Bug Report: ActiveRain Editor Page Blank

By
Education & Training with Tech Training for You!

It has been reported quite a few times in Q&A of having a half blank page when editing a new post. I had seen that happen a few times in my case but only rarely. But what is a person to do if this happens to them? How can they finish a new post when they can only see part of the page?

Well, yesterday I went exploring a little further and was able to discover what causes it to happen. There are several methods to scroll down a page. It turns out in this one page (the edit post page), that if you use the scroll bar, that it gets the window a little confused. At least I've found that to be the case in Chrome. Instead of scrolling downward, it moves the viewport area upward. Strange!

So the workarounds that I propose when you are on this page involve scrolling not with the scroll bar, but rather with the wheel on your mouse or by using two fingers on your trackpad. You can also use the up/down arrow keys and the page up/page down keys. When you do any of these methods the error does not occur. If you forget and use the scroll bar to go down, simply drag the scroll bar all the way back to the top to reset it and then scroll down using one of the other methods.

Hat tip to Dario who probed into the CSS styling on the page and discovered that by adding "position: relative" to the section div with id of "main-section" that the error no longer occurs. (if you aren't an activerain developer, you can skip this paragraph) 😆

If you'd like to see how the error occurs and how to avoid it, I did short video that you can see below. Hopefully AR gets this fixed soon, but if it lingers around a while, at least know we can pinpoint how to avoid. Please assist others if you see them having trouble with it!

 

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Craig Daniels
This blog is all about technology and helping you to use it smarter! Your digital footprint is your chance to attract new clients. What kind of impression are you making via your website, blog, and social media? We’ll be talking about that! Are you as productive as you can be? What apps might help you out? Do you know how to use all the best tools inside the apps? I enjoy photography and videography, you can expect to see those topics also on this blog.
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PS - get ready for some homework… :) 

Comments (22)

Ed Silva
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

By hook or crook, I haven't had issues with this and can't really say I know what I am doing different

Feb 17, 2021 07:53 AM
Craig Daniels

glad you've bypassed this Ed, just keep doin what your doin :)

Feb 17, 2021 08:05 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Craig,

Thank you for sharing this with us.  So far, I have not had any problems with the editor, but I have read the complaints on the Q & A..  This is a wonderful explanation. A

Feb 17, 2021 07:59 AM
Craig Daniels

thanks A! it may not happen in Safari. Most people may not see it at all. However I hope this helps the few that are getting frustrated by not being able to post if they encounter this. :)

Feb 17, 2021 08:06 AM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

That problem has vexed me for some time.  Thank you for letting us know what causes it and how to work around it.

Feb 17, 2021 08:20 AM
Craig Daniels

that's excellent Raymond, makes me glad to hear I could assist! :)

Feb 17, 2021 08:29 AM
Anna Banana Kruchten Phoenix Broker
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Craig I've seen many a Q & A about this topic.  Thanks for sharing a fix!

Feb 17, 2021 09:16 AM
Craig Daniels

yes, felt bad for those that were stuck. can't finish a post if you get in this jam. hope this helps until we see the repair :)

Feb 17, 2021 09:22 AM
Dario Ferreira
Attleboro, MA
Internet Marketing & SEO

Thanks for the shout-out. 
Maybe the developers will take 5 minutes off their busy schedule to implement it..., but I would not bet much money on it :)

Great video, by the way -  just watched it.
AR is lucky to have you taking the time to go the extra mile.

Feb 17, 2021 09:49 AM
Craig Daniels

we're on their side Dario! :) nudge, nudge, nudge
meanwhile we'll help our fellow members as we can! thanks!

Feb 17, 2021 10:08 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Craig Daniels  i sure hope it works as there are times I would love to use my older laptop on AR to blog and it is useless on AR because of these issues since  October 2020

Feb 17, 2021 10:26 AM
Craig Daniels

please come back and let me know if you had success Hannah!

Feb 17, 2021 10:40 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

ALSO WORKS TO USE THE UP/DOWN ARROWS.

I have encountered the half-page issue often.
The up/down arrows are "work-around"
If I forget, try to use scroll bar, I SAVE - CLOSE - go to Drafts and start again. L.

Feb 17, 2021 12:40 PM
Craig Daniels

I glad you found a way that works Lynn. You don't need to close the page, just drag the scroll bar all the way back to the top and then use arrow keys to go down from there.

Feb 17, 2021 12:45 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Great information, Craig...we see members bringing up this issue now and then in the Q and A. I - thankfully - have not yet experienced it but good to know what to do.

Jeff

Feb 17, 2021 02:43 PM
Craig Daniels

thanks Jeff - hoping it helps the group of people seeing this issue!

Feb 17, 2021 04:12 PM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

You have just addressed the problem I have been having when trying to create a post in Chrome.  My workaround has been to shift to Internet Explorer when writing posts.  I like your idea better!

