# How do they expect this forum to survive when they can't even fix basic formatting issues ?



## forktender

This has been going on for over a month now. Somebody needs to fix this.


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## daveomak

Well, what's the problem ???    Explain it to me....   You obviously know something I do not .....


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## dr k

Being a premier member which I have been before for a year only gets rid of ads. His total viewing format has changed which has nothing to do with being a premier member. The screen shot above shows a thread on the left side (may need a magnifying glass.) Each of his lines is one to three words before reading the next line down. Maybe three vertical lines for a sentence. Something happened to his viewing format that hasn't happened to others when the update started.  He has been a great contributor to this site otherwise he wouldn't have that OTBS badge. Somefeed back is all so he can experience reading left to right across the page vs constantly scrolling up every one to three words to get to the bottom of the thread.


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## BandCollector

Well explained 

 dr k


I hope Dan's issue with the formatting can be resolved.  I can imagine  how frustrating it can be when you are experiencing a problem and the rest of us are not.

I'm sure one of the Tech Guys will eventually find the reason for his viewing format and take care of it.

Good luck Pal,

John


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## tx smoker

BandCollector said:


> I hope Dan's issue with the formatting can be resolved. I can imagine how frustrating it can be when you are experiencing a problem and the rest of us are not.



I personally have enjoyed some great dialog with Dan and sincerely hope he gets the issue resolved. I honestly do not think it has to do with the site though. Mine is viewing with no problems on my phone (Android) and on my desktop PC. Unfortunately I am not very tech savvy and cannot offer any advice on how to fix the issue. Surely somebody will chime in and help...at least I hope so.


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## chopsaw

I replied in the other thread he had . 




__





						This is insane.
					

Does this even make sense?      As you can see the whole right side of the page is blank. I'm using Chrome or Firefox on a laptop most of the time because it looks even worse on my phone which is an Android. This has been going on for over a month now, what are the IT people doing? Are there any...



					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## sandyut

Central PA Cowboy said:


> You don’t even contribute


OTBS member - two year member with over 1300 posts...   I have chatted with Dan many times.  do the research before trying to blast someone...

Mine doesnt look like that at all.  I would be pissed too.


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## Winterrider

No issues here on Android or kindle.


 forktender
 , are you experiencing this on phone, tablet, pc, all ? The type of format you have on device has to be the issue if no one else is having problems. 
 I am electronically challenged so not any help, but a reset, reboot ? I would guess, you have tried that already.
Hope you can get it squared away.


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## Steve H

Mine is fine as well. On both my laptop and desk top.


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## Winterrider

I rarely ever sign out of the forum, but have you tried logging out, reboot and then log back in ?
"Just grasping at straws"


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## chilerelleno

Whoa people, before anyone gets their Cheerios pissed in let's remember the complexity of interpretating the tone or even meaning of text messages.
Easy to confuse contributing member between being a monetary Contributor to the site or contributing to the community via interaction on the forums.
I had to read Cowboy's post twice before I realized which one he meant.
So let's not jump one another's sh!*.

That said, even non-monetary contributors to the site should be able to expect some help with problems possibly related to the site.

I can say from my other's and my own experiences with email notification issues, it takes time.
I may be wrong, but to my understanding no one here is a full time, paid IT tech/Administrator.



 forktender

I hope they can get you figured out.
That is a bummer bug to be stuck with.


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## dubob

Hello?  Anybody home?  This forum is, after all, called the BUGS, GLITCHES AND MISCELLANEOUS FORUM PROBLEMS forum.  I'm not any kind of special member here, but certainly support ANYBODY'S right to post on THIS forum ANY problems encountered while using the website.  Doesn't matter to me whether the person having a problem just joined yesterday or 10 years ago and has 30,000 posts to their name.  My recommendation would be for anybody having a problem with that would be to either help the person asking for help or leave them the Hell alone.  I was under the impression that we're all here to help one another produce better BBQ, not get into pissing matches over ones contribution level - financial or otherwise.  A couple of y'all need to chill and go have a brew or whatever puts you in a mellower mood.

