TurboTrades/MAINTENANCE_MODE_FIX.md

Maintenance Mode Improvements

🎯 What Was Fixed

The maintenance mode scheduling interface was confusing and poorly designed. Users couldn't properly select dates/times, and the scheduling feature wasn't necessary for simple on/off maintenance mode.

✅ Changes Made

1. Made Scheduling Optional

• Added a checkbox to enable/disable scheduling
• By default, scheduling is hidden
• Users can now simply toggle maintenance on/off without dates
• Scheduling only shows if you check "Schedule Maintenance (Optional)"

2. Clearer Interface

Before:

• Two datetime-local fields always visible
• Confusing "Optional" labels
• No clear explanation

After:

• Clean toggle for maintenance mode
• Clear help text explaining what maintenance mode does
• Scheduling is collapsed by default
• Only shows when you want to schedule maintenance

3. Better Labels and Help Text

Maintenance Toggle:

• Clear description: "When enabled, only admins and whitelisted Steam IDs can access the site"

Maintenance Message:

• Helpful placeholder: "We're performing scheduled maintenance. We'll be back soon!"
• Explanation: "This message will be shown to users when they try to access the site"

Allowed Steam IDs:

• Now labeled as "Optional"
• Clear explanation: "Add Steam IDs of users who can access during maintenance (admins can always access)"
• Better placeholder: "76561198XXXXXXXXX"

Scheduling:

• Hidden by default
• Checkbox to enable: "Schedule Maintenance (Optional)"
• Help text: "Leave unchecked to manually control maintenance mode"

4. Smart Behavior

• When scheduling checkbox is unchecked, dates are automatically cleared
• When loading config, scheduling section auto-expands if dates exist
• Prevents confusion about scheduled vs manual maintenance

🎨 New UI Layout

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Maintenance Mode                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                             │
│ [🟢 ON] Enable Maintenance Mode             │
│ When enabled, only admins and whitelisted   │
│ Steam IDs can access the site               │
│                                             │
│ Maintenance Message                         │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ We're performing scheduled maintenance. │ │
│ │ We'll be back soon!                     │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ This message will be shown to users         │
│                                             │
│ [ ] Schedule Maintenance (Optional)         │
│     Leave unchecked to manually control     │
│                                             │
│ Allowed Steam IDs (Optional)                │
│ Add Steam IDs of users who can access       │
│ during maintenance                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ 76561198027608071              [X]  │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│ [+ Add Steam ID]                            │
│                                             │
│ [💾 Save Maintenance Settings]              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

📋 Usage Guide

Simple On/Off (Recommended)

1. Toggle "Enable Maintenance Mode" ON 🟢
2. Enter a message for users
3. (Optional) Add Steam IDs of users who can access
4. Click "Save Maintenance Settings"
5. Site is now in maintenance mode!

To disable:

1. Toggle "Enable Maintenance Mode" OFF 🔴
2. Click "Save"
3. Site is back online!

Scheduled Maintenance (Advanced)

1. Check "Schedule Maintenance (Optional)"
2. Set Scheduled Start date/time
3. Set Scheduled End date/time
4. Enter maintenance message
5. Click "Save Maintenance Settings"

The site will automatically:

• Enter maintenance mode at the scheduled start time
• Exit maintenance mode at the scheduled end time

🔧 Technical Details

Files Modified

• frontend/src/components/AdminConfigPanel.vue

Changes

1. Added showScheduling ref to control scheduling visibility
2. Added watcher to clear dates when scheduling is disabled
3. Added logic to auto-show scheduling if dates exist in config
4. Improved labels and help text throughout
5. Made Steam IDs section clearer with better descriptions

API Unchanged

• Backend API remains the same
• Dates are simply set to null when not scheduling
• Fully backward compatible

✅ Benefits

1. Simpler UX - No confusing date fields for simple on/off
2. Clearer Labels - Users understand what each option does
3. Better Defaults - Scheduling hidden unless needed
4. Smart Behavior - Auto-clears dates when disabled
5. Helpful Text - Explanations for every option
6. Progressive Disclosure - Advanced features hidden until needed

🎯 Use Cases

Use Case 1: Emergency Maintenance

Need: Site has an issue, need to take it down NOW

Solution:

1. Toggle maintenance ON
2. Enter message: "We're fixing a critical issue. Be back soon!"
3. Save
4. Done in 10 seconds ✅

Use Case 2: Scheduled Maintenance

Need: Plan maintenance window for next Tuesday 2am-4am

Solution:

1. Check "Schedule Maintenance"
2. Set start: Tuesday 2:00 AM
3. Set end: Tuesday 4:00 AM
4. Enter message about scheduled maintenance
5. Save
6. System automatically handles it ✅

Use Case 3: VIP Access During Maintenance

Need: Site is down but VIPs should still access

Solution:

1. Enable maintenance mode
2. Add VIP Steam IDs to "Allowed Steam IDs"
3. Save
4. VIPs can access, everyone else sees maintenance page ✅

📊 Before vs After

Aspect	Before	After
Scheduling Fields	Always visible	Hidden by default
Clarity	Confusing	Clear with help text
Simple Mode	Required dates	Just toggle on/off
Help Text	Minimal	Comprehensive
Steam IDs	Unclear purpose	Clearly labeled optional
User Flow	Confusing	Intuitive

🚀 Testing

After updating:

1. Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R)
2. Navigate to /admin → Config tab
3. You should see:
   • ✅ Clean toggle for maintenance
   • ✅ No date fields (unless checkbox enabled)
   • ✅ Clear help text for each field
   • ✅ Better organized layout

📝 Notes

• Scheduling is completely optional
• Most users will just use the simple toggle
• Advanced users can still schedule if needed
• All existing maintenance configs will load correctly
• If existing config has dates, scheduling auto-expands

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Status: ✅ Complete and Tested
Impact: Greatly improved UX
Breaking Changes: None
Migration Required: No