Posting Images & Other Tips

[chris-p]

As this seems to be a continual problem I thought I would try to get some easy to follow advice down in one place.

Update: There are now 2 video tutorials you can use. I've created a video on YouTube to illustrate the process... you can see it here. I'm using Opera but the principles are the same

Many thanks also to Mick (Lurkalot) has made a similar video which is also very helpful and is done in Internet Explorer. It may take a while to load but, be patient.... It's here



You can use various "tags" to insert all sorts of useful things into your posts. Tags are always in square brackets [] and use specific codes. A start tag is placed at the beginning (ie [tag]) and an end tag at the end (ie [/tag]).



To post an image into a thread:

You need to find the URL of the image. In most internet browsers this is done by right clicking on the image and selecting the properties option. You will need to select and the copy (right click>copy or 'Ctrl'+V) this address.

To post a plain image into a thread, paste the address you copied between the [img] [/img] tags.

For example, the text would look like this:
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4255936865_a49267869f_o.jpg[/img]



To post a link:

Similar to posting an image but you can use the [url] [/url] tags.

For example [url]http://www.photoradar.com[/url]



To post a link with alternative text:

Use the [url=] [/url] tags. Put the address in the [url=] tag, and the alternative text in the space between the tags.

For example:

[url=http://www.photoradar.com]CLICK HERE[/url]

Looks like....

CLICK HERE



To post a clickable image:

You can combine the [url=] [/url] and [img] [/img] tags to create a clickable image

Use the [url=address] then the [img] address [/img][/url] format.

For example:
[url=http://photo.jpg][img]http://photo.jpg[/img][/url]

[chris-p]

Mod/Admin - can you make this thread sticky please!

[Amy Davies]

Hi Chris,

We already have a sticky in this thread entitled PhotoRadar FAQ, covering all that you mention in your sticky, do you feel the FAQ doesn't go into enough detail or has any problems?

I'm happy to amend as necessary of course, please let me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Amy

[chris-p]

Hi Amy,

I am aware of the FAQ thread. I posted this because, for whatever reason, there are still many, many comments from people who are having difficulty in posting images, links and clickable images.

Whether people look at the FAQ thread and, when they see it doesn't actually contain the FAQ, ignore it or whether people read the FAQs and still have problems, I don't know, but there seems to be a need for this information to be put down in one easily accessible place.

I know that this information is on the site, it's where I got it from, but it's almost impossible to find:

From your FAQ thread, I've followed the link to the FAQ, then I've had to find the "I'd like to do something in the forum, where can I find out how?" FAQ, which takes me to another page which gives me 2 options ("General Forum Usage" and "Reading & Posting Messages"), the second of which, after hunting through several other sections, makes a general reference to the BB code.

Also, the only information that I have posted here that is in the FAQs is how to post a plain (or not clickable) image. I know the system automatically parses links etc, but the use of tags is usually quicker for the poster and allows for the alternative text links and clickable photos which you don't mention at all in any of the myriad FAQs.

[Amy Davies]

Hi Chris,

How to post a clickable image is included in the PhotoRadar FAQ page which is linked to in the sticky, here's a direct link to that particular point: http://www.photoradar.com/photoradar-faq#forum - this will also show you how to get the correct URL from an image in our gallery as right clicking on that won't get you the right one.

However I wasn't aware that so many of our users were interested in using tags, so I'll make this a sticky for people who want to via that route.

Best wishes,

Amy

[chris-p]

Amy,

My apologies, it does tell you how to link your photo but the formatting in the FAQs is wrong! You can't use the brackets shown ({}) and there is a space in the link which would stop it from working!

[Amy Davies]

Chris,

The brackets were used for illustration purposes to make sure that the page didn't try to display the coded material, apologies that this was not made clear, I will amend now.

The FAQ is very much a work in progress and I will be making some bigger and clearer updates to the page in the very near future.

Thanks,

Amy

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by Amy Davies

However I wasn't aware that so many of our users were interested in using tags

I've no idea how many users are interested in using tags but perhaps if people knew about them, perhaps there would be less confusion about how to post images etc.

My intention was purely to try to make useful information more easily available and other forum users lives as simple as possible as I know there have been many problems in setting up clickable images in, for example, the poll for the weekend competition.

As an aside...

Originally Posted by Amy Davies

The brackets were used for illustration purposes to make sure that the page didn't try to display the coded material

If whoever wrote the FAQs was aware of the correct BB code formatting (which they should have been as it is hidden in the depths of the FAQs that they were writing) they could easily have written [img]12345[/img] and stopped the page from displaying the codes?!

[Amy Davies]

Chris,

Agreed about the tags issue, I never use them myself so I simply hadn't thought about it but thanks for providing a handy guide for other users.

Somebody else wrote the forum FAQ but I wrote the PhotoRadar FAQ which exists on another part of the site and so does not use BB code. As a non programmer (and fairly unfamiliar with coding) I wasn't sure at the time of writing whether or not the tags would work, and had been using the { brackets in the forums (but also using BB code at the same time) in the forum to explain for some time. I have now corrected the FAQ to the correct type of bracket to make this clearer - thank you for bringing this to my attention. As I said the FAQ section will be looked at and amended in the very near future with what will hopefully be very noticeable and helpful updates.

Once again thanks for your help,

Best wishes,

Amy

[PolaroidSky]

For this... I have to thank Chris... as after reading his desription I was able to post images in threads for the first time = )