Forktender - hope you find what you're looking for without any more snide remarks from the grouches.


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## forktender

Dave, ever since the last update viewing the forum has been almost unbearable to read.
The right side of the screen where the ''Latest threads" and the ''Hot Threads" has taken over almost 75% of the pages view is only 6'' wide.
And the left side where you type or read posts and thread is literally  3'' wide on my 20'' Laptop screen.  So 9'' of my 20'' screen is texts and the rest of it is advertising crap and forum headers. I literally spend about 75-80% less time on the forum and for the time being quit sending people here to check out the forum. Have you ever tried to read thread or type a post that is 3'' wide on a 20'' screen? its unbearable and super hard on the old eyeballs.

I'm assuming that everyone got the same  P/M- message that Jeff sent me saying that he hasn't been around the forum for a while now and that he has his guys working on these problems that were caused by the last forum update.
Which means he has been aware of the problem for over five weeks now.  His p/m was a few weeks ago now yet the problem still exists. I know people that have made/ coded whole new forums in less than five weeks. I would be livid if I was Jeff, he has been paying for a product that isn't operating  properly unless he made the choice to make the ad's take up the majority of the viewing area which I highly doubt.

This  poem/haiku format  is complete B.S. and there is absolutely no way that it is good for the health of this forum. I'd be incredibly pissed if I was paying for the forum to run properly like I'm sure  

 TulsaJeff
 is. This problem is beyond Jeff's IT guys hands someone has to get in touch with  Xenforo and tell them that their last update has caused coding issues that have disrupted the way text is written and read by some viewers..  I joined the Xenforo forums too try to figure out the bug that has infected ths Smoking-Meat forums but without some info from Jeff  the web designers over on the Xenforo site will not respond too my questions about the Bug/glitch from the latest update. I see that Jeff did make as trial membership so new people can try out the forum without having the ad's cover most of the forums text which was a great move  on his part.


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## chilerelleno

C' Mon guys let's not denigrate each other.
Sheesh, leave that crap back in High School and just let it go.
Whether we've a green or yellow group tag or none at all most of us all contribute here one way or another.

Let's focus on the site issue and not petty stuff.


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## Winterrider

forktender
 .
Wife recently lost half her page from her website on laptop and we kinda went through the same thing, smaller format. Other sites were fine.  She accidentally hit something and it went berserk. Went to the settings(upper right corner) and Changed the zoom % and that reclaimed her screen. Dell Inspirion. Don't know if has anything to do with your issue ? ? ?


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## tallbm

forktender said:


> View attachment 461040
> 
> This has been going on for over a month now. Somebody needs to fix this.



I assume this screenshot is from a computer web browser.

If so which web browser are you using?
If using chrome try clearing ALL data.  This includes old files that may be from the pre-update that are messing things up (files called Stylesheets-CSS).
After close the web browser and open it back up.
*This same procedure works with all web browsers but the steps may be different as their settings and menus are not all the same.*

Here is an image of how to do this in Chrome:






Now if you aren't using Chrome as your web browser I would try downloading and using Chrome to see if it behaves differently than your current web browser.

If you are using a phone I would suggest doing the same thing but not sure what the steps are and if you have an iPhone its probably just their tactics to get you to buy the latest phone out :P  JUST KIDDING about the iPhone.

Anyhow, this may not fix anything but the reasoning is solid and the fix is simple should it be a problem that you have an old version of a CSS file stored to work with the newly updated changes.

I'm hoping that offering some potential solutions may get you past the pain.  Let me know if this helps out! :)


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## forktender

Both, laptop and android phone are displayed the same.
I use chrome and or Firefox at times. I've tried other browsers and get the dame results. I cleared my old files and data many times with zero effect. Kinda weird how it happening to some users and not others, both paying and nonpaying forum users.


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## Steve H

I may have lost track. But what other members have the same problem?


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## tallbm

forktender said:


> Both, laptop and android phone are displayed the same.
> I use chrome and or Firefox at times. I've tried other browsers and get the dame results. I cleared my old files and data many times with zero effect. Kinda weird how it happening to some users and not others, both paying and nonpaying forum users.



