From outside the Cauldron you can already smell the taste-tempting recipes that are being made by the chefs and cooks within.  As you enter you find a menu with a variety of options being offered and see in one corner a well stocked liquor cabinet.  A rather rotund tauren makes his way toward you a warm smile on his face as he takes your hand and shakes it.  "Welcome!  Come in please.  Welcome to the Copper Cauldron!"

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
3/12/2010 6:55 PM

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The Raid Point Standings widget has been given a boost in functionality with today's code push!  While the widget on a page displays much as it has before, clicking on it will open a dialog with a log of drops the member has paid out DKP for, manual adjustments made by events admins, and a full event attendance history.

In addition, event admins are able to add manual adjustments directly from the dialog (under the "Manual Adjustments" tab).  No need to hunt around in the control panel for that, anymore!

Finally, a new button is visible to event admins when viewing a specific event using the Calendar widget that makes it possible to go directly into event follow-up, without needing to hunt down the event in the calendar widget editor listing.  The link to directly edit the event itself has been converted into a button to make it easier to find, as well.  Both are along the top.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
3/11/2010 3:13 PM

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A new web-based mail interface goes live with today's push!  The new UI brings GuildPortal's mail up to date with some of the more intuitive mail systems out there, offering grouping, improved sorting, and simplified custom folder creation. 

It no longer requires a dedicated tab, as clicking on the Mail links (regardless of navigation type) will now open it in its own window.  For those who already have sites with an inbox widget on a page, it will now load the new UI embedded inside.  Admins who are particular about style settings within pages may want to remove their dedicated mail page completely and just let the links do the work.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
3/4/2010 4:39 PM

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Custom Event Roles top the list of items included with tonight's code push.  Click the Edit button under your calendar and then click the "Custom Roles" link at the top of the editor window.  This allows you to add to the list of default event roles like DPS, tank, healer, etc.  In addition, you also have the option to completely replace the default roles and use only your custom-provided ones.  The check box for doing so is located in the same place.

Some bug fixes included in the update:

• Clicking on Manage Guild Associations for a character will no longer result in a redirect to the GP home page.
• A blank page will no longer show up when sending new mail from the inbox.
• Adding a new custom event category, and then immediately adding a new event, will now show the newly-added category (previously, you had to close the window and re-open it).
• There is now an option in the Control Panel, under Style Settings : Text, that makes it possible to specify the spacing between lines in posts, news, and other areas.
• More font options have been added to the Control Panel, under Style Settings : Text.
• Various widgets have had their output modified slightly to make them more uniform with the rest of your site.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
3/3/2010 12:06 PM

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Most of you know that since December of 2003, GuildPortal has been donating $1 from every guild web site subscription and subscription renewal to Food for the Hungry, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing relief services to the poor, including emergency assistance and educational programs that provide impoverished communities the knowledge they need to better sustain themselves.

Right now, the 40th Annual Hunger Fund is multiplying donations 53 times.  That means for every dollar, $53 in actual aid is shipped for suffering children and their families in Haiti and 13 other countries facing widespread disease and hunger. 

We wanted to bring this to your attention so that you can participate in helping the Hunger Fund save lives even more dramatically, $1 at a time, via your direct donations, if you so choose.  For more information, please visit The Hunger Fund.

A bit of legalese: GuildPortal is in no way being compensated for linking to The Hunger Fund or Food for the Hungry.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
3/2/2010 7:04 PM

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First, thanks to everyone for your patience during the recent updates.  They were by far, the most extensive and complicated set of changes to the infrastructure during all of GuildPortal's time online.  We apologize for the constant revisions we needed to make to the estimates.

Now, back to normal!  Tonight's code push includes a fix for the news item viewer's commenting functionality (when opened from the small news widget).

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
2/26/2010 2:31 PM

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Links to blogs from the most recent blog entries widget, as well as links to your own blog in both the top and side nav areas have been fixed.

Also, upon entering guild chat rooms, you are shown the help command.  When you type it in, you can see the available slash commands for chatting.  Included are sending a sound to the room, listing available sounds, and sending an emote.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
2/24/2010 2:08 PM

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From Saturday at midnight until completion (some hours later), GuildPortal will be down for maintenance.  This is the final phase in a series of infrastructure updates we've been making.  It will also address the problem with adding images to your galleries.

GuildPortal Change Log Entry
2/9/2010 2:34 PM

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Due to rampant zombie infestation of the current data center, there will be an 8 hour service window beginning February 15th at 11:00 PM EST, during which there will be a data center migration of servers, switchgear, and associated IT equipment from the current facility to a new data center.

All attempts were made to fight off the zombies, including liberal use of fire, shotguns, Ving Rhames, and just about everything you can find inside a sporting goods store.

Downtime will likely not take the full 8 hours.  Estimated downtime is calculated as follows:

10 minutes - fit armored vehicle with weaponry
30 minutes - shutdown of servers and un-rack
15 minutes - load time
30 minutes - transport
15 minutes - unload time
60 minutes - re-rack of servers
15 minutes - buffer time for overruns
4.9 minutes - check for zombie bites
.1 minutes - whack any zombie bite victims

The migration has been planned extensively over the past 6 months and we anticipate a limited amount of downtime.  This procedure has been rehearsed with test equipment and live ammunition in a wide array of scenarios, such as:

Zombie attacks on the armored convoy while en-route.
Zombie ambush at new facility.
Zombie development of the ability to run (usually only the UK versions do this, but one can never be too careful).
Zombie conversion (via bite) of IT personnel while servers are being handled (IT personnel are expendable and will be sacrificed).

In order to avoid encountering yet more zombies, we have planned our route to steer clear of the following types of areas: malls, farm houses, high schools, colleges, places of work, places with people, military installations, amusement parks, golf courses, highways, and London.