7a69a5535f1f66f23f5b1329ecbe508983ea01fa
lrnassar
  Fri Sep 4 14:44:10 2026 -0700
BLAT classic form: announce the new-page switch date via hg.conf, fix stale input limits. refs #37996

New hg.conf setting blatNewFormSwitchDate (documented in ex.hg.conf): when set, the classic
form's banner announces "We will be updating this BLAT page on <date>" with an opt-in link,
a feedback mailto, and a pointer to the news announcement; unset keeps the previous
"We are testing" banner. The date lives in hg.conf so a schedule slip is a config change,
not a build patch. Also corrects the classic form's stated input limits (25,000/50,000 bases,
stale since 2013) to the enforced 75,000 per sequence and 187,500 combined.

diff --git src/product/ex.hg.conf src/product/ex.hg.conf
index 47c6d98e618..cc3356064e7 100644
--- src/product/ex.hg.conf
+++ src/product/ex.hg.conf
@@ -694,30 +694,35 @@
 # user is not confused about which results are current.  Values: keep (default, do nothing) |
 # hide (leave earlier BLAT tracks in the session but set them to hide) | delete (remove them
 # from the session).  Only affects tracks BLAT created (tagged blatResult=on).
 # blatOldTracks=keep
 
 # Offer a "Keep only last search" checkbox on the BLAT search form.  Off by default: results
 # accumulate as always.  When set to on, a user can check the box to have each new BLAT search
 # remove their earlier BLAT result tracks (tagged blatResult=on); the choice is stored in the
 # cart variable blatOnlyLatest and remembered per browser.
 # blatOnlyLatestCheckbox=on
 
 # Advertise the new BLAT results table page with a banner on the classic results page.
 # Default is off (the new page is still under test); set to on to show the invitation.
 # blatNewPageBanner=on
 
+# Announce the date the new BLAT search page becomes the default.  When set, the classic form's
+# banner changes from "we are testing" to "We will be updating this BLAT page on <date>" with an
+# opt-in link and a pointer to the news announcement.  Free-text date, e.g. "October 21".
+# blatNewFormSwitchDate=October 21
+
 # use a database other than hgFixed for the location of genbank table like gbCdnaInfo
 # genbankDb=hgFixed
 
 # use a table other than clade to hold the mappings from clades to their labels
 # cladeTableName=clade
 #
 # use a table other than genomeClade to hold the mappings from genome to clade
 # genomeCladeTableName=genomeClade
 #
 # use a table other than defaultDb to hold the default assembly for a genome
 # defaultDbTableName=defaultDb
 #
 # use a table other than dbDb to describe attributes of installed assemblies
 # dbDbTableName=dbDb
 #