Feb 17, 2021 04:13 PM
Craig Daniels

I just tested firefox and it doesn't happen there. But you can work in Chrome as soon as you know what NOT to do :)

Feb 18, 2021 07:08 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

CONGRATULATIONS Craig, on having this blog FEATURED in the Old Farts Club group!  

Feb 17, 2021 04:15 PM
Melissa Jackson REALTOR
Trinity Premier Properties - Azle, TX
Helping You Make The Right Move

Thank you for posting. I’ve seen others having this issue. I like this idea instead of changing browsers.

Feb 17, 2021 09:11 PM
Craig Daniels

me too! not terrible once you know how to avoid

Feb 18, 2021 07:09 AM
Debra Leisek
Bay Realty,Inc Homer Alaska - Homer, AK

I have certainly had this problem. I appreciate the good information

I have also been seeing a not secure warning on my upper bar.... 

I dont know if that is me or AR or both

PS  I really like your graphic  and thank you for the excellent information

Feb 18, 2021 01:14 AM
Craig Daniels

thanks Debra - glad to hear from you

Feb 18, 2021 07:09 AM
Kat Palmiotti
406-270-3667, kat@thehousekat.com, Broker/REALTOR® - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

I've seen quite a few questions about this issue, so thank you for doing the investigation, and documenting the issue/cure.

Thank you!

Feb 18, 2021 05:05 AM
Craig Daniels

apparently doesn't happen on safari - but lots of us on Chrome will be useful to know this :)

Feb 18, 2021 07:10 AM
Brian England
Arizona Focus Realty - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I experienced that when I switched from Firefox to Chrome and quickly figured out that it was the scroll.  Luckily, I have a touchscreen, so I just scroll with my finger.

Feb 18, 2021 05:30 AM
Craig Daniels

touchscreen scroll, yes! that's also a good workaround. glad you figured that out Brian!

Feb 18, 2021 07:11 AM
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Property Manager

Thank you Craig AND Dario Ferreira for your diligence in helping us while the developers work through the myriad of changes that need to be made to the platform.

Feb 18, 2021 06:39 AM
Craig Daniels

it helps when we can see the issues more clearly instead of just something 'random' :) thanks Carol!

Feb 18, 2021 07:50 AM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good evening Craig Daniels ,

As always you help us work through issues and always give such logical advice and explanations. Thank you for always clarifying things.

Feb 19, 2021 04:32 PM
Craig Daniels

glad to help Dorie! one unusual thing after another these days! hope you are doing well down there in TX! :)

Feb 19, 2021 05:46 PM
Kris Collis, Associate Broker
Smart Way America Realty - East Stroudsburg, PA
Professional Results you Expect 570-801-5525

Craig,  I have always used the two-finger scroll on trackpad. 

Works like a charm. 

Your AR title should be Training Director :))

Feb 20, 2021 09:47 PM
Craig Daniels

thanks Kris! I do what I can :)

Feb 21, 2021 06:16 AM
Andrea Bedard
Thompson Company, REALTORS® 240.593.2860 - Silver Spring, MD
Fluent in Real Estate & German, M.A. ABR ASP CIPS

I saw this happening all the time Craig, so much so that I quit writing my posts in Chrome, although I prefer it over others for pretty much everything else. Firefox doesn't play these tricks on me, so I've been using both: write & publish in Firefox, read & comment in Chrome. I'll most definitely give your tip a try! Thank you. 

On another note, no more issues adding pics! Yeah! 

Feb 21, 2021 09:16 AM
Craig Daniels

firefox is a good browser, but it would be great to not have to switch between two - much simpler! terrific to hear Andrea! :)

Feb 21, 2021 01:31 PM
Andrea Bedard

I am thrilled to report back that the half-blank-page is no more. Well, technically it still was, but with your little tip (I used the up and down arrow keys), my words reappeared and I was able to edit and post in Chrome. Thank you Craig Daniels

Feb 22, 2021 10:48 AM
Craig Daniels

hurray!!

Feb 23, 2021 11:02 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Craig, so glad you are back to give us all instructions for the glitches we see here in the Rain, thank you! 

Feb 23, 2021 07:10 AM
Craig Daniels

thanks Joan, meaningful to me that you say so :)

Feb 23, 2021 11:02 AM
Joyce Marsh
Joyce Marsh Real Estate LLC - Ormond Beach, FL
Joyce Marsh Daytona Beach Area Florida Homes

Hello Craig... Thanks for sharing your tips and fixes for many of the AR glitches.  I'm wondering if you might be able to assist me or if you have run across this problem previously.   I have contacted AR Help desk but have not received assistance.  I am not able to update my profile.  When I click on edit in the get to know section, and other areas, a pop up screen shows up but it's just blank and doesn't allow me to type any new information in it.  I have changed companies and need to update my information.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

Mar 05, 2021 11:44 AM
Craig Daniels

Hi Joyce - there's a bug on the edit page for our profiles at the moment. I am able to edit profiles though and can assist you if you'd like. I emailed you more info.

Mar 06, 2021 06:42 AM