No Longer Applicable - Posting pictures

[Monty]

If you want to include a picture in your post, you have two basic methods to do this: Attachment method and Insert Image method

Attachment method - use this method when you have a picture on your local computer (ie, not published on the net somewhere). You just "attach" an image to your post, just like you would attach a file or image to an e-mail message. This method has the advantage of simplicity, speed, and familiarity (if you're used to forums that use this method, like Saw Mill Creek). The main disadvantage is that the picture shows up in a box down at the bottom of the page -- you have no control over where the picture is placed within your post. Well, actually you do have some control, but you have to take an extra step to do this (see below). Most importantly, the picture does not go into your gallery, so it doesn't count towards your total post count, and you can lose track of where it's located if you need to refer to it later.


Insert Image method - use this method when you want to show a picture that is hosted on a web site somewhere on the net (like your own web site, or your photo gallery here on this web site). This is a bit more involved, but more versatile. This is the preferred method if you want to include more than one picture in your post, or if you want your picture to show up somewhere in the middle of the post instead of down at the bottom. This method is really simple once you get used to it, and it's definitely worth learning.​

The next post will address the Attachments method, then I will followup with a post on the Insert Image method, along with some more "advanced" tips & tricks... stay tuned.

 

[Monty]

Re: Posting pictures

Attachments

Attaching an image to your post is simple and quick. When you are composing your post (either posting a new thread or replying to an existing thread), scroll down to the bottom of the screen. There is an "Additional Options" area down there. Within that area is the "Manage Attachments" button:

Click on that button, and you'll get this window:

Click on the "Browse" button to find the image file that you want to upload from your computer. Sometimes figuring out where it is on your computer is the hardest part! :roll: Then click "Upload". You'll know you were successful if your window now looks like this:

If you're done, click "Close this window". Now you should see your attached file listed, like this:

Of course, if you change your mind you can click "Manage Attachments" again and delete or add attachments if you wish. If you're satisfied, then go ahead and preview or submit your post as usual (note that the attachment does not show when you preview your post). The attached image will show up at the end of the post, just like at the bottom of this post. The image is uploaded on the NCWoodworker server, and will not be linked back to your computer.


Next will be a post on using the "Insert Image" method...

 

[Monty]

Re: Posting pictures

Insert Image

Using the insert image method is a little more involved, mostly because this requires that the image is already uploaded somewhere on the internet (either your own web site or a picture hosting site such as the photo gallery on this web site), and you'll have to know the URL (web address) for the image. Other than that, it's really very simple.

To insert an image in your post, click on the "Insert Image"

button just above the text window when you're composing your post. You'll get an input box that looks like this:

Here's where it can be confusing, until you get used to this method. You'll have to enter the URL (ie the web address) of the image you want in that box, then click "OK". The URL has to start with http://, and end with .jpg or .gif. If the URL you have is not formatted this way, it will not show up properly, and you'll get the dreaded RED X:

Now, there are several ways you can get the URL of your picture. If it's in your gallery on this web site, the URL is listed right below your picture -- right there where it says "Direct Link Code":

Just copy and paste that text into the input box, like this:

(Note: in your gallery, the next line below "Direct Link Code" -- labeled "BB Image Code", can be simply copied and pasted directly in your post. This saves the step of using the "Insert Image" dialog box)


If the picture is somewhere else on the internet (ie not in your NCWoodworker gallery), you'll have to determine what the URL is yourself. To do this, just RIGHT-CLICK on the image, and select "Properties" on the menu that pops up. If you do that on the NCWoodworker.net logo image at the top of this page, you'll get a window that looks like this:

The URL for that image is listed right there, and can be copied and pasted just like you did with your gallery image in the example above.


That's really all there is to basic image posting. Note that there are some pitfalls and things to be aware of... this really has to do with basic "netiquette". Problems can arise if you post an URL of a picture that is hosted on some other site. If you do this, then each time your post is viewed here on this forum, the picture is downloaded from that other site... this is called bandwidth theft, and is generally frowned upon. As a result of this kind of activity, some web sites do not allow people to post links to their images. If you try to link to one of their images, you'll get the dreaded RED X, or sometimes a rather hostile message instead of the image that you expect...


In the next post, I will go over a few "advanced" topics and tricks.



OK, now POST SOME PICS!!!! :mrgreen:

 

[Monty]

Re: Posting pictures

"Advanced" Techniques

I call these "advanced" techniques because they probably will seem confusing until you first learn how to include basic links and pics in your posts. Once you understand how to post pictures, the "advanced" techniques will really be very straightforward. Only serious web geeks should read any further... don't say I didn't warn you.



vB Code

This is called vB code or BB code or UBB code, etc. This is just the code that results when you click the

button. Once you have inserted your image, you'll see that your picture's URL is surrounded by "tags" - specifically "image tags", like this:

​

The first tag starts the code, and the second tag with the "/" ends the code text. As long as you comply with this syntax, you can type it out or use the button/dialog box -- it's all the same. Well, don't tell anyone, but I usually just type the tags. I type pretty fast, and I find that it's quicker. I do the same thing for bold, italics, hyperlinks, etc. Just knowing that you can type it all out like this makes it possible to cut & paste when you want to insert multiple images (just change one or two digits in the file name, right?), and to do some other tricks...



