Metalunderground.com Code Clean Up - in Metal News ( Metal Underground.com )

Site Update

Metalunderground.com Code Clean Up, Semi-New Design

posted Jun 2, 2008 at 10:48 PM by deathbringer. (78 Comments)

I wouldn't bill this as a "new design" per se, but I've been cleaning up a lot of old code (remember, this site is over seven years old, and a lot of the code running it shows its age, unfortunately) in the past few weeks and am currently pushing these changes to the live site. Please pardon any issues you experience in the next couple of days. I should have them ironed out fairly quickly, as a lot of the issues I am already seeing just do not show up on my staged testing server.

The good news is that these updates should make adding some new features easier, as the old code base was really hindering progress in some ways. I'll have more frequent site updates over the next couple of weeks as things progress.

Thanks again for your patience while we clean up around here.

What's Next?

Please share this article if you found it interesting.

78 Comments on "Metalunderground.com Code Clean Up"

Post your comments and discuss the article below! (no login required)

Supporter

1. Kalis_wrath writes:

I kinda like the new colors. Lets see how it works on my phone.

# Jun 2, 2008 @ 11:41 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

2. Chupacabra_hunter writes:

does this mean you will stop writing about non-metal bands and focus on bands that dont get mainstream media attention?

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 1:24 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

3. Kalis_wrath writes:

I like the "\m/ Metal Hails Kalis_wrath" greeting alot! My vote is keep that!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 2:27 AM ET | IP Logged

Writer, Reviewer

4. psythe writes:

Chupacabra - No, but hopefully it means people will stop complaining about something that's not going to change... HINT, HINT! :P

As for the new look, I'll get used to it... eventually :) hahah

Now Playing: 'Danger Zone' from Top Gun

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 2:35 AM ET | IP Logged

Member

5. Valley_of_the_Dead writes:

Fly away to the danger zone... WTF???

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 6:55 AM ET | IP Logged

Senior News Correspondent

6. Diamond Oz writes:

Cheers Psythe I've been trying to find out what that song's called for ages!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 8:08 AM ET | IP Logged

Guest Contributor

7. goatlady writes:

Looking good deathbringer, love your work as always \m/

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 8:29 AM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

8. deathbringer writes:

Chupacabra_hunter, I actually have some features in mind to help with this "problem." I don't see it as a problem actually, but plan to help people find the new bands a little easier, etc. But we will not be changing the type of coverage much.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 8:59 AM ET | IP Logged

9. Txmetalhead writes:

This site looks great...nice NEW look.
Wonderful job!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 10:29 AM ET | IP Logged

Member

10. godlike writes:

And once again, it appears that deathbringer is the man with the plan..
Kudos to the man..!!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 10:49 AM ET | IP Logged

11. coldiem writes:

Have the people who bash MU for not being "Underground" enough ever considered that some of us who like reading about non-underground bands like the fact we don't have to surf multiple different sites to get metal news? I, for one, am a big fan of the one-stop-shopping that MU provides.

I'd also like to mention that I am glad you already removed the massive amount of underlining that was causing my brain pain last night. There's also a few bugs here and there, but I'm sure you are probably aware of them already.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 11:41 AM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

12. deathbringer writes:

LOL. Yeah, the home page was horrendous with the underlined links. I was planning to go back to using the "standard" of underlined links, but that just didn't work nicely :-/ I think they stand out enough being white anyway, so I'll probably do away with the underlines altogether.

And, yes, I'm still cleaning up the odd bug here and there. IE6 has given me trouble in a few cases.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 11:51 AM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

13. deathbringer writes:

And something is still wack with this comment form in IE6...

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 11:52 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

14. StabbingTheDrama writes:

That's because Internet Explorer sucks... hahaha

But the site looks good deathbringer. I love coming to the site on my computer and on my phone. Should try to get rid of the bullet points where there aren't links on the main page.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 12:01 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

15. deathbringer writes:

I plan to get rid of those bullets entirely. They'll be gone tonight.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 12:06 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

16. Kalis_wrath writes:

I like that the rules have been removed from the comment area. Makes phone posting a breeze!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 12:26 PM ET | IP Logged

17. FocusShift writes:

I like the clean up, it works well. Cheers.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 12:50 PM ET | IP Logged

18. ChiefStubbs writes:

sh**, the new site looks tight.
...Randy Blythe?

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 3:13 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

19. deathbringer writes:

Yeah, many more top-right images to go into the rotation soon. I just put up the two best that I had done - Randy Blythe and Amon Amarth's frontman, whose name escapes me right now. I've got a wicked one of Galder from Dimmu coming as well. All taken from our photo galleries.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 3:24 PM ET | IP Logged

20. Fminm writes:

Randy Blythe has to go, or if you're going to keep him, make him fit in better.

