Flynax 4.6 Update - Blog about Flynax Classified Ads Software

We are rolling out Flynax 4.6 release. This update includes some useful features, improvements and bug fixes. Perhaps, some of our customers had expected the update to come earlier but we did not want to release the new script version until we were certain that it was fully stable and ready for a release. In this blogpost, we would like to go over the essential features, bug fixes and improvements, which became part of the 4.6 Flynax update.

Add a listing in one step

If you are familiar with our script, you know that in our previous versions the process of posting ads consisted of five steps, and after each step a user needed to click next in order to proceed further. The first step starts with the choice of a category under which the ad will be posted, the second step allows a user to choose among packages available on your website, for instance free or featured with more options. The third and the most time-consuming step is adding listing details, such as year of make, condition and other information helping buyers get a better idea of the item for sale. The fourth step allows a user to add photos to visually present a listing while the fifth step allows to add a video. This is the final step if a user has selected a free plan, with a paid package, there is an additional step where a user needs to pay to get his listing published.

In our updated version, users can post ads in one step. We have reworked the entire process of adding listings, that said the Administrator may always choose whether to use the new feature to allow users to add listings in one step or offer a multi-step procedure.

Posting an ad in one step does not mean that we have removed some of the steps, they are still there, but simply merged in one. Now the entire process of posting an ad is presented on one page where a user selects a category, adds a listing description, adds media (photos/video) and clicks Next to have it published. Keep in mind, if a user selects a paid plan, there will be a second step because it is impossible to post a listing in one step and purchase a plan on the same page. The user will need to proceed to the next page to make a payment. With all that, we believe that adding a listing in one step is an essential feature for today’s classifieds sites and your users will find it extremely useful and convenient.

Some of the major classifieds portals are using the one step ad posting while others remain conservative and offer users several stages. There are pros and cons for both ways and we have discussed them in one of our previous blogposts.

SEO friendly media files names

Although this feature does not show itself in any way in frontend, it is essential for search engines and helps users’ listings be indexed in a more effective way. In our previous version, all of the pictures/videos uploaded by users received a unique numeric id. In this way, the listings were searched by its titles and description. With a numeric photo id, the image itself is not indexed by the search engines and is unlikely to show up in search results.

With a SEO friendly media file name, every picture/video uploaded by users will automatically get a name from a listing title. Car shoppers who are looking for images of Red Ford Mustang or Toyota Camry 2015 may land on images that will have titles:

2012-ford-mustang-red-1.jpg
2012-ford-mustang-red-2.jpg
2012-ford-mustang-red-3.jpg
2012-ford-mustang-red-4.mp4

toyota-camry-2015-with-very-low-miles-1.mp4
toyota-camry-2015-with-very-low-miles-2.jpg
toyota-camry-2015-with-very-low-miles-3.jpg
toyota-camry-2015-with-very-low-miles-4.jpg

As more and more people search for media, such as videos and photos, images with proper descriptive titles will be given preference over images with non-descriptive titles which convey no information to search bots. We believe that the use of best SEO practices will help your users get more attention to their listings.

Space position reserved for banners

Owners of classifieds portals often place banners on their websites linking to partners or other websites that need to be advertised. The success of the banner campaign often depends on its position and if it catches users’ eyes. When we tasked ourselves with finding new space positions for banners, we wanted this positions to fit the website look and concept so that users are not distracted by banners, but rather see them as an integral part of the website.

The new software version now allows you to place banners in listing grids or listings search results after a particular number of listings. You, as the Administrator, may decide on the interval when the banner will be displayed in a listings grid. For instance, you may wish to display a banner after every four listings in a grid and when users scroll through the listings, they will see a banner after a particular interval of listings. Furthermore, you may customize the banner so that it fits the listing look and it will be natively integrated in listings grid results.

Since the banners are displayed along with listings, they are more likely to catch users’ attention and therefore will get better exposure and more clicks. We believe that the new space position for banners will help classifieds owners run more effective banner campaigns.

Bug fixes, improvements and script optimization

The lion’s share of work on the update was done to optimize the script, pinpoint the bugs and issues and fix them in this release. We virtually took the script apart and looked at every line of code thinking how we could make it better and more optimized. In the new update, we have fixed a number bugs and made our script faster, more stable and powerful. Below is a list of bug fixes and improvements, which are part of 4.6 update.

Front End:

Default tab for grid view added to back end
Ability to combine ads of different types under “My Ads” added by default
Installation wizard reworked and improved
Ability to enable HTTPS on site during installation added
Sorting by fields on the listing type page added
HTTPS redirect to a secured page if enabled in config.inc.php added
“image/x-icon” option to favicon link in header added to all templates
Category selector gets hidden with one category available
Payment modules improved
Adding/removing listings from Favorites reworked
Datepicker to the Georgian language added
Qtips adjusted to RTL languages on tablets and smartphones
Disabling account types improved
Short form bug in child categories fixed
System error when selecting membership plan fixed
Bug in radio fields after selecting criteria in My Listings fixed
Bug in the search by accounts by “0-9” on other languages fixed
Datepicker error after submitting page with empty required fields fixed
Bug in user’s listings shown on one page fixed
Email bug in “My Messages” when emailing with other users fixed
Problem preventing users to contact other users under plans fixed
Wrong phrase on the Remove Account page when link clicked reworded
Listing package stats issue after updating a package for a second time fixed
Bugs when deleting membership plans with bulk action fixed
Ability to disable My Listings section for users with no access to posting ads added
Posted date bug on “Listing Details” with field added outside group fixed
Wrong phrases in footer or emails fixed
Incorrect logic in stats of membership plans fixed
MySQL error when searching by “+” fixed
Bug in search for featured listings on My Listings page fixed
Issue in captcha when contacting listing owners fixed
Multilingual problem on the Order Page fixed
Cron Jobs issues fixed
Script better optimized to search engines
Filtering option added to the page manager in back end
Advanced option bug in membership plans fixed
Upgrade to Featured representation improved
Rel prev next option added

Back-End:

Remote plugin installation/updating improved
Menu dislocation problem when reloading fixed
Errors in Listing Form Builder fixed
Resize error causing 404 after leaving picture names intact fixed
Listing status bug after expiration fixed
Restriction bug in “Grant a Plan” function by account types fixed
Notification error in the SMTP module when testing fixed
Field highlighting issue after adding a new language fixed
Bug after changing transaction status fixed
Memcache caching issue in the Google AutoComplete fixed
Errors in the limited admin section fixed
Category bug after changing listing type fixed

Ending this blogpost, we would like to thank a big community of Flynax users who are inspiring us to perfect our script and make it better with each new update. Where we stand today would not be possible without the support, suggestions and kind words from customers who are using our script for their classifieds projects. Together with you, we are on our way to making our software the best classifieds script on the market today and we believe that 4.6 update is a resolute step towards our goal.