Posting Tips & Tricks

[WestViking]

When you have a long URL to post, such as:

http: //www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040
512/FILL12/TPNational/Canada (I intentionally altered the URL to fit the forum page)

you may find that the right page margin is 'pushed' outward giving you a wide page that has to be scrolled from left to right for reading.

To fix the problem, first ensure that HTML is enabled in your posing (look on the posting page just above the "submit" button, and code in the URL as follows:

<a href=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040
512/FILL12/TPNational/Canada>STORY HERE</a>

I have highlighted the HTML coding in red for easy readability. Type in plain text.

What you will see on the posted page is: STORY HERE with the URL embedded in the words, so a click of the mouse on the words takes a reader to the linked story.

You have 30 minutes to edit your post if you make a mistake.

HTML has been disabled in this post to allow you to see how a long URL can be posted without breaking the right margin.

[Federal 1/2 Slave]

Thanks WV!

Feed the unenlighted (computer illiterate like me) more of this please!!!

[Sojourner]

Like this?

<a href=http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0401/public.html>STORY HERE</a>

Hey thanks!
Great Article by the way.

[ICONOCLAST]

Just testing html ....

[pirapoi]

If you want your link to open in a new window (like the automatic link maker does), you must surround the URL by quotes, and add
target="_blank" right after it, as in

<a href="http://nhl.com/"target="_blank"> NHL </a>

[Federal 1/2 Slave]

Kool! HTML school FD style!

[Murphy]

On some other forums I see people using the Tiny Url system because the links don't expire when you capture them on the Tiny....here is a link to an assessment of the system, and a direct link to the TinyUrl itself....
Just for your information.

I know nothing about cyber gizmos....but I see many people using the idea to save trouble on setting up the long URLs.

http://websearch.about.com/cs/tinyurl/gr/tinyurl.htm

[Murphy]

On that subject

Could we have a tutorial thread sticky somewhere on this forum where people can ask tech questions of the members who can assist them and perhaps do some other html specialties of the house so we can make our posts cleaner and easier to digest?

Grizzle....back to trying to make my avatar stick.....grizzle........

[WestViking]

Sometimes members want to post a picture that is too large for the forum page and pushes the right margin outward, making the page hard to read.

If you are using MS Ex[lorer and 'right click' on the picture, then 'left click' on 'properties, ypou will get a pop-up box that gives you the photo htms and the picture size in pixels:

740 x 141

for example. The first figure (740) is the picture width. The next is height, in this case (141).

The largest size you can fit on a page without bending the right margin is 550 pixels. To keep from distorting the picture while you shrink it to fit, you have to calculate the proportionate height:

550/740 x 141 = 105. The size you need is 550 x 105 to keep proportions.

You then make sure HTML is enabled in your post and code:

<img src="http://www.conservative.ca/images/masthead2.gif" width="550" height="105">

I have coloured the HTML coding in red for ease of reading - you don't need colour to use HTML.

It is important that you include all of the quotation marks in your coding or the picture will be distorted or not appear at all.

Remember if you make a mistake in posting, you have30 minutes to click on 'edit' and can fix the text and HTML you entered.

I have disabled HTML in this post to allow you to see the coding.

[Murphy]

WestViking = Good Morning!

Thanks boss! You are a peach!

Murphy

[WestViking]

One of the most useful HTML 'tags' allows you to centre a picture and or text and can be used with BBCode in setting up text thus:

<center>[color=red][size=18][b]I want to use HTML tags.[/b][/size][/color]</center>

BBcoding was inserted using the buttons above the post box entry window, and the HTML tags are typed in: <center></center>

Remember that if you use an HTML opening tag like <centre> the machine will centre everything until it finds a closing tag </centre>. If you forget the closing tag for a headline, the whole piece will be centered.

HTML and BBCode have been disabled in this post.

[WestViking]

<center>I want to use HTML tags.</center>

[WestViking]

<img src="http://www.conservative.ca/images/masthead2.gif" width="550" height="105">

[EdS]

Yup, what we need is a separate "HTML Sandbox" (also called "HTML Bootcamp", at <B>FR</b>) forum so we can experiment. We <I>used</i> to have one, but Connie got rid of it.

[WestViking]

Using BBCode and HTML together, you can center a picture and text:

<center>[img]http://www.conservative.ca/images/Harper.gif[/img]
[size=18][color=blue][b]STEPHEN HARPER[/b][/color][/size]</center>

I have disabled BBCode and HTML in this post.