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(For windows users)

Frustrated with the editor? Ever lost a post? Dont like working with the buttons?  Here are a few tips to make posting and formatting easier.  I thought it might be wortha post to address a few things I have learned to do that to make posting on the forum much easier:

<CTRL C> and <CTRL V>

This <CTRL C>means simultaneously pressing the "Control" key (Ctrl) on most keyboards and the "C" key simultaneously.  These 2 commands are windows system commands for copy and paste respectively, a user can pull text out of almost anything by using them.  I use them all the time to pull excerpts out of a reply, when I reply to a post. Simply use the mouse to select a block of text in an open browser and hit <CTRL C>to move it into a windows buffer, and then reposition the cursor to where you want the excerpt in your post and hit <CTRL V>and Viola, it is placed.

This method can be used to save entire posts into the buffer and then paste them into almost anything, like MS word (great for spell checking), Notepad or your favorite text editor etc.

Use 2 Open Explorer Windows

Using <CTRL V>and <CTRL C>goes hand in hand with using 2 open explorer windows.  Basically one to copy from and on to write too.  This way you can copy selection of other peoples posts and see them all open at once in the 1st window and write (copy excerpts) them into the second window.  It really make it so much easier than trying to remeber what was said when using 1 window after pressing "add reply" when the thread is no longer visible.

Storing in the Windows buffer

You can store a post you wrote in the windows buffer by grabbing it from the text editor screen BEFORE YOU HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON.  Simply highlight the entire post and hit <CTRL C>to copy it.  That way, if you hit the "Submit" button and your session has timed out at Dakka you can just relog in, select the same thread, hit "reply" and then position the cursor in the ditor and hit <CTRL V>to paste all your work back in and nothing is lost!

 Editing Posts in Word

There may be an even better method for some.  Instead of hitting reply and editing a lengthy post in the editor, open a word window (or your own text editor) and write your response there, using the CTRL commands to grab excerpts from the site.  Dont hit add "add reply", till your entire post is formatted and complete in the text editor you are using.  This way you will never lose your posts because they are stored in another ap, not the temporary buffer in Explorer.  When you are done editing, hit the "add reply" and simply cut and paste your response in and hit "submit" this way minimizes the time necesary to create a post ensuring you wont lose anything to time out.

Also good for the spell checker!

Picture links

Lots of folks have tyrouble with images, but its not that hard, just use the HTML window pane, after having written a formatted post and insert your image link there, you will need some basic html, but its not hard either, I have provided here for you to cut and paste into other posts as necesary.  Remember to paste it into the HTML pane, NOT THE TEXT EDITOR PANE, just add the URL in the path of the image link:

There are some other tags that will help you with pics to place them where you want:

Carraige return or page break essentially

Paragraph, or new line essentially

the picture link can be placed in between these to center the image.

Remeber to paste the html tags into the HTML pane after editing a post where you want the pics to be.  You can link an image off of almost anywhere on the net by opening another browser, doign an image search and then right clicking a picture you like and selecting its properties.  The URL will be displayed and can be copied with <CTRL C>and you guessed it, pasted into the image link, in the URL section in the HTML editing PANE with <CTRL V>!

Hopefully this will help some or all of you with your (longer) posts.  Good luck!

Posting on Dakka just got a lot easier with our new editor.  While most of the above tips are still very handy, check our FAQ for ways to use the tool to maximum benifit.