Hmmmm interesting.

Have you tried while logged out?  I'm wondering if it has something to do with your logged in profile since it happens on multiple browsers AND across 2 completely different devices.


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## bill1

First the snark, then the serious...
1. Of course we'll survive...we're used to waiting 6 hours for dinner, aren't we?  :-)  
2. If you're viewing on a PC, can you try a different browser?  Perhaps a different monitor/display?  Can you increase the resolution of your monitor?  (Right-click on the desktop and look for "settings"?)  If on a phone, maybe rotate the display?  The browser may be treating the "Hot Threads" as a separate column...can you hover there and does a dashed line appear?  You can maybe drag it to the right and get more area for the desired text and less width for the "sidebar" info, which I think is your main problem.


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## pc farmer

I use android and chrome.  No issues.  Jeff has always said the forum is FREE for anyone to join and use. I know for a fact he has more IT working on it then just his people.  I dont know nothing about websites.   Seems to me, maybe I am wrong but you seem to be the only one with the issue.  Maybe its on your end?


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## forktender

tallbm said:


> Hmmmm interesting.
> 
> Have you tried while logged out?  I'm wondering if it has something to do with your logged in profile since it happens on multiple browsers AND across 2 completely different devices.


Yes, I have. I even had a friend join the site to see if his view would be the same or normal.
It is the cut down version as well. And he is with a different internet provider.


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## forktender

pc farmer said:


> I use android and chrome.  No issues.  Jeff has always said the forum is FREE for anyone to join and use. I know for a fact he has more IT working on it then just his people.  I dont know nothing about websites.   Seems to me, maybe I am wrong but you seem to be the only one with the issue.  Maybe its on your end?


Nope you are wrong go read the other threads that are posted in this forum page there are many others effected. If it was only me I would deal with it but it's not only me so Im trying to help find a fix to these problems.


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## pc farmer

forktender said:


> Nope you are wrong go read the other threads that are posted in this forum page there are many others effected. If it was only me I would deal with it but it's not only me so Im trying to help find a fix to these problems.




Ok.  Just know he has people working on it.


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## forktender

pc farmer said:


> Ok.  Just know he has people working on it.


That is great to hear and all I wanted to know.
A few updates to the forum members is a good thing.


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## daveomak

forktender said:


> Dave, ever since the last update viewing the forum has been almost unbearable to read.
> The right side of the screen where the ''Latest threads" and the ''Hot Threads" has taken over almost 75% of the pages view is only 6'' wide.
> And the left side where you type or read posts and thread is literally  3'' wide on my 20'' Laptop screen.  So 9'' of my 20'' screen is texts and the rest of it is advertising crap and forum headers. I literally spend about 75-80% less time on the forum and for the time being quit sending people here to check out the forum. Have you ever tried to read thread or type a post that is 3'' wide on a 20'' screen? its unbearable and super hard on the old eyeballs.
> 
> I'm assuming that everyone got the same  P/M- message that Jeff sent me saying that he hasn't been around the forum for a while now and that he has his guys working on these problems that were caused by the last forum update.
> Which means he has been aware of the problem for over five weeks now.  His p/m was a few weeks ago now yet the problem still exists. I know people that have made/ coded whole new forums in less than five weeks. I would be livid if I was Jeff, he has been paying for a product that isn't operating  properly unless he made the choice to make the ad's take up the majority of the viewing area which I highly doubt.
> 
> This  poem/haiku format  is complete B.S. and there is absolutely no way that it is good for the health of this forum. I'd be incredibly pissed if I was paying for the forum to run properly like I'm sure  @TulsaJeff is. This problem is beyond Jeff's IT guys hands someone has to get in touch with  Xenforo and tell them that their last update has caused coding issues that have disrupted the way text is written and read by some viewers..  I joined the Xenforo forums too try to figure out the bug that has infected ths Smoking-Meat forums but without some info from Jeff  the web designers over on the Xenforo site will not respond too my questions about the Bug/glitch from the latest update. I see that Jeff did make as trial membership so new people can try out the forum without having the ad's cover most of the forums text which was a great move  on his part.




