Website Issues: Loads of bad shortcuts and missing links?

[traincrazy0918]

Hello Jointedrail!

In these past couple of weeks I've noticed that navigating the site has become quite difficult due to a lot of missing or broken links scattered around the site. What prompted me to write about it this week was the image in the main header for the "newly released" NS C39-8 being a link to a 404 not found page. There's also the matter that clicking on any of the "Related Items" or "Customers Also Bought This" links returns you to the homepage instead of the content that you want to go to. This is also true for the "Popular Products" and "Bestsellers" links as well. A couple of months back there was even a link to a log rack car that doesn't seem to exist anywhere on the site.

Anyways, just notifying you of the issue!

Thanks,
Spence

 

[shaneturner12]

It may be a daft question (I'm also a user of their site) but have you actually logged into the site?

Shane

 

[petrama25]

I have the same exact issue with many items as well. So youre not alone. Logged in as well Shane

 

[shaneturner12]

Sounds like a website bug in that case although I have seen cases where not being logged in can cause strange things with website links on their site.

Shane

 

[KingConrail76]

IF the items you are clicking links to are "Early Release" or otherwise "Club Car" content, you will get a 404 error or be redirected to the Home page .. Do you have a Club Car membership?

Edit: The Log Rack car mentioned above IS a Club Car item.

 

[frogpipe]

If you click a link and get a 404, it's a bug, logged in or not. If it'd something you need to be logged in to see then you should get a page saying so, not a 404.

I find searches, when logged in, return links that are missing part of the path to a given product page too.

 

[shaneturner12]

If you click a link and get a 404, it's a bug, logged in or not. If it'd something you need to be logged in to see then you should get a page saying so, not a 404.

I find searches, when logged in, return links that are missing part of the path to a given product page too.

That is true up to a point. JR's website does have a strange habit of having misformed links if coming from another site and not already being logged in. Try this link for example: http://jointedrail.com/freeware/latest-releases/nokl-thrall-door-boxcar.html

Shane

 

[frogpipe]

You mean the "please log in" at the top? With the "oops your bad" below (you never point a finger at the visitor, btw) that's not an acceptable user experience. I stand by my previous assertion.

JR as a whole makes some of the BEST trainz content, but that website...

 

[shaneturner12]

I did notice that (although having 404 not found on the same page is bound to cause confusion and is something JR need to look into). I've never got on too well when that happens on their website either.

Shane

 

[jointedrail]

Were aware of a few holes here or there ( and those buggy searches that result in getting kicked back to the main page) and are currently looking at future alternatives to the current site platform we use. These happened on a previous crash/hack attempt I believe it was and we had to recover the data and were left with what it is now. With that said we aren't going to jump into something that doesn't allow us to bring the current "features" we have on the site so it might take some time to transition to the new platform.

 

[HPL]

those buggy searches that result in getting kicked back to the main page

Have this almost each time I use the search engine!

 

[sonofham]

Have the same problem with one item I would like to download from the freeware section which is the JR Small Yard Tower and although the search function works the link to the JR Small Yard Tower is broken...Busy browsing through the freeware section to find it but for some reason can't??? Weird as it appears in the Recently Viewed Products part of the webpage\website but that link is also broken.

 

[UncleBuck]

I just tried to download that and had no problems.
I know that doesn't help you, but I thought you would like to know that it doesn't appear to be a broken link so maybe there is something wrong with your Jointed Rail login.

 

[HPL]

Appears as broken to me too (as well as many others).

 

[sonofham]

I just tried to download that and had no problems.
I know that doesn't help you, but I thought you would like to know that it doesn't appear to be a broken link so maybe there is something wrong with your Jointed Rail login.

Just tried to do the same thing with a better internet connection,newer version of the web browser I am using,etc.. still the same result.

 

[jointedrail]

Just tried to do the same thing with a better internet connection,newer version of the web browser I am using,etc.. still the same result.

As noted before some of the issues were created when the platform we use currently crashed. That left some things broken we couldn't fix, no matter what we tried.

In about a day or two a whole new site will be coming without these issues using a different platform entirely. We are in testing stages now with that and it will definitely not have the issues noted by several of you.

 

[sonofham]

Just been to the main page and it is looking good.Haven't browsed the site though.In Firefox the rotating banner is mis-aligned a bit to the right which looks odd as it overlaps the background a bit.If I can get a chance to upload a screenshot of the problem I will.Google Chrome is fine.

[edit]either the problem was fixed or it is a glitch with an older version of Firefox but the banner is being displayed properly.