FAQs: pop in here if you're wondering how to do anything

[Ian]

Our FAQs are listed below.  You can also access them through the FAQ button (top LH side of this page). As and when we get more, they'll be added.  Just click on any of the 'How to' titles in the list below to find the answers

Ian

How to quote only part of someone's post

How to create an individual post header

How to receive/stop receiving email notifications of PMs

How to insert links to other web sites

How to upload photos

How to attach smileys

How to re-size your pictures for posting in here

How to add photos to the albums

[Ian]

How to receive/stop receiving email notifications of PMs

1) You will need to be logged in.
2) Click on Profile in the top menu
3) Look at the left-hand menus and click on Personal Message Options.
4) Your Message options are displayed. Look for 'Notify by email every time you receive a personal message' and make sure it is set to one of the following:
    (a) 'Always' (if you want to receive an email notification every time you receive a PM)
    (b) 'Never' (if you never want to receive an email notification every time you receive a PM)
5) Click on 'Change Profile' to save your setting.
6) Finished!

[Ian]

Inserting a hyperlink without all the long gubbins that goes with it can be tricky.

Firstly, you have to find the 'Insert URL" button.. It's here:

[smg id=473]

When you try to insert a hyperlink, you get this:

[smg id=470]

What it doesn't tell you is that you need to manually insert the url as shown:

[smg id=471]

To expand it further, if we use this place as an example, your hyperlink should show as thus:

[smg id=2395]

This will then appear as


Our forum is here
 

[Ian]

How to upload photos to a post.

1) After writing your post, underneath the message box, click on Additional Options.
2) Next to Attach, click on the 'Choose File' button.
3) Select the photo file you want to use from my computer's hard drive (it must be less than 300k in size).
4) If you want to add another photo, click on (more attachments) and repeat the procedure.
5) Click on Post and the message & photo should be displayed.

The photos you have added are are displayed at the end of your post, you dont choose where they go in the post. You can add a maximum of 4 photos per post at present.

[Ian]

You may not know that you can change the subject of your posting. This is useful, as it identifies 'threads' within 'topics' but - more importantly - it makes your recent comment show up with the header you want in the 'show unread comments' listing, that most folk use when they're trying to see what's been done overnight.

If you look at the image below you'll see (where it's circled in red) that when you compose a new post, you can change the header title yourself. Interestingly, because of where it's situated - above the smilies and various option boxes - a lot of folk miss this useful capability by simply not noticing it's there.

[smg id=2709]

[Ian]

At the top right hand side of any post to which you want to reply. or which you want to quote, there's a button:

[smg id=1159]

but this copies the entire post in question, and then re-posts it in its entirety.  Usually, however, and for the purposes of readability, you might not want to quote the entire post at length, especially if it has one or more images in it.

So, to quote just a part of someone's post...

• Go to the post you want to quote from
• Position your cursor immediately before the bit you want to quote
• Hold your LH mouse button down, and drag the cursor to the end of the potential quote
• Hold down 'CNTRL' and press "C"
• Click on the 'Reply" button
• Click the quote icon (second from Right in the row of rectangular buttons immediately above the smileys)
• Hold down 'CNTRL' and press "V"

That's it.  Now, you compose your own post, and - when you press 'Post" - your quote will appear above it.

[Ian]

You may think that it sounds complicated, but it isn't, once you try it a couple of times. Using the 'quote' button, however, is akin to using a machine gun to swat a fly; it's indiscriminate, and just clogs the forum up making reading posts more difficult.

[Ian]

If you're not sure how to get your photos small enough to display them in here, then you could try these: here's a a few sites that should do the trick. I generally resize pics so that the longest side is 600 pixels.

http://www.picresize.com/
http://www.shrinkpictures.com/
http://www.drpic.com/

Finally, one other thing to look at is resolution.  Pictures in here shouldn't have a resolution  higher than 90 dpi (dots per inch).  Any resize app will have a box showing resolution, and that can be adjusted.  In that context, it's worth remembering that a picture whose resolution is 600 dpi might look small on your computer, but will appear enormous on here when uploaded, simply because the forum software will force it to display at 90 dpi..

[Ian]

If you go to an Album, like the modern one for example:
http://threetownsforum.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=4

You should see a 'Add an item to this album' option. Click on that, new page opens, Select your file,  Add in a title and description and press 'Submit'. Job done!