Railfan Technology > how to access Trainorders.com from smart phone

I can read and reply to threads I'm following, with my iPhone, but I can't access otherwise.  Am I missing something?  The main reason I'm asking, is because I want to give my son a gift membership, but he would mostly access the website with his iPhone.  I sent this question to Todd several weeks ago, but he has not replied, so I'm reaching out to the general membership. 

Thanks

Ronnie McCallay
Cañon City, CO

He probably hasn't replied because there are many, many previous discussion threads on this already. Most people, including myself, use the desktop version of the site when viewing it on a mobile device. To set this preference, log in and go to "Forum Options" in the left column, then under "Use the mobile template when using a supported mobile device:" select No then click on the Submit button at the bottom.

Still, you probably won't be able to post video or photos directly from the phone. There is some sort of conflict between Apple's JPEG encoding and TO. But everything else works.

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> He probably hasn't replied because there are many,
> many previous discussion threads on this already.
> Most people, including myself, use the desktop
> version of the site when viewing it on a mobile
> device. To set this preference, log in and go to
> "Forum Options" in the left column, then under
> "Use the mobile template when using a supported
> mobile device:" select No then click on the Submit
> button at the bottom.
>
> Still, you probably won't be able to post video or
> photos directly from the phone. There is some sort
> of conflict between Apple's JPEG encoding and TO.
> But everything else works.


Thant's how I do it and it works fine

The mobile interface on trainorders is woefully inadequate.

Good luck.

Posted from iPhone

Thanks for the replies.  I followed the recommendation by trainjunkie, and found that it works.  Still have to google Trainorders.com, to access it though, so agreed, it is not the most user friendly site for mobile.

At any rate, I did give my son a gift subscription, so that is all that matters.  Well, I also hope he likes it and uses it......
Thanks again.

Ronnie McCallay
Cañon City, CO

steamfan49 Wrote:
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> Still have to google Trainorders.com, to
> access it though

Why don't you just bookmark it in Safari (or whatever browser you are using)?

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Why don't you just bookmark it in Safari (or
> whatever browser you are using)?

Well hell, I didn't even think about that, as I have never used Safari.......and I've had an iPhone since model 3.

Perhaps that explains just how mobile illiterate I am.

But trainjunkie, it is now bookmarked in Safari.

Thanks again for the recommendations.

Ronnie McCallay
Cañon City, CO

If you’re using an iPhone, you have the option to make the bookmark a button — like an app — on your home screen.

Just choose “add to home screen” and you can give it a shorter name, like Steam, or Western.

That’s what I do, and I use the mobile template, which you set in your TO settings.

I have six TO buttons, one for each of the forums I visit.

It works pretty well, but the login screen is still a hassle.

Posted from iPhone

If you’re using an iPhone, you have the option to make the bookmark a button — like an app — on your home screen.

Just choose “add to home screen” and you can give it a shorter name, like Steam, or Western.

That’s what I do, and I use the mobile template, which you set in your TO settings.

I have six TO buttons, one for each of the forums I visit.

It works pretty well, but the login screen is still a hassle.

Posted from iPhone

walstib Wrote:
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> It works pretty well, but the login screen is
> still a hassle.

I find that the “Recent” page supports Safari Autofill login (or vice versa). That is, clicking the Recent when not logged in produces an offer to login with Autofill, including via Touch ID. Once one does log in there’s a message that “This page is not supported on mobile,” but the login has been effected.

Edit: Trying each of the pages on the left sidebar, I find that "Recent" and "Static Photography" both offer Safari Autofill login. They are the two pages which simply demand membership, while all the others give you the usual limited non-member access with login on the sidebar. That might be an oversight, particularly for "Static Photography." (Why would "Static Photography" not link non-members to forum entries, while "Video & Audio" does?) But it is handy for logging in with an iPhone. If Todd ever changes those two pages, perhaps he could add a "Login" page which works like those two pages do now so that browsers will autofill.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/19 14:00 by clem.

Re:  Unable to post photos using IPhone.

It gets worse, you are also unable to post photos 
if you’re using an Apple Computer.
George Andrassy 

I post photos from an Apple computer all the time, without any problems.

What troubles are you experiencing?

Posted from iPhone

Thanks for the reply. Site will not accept photos from my I Mac. Just like from my I Phone.
George Andrassy 

Auburnrail Wrote:
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> Thanks for the reply. Site will not accept photos
> from my I Mac. Just like from my I Phone.

It is possible that the photos are not in JPEG format. If they came from an iPhone running iOS 11 or later with default settings then might be in HEIF/HVEC format. HEIF it is supposedly more efficient than JPEG, but it is also newer and less compatible with everything else. I doubt that Trainorders would recognize HEIF, as the guidelines specify "a jpeg (.jpg) image."

It is also possible that the photo (if iPhone) was taken in "Live" mode, as Apple makes that the default photo type for iPhone 6s and later. That is a combination still and moving image, and I don't know if Trainorders would accept that even if the still image was a JPEG.

Edits:
Just to see if I could get a photo from iPhone through Photos (the current Mac OS crippleware) to TO, one is attached. Sorry, not a train. It began as a "Live" photo taken on an iPhone 8 Plus running iOS 12.  Shared via iCloud to Mac OS Photos. Cropped in Photos (because the original jpeg was too large for TO and you cannot select a quality in Photos), exported to a simple JPEG by Photos (Export -> Export 1 Photo...") and here it is.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/19 21:03 by clem.

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do you access any other sites with the phone, same thing

Can you post a screenshot of that option  on  IPhone tools?
I can’t find that export command.
George Andrassy 

Auburnrail Wrote:
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> Can you post a screenshot of that option  on
>  IPhone tools?
> I can’t find that export command.

The export was from Mac OS Photos, not iOS Photos. Here is the screenshot:


 

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Thank you. Will try that.

It's unfortunate the powers that be at Trainorders — a service comprised of paid users — appear uninterested or unable to keep up with the times. Compatibility with 4K video, some photo formats, and the entire mobile interface are problematic at best.

I'm not begrudging anyone the ability to make a profit from this site, but it would be refreshing if some of the revenue was put back into improving the site. It's 2019, not 1999.

That said, attached is a photo I took with my iPhone XS Max on Saturday, tuned up in the Apple Photos program, and then exported as a .jpg before I uploaded it here. Works fine. It's basically the same procedure outlined in the screen shot above.

The photo, by the way, is of a pair of passenger car trucks being rebuilt at the Northern Pacific museum in Toppenish. Once completed, the trucks will be sent to Beech Grove and attached to a NP heritage diner, which the museum purchased at auction. The diner, I'm told, still has the original glass partitions with the NP logo. The dining car currently sits on freight trucks, hence the need for these rebuilt trucks to bring it home.

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there arn't that many people here