Forum Usage: Tips and Tricks.

[jdlv4_0]

Forum tips and tricks.

Want to know how those cool quote boxes and links that appear as text and not a web address work? Here it is.

Quoting posts
There's a couple different ways to quote a post.

On the post you want to quote, there is a button on the bottom right of the post window that looks like this: , this is the quote option of your general reply functions; we'll get to the other options later on. Once you've quoted the post, you'll see that it also gives the members name of the post you're quoting, and an arrow in a blue box that looks like this: , that is a view post arrow, and clicking that will take you to the original post that you are quoting.

So once you've quoted a post, and you want to reply to that post point by point, you can break up the quoted post using either straight text editing, or using the quote option from your post tool bar, that option looks like this:

Using the "Quick Quote" as I call it, you can still add the members name simply by doing the following, inside the first quote tag [quote], put an =MEMBER_NAME after the quote, for example: quote=MEMBER_NAME, if in the appropriate tags would appear as:

Testing 1, 2, 3.

If you want to have the view post arrow associated with all your broken down quotes, all you need to do is add a semicolon after the members name, and copy and paste the post number after the semicolon.

Such as the following example.

I really like the Sig it's been 100% reliable, fed everyhitng I've thrown at at, but I've found that the 1911 is still what does it for me.

The package includes:

* Sig 220R SAO two tone .45ACP with SS hex grip scews (original slotted screws included) in box with papers.
* x 2 factory 8rd mags.
* x 5 Novak Nickel 8rd mags. ($115)
* x 1 Milt Sparks Versa Max II for railed 220 (black RH) ($100 from Milt Sparks, but with a wiat time of ???)
* x 1 5 Shot Leather Belt Holster (black RH) ($65)

The Sig has brand new XS 24/7 Big Dot sights ($120) and the original factory night sights will be included.

Not shown in the pictures are two wear spots on the top of the slide near the rear sight from the replacement of the sight. I am out of town and can't post new pics until next week.

When quoting a post, using the standard quote or multi-quote option, it will automatically give the view post arrow by using the ;post number after the member name, so you can just copy that portion of the tag and paste it as needed, just be careful when using the copy and paste as to not past an incorrect post number.

That covers quoting a single post. If your in a thread, and there are multiple posts that you would like to quote without being a post whore , you can use the multi-quote feature to quote multiple posts in a single post of your own, this means you can quote 3 posts at once in the same post. I know, I know, you’re saying “But why would I want to post less?” Simple, it’s freaking annoying to come into a thread that’s all ready three pages long and see 5 stinkin’ posts from the same person quoting the five previous posts before his (or hers).

So here’s how you use the Multi-Quote feature, on the bottom right of the post window where the quick reply and regular quote options are, you have the Multi-Quote button that looks like this:
You select this on every post that you want to quote, the color of the selected post’s Multi-Quote button will change color to indicate that it’s been selected and look like this.
Once you’ve selected all the posts that you want to quote, just hit the Post Reply Button:
And your post will contain the desired quotes.

Using Hyperlinks

We all like to post links to what we’re showing off, asking questions about, references to news stories, etc. etc. But who wants to see: http://www.pafoa.org/forum/blah/blah...blah/blah/blah

When you can see: THIS

This is done by inserting a hyperlink into a string of text. Pretty freaking sweet isn’t it?

You accomplish this by highlighting the text that you want to show as a link. In the above example, I used “THIS” as my desired text. Once I highlighted “THIS” I clicked on the hyperlink button: from the reply to post tool bar:



Once, you click on the insert hyperlink button, the following box will appear:

Simply type in or paste the URL you want to share, and hit OK. The highlighted text will go to that URL.

So if I want to give a link to….Sig’s website, without showing the whole URL, and making it look like it is part of the post. I’d type the following.

Check out Sig's website, they added a bunch of new guns

I highlighted Sig's website, and inserted the URL to Sig’s new product page. **Note: I have no affiliation w/ Sig, I was just using them for reference**


A little bit about “tags”

When you use bold text, italic text, underlined text, quotes, different fonts and colors; the words you want those specific attributes to belong to get wrapped in tags, tags are just simply characters wrapped in brackets [***] with another set of brackets with a forward slash [/***] at the end of the sting of , you can fix “broken” tags if you mess something up, if you have a string of text that is supposed to be [u]underlined[/u and it isn’t, it’s because the tags are incomplete, the text in bold has a broken tag at the end, the /u should have a ] after the /u.