I have that problem on different forums....  
The ALL use different 'codes' for my computer to read...  
I have to 'refresh' stuff about 2 times per year to catch up...  
The only problem I have with these situations IS...  I don't want to be a computer programmer..  I want my computer to just post stuff correctly...   That ain't gonna happen so I have to search for fixes from the great beyond and hope I can fix it.....   
There is an UPSIDE to all this....   They say us 'OLD FOLKS' should work our brains to keep from getting addled....  I hope it's working....  or I may be getting some other 'OLD FOLKS' condition I don't know how to spell....   Now that would tick me off.... Iffin I cnat spel it, hows can I luk it up to c what I's gots...


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## mike guy

I have this problem on desktop browsers as well.  It’s better if you don’t use a wide browser.  Don’t maximize it and size the browser to be a tall skinny window.  The bug is with their responsive design grids which is technomumbo jumbo for how to
make it look good on a mobile phone.


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## tallbm

mike guy said:


> I have this problem on desktop browsers as well.  It’s better if you don’t use a wide browser.  Don’t maximize it and size the browser to be a tall skinny window.  The bug is with their responsive design grids which is technomumbo jumbo for how to
> make it look good on a mobile phone.



Interesting info.  This makes me think that it MAY be a screen resolution (display dimensions) thing.

I use 32 inch 720p  monitors/tv's as my screens.  My resolution is 1360 x 768.



 forktender
 if you can play around with your screen resolution I would wonder if that fixes things.  I know some people use different resolutions on their monitors/screens so things are bigger and can be seen more easily OR there are people using older or smaller monitors that use a not so current wider format or more current resolution sizes.

Just a thought on something simple to try if you know how to mess with screen resolution and can find an acceptable one that works.


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## banderson7474

tallbm said:


> Interesting info.  This makes me think that it MAY be a screen resolution (display dimensions) thing.
> 
> I use 32 inch 720p  monitors/tv's as my screens.  My resolution is 1360 x 768.
> 
> 
> 
> forktender
> if you can play around with your screen resolution I would wonder if that fixes things.  I know some people use different resolutions on their monitors/screens so things are bigger and can be seen more easily OR there are people using older or smaller monitors that use a not so current wider format or more current resolution sizes.
> 
> Just a thought on something simple to try if you know how to mess with screen resolution and can find an acceptable one that works.



Good idea but that wouldn't explain why it happens on his phone too.


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## eekinsman

forktender said:


> Dave, ever since the last update viewing the forum has been almost unbearable to read.
> The right side of the screen where the ''Latest threads" and the ''Hot Threads" has taken over almost 75% of the pages view is only 6'' wide.
> And the left side where you type or read posts and thread is literally  3'' wide on my 20'' Laptop screen.  So 9'' of my 20'' screen is texts and the rest of it is advertising crap and forum headers. I literally spend about 75-80% less time on the forum and for the time being quit sending people here to check out the forum. Have you ever tried to read thread or type a post that is 3'' wide on a 20'' screen? its unbearable and super hard on the old eyeballs.
> 
> I'm assuming that everyone got the same  P/M- message that Jeff sent me saying that he hasn't been around the forum for a while now and that he has his guys working on these problems that were caused by the last forum update.
> Which means he has been aware of the problem for over five weeks now.  His p/m was a few weeks ago now yet the problem still exists. I know people that have made/ coded whole new forums in less than five weeks. I would be livid if I was Jeff, he has been paying for a product that isn't operating  properly unless he made the choice to make the ad's take up the majority of the viewing area which I highly doubt.
> 
> This  poem/haiku format  is complete B.S. and there is absolutely no way that it is good for the health of this forum. I'd be incredibly pissed if I was paying for the forum to run properly like I'm sure  @TulsaJeff is. This problem is beyond Jeff's IT guys hands someone has to get in touch with  Xenforo and tell them that their last update has caused coding issues that have disrupted the way text is written and read by some viewers..  I joined the Xenforo forums too try to figure out the bug that has infected ths Smoking-Meat forums but without some info from Jeff  the web designers over on the Xenforo site will not respond too my questions about the Bug/glitch from the latest update. I see that Jeff did make as trial membership so new people can try out the forum without having the ad's cover most of the forums text which was a great move  on his part.


