Delivery Method: None. Be sure this is NOT the default. Plz add hint to docs/FAQ

  • Resolved abitofmind

    (@abitofmind)


    1 year, 10 months ago

    Perfect Images > Settings > Retinize > Basics > Delivery Method: Was set on “none”!

    Until I realized this was the reason for Perfect Images not working it took me some hours of debugging until I realized this as the root cause!

    Because the creation of retina images had worked all fine, media library filesystem inspection showed them too. Had tried a lot until I figured the true cause.

    After I changed the method to “Responsive Images” it worked fine, the srcset then included the retina versions too.

    To avoid other users falling into that same pitfall please evaluate the following:

    1) https://meowapps.com/wp-retina-2x/tutorial/#deliver-retina-images says “By default, the method is Responsive Images.”

    • Are you really sure that “Perfect Images” ships with “Responsive Images” as the default delivery method?
    • Because I cannot recall that I had changed this to “None”. But maybe I did and forgot about it.
    • Maybe there are some environment conditions (during install?) that may lead to “None” being set? Please check.

    When you open Meow Apps > Perfect Images, the hint box on top says
    “Perfect Images works out of the box.”
    So the user strongly thinks that just activating the plugin is all you need, further tweaking is optional. Really important to check that the delivery method cannot become “None” without user intervention by some circumstances.

    2) Mention that the delivery method shall be checked to be a concrete one rather then “none” in your documentation.

    a) https://meowapps.com/wp-retina-2x/issues-faq/#issues

    • The 6-step checklist should mention something like:
      The Delivery Method is “None”? Then the retina versions may get created correctly (manually or automatically) but as long as no concrete delivery method is set, your Retina Images will never make it into the HTML output of WordPress. “None” is only intended if you want to “pause” delivery for some reasons (maintenance, tests, etc).

    b) https://meowapps.com/wp-retina-2x/issues-faq/#common-issues

    • No mention of the word “delivery” at all. Should be there.
    • All the above seems obvious to someone who knows how “Perfect Images” operates. But to new users or struggling users this is potentially a very helpful hint!

    Hope that this feedback helps! Thanks for offering the plugin!

    • This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by abitofmind.
    • This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by abitofmind.
Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Plugin Author Jordy Meow

    (@tigroumeow)

    Until I realized this was the reason for Perfect Images not working it took me some hours of debugging until I realized this as the root cause!

    Indeed! In the past, when it was called WP Retina 2x, there was a method set by default. But then, the plugin got used for different features and I decided not to set it enabled by default. Sorry about the troubles!

    Thanks a lot for everything you have written, it’s very helpful, and I realize that my tutorial and debug page are completely out of sync with the current status of the plugin (I still refer often to its former name).

    I will rewrite completely the tutorial soon, and the debug page as well. I have a lot of new advices also to share, so I need everything to reflect my latest updates and WordPress evolutions.

    Again, thanks a lot, and I hope other users find this, as it’s really useful ??

    Thread Starter abitofmind

    (@abitofmind)

    Hi Jordy, glad that this feedback is appreciated and that you will rework the documentation/help/FAQ accordingly.

    Hi dear fellow WordPress / Better Image Plugin user, in the meantime I hope this helps you: After plugin installation you must manually choose a delivery method for the plugin to become effective in the page rendering (HTML output)!

    —

    Hi Jordy again, to improve the usability, please a) either consider shipping your plugin with “Responsive Images” set as the default delivery method or b) more explicitly point the users to the fact that manual activation of the delivery method is necessary. As it is now you can very easily miss it!

    Ad a) Would adhere to the WordPress philosophy ‘Decisions, not Options’ and also be consistent with some of your other plugins which I experienced as “working out of the box” after plugin activation.

    If you keep b) then make sure the user can not miss it:

    • On the WP Plugins page after clicking “activate” show a banner/message like “Please configure your preferences and eventually select an image delivery method so that the plugin becomes effective in page rendering (HTML output)”.
    • Or consider an onboarding wizard, whose user journey passes along the delivery method setting.

    Curious to read from you how you will proceed in this regard. Thanks!

    Thread Starter abitofmind

    (@abitofmind)

    Banner/message text again, as it was mangled:

    Please configure your?image sizes and eventually select an image?delivery method?so that the plugin becomes effective for page rendering.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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