Some Helpful Hints

Welcome, hints for the new software, and a discussion of the transition
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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:14 pm

Index

How to Register
"I Tried to Register and It's Not Working"
How to Add Your Location and Birthday
How to Add an Avatar (photo) and Signature
How to Change Your Forum Time Zone
How Do I Comment on a Post
How Do I Add and/or Delete a Picture (attachment) to/from a Post?
How to Do Posh Links
How To Find Time Zones For Cameras You Watch
How To Delete a Post
How To Bookmark or Subscribe to a Specific Topic
How To Unbookmark or Unsubscribe to a Specific Topic
How to Manage Notifications of Bookmarks and Subscriptions
Quick Way to Find The Forum of Your Choice
Link to Thread Discussing Programs for S'caps and Videos
Formatting Font Size on the New Forum
How to Change Your Password
How to Change Your Privacy Settings
How to Link Back to an Individual Post
How to find....
.......... a list of your latest posts
.......... a list of the latest posts by other members
.......... a list of posts you haven't yet read
.......... topics someone has posted in but has not yet had a response
.......... the latest active topics
.......... a way to search for specific members, posts, topics, etc.
.......... a list of forum members
.......... to find a list of volunteer members and their position on the forum

Quick Way to Go to the Top of the Page
How to Sort Posts in Descending Order
How to Find Member Activity
How to Find and/or Delete a Bookmark
How to Report a Post
How to Report a Personal Message (PM)
How to Resize and reformat a scap/photo for FREE on the internet
How to Contact Another member
How to View/Post a Video to the HWF YouTube Account
How to Delete the Cookies the Forum Uses to Remember Your Login Info
How To Use The DVR
How to Save a Draft Post
How To Retrieve and Save your Final Draft
How to Do Posh Links
How to copy a link to a post on an Android (Samsung TAB A) tablet.

Info on Copyright, Permissions, Etc. (This is a separate thread)

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:15 pm

Reserved in case index gets too long

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:25 pm

How to Register

Click the Board Index link at the top of the page to get back to the home page for the forum (or go to https://forum.hancockwildlife.org), then scroll to the bottom of the page. Above the boxes to enter your user name and password once you're registered, you should see a link to register (the picture clicks a bit bigger to make it easier to read):
screenshot_06.jpg
Once you've registered, you can use the fields to log in - and note the "remember me" check box at the far right, if you don't want to enter your user name and password every time you visit.


There are a number of other things you may want to do once you've registered:
  • add your location and/or birthday
  • add your avatar (photo) and signature
  • set your time zone

Added - you can also use the link at the upper right on the home page and most if not all other pages of the forum (you may need to scroll to the top of the page to see it):
20210804_003.jpg
20210804_003.jpg (5.99 KiB) Viewed 12391 times

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:30 pm

I Tried to Register and It's Not Working

If you're having trouble registering, you can email [email protected] to send a message to the forum administrators, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Please note that we are all volunteers, and there are times when none of us are online or checking email - but we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Please let us know what error messages you're getting (if any) or what happens or doesn't happen - the more information you can provide, the easier it will be to figure out what's happening. Thanks!

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:56 pm

How to Add Your Location and Birthday

Click your User Name in the upper right corner of any forum page and choose User Control Panel from the dropdown list that appears:
20180130_002.jpg
Click the Profile tab at the top; Edit Profile will be highlighted in the menu on the left, and you'll see where you can enter your birthday and your location - both are optional (clicks bigger to be easier to read):
20180130_003.jpg
If you enter a day and month for your birthday, your name will be listed at the bottom of the index page on your birthday; if you also add the year, it will give your age:
20180130_004.jpg
(JudyB2 and JudyB3 are my "test people" - I can assign them various permissions then log in as them to see if I've set things correctly.)

Note that you can define your location as specifically or as loosely as you wish - I live in a small town in Maine, so saying what part of Maine makes more sense to me than listing a town few people will know - but it's totally up to you how (or if) you list your location.

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:56 pm

How to Add an Avatar (photo) and Signature

Maximum dimensions of an avatar:

width: 90 pixels,
height: 90 pixels,
file size: 60.00 KiB.

Use a photo editor to reduce your photo to the correct size or try the following link to a free and simple program that converts jpeg’s into avatars.

http://www.shrinkpictures.com/create-avatar/


TO UPLOAD YOUR AVATAR

1. Click your User Name in the upper right corner of any forum page and choose 'User Control Panel' from the dropdown list that appears.