Correct sets of tags look like this:



If you want to use Bold, Italics, or underlined text, you can also use Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+U, instead of the option button on the tool bar, this comes in handy if your writing a long post with the text window enlarged, or you just don't have a good mouse (damn laptops), it does not work for quoting so don't try ctrl+Q.
I’m not going to get into the different fonts, font size and color, simply because I just don’t use it that often.


Spelling
Spell checking, for those that don't use Firefox, or a browser with a spell checker, go HERE and download IeSpell, this will insert a spell checker into your post window.



Personally, I use Firefox which has a built in spell checker, and IMHO it's just a better browser.

Posting pictures and Other Attachments
There are a couple of different ways to post photos in your posts, the easiest is to upload them to a web based provider like photobucket.com tinypic.com etc. etc.

All you have to do is upload your photos to the host, and copy the URL with IMG tags applied to it, you can also use generic pictures found on the internet just by talking the URL, and putting the correct IMG tags in place on the URL.



You can also upload your pics and other file types to your posts by adding attachments, click on the attachment button in the tool tray:



Once you click on the attachment button, THIS WINDOW will open showing your available options for uploading attachments, and the max. size limitations on those attachments. Once that is done, you can either just leave them as attachments, or insert the attachment into your post. To insert the attachment in your post, click on the attachment button again, but this time it will have your attached images in the drop down like this:

Ensuring that your cursor is in the area of the reply window, click on the attached image from the drop down and it will be viewable in the post.

You can also use the Image Hosting drop down from the forum header:



Which will take you to:



Then all you have to do is follow the same procedure as you’d use for photobucket, browse for your image on your PC (or MAC), select it, and upload it.

Usually, going with a web-host like Photobucket, will provide you with larger images.


So that's about it, I'd like to keep this thread going, any tips I missed, feel free to post them, and please, I don't mind of anyone copies this and pastes it to another forum, the info here is good for most, if not all VBulletin based forums, but give credit where it's due, and be advised, that on other forums, some of the info in this post won't display correctly, for example, the view post arrow buttons, will take persons to the post number of the forum where it's being viewed, so instead of my Sig add, they will be going to post number 79620 on GlockTalk or wherever this may get posted. Also, some of the captured images of buttons may not match, as well as the tool bars, but it’ll be in the ball park.

Hope some will find this helpful.

[Frenchy]

I started a thread like this once, but it never got finished, maybe this can become a sticky of sorts and we can use it as reference when people ask.

Great job.

[awkx]

Nice job! Here's another tip: In the "New Posts" pages, click the "[\/]" icon () with the middle mouse button to open the first unread post in the thread in a new Firefox tab. When I browse the New Posts page, I generally open each thread I want to read in a new tab, and then read them serially.

[Emptymag]

Nice job! Here's another tip: In the "New Posts" pages, click the "[\/]" icon () with the middle mouse button to open the first unread post in the thread in a new Firefox tab. When I browse the New Posts page, I generally open each thread I want to read in a new tab, and then read them serially.

What about us Mac retards?





(ETA: There are no "buttons", let alone a "middle" button)

[Frenchy]

What about us Mac retards?





(ETA: There are no "buttons", let alone a "middle" button)

EM has just taken the first step to admitting he uses a bot to respond to threads...
A Mac Bot!

[LorDiego01]

Good post man, definitely sticky material.

How about an addendum on how to use the "Search" feature?

[Zef_66]

What about us Mac retards?





(ETA: There are no "buttons", let alone a "middle" button)

The only thing that clikcing with the middle button does is allows the window to open in a new tab if you are using updated IE or Firefox. You can just click on the V button and it will open the page starting with the newest posts.

[mauser]

Good post. I'll be keeping it handy for future reference.

What's this "middle" mouse button talk? Most of my meeces only have 2 buttons, left & right, but one has a roller in the middle that does goofy shit that confuses the hell out of me when I push it down accidentally while scrolling. One of these days I'm going to take it apart and disable that PITA.

(Yes, meeces is a word. Quote; Jinx the Cat from the Pixie and Dixie cartoon. "I hate meeces to pieces!)

[awkx]

What's this "middle" mouse button talk? Most of my meeces only have 2 buttons, left & right, but one has a roller in the middle that does goofy shit that confuses the hell out of me when I push it down accidentally while scrolling.

Clicking the scroll-wheel is the middle-button click on most wheel mice.

[RocketFoot]

What was the trick for seeing who posted in a thread? All you do is add a command to the end of a thread url, but I can't remember or find the command.