How to use the new forum.

[TulsaJeff]

Ok, I realize now that if you “reply” to a particular post it shows a quote of the post you’re replying to. The “quote” option doesn’t seem to do anything.
Thanks for the reply, Jeff, I’ll get it sorted out.
Tablets don’t have cursors....

I too have not been able to figure out what the "+Quote" button in the lower right corner is supposed to do. In the old forum, there was a way you could quote the entire post, including any embedded quote that was in that post. Usually that was the wrong thing to do, but once in awhile it was helpful. The "+Quote" button doesn't seem to do that. What it does is a mystery.

The +Quote button is called multi-quote and allows you to quote multiple posts at one time. You just click the +Quote link on all of the posts you want to quote and if you accidentally clicked on one you didn't want, another click unselects it.

The ones that are selected will now say -Quote.

Scroll down once you are ready and click on "Insert quotes" below the reply box.

Another box will pop up and you can drag the quotes to rearrange if you like, remove the quotes, etc.

Once everything is good, click on the button that says, "Quote these messages" and the post quotes will drop into the reply box where you can reply to them.

I made a note to make a tutorial for this.

 

[lovethemeats]

The one question I have is how do I get to my drafts page. I just cant seem to find it in the forum. I have one saved under fatties but I just cannot find it. I thought it might in the fattie section but stumped.

 

[bluewhisper]

I've noticed one thing, the new software automatically makes links. I just posted a message that mentions a Weber kettle, and that became a link even though I didn't set that.

 

[TulsaJeff]

I've noticed one thing, the new software automatically makes links. I just posted a message that mentions a Weber kettle, and that became a link even though I didn't set that.

This is something that I have set up.. certain keywords are designed to link to our sponsors and affiliate partners since the forum gets a small commission if it happens to result in a sale. Just something I am doing so the forum is able to pay for itself. We have these turned off for premier members.

 

[johnmeyer]

I just discovered that the "your activity" button that the sysop added a few weeks ago, does not include any threads in which I posted prior to the installation of new forum software a month ago. I found this when I was drawn to this thread:

Meat Slicer (review)

when I saw it in the "Recent" category. It turns out that I posted several times in that thread when it was first started late last year.

But here is my point: before clicking on the Recent link, I had previously clicked on the "Your Activity" link, and this thread was NOT listed, even though I posted in this thread several times, ten months ago.

 

[idahopz]

I was a bit confused at the beginning as well, but after a bit of playing around, I discovered what Jeff posted - If you click +Quote on each of the posts you wish to quote, then click the Insert quotes button at the bottom left of the post box, all the quotes you have selected will be entered into the post box so you can format/edit what you like. It is different from most forums, but once you become accustomed to it, quoting is relatively painless.

 

[lovethemeats]

This is something that I have set up.. certain keywords are designed to link to our sponsors and affiliate partners since the forum gets a small commission if it happens to result in a sale. Just something I am doing so the forum is able to pay for itself. We have these turned off for premier members.

To sustain a decent forum like this one.
It wouldn't have been a bad choice to also set up a page for donations. I think you would have been surprised at the out come of support from everyone here.

 

[bluewhisper]

TJeff, I'm not complaining about the automatic links. Fine if it works out to sales and the board getting something. This board is all about giving advice and pointers. I just wasn't expecting it, this is the only board I know that does this.

 

[jcbigler]

Did we lose the picture albums with the forum upgrade?

I can't seem to figure out how to get to the galleries, nor my personal gallery. Maybe I'm just missing it?

 

[JckDanls 07]

The one question I have is how do I get to my drafts page. I just cant seem to find it in the forum. I have one saved under fatties but I just cannot find it. I thought it might in the fattie section but stumped.

At the top of the reply box.. all the icons... 3rd one from the right... to the right of the camera is your drafts ..

 

[TulsaJeff]

Did we lose the picture albums with the forum upgrade?

I can't seem to figure out how to get to the galleries, nor my personal gallery. Maybe I'm just missing it?

Hover over the media tab at the top, click on “Browse Albums”.

Here’s a direct link: http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?media/albums

 

[wade]

Report all posts or threads with missing images in the "Forum Issues" area and we will look into it.

We know we have a lot of missing smilies and those are being addressed already.

Some if not many of the missing images are due to PhotoBucket who recently decided that users must pay in order for them to host their images. You don't pay, the images show up as broken wherever they are posted.

Those can only be fixed if the author of the post pays PB their required fee or if they still have the images on their computer or phone and want to spend the time editing their post by uploading the images instead of linking to PB.

I am also missing photos that were sent to me in PM. They seem to have been replaced by "

 

[dward51]

Jeff or Brian,

Would it be possible to add excel spreadsheet files to the formats that can be uploaded into a post? Attaching a recipe spreadsheet was a great tool in the old version but currently it is not possible. The formats currently allowed are "zip, txt, pdf, png, jpg, jpeg, jpe, gif" only. I suppose a spreadsheet could be loaded into a zip package first, but not all users are computer savvy, and keeping the file in it's native xls or xlsx format would make it easier for more users to access the spreadsheet.

Thanks for your consideration on this....

 

[lovethemeats]

Did we lose the picture albums with the forum upgrade?

I can't seem to figure out how to get to the galleries, nor my personal gallery. Maybe I'm just missing it?

At the top of the reply box.. all the icons... 3rd one from the right... to the right of the camera is your drafts ..

Thank you.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Jeff.. what's the possibility of identifying the original poster throughout a thread (as the old format did)... kinda sucks to have to scroll back to the beginning of a thread to see who the OP was when reading... especially when you come back to read a new post to the thread... you don't know if it was the OP or not unless ya scroll all the way back to the beginning ...

 

[SmokyMose]

Jeff.. what's the possibility of identifying the original poster throughout a thread (as the old format did)... kinda sucks to have to scroll back to the beginning of a thread to see who the OP was when reading... especially when you come back to read a new post to the thread... you don't know if it was the OP or not unless ya scroll all the way back to the beginning ...

Yeah, that ^

 

[johnmeyer]

I brought this up earlier in this thread when the new forum was just barely up and running, but I'll bring it up again: the missing Preview button.

Every forum I use has a "Preview" button, and it is located on the main editing screen right next to the "Submit" button (called "Post Reply" in this forum). The previous version of this forum, before the new software was installed, had a Preview button, located just as I described.

I use it on almost every post because I want to check that my links are working correctly. I can also see how the images will look. It also helps to see that the formatting has been applied correctly, although this forum does a very good job of including that formatting in the editing box.

I have learned to click on "More Options ..." and then click on Preview from that screen, so there is a workaround.

One interesting note is that once you have clicked on "More Options," as you continue to edit, you stay in that new screen, and the Preview button is always on that new screen.

One minor nit: on the "More Options" screen, instead of "Post Reply", that same button is labeled "Reply to Thread." I think you ought to change the labeling on either the main screen or the one on the "More Options" screen so that they match. As near as I can tell, they do the identical thing.

Of course if no one else cares about any of this, don't bother.

 

[TulsaJeff]

I brought this up earlier in this thread when the new forum was just barely up and running, but I'll bring it up again: the missing Preview button.

Every forum I use has a "Preview" button, and it is located on the main editing screen right next to the "Submit" button (called "Post Reply" in this forum). The previous version of this forum, before the new software was installed, had a Preview button, located just as I described.

I use it on almost every post because I want to check that my links are working correctly. I can also see how the images will look. It also helps to see that the formatting has been applied correctly, although this forum does a very good job of including that formatting in the editing box.

I have learned to click on "More Options ..." and then click on Preview from that screen, so there is a workaround.

One interesting note is that once you have clicked on "More Options," as you continue to edit, you stay in that new screen, and the Preview button is always on that new screen.

One minor nit: on the "More Options" screen, instead of "Post Reply", that same button is labeled "Reply to Thread." I think you ought to change the labeling on either the main screen or the one on the "More Options" screen so that they match. As near as I can tell, they do the identical thing.

Of course if no one else cares about any of this, don't bother.

I agree with you but since this is such a core part of the software, I am not sure that it can be physically changed by folks at our level. This version of the platform has been out for a while and rumor has it that 2.0 will be completely different, I hope they have taken some long, hard looks at some of these issues that are being reported and tried to make things make a little more logical in the new version that’s coming out.

I appreciate your feedback.

 

[johnmeyer]

I agree with you but since this is such a core part of the software, I am not sure that it can be physically changed by folks at our level. This version of the platform has been out for a while and rumor has it that 2.0 will be completely different, I hope they have taken some long, hard looks at some of these issues that are being reported and tried to make things make a little more logical in the new version that’s coming out.

I appreciate your feedback.

Make sure you send them your feedback, using posts in this thread (and others) to show them what needs to be changed. The good companies do listen to their customers, and some of them will make changes specifically for you, if you strike up a relationship. I say this based on my 30+ years in the computer software business.

 

[Bearcarver]

I don't use the "Reply" button.

All I use is the "Quote" button & it works great.

Bear


I believe the "Quote" button is best for "multi-quotes":

Click on the "+Quote" and it changes to the "-Quote".
Do that to 3 of them they'll all then be "-Quotes".

Then hit Reply & follow the instruction boxes, & you can reply to all of them in that one reply.

Bear