I have experienced the exact same issue as forktender.  Not every device or every day- but enough  to  make reading the forum   a major pain.


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## forktender

Well it appears that once again the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The format is back to normal.
Thank you for everyone that tried to help and had idea's on how to fix this the bug, I really appreciate it.

And a big thank you to everyone working on the fix.
What was the problem? 

Thanks again.
Dan


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## forktender

Well that was short-lived, it's back to poem form.


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## banderson7474

forktender said:


> Well that was short-lived, it's back to poem form.


It has to be on your end. Its never changed format for me.


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## forktender

Tired of responding to this, I'll just leave it at this...it's not on my end I didn't change anything it was the forums last update. There are others dealing with the very same issue.


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## mike guy

It’s not him.  It’s affecting others including me.  It’s a responsive design error and if the site developers need help fixing it I can point out the issue.


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## Buttah Butts

Strange how it effect some but not others. I guess I’m fortunate because I do not have any issues either on my desktop or iPhone.


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## chopsaw

forktender said:


> Tired of responding to this, I'll just leave it at this...it's not on my end I didn't change anything it was the forums last update. There are others dealing with the very same issue.


I didn't have it happen this time , but when they first changed the format I did . I know it don't help , but I feel your pain . 
Maybe the fact that it changed for a bit is a sign of progress . 
Hang in there the best you can . I know you have already . I hope they get it fixed for you guys . 
It's almost unusable like that .


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## mike guy

the issue is based on browser window size and resolution.  Since those are different for everyone, it’s not all that surprising.  The current workaround for those affected is to make your browser window tall and skinny and while it doesn’t fix the grid issue, it moves the columns around enough to be readable.


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## gmc2003

It is possible the the upgraded version SMF doesn't want to play nicely with one or some of your computer settings. I kinda doubt that because I think I remember you saying you had the same results on your friends computer. 

Chris


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## forktender

Thank you, Mike.
I'm trying really hard not to just say screw it and move on, the only reason I haven't done so already is because of how much I like this site. I knew it wasn't on my end because of all the testing I've done with other machines and starting fresh by having a friend join, so I could see her view.

The forum went through this in the beginning of the switch too xenforo as well, I guess it go more attention that time because it was more widespread and affecting everybody.

I sure hope they take you up on your offer because this crap is driving me insane and going on six weeks is just uncalled for.

Thank you for offering to help out the forum.
Dan


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## mike guy

It’s not a computer setting problem.  It’s the responsive grid design.  This is my field and I can see the exact problem and I promise you it’s in the site side.  For any site developers reading this thread.  It incorrectly sizes the grid columns because it misidentifies the viewport size.    I can give better details but there isn’t much point gumming up the thread with developer talk.  

This is the issue, but not necessarily the fix.  The fix of course has a lot more to consider, so let’s be patient with those responsible for fixing it.  Manually size your browser window is a fine enough work around that makes the forum readable.


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## normanaj

I run linux (ubuntu mate) on my laptop and have had no issues in either the  firefox or chromium browsers.None on my android phone either using firefox,chrome or opera.

Looking at the screenshots that have been posted by those being affected I can see why it would drive you insane.


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## mike guy

Forktender and anyone else affected by this I have another small work around. 

If you are using chrome, hit f12 in your browser and select the console tab.  Paste this in and hit enter: 
$(".p-body-main").removeClass("p-body-main")

This somewhat fixes the issue, but you have to do it on every page turn.  It's much easier to just run in a smaller browser.  I'm just trying to demonstrate what the css problem with the site is. 

 This should also make it clear to the site developers what the problem is.  
The p-body-main css class conflicts with the  p-body-main--withSidebar block sizing.  Probably due to using min-width instead of max-width on p-body-inner.

