The daily photo updates (part of the listing update process) has been rewritten due to the previous script running into some technical difficulty. This new script handles each image individually (instead of by bulk).
In the near future tracking will be added to photo updates that will be used in a system health report.
Web Service Resetting
There was an issue with the web service hanging at random times due to a memory leak. This was fixed by making the service reset itself whenever it ran out of resources (due to the leak), and while the hanging issue appears to have been resolved, an older issue has returned. After logging into the admin panel a user may be automatically logged out at any time due to the web service reseting itself.
I’m going to continue looking into this issue and try out some different options to get around this.
Notification Tracking
A code has been added to the links sent out in the daily e-mail notification (Realtor sites). This code is used to tell when a subscriber has viewed a listing. A column has been added to the notification history listings (accessed through the notification list in the admin panel). Even though this column is showing up now, this feature is still under development. There was a problem where the code wasn’t properly being tracked, so while it can be seen in Google Analytics, the history page doesn’t show a listing being viewed even though it has.
2010 was an exciting year for the web. There has been an increase in useful widgets, web services, and a good amount of progress of new browser features. Some of which I will share in the near future.
With a new year, I wanted to reflect on 2010 for the CMS and Realtor products. In another post I will go over the plan for 2011.
Focus for 2010 included continued adjustment from the change of ownership from 2009, clean up of the existing system, and stabilizing some troublesome features, such as e-mail notification and overall web services.
Key Updates:
Other Updates:
There were also some changes to allow for more customizable site design, such as custom CSS and redesigned “boxes” (content boxes that appear on the homepage).
Web Site Issues
There is an embarrassing issue that has popped up over the past few months, causing some sites to hang now and then (affecting only the website, not other services, such as e-mail). It has been tricky, and is most likely due to a memory leak (something that causes performance issues, but not a security issue). The tricky part has been locating where the leak is, and I believe the major leaks have been resolved. The site performance is doing much better now, although admin logins are now experiencing timeouts due to the fix for the leak problem.
As some may notice there was no August Updates post. While things have been busy these last couple month, most has been behind the scenes and hasn’t effected anything on any live sites.
The following are items planned to be implemented into the CMS these next two quarters. Each item contains a general description. There will a more detailed released on each item as time goes on.
Google Maps – Oct
An alternative method of searching for listings. It will appear in place of the normal search results page when the user click on the “Search by Map” button. Listings will appear on a Google Map as a pin, and when the pin is clicked on additional information will display.
New Designs – Oct+
An extended selection of templates will be made available so sites are more customizable, and have a unique feel. Besides the new templates/layouts a override will be added for color schemes so all major elements on websites can be given a set color/style.
Admin Panel Improvements – Oct through Nov
Mobile Pages – Nov through Mar
This is basically the ability to view/search listings and use other tools from a mobile phone. Since mobile webpages are coded differently this will be a small project. With where technology is now, there will be many potential additions to this feature.
WYSIWYG Upgrades – Nov through Dec
An improved page editor will be in the works a little later this year. Ultimately pages will have the ability to be edited from the page itself with some nifty HTML editor tools.
There have been a number of changes this month to decrease spam and improve search accuracy.
Improved IDX Search
Contact Form
DRE License