Nicer way to add URLs to a post

[Analog Kid]

Hi; I'm a new member here. I belong to another forum (the MASM forum) that also uses SMF. (They're on version 2.1.4.)

One thing that's nicer over there is the way to add HTML links to a post: rather than the primitive method here, where you get BB code and have to edit it (by adding in "=" plus the hyperlink; I always hesitate a second, as there is absolutely no clue as to what the proper syntax is here):

Code: [Select]

[url]text text text[/url]
their board gives you an "Insert a link" button which does it all for you:



Any chance we could get that feature here?

[Bryn]

Yes, I would like to see that also, but ultimately it's Dave's decision...

[voltsandjolts]

I belong to another forum (the MASM forum)

For someone who is into assembly language for PCs, I would of thought pasting a URL here would have been kinda trivial!

[Analog Kid]

I belong to another forum (the MASM forum)

For someone who is into assembly language for PCs, I would of thought pasting a URL here would have been kinda trivial!

It is, but that only makes it all the more annoying. Even asm programmers like to reduce unnecessary typing (and head-scratching).

[ebastler]

I just type (or paste) the URL, and then it gets converted into a [url] tag automatically. With few exceptions I consider it good style to keep the full URL readable in a post for transparency, rather than hide it behind a descriptive text.

If only the forum software could also do this properly when the URL occurs at the end of a sentence and is followed by a period... I have fallen into that trap -- where the period is misunderstood to be part of the URL -- too many times.

[thm_w]

The insert link button would also fix the . at the end of URLs and special characters breaking auto links. Assuming you used the tool though, if you didn't it doesn't help.

[tggzzz]

I just type (or paste) the URL, and then it gets converted into a [url] tag automatically. With few exceptions I consider it good style to keep the full URL readable in a post for transparency, rather than hide it behind a descriptive text.

If only the forum software could also do this properly when the URL occurs at the end of a sentence and is followed by a period... I have fallen into that trap -- where the period is misunderstood to be part of the URL -- too many times.

We know that gurgle and farcebook (and presumably twatter) would like to avoid using URLs (Stated reason: URLs are difficult and confusing. Unstated reason: URLs encourage you to escape their walled garden). All sane people like URLs, and are happy to make them visible one way or another.

The annoyance I have with auto-converted URLs on this website is where they have "special" characters in the URL such as "!" "$". The auto-conversion truncates the URL at that character.

I can live with it.

Personally I find inserting [ /quote] ... [ quote] more tedious, especially without a keyboard.

[Analog Kid]

Personally I find inserting [ /quote] ... [ quote] more tedious, especially without a keyboard.

That other forum I belong to (MASM32) has buttons in the reply panel for [tt] -- [/tt], [code] -- [/code] and [quote] -- [/quote].

Hey, this is 2024, not 1985!

[ebastler]

Personally I find inserting [ /quote] ... [ quote] more tedious, especially without a keyboard.

That other forum I belong to (MASM32) has buttons in the reply panel for [tt] -- [/tt], [code] -- [/code] and [quote] -- [/quote].

Hey, this is 2024, not 1985!

This forum certainly has all those buttons too.

[Analog Kid]

Ah yes, there they are. Hidden in plain sight.

[DimitriP]

I like my links naked and ugly so I can see where I'm about to go.

I'd rather have https://www.eevblog.com/forum/news/nicer-way-to-add-urls-to-a-post/
than   Silly Thread
y'kno'wha'I'mean?

[Analog Kid]

Fine; with my suggested change, you can have it either way. Just easier to insert it is all.

[Bryn]

Again, this is Dave's call whether he wants to put it in or not... same with the upcoming SMF upgrade as well.

[Analog Kid]

Yes, I think we all understand that.
I'm suggesting putting it on his to-do list with a priority number of 1,579.

[Ian.M]

As long as it doesn't interfere with typing the BBCode, I'm good.  It takes far far less time to type [ u r l ] ctrl-V [ / u r l ] or [ u r l = ctrl-V ] whatever text [ / u r l ] than it does to mouse about a web form filling in text boxes.

IMHO disabling the broken autolinker would be better than the current situation - by forcing people to use url tags if they want a live link, it would eliminate the URLs broken by punctuation problem!

[ebastler]

It takes far far less time to type [ u r l ] ctrl-V [ / u r l ] or [ u r l = ctrl-V ] whatever text [ / u r l ] than it does to mouse about a web form filling in text boxes.

Hmm, I don't know about that. Either I suck at typing, or you are really clumsy with a mouse. 

Well, it might have to do with the German keyboard which forces me to use Shift for the slash and Alt-Gr for the square brackets. Typing out those tags is a nuisance; I do prefer to use the buttons to generate them. 

[tggzzz]

Personally I find inserting [ /quote] ... [ quote] more tedious, especially without a keyboard.

That other forum I belong to (MASM32) has buttons in the reply panel for [tt] -- [/tt], [code] -- [/code] and [quote] -- [/quote].

Hey, this is 2024, not 1985!

This forum certainly has all those buttons too.

But the "wrong way round". I don't know how I manage to cope.

[Ian.M]

It takes far far less time to type [ u r l ] ctrl-V [ / u r l ] or [ u r l = ctrl-V ] whatever text [ / u r l ] than it does to mouse about a web form filling in text boxes.

Hmm, I don't know about that. Either I suck at typing, or you are really clumsy with a mouse. 

Well, it might have to do with the German keyboard which forces me to use Shift for the slash and Alt-Gr for the square brackets. Typing out those tags is a nuisance; I do prefer to use the buttons to generate them. 

Penalties of using a German keyboard!  Take a look at https://keyshorts.com/blogs/blog/44712961-how-to-identify-laptop-keyboard-localization and see which languages don't need to shift for [ / ] and lower case western alphabet.   

[ebastler]

Penalties of using a German keyboard!  Take a look at https://keyshorts.com/blogs/blog/44712961-how-to-identify-laptop-keyboard-localization and see which languages don't need to shift for [ / ] and lower case western alphabet.

Yeah, I know... I started out with plain English/ASCII keyboards on my first computers, since they were the only option available. Much more convenient for programming; you also get <> without finger acrobatics. But for writing German text, those umlaut keys are kind of important... So we get to pay the price for the quirks in our spelling. 

[PlainName]

I like my links naked and ugly so I can see where I'm about to go.

I'd rather have https://www.eevblog.com/forum/news/nicer-way-to-add-urls-to-a-post/
than   Silly Thread
y'kno'wha'I'mean?

Doesn't your browser show the actual URL when you hover the pointer over it? If not, 'nice' links on this forum might be the least of your worries.

[tggzzz]

I like my links naked and ugly so I can see where I'm about to go.

I'd rather have https://www.eevblog.com/forum/news/nicer-way-to-add-urls-to-a-post/
than   Silly Thread
y'kno'wha'I'mean?

Doesn't your browser show the actual URL when you hover the pointer over it? If not, 'nice' links on this forum might be the least of your worries.

Not on fondleslabs tablets and other touch-based devices.

I prefer being able to read the URL, but in some cases having inside a conventional link is better.

[PlainName]

Oh, on my phone a long press pops up a box showing the URL and options to open in a new tab, this tab, etc.

[tggzzz]

Oh, on my phone a long press pops up a box showing the URL and options to open in a new tab, this tab, etc.

Is that using the WhackAWhine Tapatalk GUI, or a conventional desktop GUI?

As the discerning reader will have spotted, I prefer a consistent appearance.

[PlainName]

Just a standard browser and it works on any URL on any site.