#1.jpg

2. Click the 'Profile' tab; (click scap 2x for bigger)

3,4,5a.jpg

3. Click "Edit avatar" in the menu on the left;

4. Click "Browse" to open the files on your device, choose your avatar and click "Submit;"

5. Your avatar will appear in the “Delete image” box above; and under your name on the forum.


TO ADD YOUR SIGNATURE

Follow steps 1. and 2. above;

3. Click "Edit signature" in the menu on the left; (click scap 2x for bigger)

3, 4, 5, 6.jpg

4. In the box to the right add your signature. There is a 255 character limit.

5. Click "Submit" and "Return to User Control Panel;"

6. View your finished signature line.

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:56 pm

How to Change your Forum Time Zone

1. After you've logged in, click your "User Name" in the upper right corner of any forum page and choose "User Control Panel" from the dropdown list that appears;
1#.jpg

2. Choose "Board Preferences" from the tabs; (click scap 2x for bigger)

#2a.jpg

3. Click "Edit global settings" from the left hand column; (click scap 2x for bigger)

3,4,5b .jpg

4. In the box opposite "My timezone:" on the right, pick your local time zone from the drop-down list of Time Zones;

5. Choose a city that changes to daylight savings time at the same time you do (or that doesn't change if you don't)

6. Click the submit button;

You will now see "All times are UTC (your time zone)" at the bottom right corner of the forum page and your local time on all posts.

If you'd prefer to have the forum show the time in British Columbia, Canada, where the nests are located, you can choose
-8, PST (America/Vancouver) from the dropdown list of Time Zones instead.

The forum automatically switches to Daylight Saving Time or Summer Time when the time changes in North America; if it changes on a different date where you are (or doesn't change) you may need to pick a different time zone temporarily so it continues to show the time you want.

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:02 pm

How Can I Comment on a Post?

Unlike Facebook, you can't add a comment to a specific post - but once you are logged in, you can add a reply to the discussion topic or thread!

If you scroll to the bottom of the thread, you'll find a Post Reply button:
20180203_019.jpg
Click that, and you can type your reply, then click Submit to post it. You can also use Preview before you post - but make sure you click Submit, or your reply won't be posted.

Bonus hints -
  • If you click the arrow next to the little wrench, you can switch to Print View, which is a more printer-friendly version of the page
  • the button with the arrow pointing down to the right of the button with the wrench lets you choose how many posts you want to see, and if you'd rather see them in ascending or descending order
  • there's usually a link under the buttons to bring you back to the forum containing the thread you're reading

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JudyB
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by JudyB » Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:25 pm

NOTE FROM JudyB:

There is a quirk in the forum software that's supposed to be fixed in the next release (I hope) - if you attach a screenshot or photo that's more than 500 pixels wide, the software creates a clickable thumbnail to put in the post - and neither the thumbnail nor the larger version you get when you click show the photo info. This part works exactly as we want it to work, so pictures in the thread aren't too wide - but can be clicked larger if you want to see more details!

However - if you attach an image that's 500 pixels or less in width, the original image goes into the post - and it comes with a line of text underneath it - which is OK, but isn't necessary and can be confusing; an example: 2018-02-19_15-24-24-820.png (9.62 KiB) Viewed 37 times

If you want to avoid that extra text, try making your snips/scaps/photos at least 501 pixels wide when possible - not an elegant solution, but it will get rid of the photo data that shows up on screen with smaller images.



How Do I Add a Picture to a Post?

There are several ways to add pictures - and the easiest is as an attachment. We ask that people not post any pictures that appear wider than 500-600 pixels - and happily the software will automatically post a 500 pixel wide version of your image in the thread - and if your photo or screen capture ("s'cap") is bigger than that - clicking on the image in the post will show the full-size version!

The image you want to include needs to be on your computer in a place you can find it (we don't have instructions for saving screenshots/s'caps written yet as I'm writing this - but we'll get to that).

Once you've clicked the button to post a reply on the thread (see the previous post for details), and have typed whatever description you'd like for the image, click the Attachments tab below the typing window:
20180203_020.jpg

Then click the Add Files button:

Return to the
20180203_021.jpg

And once you've checked to make sure your cursor is where you want the picture to appear, click the "Place Inline" button, which will insert the image wherever your cursor is.
20180203_022.jpg

It usually works best to put a return/enter before the image - but you can do that later if necessary.

