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View Full Version : How to keep posts from disappearing and a couple other handy hints


C9
12-14-2008, 10:29 AM
I see comments about a post or thread that disappears before it makes it onto the main board.


Here's a couple ways to prevent that.

Keep in mind that hitting two keys simultaneously will roll the screen over now and then.
Has to do with macros and the computer thinks you're asking to go somewhere else.


If your post is a short one, a reply to a thread or similar, write it directly onto the HAMB and do either of two things.
Both of which will save your work to the clipboard.

Part way through, depress the Ctrl key, hold it down and depress the A key.
You'll note the screen text changes color and background in the text area.
While holding the Ctrl key down, Depress the C key.
This saves the selected work to the clipboard.
If your writing is getting somewhat extensive, do it 3-4 times.

If the reply is short you can do the Ctrl, A then Ctrl, C at the end.
This will have the reply saved to the clipboard and in case the reply goes off into the etherness of Cyberland you'll still have a record of what you've written and can try to post again by getting a new reply form and doing the Ctrl V bit.

Ctrl V will lay down text wherever you want and do it many times in succession.

The clipboard retains what you've saved to it and won't change until you save something new to it or shut the computer power off.
Most times things remain on the clipboard when shutting down, it's the power off that kills whatever is saved there.

To go off on a mild tangent, you can use Ctrl X to move a word, sentence or paragraph.
Ctrl X erases and saves the text to the clipboard and then you can put the cursor where you want and do the Ctrl V bit which brings it back.


The other system alluded to is to build your thread, text, pics from PhotoBucket and the like onto your word processing program.
WordPerfect, Word etc.

Save it as you go there, proof read it, run the spellcheck and then copy and paste it to the HAMB with the Ctrl A and Ctrl V bit.

Remember that you can use the Undo feature to go back a few copies if you find you've screwed up things along the line.
Each word processing program has its own way to do things so you're on your own there.
You can also set up the Undo features to save as many copies in the past that you think you may need.
Mine is set at 20.
Probably seems excessive, but text - even a complete book - doesn't take up much room at all.

If your a fast typer - as I am - you may find that when the HAMB and other sites are busy, the HAMB word processing program can't keep up with you and you'll find a lot of letters missing.
Doesn't happen on the word processing programs so it's handy to write on those then copy and paste to the HAMB.


An important thing to remember when using word processing programs is that they are not completely compatible with Internet site word processing programs.

Write an article, indent the paragraphs as normal and you'll find that when it's posted you have one huge paragraph which makes reading difficult.

You need to have a blank line to indicate a new paragraph and in the case of the HAMB and the word processing program I use - WordPerfect 9.0 (WP) - you'll have to double space in WP so as to end up with a single blank line when doing the Copy and Paste to the HAMB.


As you've seen, writing directly to a website calls for different rules, but the key one that will help most of us is to use a blank line or two which makes reading a lot easier.

As an example, here's a copy of this whole diatribe done as one paragraph and it's hard to follow.

More than you wanted to hear perhaps, but it's free so what the heck....


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I see comments about a post or thread that disappears before it makes it onto the main board.
Here's a couple ways to prevent that.
Keep in mind that hitting two keys simultaneously will roll the screen over now and then.
Has to do with macros and the computer thinks you're asking to go somewhere else.
If your post is a short one, a reply to a thread or similar, write it directly onto the HAMB and do either of two things.
Both of which will save your work to the clipboard.
Part way through, depress the Ctrl key, hold it down and depress the A key.
You'll note the screen text changes color and background in the text area.
While holding the Ctrl key down, Depress the C key.
This saves the selected work to the clipboard.
If your writing is getting somewhat extensive, do it 3-4 times.
If the reply is short you can do the Ctrl, A then Ctrl, C at the end.
This will have the reply saved to the clipboard and in case the reply goes off into the etherness of Cyberland you'll still have a record of what you've written and can try to post again by getting a new reply form and doing the Ctrl V bit.
Ctrl V will lay down text wherever you want and do it many times in succession.
The clipboard retains what you've saved to it and won't change until you save something new to it or shut the computer power off.
Most times things remain on the clipboard when shutting down, it's the power off that kills whatever is saved there.
To go off on a mild tangent, you can use Ctrl X to move a word, sentence or paragraph.
Ctrl X erases and saves the text to the clipboard and then you can put the cursor where you want and do the Ctrl V bit which brings it back.
The other system alluded to is to build your thread, text, pics from PhotoBucket and the like onto your word processing program.
WordPerfect, Word etc.
Save it as you go there, proof read it, run the spellcheck and then copy and paste it to the HAMB with the Ctrl A and Ctrl V bit.
Remember that you can use the Undo feature to go back a few copies if you find you've screwed up things along the line.
Each word processing program has its own way to do things so you're on your own there.
You can also set up the Undo features to save as many copies in the past that you think you may need.
Mine is set at 20.
Probably seems excessive, but text - even a complete book - doesn't take up much room at all.
If your a fast typer - as I am - you may find that when the HAMB and other sites are busy, the HAMB word processing program can't keep up with you and you'll find a lot of letters missing.
Doesn't happen on the word processing programs so it's handy to write on those then copy and paste to the HAMB.
An important thing to remember when using word processing programs is that they are not completely compatible with Internet site word processing programs.
Write an article, indent the paragraphs as normal and you'll find that when it's posted you have one huge paragraph which makes reading difficult.
You need to have a blank line to indicate a new paragraph and in the case of the HAMB and the word processing program I use - WordPerfect 9.0 (WP) - you'll have to double space in WP so as to end up with a single blank line when doing the Copy and Paste to the HAMB.
As you've seen, writing directly to a website calls for different rules, but the key one that will help most of us is to use a blank line or two which makes reading a lot easier.
As an example, here's a copy of this whole diatribe done as one paragraph and it's hard to follow.
More than you wanted to hear perhaps, but it's free so what the heck....

hotrod1940
12-14-2008, 12:15 PM
For those using Macs, remember that the Apple key will be used instead of the control key mentioned above. Also those commands can be accessed in the file commands on either machine, at the top of the page, with the mouse.

34 GAZ
12-14-2008, 12:25 PM
Geeez, You lost me. I have a hard enough time with auto electrics.

Phil1934
12-14-2008, 12:43 PM
If you want to enlarge text or a picture, hold ctrl key and roll the wheel on the mouse.

ClayMart
12-14-2008, 01:09 PM
Thanks! Lots of good advice above.

Glad I'm not the only one who appreciates having a long post broken down into paragraphs.

I use a lot of the tips listed above but instead of using a word processing program I use Notepad in Windows. It's just a very basic text editor and lets you use almost all the editing tools in Word. Notepad opens in a flash and can be resized so it won't take up a lot of room on your desktop. You may have to change the Word Wrap settings though so it doesn't try to make one extra long line of text as you type.

If I want to post photos to a forum I'll upload them to Photobucket and then copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) the IMG links for them into a Notepad document and save them to the desktop. If I want to work on the post later, even offline, I open the Notepad document and add my text, do a little formatting and even copy and paste my image links where they belong. Then when I'm online later I can copy (left click & drag) the parts I want to the clipboard and post it to a forum in just a few seconds.

DrJ
12-14-2008, 01:14 PM
I just go to my Email and "write a letter" when done I highlight the whole thing, copy and paste it into the HAMB post box.
This lets me use the Email's spell check while the text is still there.

Also, if you want a new thread to stay on the first pahe for more than 20 minutes, ask a question in the post. Otherwise people don't really have any reason to respond other than "Your car sucks, because it's not just ie mine" or some level of ass-kissing if it doesn't.
:rolleyes: