Question for Forum Moderators: Bob Keller or whoever it concerns

[brianel027]

Hey gang, I know there's been some changes here in the forum. I notice there are no longer font style options nor differing type styles like bold or italic. I see the smilie guys are gone too. BUT I'm wondering why it is that paragraph breaks fail to show up. I've tried throwing in space bars, multiple shifts, even tabs and nothing works - although the breaks do show up as I am typing, they disappear when the final copy goes into the thread. Just curious.

[Jumijo]

Brian,

I have all those options available. What browser and computer system are you using?

Jim 

[Frank53]

I use internet explorer and everything runs together as one big paragraph - no formatting or smileys either.

[Jumijo]

I'm using Firefox and have experienced no issues.

Jim 

[Anonymous]

I use WindowsXP Pro and IE 6.0 at work... no problems

I use WindowsXP PRO and IE 7.0 at home... no problems

So it must be something with your settings.

What Browser and Version and What OS are you running?

[csxt30]

I just posted on The Coffee Pot & I don't any of the extra stuff either. Thanks, John

[brianel027]

Well funny guys, but I use Windows XP, AOL is my ISP and I use Internet Explorer as that is the program I am comfortable with and have used from square one. Everything worked fine and then one day this week, pingo.... the forum set up changed for me as far as posting. Everything else is the same. Everything else on my computer works the same. So I don't understand. I know some of you guys really enjoy the digital train command stuff. But I'll tell you, I've had enough frustrations with my computer to ever want to even attempt to put that stuff on my train layout. Like I used to say in my end by-line "I fun trains for fun, not frustration." Beats me why the forum posting set up changed for me overnight.

[ChiefEagles]

Well, don't understand.  I'm still getting all the options.  I am on Internet Explorer but not upgraded to 7.0 yet.  I do have to turn off my popup blocker to get smilies.   If not, it zaps them when I click on them.

[Jumijo]

There was a forum software change a week or two back. The only diff I've noticed is it takes a little longer for the posting box to appear so I can begin typing my brilliant and often hilarious remarks.

Jim 

[Buckeye Riveter]

I am getting everything, but the menu for the links still does not display correctly.  I can now see all the smiley's from to I don't understand the purpose of the image button, to the left of the smiley button when I just cut and paste from Shutterfly.

I am running the home version of XP and IE 6.0.  Earlier I tried IE 7.0 and found that it made a mess of the forum display.

[Jumijo]

I am getting everything, but the menu for the links still does not display correctly.  I can now see all the smiley's from to I don't understand the purpose of the image button, to the left of the smiley button when I just cut and paste from Shutterfly.

I am running the home version of XP and IE 6.0.  Earlier I tried IE 7.0 and found that it made a mess of the forum display.

 

Be more specific about the link issue, Buckeye. I might be able to help you. What I do is type the name of the link, then highlight it with the cursor, and then the link options will make themselves available. I then click the link button and paste in the linked URL. Without highlighted text, the link option buttons are not accessable. At least, that's how it works for me. Behold:

Santa is Here!!!      And Here!!!

Jim 

[Anonymous]

Click the 'Update Profile' link at the top and check your settings.  Emoticons are 'Smileys'.

[Buckeye Riveter]

I am getting everything, but the menu for the links still does not display correctly.  I can now see all the smiley's from to I don't understand the purpose of the image button, to the left of the smiley button when I just cut and paste from Shutterfly.

I am running the home version of XP and IE 6.0.  Earlier I tried IE 7.0 and found that it made a mess of the forum display.

Be more specific about the link issue, Buckeye. I might be able to help you. What I do is type the name of the link, then highlight it with the cursor, and then the link options will make themselves available. I then click the link button and paste in the linked URL. Without highlighted text, the link option buttons are not accessible. At least, that's how it works for me. Behold:

Santa is Here!!!      And Here!!!

Jim 

Jim, I can get the link box to work and I have been able to link several items, including the video for NBC news.  It is just that the bottom part of the link drop down menu box is cut off at the bottom such hat you can only see about 1/3 of the "insert" button.

The smiley menu was being cut off in somewhat in the same manner, until they did that software fix recently.

 

[rlplionel]

I might be able to help you. What I do is type the name of the link, then highlight it with the cursor, and then the link options will make themselves available. I then click the link button and paste in the linked URL. Without highlighted text, the link option buttons are not accessable. At least, that's how it works for me.

Jim 

Thanks for this bit of information, Jim. I've been unable to figure out the forum links feature until you posted your instruction. I just went back and edited a URL on a previous post and it works great. Guess some of us could use a FAQ page on how to use all the forum features.  

 

[brianel027]

I've played with some of my computer settings (as much as I am comfortable) and also checked my profile update and cannot figure out anything. Also tried opening the forum directly with AOL instead of Internet Explorer and got the same posting format with NO options.[] Even though I am tryping these messages with paragraph breaks, they don't show up when I post. Man, this is frustrating. I miss all the little extras that were here 2 or 3 days ago, but now gone. Guess this is why I will never stray from traditional control with the trains.... always works with no problems ever. Can't say the same for the computer.

[Bob Keller]

Actually, forum moderators are traffic cops - the folks in on-line publishing do the tech stuff. It seems to depend on computer and software you use. We use Macs at work, and I can't see typeface styles or smilies. About 2/3 of the time paragraphs are okay, sometimes they aren't. I can put a link in - but it can only be made clickable with a PC. So, your mileage may vary.

[Deputy]

When I upgraded to IE7 things like the smilies became all visible. They were partially hidden under IE6.

However using the Juno integrated web browser, I can NOT post with it. I suspect Brian's AOL browser is the problem. Can you use JUST IE6 or 7 without going through the AOL browser? It's inconvenient for me, but that's what I have to do if I want to post at all.

Dep  

[fwright]

Hey gang, I know there's been some changes here in the forum. I notice there are no longer font style options nor differing type styles like bold or italic. I see the smilie guys are gone too. BUT I'm wondering why it is that paragraph breaks fail to show up. I've tried throwing in space bars, multiple shifts, even tabs and nothing works - although the breaks do show up as I am typing, they disappear when the final copy goes into the thread. Just curious.

Today, I am encountering the same thing. At work, with IE6 and XP Pro, these changes seem to have started today. Before, I would get unformated text for a few seconds when initiating a post, and then the formatting and options would fill in. But now they don't come in at all. And I have to manually insert the HTML code to get the paragraph breaks in my posts. No fun at all, and I'm not allowed to modify IE or use other software at work. I'll see what happens with Firefox at home tonight.

[Frank53]

The changes atrated for me a few days ago - - no access to smileys, no formatting, and no matter what I do, no skipped lines between paragraphs. I use Windows XP with IE Version 6.0. Works fine for everything I do except this.

[Frank53]

And I have to manually insert the HTML code to get the paragraph breaks in my posts.

Hadn't thought of that

Wonder if the bold and italic ubb codes work?

or would they need to be be html?

[Neil B.]

Hi guys, To add to Bob Keller's posting, we've been told that Firefox will give the best results for this forum. As Bob said, we all work on Macs, so even when we use Explorer it is Explorer for Mac, which might make a difference. The people that created this forum (who know a lot more about the software than we do) work on PCs. I am typing this on Mac's Safari browser, and the paragraphs will likely run together. However, if I were using Firefox on a Mac they wouldn't. I have even gone into some of my postings using Firefox to edit them to restore the paragraph breaks. Sorry we can't be more helpful on this, it's just something we have to live with for as long as this version of the forum software is in use. -- Neil Besougloff, editor

[brianel027]

[red]OKAY, so what is the code for a space for paragraphs/[/red] I remember some for BOLD and italics. I think I even remember the big smilie [D] Hmmmm, guess I don't remember as many as I thought. Like I said before, funny how this all worked a couple days ago and now it doesn't. And I've changed nothing on my computer.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm no technical guru, but I do know that someone, somewhere, made some software changes in the past week or so because I sure get some weird things happening when I post a reply to a topic.  All kinds of strange things that never happened before, and I've been visiting here for a long time.  A pain in the posterior to wait for things to happen properly when trying to post a reply.

Inform your IT guy that things should work well across all platforms, and certainly with all of the most used/popular browsers, which includes IE, Netscape, Firefox, and a few others.

[CSXect]

I am using ie explorer 6? and me and have no options but use to what happened?

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,

I too have all the options.

laz57

[ChiefEagles]

Mine is working fine and actually better than before.  Don't have to disable popup blockers and etc like before.

The thing that bothers me is, tomorrow it might not work at all because someone makes a change and does not test and consider the users.  I know several longtime forum members that have left over this.  Tomorrow, it might be me.  Neil and Bob, I know you care but someone up in IT land doesn't.  That is sad.

[Blue Flamer]

briane1027

I am using Windows XP home and Netscape 7.2 and I have all the Fonts, colours, smilies etc. The only problem that I have noticed of late is that it takes up to about 20 to 30 seconds for the message page to load. Previously, it only took about 5 seconds. Of course, the fact that I am still in the Dark Ages and work with Rotary Dial Up could have something to do with it. 

 The only other problem that I have is that when I hit "Enter" to start a new paragraph, everything reverts back to the default settings and I get this.

To get back to this, I have to reset the Colour, Bold and Italic buttons on the Tool Bar.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very

Merry Christmas 

and a

Happy and Prosperous New Year. 

Blue Flamer. 

[mackb4]

I'm having the same problem. But I've got the prehistoric windows me . What can a person do.I thought it was something my kids might have done.

[brianel027]

This is going to be slightly more of a pain than figuring out solutions on my train layout. But like my trains, I ALWAYS come up with an answer.

I opened up a bunch of my previous postings here and copied them into Microsoft Word so that I can see the forum codes. I paste them into here and then change my words. Of cdourse, I have a lot more searching to do in order to find the other features I like from my years of posting here

Of course, in the case of my trains, it always seems easier and more fun to find solutions than to have to do all this cutting and pasting here. Just one more reason why I don't trust computers and will never ever use command control, Legacy or one of these other so-called devises that makes the hobby so much more fun......NOT!

[zwbob]

I got it all here