Some BBCode reccomendations

[Max]

Hi everybody.
I'd like to recommend that the admins install a couple of useful BBCodes.

The first one automatically opens URLs in a new tab/window (depending on the individual browser settings). This is useful for people who add external links to images, text, articles or anything else related to the discussion. This way someone can read the relevant information without losing the thread. There are several scripts that will do this, and many of them include other functions as well.
The second one is a spoiler button. Anything in [spoiler] tags is hidden, and revealed when clicked. I found this one particularly useful on support forums where people would often post screenshots of their problem in the post. The problem there is that you suddenly have these huge images breaking up the logical flow of the thread, and making it very difficult to navigate on mobile devices with smaller screens.
An open source implementation that I used is quite simple and effective:

Code: Select all

<div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><b>Spoiler:</b> <input type="button" value="Show" style="width:45px;font-size:10px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" /></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">{TEXT}</div></div></div>


That's the HTML replacement, and the actual BBCode is:

Code: Select all

[spoiler]{TEXT}[/spoiler]


[barjac]

Hi everybody.
I'd like to recommend that the admins install a couple of useful BBCodes.

The first one automatically opens URLs in a new tab/window (depending on the individual browser settings). This is useful for people who add external links to images, text, articles or anything else related to the discussion. This way someone can read the relevant information without losing the thread.

Thanks for posting that.

Yes PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE install it someone.
I just had three attempts at creating one post on here, because I tested a link in my signature during preview.
In the Mandriva forum you can wander all over the web from a half written post and get back to finish it, but not here. One click and it's gone - twice and I gave up and decided not to bother.
This is essential !!

[wobo]

Although I see the good use of the proposed bb code - you know the feature of clicking on a link with the middle mouse button?
Personally I prefer this "user controlled" behavior over an "software controlled" behavior because sometimes I may want to change the website and not open a new tab. Try to do this in a web site which uses the proposed bb code.

[maat]

CTRL+Left click does the same as middle iirc

[wobo]

Yep

[Max]

Middle click works well.... if you have a mouse.
What about touchscreen devices, like phones and tablets? In that case you need to long-tap and select an option, or something equally complicated.

[wobo]

Middle click works well.... if you have a mouse.
What about touchscreen devices, like phones and tablets? In that case you need to long-tap and select an option, or something equally complicated.

Yes, you need that "complicated" way in both cases. You can just tab on the link to open in a new tab when the bb code is implemented, right. But what do you do when you don't want to open in a new tab? You have to do the gesture for the context menue and then use the context menue. That works the other way round as well.

Any way you see it, it's a decision between both needs. So, to avoid unwanted automatics, I'd vote for leaving it as it is.

[viking60]

I would like to see the col function here:
BBCcode usage:

Code: Select all

[col]{TEXT1}|{TEXT2}[/col]

HTML replacement:

Code: Select all

<table width="100%"><tr><td style="vertical-align: top; width:50%; padding-right:10px;">{TEXT1}</td><td style="vertical-align: top; width:50%; padding-left:10px;">{TEXT2}</td></tr></table>

It looks like like this or this

Very good for announcements and structuring long entries.

[tallship]

Hi everybody.
I'd like to recommend that the admins install a couple of useful BBCodes.

The first one automatically opens URLs in a new tab/window (depending on the individual browser settings). This is useful for people who add external links to images, text, articles or anything else related to the discussion. This way someone can read the relevant information without losing the thread. There are several scripts that will do this, and many of them include other functions as well.
The second one is a spoiler button. Anything in [spoiler] tags is hidden, and revealed when clicked. I found this one particularly useful on support forums where people would often post screenshots of their problem in the post. The problem there is that you suddenly have these huge images breaking up the logical flow of the thread, and making it very difficult to navigate on mobile devices with smaller screens.
An open source implementation that I used is quite simple and effective:

Code: Select all

<div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px"><div class="quotetitle"><b>Spoiler:</b> <input type="button" value="Show" style="width:45px;font-size:10px;margin:0px;padding:0px;" onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = '';      this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Hide'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerText = ''; this.value = 'Show'; }" /></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">{TEXT}</div></div></div>


That's the HTML replacement, and the actual BBCode is:

Code: Select all

[spoiler]{TEXT}[/spoiler]


Yes @Max, excellent suggestion. This is a sorely lacking standard implementation for most instances that you'll find in the real world, and one that if missing, provides ample missed opportunities.

Sure, people could right-click and choose to open a new tab, or what-ev, but more often than not they don't, and that visitor is no longer within the realm we sought to bring them too (Here).

Website *stickiness* is a very important concept, and while you'll see scattered folks here and there argue against it, saying they can use some other specific technique for remaining on a site when say, browsing images, most people don't, and end up on some other site, many of them statistically not really even able to make it back.

Yeah, this is pretty much standard mod to post install, and I'm very surprised it wasn't part of the core rollout of our forums in the first place.

We'll get there, just a few bumps in the road to get past first

Hope that helps

Bradley D. Thornton
Manager Network Services
http://NorthTech.EU

[wobo]

Yeah, this is pretty much standard mod to post install, and I'm very surprised it wasn't part of the core rollout of our forums in the first place.

The standard of one of the most used free forum software does not include this "standard mod" - does that say something?

We'll get there, just a few bumps in the road to get past first

IMHO it is not a bump when you leave the decision to the reader and not "automat" him to follow your directions.

Hope that helps

[barjac]

#$^&%$#@!

Can we get this implemented please. (OP)

I was in the middle of a longer reply but just lost it.

Yes, I know exactly how not to lose it - but I did - again.

[viking60]

I still think these suggestions are good?
+ the spoiler:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1776#p12821
Edit:
Maybe one or two?

[wobo]

Not questioning the fancy stuff but if (that's a big "IF", so it seems) the tech-admin(s) and sysadmin(s) have time to focus on the forum the top priority should be on the forum update. This forum runs on 3.0.8, current version is 3.0.10.
The big "IF" results from the fact that nothing has been done on the forum field for more than 6 months.

[viking60]

Opps! it should be at least 3.0.9 for general security purposes. Still there is no conflict; the BBCode will stay and takes 1 minute to implement (the code is provided).
I can appreciate that the update will take longer and involves cache purging etc. But the time spent to upgrade will be spent during those hours - until you start with that, you have all the time in the world to put in some BBCode - no need to wait with that too.
If they like the admins can PM me and give me site admin rights for 10 min and I will add a couple of nice ones (spoiler and col).

More col. and spoiler examples.

[wobo]

Contact the admin and volunteer, they are looking desperately for a php coder.

BTW: Updating a version and implementing smilies and BBCode in the Mageia system is not the same as with a normal standalone forum. I guess there are many people here (including me) who can do such things like inserting a BBCode and a set of smilies in 10 minutes.

[viking60]

Nice try! but I only offered the finger, not the whole hand This is not PHP and does not involve git or svn afaict. Only a few minutes in ACP.
(And I am quite sure they know how to do it too so I am puzzled why nothing has happened, because the ones opposed to a certain BBCode do not have to use it. )
I sure hope they feel they have the necessary mandate to do so - the council cannot have meetings about everything?
If it is the Mageia system that prevents them from adding the BBCode, the admins have my sympathy. In the current Mandriva sytem it is a piece of cake...

[wobo]

If it is the Mageia system that prevents them from adding the BBCode, the admins have my sympathy. In the current Mandriva sytem it is a piece of cake...

It is not related to the distribution. It is the internal infrastructure of the Mageia web applications. It does not prevent them from changing anything, it seems to be that they do not like changes. Otherwise we would have smilies, BBCode, some additional links, whatever, in one day.
I did some in the German forum but here I am not admin.

[viking60]

Yes I get it,
Let me take this opportunity then to once again encourage the admins to put in some BBCode, please?
Or in the unlikely event of having principle viewpoints against them - to come forward with the arguments.
(If it is a HowTo problem you can PM me and I will give you all the credit).
It cannot be a matter of prestige to do nothing (even if you get p.... by all the criticism ).

[viking60]

Bump
There are posts here that are virtually screaming for a spoiler:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1755

Are there not enough admins to read this, or is it actively ignored?

[doktor5000]

Remember: Patience is a virtue
When not much happened during the last 6-7 months after this was requested,
you can't expect that now that you also asked something will change instantly.
But as it's a really small change, one of the two administrators with ACP access (IIRC) should at least give some feedback.

[wobo]

Of course I agree to the doktor's words about response to a user request.

But:
I haven't seen any post yet screaming for a spoiler. Not here, not anywhere else. In some cases I have seen spoilers which even disturbed the discussion. What do all those forum people do who are on a forum without spoiler BBCode? In other words: I love smilies but this forum has been working very well without another set and without spoilers. There are/were real enhancements which are useful to run and work here.

So we should not blow this out of proportions. After all it is just a nice eye-candy enhancement like another smilie set. Nothing more.

[viking60]

Remember: Patience is a virtue
When not much happened during the last 6-7 months after this was requested,
you can't expect that now that you also asked something will change instantly.
But as it's a really small change, one of the two administrators with ACP access (IIRC) should at least give some feedback.

I will admit that patience is a rare commodity here (getting things done is a favorite, but I will calm down). There is no need to hurry 24h will do.
Honestly I would answer your question with a yes: After 6-7 months it is not totally unfair to expect some action (call me crazy )

@wobo
I just disagree : When a post is more than a page long; an ingress with a spoiler would look way more tidy. Also when asking for help where pages of code get pasted in to a post it would be way more tidy to leave the problem description open and put the code in a a spoiler.
I would even vote for making it mandatory.
And then again - we still can live together in perfect harmony because I will use the spoiler, and you won't.
It is just an increased flexibility - and if I read you right you are not against that either.

People have been trying to contribute here - how many of these suggestions have been implemented or even considered?
0 -Zero

It is not that I cannot live without it - So if they people with power to change it have their hands full I will understand.
But at the moment I have the feeling that suggestions are not welcome...or at least unnecessary.

[wobo]

@wobo
I just disagree : When a post is more than a page long; an ingress with a spoiler would look way more tidy. Also when asking for help where pages of code get pasted in to a post it would be way more tidy to leave the problem description open and put the code in a a spoiler.

Quite the contrary:
1. When a post is more than a page long the author should shorten it, there is no reason for such long posts. If a text is cited you can add it as attachment. In over 10 years I haven't seen many posts which were that long - except in chat sections.
2. Code is pasted in code tags. This way it is always visible instead of being hidden and it does not take too much space.

In my personal opinion I am definitely against spoilers. They are unnecessary and they break the flow of reading like in-text images (unless the image is to explain a status in a tech discussion). Simply said: If the contents of a spoiler is important, then why hide it? If it is not, why send it at all? Negative examples of spoilers can be seen at many places in the international Mandriva forum. If there was a poll I would vote against them.

But OTOH (officially) I see the matter as reasonable request which should be resolved one way or the other. I only see the request in its adequate level of importance: "NICE to have, not MUST have".

[doktor5000]

Quite the contrary:
1. When a post is more than a page long the author should shorten it, there is no reason for such long posts. If a text is cited you can add it as attachment. In over 10 years I haven't seen many posts which were that long - except in chat sections.
2. Code is pasted in code tags. This way it is always visible instead of being hidden and it does not take too much space.

Well, that's not actually true in all cases. A perfect use case for spoilers could be the MAQeias, just take a look at the one about Hybrid graphics,
or even the one about Flash player plugin. All the answers to the questions could be implemented as spoilers.
And shortening such posts is not really possible, you could only split them, which makes it look cluttered IMHO.
If i think about some items on my todo list ( MAQeia for wireless setup/troubleshooting, just take a look at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wireless_Setup maybe) there is no way to shorten this, spoilers would be a perfect solution.

[wobo]

These are special posts, not to be compared with the everyday forum usage. But even there I would always go for another solution than spoilers.

Reading a MAQeia with every single "chapter" in spoilers is in the end the same as having a page full of links to "sub-threads" in their own browser tabs - you have to click to open a spoiler as you have to click on a link to a sub-thread in its own browser tab. But after a while you will see the difference: opening 5 spoilers results in a large page with lots of scrolling from one end to the other. Scrolling from one spoiler to the other lets the first spoiler contents vanish until you scoll back to it. Opening 5 sub-threads in their own browser tabs lets you jump from one to the other while they are open all the time.

As I said, it depends on the individual workflow. From the ergonomic and efficiency point of view I would prefer having several tabs instead of one extremely large page with lots of scrolling.

Similar to the reasoning behind always opening a forum link in a new tab.