.

I need to know if it is safe to uninstall EB 5 and reinstall 3.9 and if i do this will my posts remain intact? Has anyone here done this? If there are some technical issues with this, I need to know in advance.

I'm not experienced in EB, however, I installed v3, then upgraded to v5 before posting anything. Then did 4-5 posts, hated v5, uninstalled, and reinstalled v3. Posts were still there (like WIndows uninstaller, very few Joomla extn uninstalls clean the DB), and were editable and seemed to display fine.

Hey guys,

EasyBlog 5 is very new and we do understand that not everyone is comfortable with the new composer. Hence, we added an option that you can enable the old editors like the ones from TINYMCE, JCE etc. We are still working on some of the teething issues with those legacy editors loaded in the composer screen.

Some of you may find that it is more "difficult" to access part of the blog post settings while you are composing and while that is true, it also improves a lot of usability from EasyBlog 3.9 and currently we are still reworking on the usability of EasyBlog 5.

like many, i've seen many of these "bugs" hit my site as i rebuilt from the ground up around this version. as can happen, compatibility issues between plugins and products can and have happened. yes, i got an earful from my editor last night when she could simple NOT create a hyperlink to a story so i used all editors i had and one of them allowed me to make links.

the reason i'm not going crazy is the support has been there and is listening. i don't want to downgrade to upgrade later, i'd rather just get through it with their help as i learn where everything is all over again. they've replied quickly and have fixed things i've pointed out and as i've learned the changed, i've found ways to get what i want again.

for no links, i simply do this in word, create the links i want, then paste it in. klunky sure - but hey, at least i don't get bombarded save 18 previous versions of edited stories. i vote to turn that off please. i don't need the running history of my bad grammar found as i proof these through the week.

and i'll stay in here and help others i hope get through this and learn the changes.

jerry

oh, and the insert media/photo button in jck editor giggles at me too. we'll get there.

Hello Jerry,

Thanks for the heads up on this and I appreciate your understanding very much. We have been ironing out tons of compatibility issues with all the available editors out there and I have my fingers crossed that 5.0.14 would be an awesome update with most of these teething issues getting out of the way!