Link to an image

Posting full-size images in your thread is fine, but it can sometimes cause problems... too many big pics and your thread will take forever to download... if for some reason you want to post a really HUGE picture, people will gripe that it's too big... etc. In such cases, it's probably polite to post a link (or a thumbnail image), and let the viewer download the full-size picture if they want to. Here is how to post a link: (don't put a space between URL and =)

[URL =(full-size image URL here)](type a description of your image here)[/URL]​

Example link: really big picture​

Thumbnails

There is a thumbnail for each of your pics in the gallery on this web site. You can put the thumbnail image inside your hyperlink, in place of the text description. Here's how it's done: (again, no space between URL and =)

[URL =(full-size image URL here)]

[/URL]​

The image you want to display is the THUMBNAIL image, and it goes between the IMG tags. The hyperlink is to the full-size image. If you do it like this, then clicking on the thumbnail image opens a link to the full-size image. Like this:

​

(now you know why I started off explaining vB Code tags, right?)


OK, that's about all I've got. Hopefully these posts will not cause more confusion, and may even help someone... now POST SOME PICS!!!

 

[Monty]

Placement of attachments

Controlling the placement of attachments

There is one thing to add about posting pictures as attachments. You actually do have control over where they appear in your post, but you have to take an extra step to do so. If you don't take this extra step, you will just see the picture in a separate box at the bottom of the post like I mentioned above.

If you want to control where an attached pic shows up in a thread, first upload the pic(s) using the attachment method. Then you can click on the little

arrow next to the

paperclip button. You will see your attachments listed like this:




You can select one of your pictures from that list, and it shows up in your post right where your cursor is, like this:




This way you can have some control over where your attachments appear in your post, rather than just leaving them at the bottom.

Attachments still have the same disadvantages - mainly related to the fact that the picture is not saved in your album where you can refer to it again later. But... sometimes you may want to post a pic that you don't necessarily want to keep in your album (like the Redneck Express) so I guess attachments are useful for this reason.

 

[Monty]

Re: Posting pictures

I think it's time to update this tutorial a little. It seems that we need a simpler version of how to post thumbnails. All this talks about tags and whatnot is just confusing. Everything you see in this post assumes you're using the WYSIWYG forum editor. If you don't know what that means, then you're probably using it since it is the default setting for the forum.*

So... let's say you want to post a thumbnail of your picture (from the photo album) that links to a bigger picture. Like this:




When I'm doing something like this in a post, I usually open my album in another window so I can switch back and forth. To do this, just RIGHT-click on the "Photo Galleries" link in the menu above, and select "Open in new window". Now you can browse your photo album to find the image you want to post - and open that image (this means you can see your picture, and below that you can see the UBBCode and Direct link code for that picture, and below that you should see a row of thumbnails).

To be clear - at this point you should have your post that you're composing in one window, and your photo album in another window with your image open. Now you're ready to get started!

1. Put the cursor where you want your thumbnail to appear in your post
2. Switch to the other window (in Windows, hit ALT+TAB)
3. RIGHT-click on the thumbnail for your image (down at the bottom of the page) and select "Properties"
4. In the properties window, select the URL for the thumbnail image and copy it to the clipboard (highlight the code and CTRL+C), then hit "Cancel" to make that little window go away
5. Switch back to the first window where you're writing your post (ALT+TAB) - the cursor should still be blinking right where you left it
6. Click on the Insert Image
   
   button and paste the text in there (CTRL+V), then hit "OK".
   
   
   You should see your thumbnail in your post now, with little tiny squares around it indicating that it's selected. If you made it this far you now know how to post the thumbnail.... now it's time to make it link to the bigger picture. This is the easy part:
   
   
   
   
7. Go back to the other window (photo album) and copy the Direct link code to the clipboard (CTRL+C)... be sure to get the Direct link code, not the UBBCode
8. Switch back to the first window - your thumbnail should still be "selected"; if it's not, click on it once
9. Click on the Insert Link
   
   button, paste the text in there (CTRL+V), and hit "OK"

Now you should see that your thumbnail has a link. Hit the "Preview Post" button to get a preview of what your post will look like, and see how your link works.


I know it seems confusing at first, but once you get it... you've got it!




* Note: if you're like me and you're not using WYSIWYG mode, and you prefer to use the tags instead, then you're a certifiable computer geek and you should click here. That should give you all the info you need about bulletin board tag codes.

 

[Monty]

Deleting Pictures

How to delete a picture from your album

If you want to delete a picture, you first have to select that picture by clicking on its thumbnail in your album. Once you have the picture open, take a look down below it in the "Photo Details" section. You should see a list of links under "Admin Options". Click on "Move/Delete" and a little check box will appear down below. Put a check in that box and click "Submit" to confirm.