Hope that helps, but this is 100% a site css conflict problem and not anyone's individual settings (outside their desktop resolution and browser window size).


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## grubby64

Winterrider said:


> forktender
> .
> Wife recently lost half her page from her website on laptop and we kinda went through the same thing, smaller format. Other sites were fine.  She accidentally hit something and it went berserk. Went to the settings(upper right corner) and Changed the zoom % and that reclaimed her screen. Dell Inspirion. Don't know if has anything to do with your issue ? ? ?


I am using Firefox browser on a Mac computer. This issue has caused me to avoid this forum  lately even though I enjoy the content.
For what it's worth, I checked my zoom% as advised in the post above and because I am an old fart, I had it zoomed to 200%! I lowered it to 150% and boom! Problem fixed! 
I hope this helps others to find a solution.


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## tallbm

mike guy said:


> Forktender and anyone else affected by this I have another small work around.
> 
> If you are using chrome, hit f12 in your browser and select the console tab.  Paste this in and hit enter:
> $(".p-body-main").removeClass("p-body-main")
> 
> This somewhat fixes the issue, but you have to do it on every page turn.  It's much easier to just run in a smaller browser.  I'm just trying to demonstrate what the css problem with the site is.
> 
> This should also make it clear to the site developers what the problem is.
> The p-body-main css class conflicts with the  p-body-main--withSidebar block sizing.  Probably due to using min-width instead of max-width on p-body-inner.
> 
> Hope that helps, but this is 100% a site css conflict problem and not anyone's individual settings (outside their desktop resolution and browser window size).


Nice find!

With that info a site admin could go and update the CSS and have this fixed pretty quickly.

I'm giggling a bit at how you went and debugged this on your own hahahahaha but thanks for taking the time.  Now its just a matter of getting the changes applied and confirming it works well.  
As you know with this line of work you fix or change 1 thing to find 5 more in waiting :D

Great info!!! :)


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## hellasteph

Hi all! Thanks for reporting this. It seems like there is a misunderstanding that we didn't or won't fix this. The initial investigation didn't let us reproduce this problem until others mentioned that it's in a "no ads" view. It was very specific to a limited group so our team could not reproduce it readily. 

After everyone's great input and feedback, we were able to get the exact issue reproduced through trial and error. We kindly ask that if and when you report these issues, that additional information be included to help us get this resolved sooner than later by:

1. Including the computer and browser systems you're using (i.e. PC and Chrome browser or iPhone and Safari mobile)
2. Include a screenshot, a URL to the exact page(s) you're seeing this problem on, and what area you're looking at. The entire site is very vast and big, so we want to continue to test to see if we fixed the problem after we push a fix live.
3. Finally, disable all your extensions / plugins / add-ons, and see if the problem persists. If the issue persists, let us know.

Thank you for your patience and help in resolving this!


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## Winterrider

mike guy said:


> Forktender and anyone else affected by this I have another small work around.
> 
> If you are using chrome, hit f12 in your browser and select the console tab.  Paste this in and hit enter:
> $(".p-body-main").removeClass("p-body-main")
> 
> This somewhat fixes the issue, but you have to do it on every page turn.  It's much easier to just run in a smaller browser.  I'm just trying to demonstrate what the css problem with the site is.
> 
> This should also make it clear to the site developers what the problem is.
> The p-body-main css class conflicts with the  p-body-main--withSidebar block sizing.  Probably due to using min-width instead of max-width on p-body-inner.
> 
> Hope that helps, but this is 100% a site css conflict problem and not anyone's individual settings (outside their desktop resolution and browser window size).



Huh. . . ? ? ?   
That would be completely over my head.
Excellent on your part to find that. I don't have a clue on what f-1thru12 even do. I just don't touch.


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## indaswamp

Steve H said:


> I may have lost track. But what other members have the same problem?


Me...
I have the same issue Steve.


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## chopsaw

Should be fixed now .


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## indaswamp

Thank you for posting Mike Guy. Hope this helps the techs. resolve the issue.


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