You can add up to three images to a post (and one per personal message or PM). There is an upper limit to the size of the images which is generally only an issue for photos taken with high-res cameras - but if you're having issues, please contact one of the admins and we'll see what we can do.

Added:
You can also add pictures to your post by dragging them into the message box (the area where you type), and they'll show up as attachments at the end of your post. Thanks, Jean, for pointing this out - and we do encourage everyone to suggest changes or additions to the Hints!


Troubleshooting
  • We have discovered that the software will reject images if the name is too long; I'm not sure how long is "too long" and it looks as if at least 30 characters is OK, maybe a few more
  • One member was having trouble posting JPG photos edited with the program GIMP; she solved the problem by doing a save-as with Paint



How To Delete An Attachment from a post.

Return to the Attachments tab below the typing window. Click "Delete file" next to the attachment (picture) you want to delete. This will remove the link that appeared where your cursor was when you placed the picture "inline " and delete the attachment.

Deleting the link only will not delete the attachment. The picture will remain at the bottom of your post.

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gemini
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Location: North Vancouver, BC

Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Tue Feb 06, 2018 4:37 pm

How to Do Posh Links

1. Copy the url you want to make posh
2. Type into your post [url=
3. Paste the copied url in after the =
4. Type in ] at the end of the pasted url
5. Type the name you want to call it after the ] e.g. My Posh Link Name
6 Type in [/url] after the name
Preview and post.


Alternate method:
1. Copy the url you want to make a posh
2 Type into your post the name of your posh link e.g. My Posh Link Name
3. Select (highlight) the name of your posh link and click the "url button" (looks like a chain) in editing tools above
4. Type an = after the "l" of the first "url" and paste in the copied url next to the =
Preview and post


With both methods your posh link will look like this before submitting: (without the space after the first bracket)

[ url=http://www.hancockwildlife.org]My Posh Link Name[/url]

Your posh link will look like this after submitting : My Posh Link Name
Image


Member since: 7/31/2006

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gemini
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Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:42 pm

How To Find Time Zones For Cameras You Watch

For users of FIREFOX there is an add-on called FoxClocks

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1117/

Time Zones for multiple locations can then be added to your status bar.



Added by PEB
Or you can use

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

You can make your own personal clock there!!
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gemini
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Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:39 am

How to delete a post

NOTE:
Deleting a post on the phpBB board is a bit different than what we are used to on the old forum. When a post is deleted on the old forum it is permanently erased. On this forum there is a choice to “delete permanently” or “soft delete” (which simply means, the post is not completely deleted from the board but removed from view and placed in a file in the background where it can be retrieved by a moderator or Admin.)



Deleting a Post

1. Click the “x” in the row of "post tools"

Deleting a post.jpg

2. To permanently delete a post, click the box next to "Delete permanently"

OR

3. To soft delete a post do not click the box next to “Delete permanently”

Deleting a post2.jpg

"Reason for deletion" is optional.

4. Click “Yes”
Image


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gemini
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Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:36 am

How To Bookmark or Subscribe to a Specific Topic

Be in the Topic you wish to bookmark or subscribe to:
1. Click the “wrench” icon at either the top or bottom of the topic discussion page.
2. Click “Bookmark topic” and/or “Subscribe Topic” in the list

Bookmark 1.jpg

To Unbookmark or Unsubscribe to a specific topic

Be in the Topic you wish to ubookmark or unsubscribe to:
3. Click the “wrench” icon at either the top or bottom of a topic discussion page (scap)
4. Click “Remove from bookmarks and/or “Unsubscribe topic in list

Bookmarks 2.jpg


What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?

"Bookmarking" is much like subscribing to a topic. You can be notified when a bookmarked topic is updated.

"Subscribing," however, will notify you when there is an update to a topic or forum on the board.
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gemini
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Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:21 am

How to Manage Notifications of Bookmarks and Subscriptions


Notification options for bookmarks and subscriptions can be configured in the "User Control Panel" (Upper right hand corner, down arrow beside your user name.)

#1.jpg

Click: User Control Panel/Board Preferences Tab/Edit Notifications Options

Select your "Notification Preferences" and submit.

bookmarks 3.jpg
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gemini
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Re: Some Helpful Hints

Post by gemini » Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:34 am

Quick Way to Find The Forum of Your Choice

Click the forum of your choice from the "JUMP TO" drop down list located at the bottom right hand corner of any forum or topic page.

Alternatively, check the new "H.W.F. Forum Site Map" listed under the "Welcome to the New Forum!" category for a handy link to the topic of your choice!
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