And the name you're looking for is Johan Hegg

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 4:04 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

21. Kalis_wrath writes:

The "Keep me logged in" option will be comming back, rght? I keep getting logged out, just to let you know.

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 8:41 PM ET | IP Logged

Senior Reviewer

22. Cynic writes:

Death to IE! Firefox forever! God knows when browsers will actually start implementing standards - we can hope I guess!

# Jun 3, 2008 @ 9:02 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

23. StabbingTheDrama writes:

I definitely agree with Cynic. I used IE for so long and after I switched to Firefox, I'll never go back

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 1:54 AM ET | IP Logged

24. CrawfordTexasJingoJango writes:

HIGHWAY to the danger zone! Put a pic of Oderus. Or King Diamond.

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 9:13 AM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

25. deathbringer writes:

Oh I've got some Gwar pics to put up too, but I don't think I have a good one of Oderus... not that I'd want him with his big dildo hanging out on the top of the site's masthead :-o

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 10:10 AM ET | IP Logged

26. Uhhuh writes:

,....

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 10:43 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

27. Terminator writes:

my only complaint with the new layout is that there isn't a link to return to the home page at the bottom. other than that it looks good. \m/

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 3:32 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

28. deathbringer writes:

Good Catch! Added!

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 6:40 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

29. Chupacabra_hunter writes:

Sorry to sound like a complainer,it was actually meant as a joke.I too always noticed how people always make that comment and I just thought it would be humorus to be the first to post it.This has always been my favorite site for all my metal news.I check in everyday and use the rss feed on my home page.Once again I am sorry that my comment didnt come across as the joke it was meant to be.I am thankful that this site exsists,and I am thankful to those who operate it. sorry again.

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 11:30 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

30. deathbringer writes:

No problem. Glad you like what we're doing :-) Whether completely joking or only half joking, it's something we've heard before, and while we don't plan to outright change anything on our news coverage, I think a little more customization can help our die-hard readers quite a bit.

# Jun 4, 2008 @ 11:38 PM ET | IP Logged

Writer, Reviewer

31. psythe writes:

Chupacabra - hahah whoops, took you too seriously, my bad :) ^^What he said :P

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 12:17 AM ET | IP Logged

32. cppchriscpp writes:

I was kinda eh about the layout at first, but it's growing on me and I see it's seen a few updates since then as well. Nice work :D

And to comment on a dead issue, I agree on the one stop shopping idea... there's enough news on bands that don't get mainstream coverage, but I must say I really don't mind hearing about the more mainstream bands, and the non-metal ones for that matter. If it weren't posted here, I just wouldn't read it period, and some of it is pretty interesting. (or funny, or depressing... but still)

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 12:26 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

33. StabbingTheDrama writes:

I really like how this turned out. One thing I noticed while in another thread is that when you click IP Logged it just brings it back to the top of the page

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 11:21 AM ET | IP Logged

34. LiquidMetal writes:

when is the account page gonna be up??

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 1:02 PM ET | IP Logged

35. LiquidMetal writes:

i think a good way to keep out spammers and a$$holes is to only let people post if theyve signed in, that way its easier to ban people. also, can you add a space for your password under the "name" part in the "post your comment" box so i dont have to go to the top of the page and login to post?? it would be easier to just be able to login and post at the same time. i know you can already do that, but the password thing only shows up after you click post when you arent signed in. it would be nice to have it there 24/7

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 1:08 PM ET | IP Logged

36. LiquidMetal writes:

one more suggestion, it would be easier if we could also search for news, not just bands. and ive noticed that you cant have any spelling or spacing mistakes when searching for bands. that makes it harder, it should just take you to the closest match like a search engine does.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 1:11 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

37. deathbringer writes:

cppchriscpp, I've always made an effort to keep the"redesigns" fairly minimal. I'm no pro graphic designer, but I want to keep the "branding" (i.e. logo) in tact. So I hope the changes are not too shocking to anyone.

I just noticed the IP tool is not working too. Shouldn't be hard to fix.

I never intended to limit comment to signed-in members only. I think that severely limits discussion. Putting a password box on the comment form would be confusing as well. The form saves your info when it prompts you to enter a password (when trying to use a registered name), so it's just one extra click. I'll see if I can enhance that with Javascript sometime later though.

And finally, the search...yeah, that is something I just whipped up quickly one day and will have to revisit and improve in many ways, some that you mentioned. It's not high priority for me at the moment, but is on the to-do list.

