swamphox wrote:In V3, will there be an easier interface to make changes and settings?
Yes, to some degree. We plan a brand new panel interface, although this will take some time because we are trying to "complete" the core frontend first.
swamphox wrote:It is vastly different from the V2 user interface where settings were much easier to understand. I look at the interface on this and I am lost and all I can do is create problems and waste time.
Yes it is very different. For now, you will just need to browse through the docs to get a basic understanding, but more importantly use the folders inside the demo content as a reference on how to achieve things. I hope you did not delete it?
swamphox wrote:Will this remain the same or can we expect something like the V2 interface? If not, why?
It will not be similar to the X3 settings interface, for several reasons. As you have understood, X3 is VERY different from X2 ... The reason for this, is that times and requirements have changed a lot since X2, and so have the designers and developers behind Imagevue. With X3, we wanted to create a super modern non-compromised website in all terms: design, functionality, performance, SEO ... We simply want X3 to be the best. To achieve this, we have had to make some compromises from the setup perspective, and also to some degree, "steer" the gallery owner slightly into the realms of modern web design.
For example: CSS. X3 core is built around modern CSS3, which is incredibly flexible, and you can even add your own customizations (it is not too complicated). It does not make sense to "convert" css into settings.
Also, being an advanced flexible gallery that can achieve everything our users are requesting (and rightfully so), we need to build it from a technically-logical perspective for example in terms of "modules" (the page elements context, gallery, folders etc). We cannot simply chop all this up to a simple recursive settings tree structure.
For us, it is also important that the panel is clean and uncomplicated. Essentially, it is very simple to create a page ... Most other settings are "progressive".
I could go on and on with this, but ultimately, I think X3 is probably for a slightly more technically-oriented audience than X2. The reason for this, is that we don't want to compromise on the quality of the website X3 creates. Therefore, it is kind of up to each user if they want to follow trends, at the cost of a slightly more challenging setup. If you mention other "simple setup" website services, I could easily tell them how they are massively flawed in terms of modern web design, and would be punished in terms of SEO, performance, quality and mobile usability.
Having said all the above, we have a massive desire to make the panel much more intuitive as soon as we get the opportunity!
PS! Personally, we think X2 settings are disgustingly complicated: