How do I do ??? ?
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 2:43 pm
Every so often it comes up that folks comment that "I'm no good at {insert activity here}." This is almost always down to ignorance of how to do it right. The good thing about this is that ignorance is entirely innocent and entirely curable! This thread, which I am creating as a "sticky" so it stays at the top, aims to be a FAQ (Frequently Asked/Answered Questions) on the use (and sometimes abuse) of BBcode which is how to format things when posting messages to the community. Questions should be asked here on the thread, whereupon they will be answered in the main post and the question-post deleted to keep things clean.
Fancy formatting allows for elegant in-line link presentation, emphasis to be placed on things that warrant it, and can greatly improve overall readability and comprehensibility. Properly used it is an invaluable tool, improperly used, however it can detract from a presentation. Note that there's a batch of buttons that control this stuff that can be used as a shorthand if one doesn't want to type everything out; use those if you prefer, but typing them in works very well. Also note that judicious use of the "Preview" button will help isolate problems before one submits a post.
So, without further ado:
"How do I post a link to SkirtCafe?"
The short answer by way of example is:
That will render on the reader's screen as a cohesive sentence with the word "article" highlighted as the the active link which will open in a separate tab or window when selected. Here it is in action (note that the link should not work): "Here is an article on men in skirts."
"How do I alter type-styles?"
Type-style e.g. italics, bold, and underlining) are altered using BBcode tags thusly: Here that snippet is in action in the viewer's browser: "This is in bold type. This is in italics, and this is underlined." These can be combined by nesting them (that is, one contained entirely within the other like: which renders as: "This is underlined italics." (Note that the underlining format is contained entirely within the italics format.)
Font size (scaling) can be controlled by BBcode, e.g.: In action now: This is small type, and this is large type.
The number is a percentage with 100 being the default size; 50 is "half size" and 200 is "double size". Note that inappropriate use of this can be very annoying to readers in much the same way as typing IN ALL CAPITALS is equated to "shouting" and is much unappreciated.
The actual typeface (the font) cannot be altered using BBcode; that is a function of the viewer's browser, and it's up to each reader to have his browser set up so it is legible and easily readable (i.e. a good readable font along with a proper font size). All that can be done with BBcode is to offer rendering hints to the viewer's browser.
"How do I gracefully quote posts?"
First and foremost, there's a button for quoting a post one is reading from. That's the easiest starting point. However, there may come a time where one wants to quote -- and rebut -- more than one author in a single post. Here's how:Note the use of quotation marks! Those are important.
Here's how it looks:
Quotes can be nested (see above for the definition of "nesting") up to (I think) three deep.
As always, the "preview" button is your friend.
Fancy formatting allows for elegant in-line link presentation, emphasis to be placed on things that warrant it, and can greatly improve overall readability and comprehensibility. Properly used it is an invaluable tool, improperly used, however it can detract from a presentation. Note that there's a batch of buttons that control this stuff that can be used as a shorthand if one doesn't want to type everything out; use those if you prefer, but typing them in works very well. Also note that judicious use of the "Preview" button will help isolate problems before one submits a post.
So, without further ado:
"How do I post a link to SkirtCafe?"
The short answer by way of example is:
Code: Select all
Here is an [url=http://www.example.org/target.html]article[/url] on men in skirts."How do I alter type-styles?"
Type-style e.g. italics, bold, and underlining) are altered using BBcode tags thusly:
Code: Select all
This is in [b]bold[/b] type. This is in [i]italics[/i], and this is [u]underlined[/u].Code: Select all
This is [i][u]underlined italics[/u][/i].Font size (scaling) can be controlled by BBcode, e.g.:
Code: Select all
This is [size=85]small type[/size], and this is [size=150]large type[/size].The number is a percentage with 100 being the default size; 50 is "half size" and 200 is "double size". Note that inappropriate use of this can be very annoying to readers in much the same way as typing IN ALL CAPITALS is equated to "shouting" and is much unappreciated.
The actual typeface (the font) cannot be altered using BBcode; that is a function of the viewer's browser, and it's up to each reader to have his browser set up so it is legible and easily readable (i.e. a good readable font along with a proper font size). All that can be done with BBcode is to offer rendering hints to the viewer's browser.
"How do I gracefully quote posts?"
First and foremost, there's a button for quoting a post one is reading from. That's the easiest starting point. However, there may come a time where one wants to quote -- and rebut -- more than one author in a single post. Here's how:
Code: Select all
[quote="John Q. Public"]John Q. Public said this.[/quote]Here's how it looks:
All highlighting and indenting are automatically taken care of. Note that proper on-line etiquette dictates that one quote the minimum quantity of text to retain context. Full-post quoting is generally frowned upon as it increases the amount of reading a viewer must do before getting to the new content. Use of the ellipsis is entirely appropriate to pare down quotes in this regard.John Q. Public wrote:John Q. Public said this.
Quotes can be nested (see above for the definition of "nesting") up to (I think) three deep.
As always, the "preview" button is your friend.