Thanks for the feedback.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 1:55 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

38. deathbringer writes:

BTW - how does the site work on your phones, for those who access it that way? Theoretically it should be a little better (due to the underlying code), but I really haven't checked or tried to optimize it for phones. Thanks.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 1:56 PM ET | IP Logged

39. Kali writes:

The "keep me logged in" option is not showing up and I keep getting logged out. That option is vital for being able to post under my real user name/member name and saved me a ton of time. That is my only complaint. Other than that its great!

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 5:24 PM ET | IP Logged

40. Kali writes:

^Of course my last post directed to Deathbringers post on cell users.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 5:28 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

41. LiquidMetal.77 writes:

hey, i actually logged in for once!!

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 5:45 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

42. LiquidMetal.77 writes:

i wish i had a keep me logged in option

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 5:46 PM ET | IP Logged

43. Kali writes:

Glad to know I am not the only one with that issue LM.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 5:54 PM ET | IP Logged

44. LiquidMetal writes:

actually its not really an "issue" for me, but i never had that option, so im just saying it would be nice if i did. it doesnt bug me much though. i think the keep me logged in thing is only on phones cuz ive never seen it. or maybe i just havent logged in too long.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:08 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

45. deathbringer writes:

I had some issues with the login form, but I've re-added the "remember me" box. Let me know if it doesn't work for some reason.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:09 PM ET | IP Logged

46. LiquidMetal writes:

oh nevermind, i remember that box, thats what its for!! i just never payed any attention to it, because i usually login by posting.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:21 PM ET | IP Logged

47. LiquidMetal writes:

hey DB theres a glitch with typing in this box. if you hit "enter" parts of what youre typing will appear above the "post my comment" button.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:26 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

48. Kalis_wrath writes:

Working beautifuly on my end. Ah... feels great to be me again!

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:35 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

49. Kalis_wrath writes:

I am going to say this again, I really really love the rules put on the bottom of the "post my comment" box! Makes cell posting a lot more quick and easy.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:37 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

50. deathbringer writes:

Glad moving the rules helped. They were mucking up IE6's display anyway, which is why they were gone. Also, that weird overflow of comment text only happens in IE6. I've never seen it in IE7 or Firefox and have no clue wtf is making it happen. Will look into it, but it doesn't seem to affect anything anyway.

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:51 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

51. Kalis_wrath writes:

It was kind of getting annoying to have to scroll down just to hit the button and to read them a million times a day. After like a week of being here I had them engrained in my cranium! Hahaha! Many thanks Deathbringer! *tosses you a very well deserved shot of whiskey*

# Jun 5, 2008 @ 7:01 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

52. deathbringer writes:

Is the remember login working? I see you posting under a shortened name in other threads.

# Jun 6, 2008 @ 3:32 PM ET | IP Logged

53. Kali writes:

Not sure if my phone is being odd, but when I am logged in the pages go kinda funny. My phone does what is called a "split screen" which makes it so that when there is alot of text/content it makes another page. It will show how many pages, but it will not show them properly. Hopefuly that makes any sence hahaha! My phone is a Katana 2 and Netfront v3.vl is the browser type.

# Jun 6, 2008 @ 9:10 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

54. deathbringer writes:

only when you are logged in? it should make very little difference in the page's appearance other than showing your name and a few options at the top... Very odd.

# Jun 6, 2008 @ 10:15 PM ET | IP Logged

55. Kali writes:

Your telling me! I have done everything from restarting my entire phone to deleting my cookies and history. The comment box does not show up either and think the cookies is the issue.

# Jun 6, 2008 @ 10:38 PM ET | IP Logged

56. Public Execution writes:

I really like the new setup. Makes things look a lot nicer.

# Jun 7, 2008 @ 1:02 AM ET | IP Logged

57. b.bristowe writes:

works fine on my Itouch :D

# Jun 7, 2008 @ 3:30 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

58. Kalis_wrath writes:

Testing to see if maybe font size on my phone is the issue. Knock on wood this works. Seems to have been working today. If so, I am a happy camper.

# Jun 8, 2008 @ 12:58 AM ET | IP Logged

59. Fuck A Name writes:

Hey DB, there only seems to be one lingering problem for me since all the remodeling has kicked in...It's partly my fault for not remembering my login password(havn't bothered loggin in in a while) but since I didn't, I click the "send password to your email" thing, and it just takes me to an error page, saying that "The following information is meant for the website developer for debugging purposes" So I figured that it was talking about you hehe, and I was wondering if you could maybe try and mess with that, or atleast help me figure out what my password is?( if you're allowed to do that)

Everything else though is ten times better, I must say; the graphics really do it for me, the beautification went really well imo.

Now Playing: At the Gates-"Suicide Nation"

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 5:06 PM ET | IP Logged

60. Fuck A Name writes:

lol it would probably just be more efficient to E-mail you....

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 5:11 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

61. Kalis_wrath writes:

Also the "share this article" button, is that supposed to take you to a form on the site to send an email or to some funky site thigy?

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 5:16 PM ET | IP Logged

62. Fuck A Name writes:

Damnit! sorry to be a busybody or whatever the f*** , but the IP logged button still doesn't work for me, it just brings you to the top of the page. I know you're busy with you're own life and all db lol, so it doesn't really matter if these really get fixed anytime soon, they're just mild annoyances that I hope you can find the time to dabble in. :p

Now Playing:Arch Enemy- "Taking Back My Soul"

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 5:32 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

63. Kalis_wrath writes:

Well, I do get the impression that Deathbringer wants to make sure the site works and such.

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 5:49 PM ET | IP Logged

64. Fuck A Name writes:

^ya I just don't want to seem like I'm nagging or anything blah.

When he first started doing these renovations, I thought, "well, even if everything gets f***ed up, at least it's still the best site for Metal anywhere" I'm just happy nothing major changed, except for the better. : )

Now Playing: Machine Head- "All In Your Head"

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 6:07 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

65. Kalis_wrath writes:

Hahahaha! F.A.N, you got some brown stuff on your nose.

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 6:34 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

66. deathbringer writes:

Sorry - the "forgot password" function is long overdue, but not there yet. I didn't know I had any links there, but the proper page will be there this weekend.My day job and posting news (which has been a bit slow) have been keeping me busy, so I haven't gotten around to fixing the IP logged button yet. It's on my list. More stuff coming this weekend.

# Jun 10, 2008 @ 11:47 PM ET | IP Logged

67. Fuck A Name writes:

Hahahaha! F.A.N, you got some brown stuff on your nose.

SO? It got sh** done! (no pun intended?)

lol thx db and sorry for the multiple posts b****in about sh**. :p

Now Playing: Dehklok- "Awaken"

# Jun 11, 2008 @ 4:32 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

68. Kalis_wrath writes:

Hahahaha! So you DO have a poo fetish?! Seriously, I am just teaseing you.

# Jun 11, 2008 @ 4:36 PM ET | IP Logged

69. Txmetalhead writes:

I am just happy to have a place to go online that focuses on metal stories..
This place gives me some huge laughs too.
Metal Underground is the place to be.
The members are fukkin' cool.

# Jun 13, 2008 @ 4:23 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

70. Kalis_wrath writes:

The profile page is not loading on my browser. Says page does not exsist. Just a heads up.

# Jun 14, 2008 @ 1:00 AM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

71. deathbringer writes:

Kali, I think you commented on this while I was working on it. Everything should be working now...

# Jun 18, 2008 @ 8:03 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

72. Kalis_wrath writes:

It actually says the same thing. I will have access to a comp tommrow I think and can get my profile in order.

# Jun 18, 2008 @ 8:14 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

73. deathbringer writes:

What link are you clicking on to get there and what is the resulting URL that is not displaying or throwing the error?

# Jun 19, 2008 @ 12:48 AM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

74. Kalis_wrath writes:

I click on "my profile" then it takes me to the explaination page where it talks about customization. Then I click on the "edit profile info" link and it says "problem displaying page" Let me get the link. That will be my next post.

# Jun 19, 2008 @ 1:17 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

75. Kalis_wrath writes:

Oops http://metalunderground.com/my_profile/edit_profile/

# Jun 19, 2008 @ 1:26 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

76. deathbringer writes:

Is this on your phone? It works fine here. I'm wondering if it's a problem with cookies persisting on a phone or something. Does the whole page error out or does it partially display with an error message below? If the latter, does it still show the greeting at the top like you're logged in? Where does it cut off with the error?

# Jun 19, 2008 @ 4:16 PM ET | IP Logged

Supporter

77. Kalis_wrath writes:

Sorry for the long response Deathbringer. I had a long busy weekend attending my grandpas wake. Anyhow, it just has a blank page with white backround and black lettering and with no greeting. Yes, on my phone aswell.

# Jun 24, 2008 @ 11:19 AM ET | IP Logged

78. S8 10 writes:

What the deuce?!

# Jul 2, 2008 @ 1:54 PM ET | IP Logged

To minimize comment spam/abuse, you cannot post comments on articles over a month old. Please check the sidebar to the right or the related band pages for recent related news articles.

Metal Underground.com

Metalunderground.com Code Clean Up, Semi-New Design

What's Next?

Latest News

Hot Topics

Sponsors