I’m currently testing some new live features for ForumSpark. These are designed to replace parts of our existing polling system, which is currently used for things like notifications and direct messages.
The main drawback of polling is that it can be very CPU-heavy. As ForumSpark continues to grow, that is definitely something we need to keep in mind. By moving these kinds of live features away from constant server polling, ForumSpark can become more lightweight, faster, and more responsive.
It also helps us move closer to the more modern, app-like experience we want to build, rather than sticking too closely to traditional forum software. Innovation is important if we want to stay relevant and remain a step ahead.
Here are some of the live features currently being tested:
When you are viewing a topic and someone else is also viewing that same topic, an indicator will show this in real time (Notice also that we've removed the panel title and added a topic header):
When you are typing a reply in a topic and another member starts typing as well, a live typing indicator will appear.
When you are viewing a topic and another member replies, their reply will automatically appear above the quick reply box. No delays, no page refreshes. It just appears automatically.
When someone is typing a message in the chat dock, a typing indicator will also be shown there:
Live toast notifications will also be available in the bottom right corner:
This is all still very much in development, but it should be available sometime soon. 🙂
