00:40:30

[10/29/2001]

[TDHofstetter]

Tell ya what.

I'm gonna post the TEXT with NO GIF PICTURES this time - we'll see if THAT works! There IS a BUG in the system - and it needs to get fixed. Seems to be that either GIF pictures don't work at all - or else the server has troubles tonight.

HERE'S WHAT I WROTE - except NO pictures this time! Also - for now, try to use only JPEG pictures, no GIF pictures!


OK, folks - - HEEERE's whatcha dew.

From the ground up.

If I cross some ground you're already familiar with, just step ahead at will. Will, where are you? Some people wanna step toward you. :)

I've included a series of pics to serve as examples & go-bys.

First, scan a picture or take one with a didjickal camera or steal one from some Website. Put it on your hard drive someplace. For example, you might put it in "C:\My Documents\My Pictures". Someplace you can find it with Windows Exploder. Uh, that'd be Explorer, I guess.

Now when you get ready to post it, use the "Post" or "Reply" link like you usually do to post a new message or a reply, respectively.

While you're posting either a new message or a response, look down at the bottom of the box you're typing in. See the words "click here to choose your file"? You're going to use that link to send pictures to the forum so they can be included in your post. When you get good & ready, click it. You'll see a new window open - it should look something like the first picture I've attached to this post. Go ahead, look. I'll wait.

Now let's proceed to specifying the pictures you want to send to the forum.

Click the "Browse..." button on the right of the new window. Go ahead, it won't hurt. You'll see yet another new window appear on your screen. This is a standard Windows "Browse Dialog", and it looks like the second picture I've attached to this post. Go peek.

Y'see where that line near the bottom says "Files of type:", followed by "HTML Files"? Ignore that. That's a bug, and somebody's going to have to fix it. That's called a "Dropdown list", and it does NOT include what you want. Look now instead just ABOVE that line to where it says "File name:" followed by a white area to type. If the picture you scanned, shot, or stole is a JPEG file, type "*.JPG" (without the quote marks) in that box. If the picture is a GIF file, type "*.GIF" there instead. Press the "Enter" key on your keyboard ONCE.

In the third picture I've attached, you'll note that I've typed "*.JPG" and pressed "Enter" once. I've also browsed to a place most of us have on our computers, someplace I coincidentally keep a few pictures and collections of pictures in folders. Makes for good examples, I think. Scroll sideways if necessary and select a picture. Let's say for the sake of argument that it's named "Apr21$03.JPG". Son of a GUN - I happen to have just such a picture. Click it, then click the "Open" button. That window disappears and you're back to the first new window, the one that had the "Browse" button in the first place. Now the "path" to your picture file is in that white box next to the aforementioned "Browse" button. Great. We're almost done.

Now, if the picture you've stored on your computer is a JPEG picture (like most will be, whether from scanner or from camera or from the Web), you'll want to click on the little circle next to "JPEG picture". If it's a GIF picture (which means it's probably a fairly simple picture like maybe a cartoon with very little color complexity, click instead the little circle next to "GIF picture". You probably won't often use the other types - an HTML file is about the same as a Web page, a ZIP file is one that has been compressed with the WinZip program or something like it, a Text file contains nothing but letters & numbers & punctuation symbols but no underlining or special fonts or anything, and a TAR file - if you're using TAR you probably know what it is because you use UNIX instead of a Windows computer.

So - select JPEG for photos & stuff that looks like photos, or select GIF for cartoons or sketches that were saved as GIF files. If you're scanning or taking snapshots or stealing pictures, you probably know what kind of file the picture you want to post is.

In the fourth picture attached to this post, I've done all this and we're ready to send it away to Lee for display.

Click the "Upload File!" button near the bottom on the left. It'll take a little while to upload if you've got a slow connection like I do. When it's done, you'll see the window change to look like the fifth pic I've attached here. If you have MORE pictures to attach to the same post, repeat the steps listed above for this window. You'll get back here each time you upload another picture. Do it as many times as you need to. Remember - the maximum cumulative file size for any one post is 100K, and a photo takes up a sizeable chunk of that - the bigger it is, the more it takes up. If your pic is too big to go, you'll have to shrink it or else compress it using something like IceView, a ShareWare program I use with all my photos.

So - you've got this window again, and I've digressed. When you've finished uploading all the pics you want to post, click the "click here to close this window" link up above the tan box. The window should go away and you'll be back where you started, posting a message. The "Attachment" box just below the one you write in will, however, contain an obscure filename that ends with ".jpg" and maybe a couple of little box sumbols. Not to sweat it. That's how it's supposed to look. You've done it - now all you have to do is finish writing and click the "Post Message" button - and your post will appear ALONG WITH THE LINKS to your pictures! Now they live on the forum's computer, though - your computer doesn't have to stay connected to the forum for other people to see the pics or anything.

That's IT! Now - Limey - does this mean I squeaked by with a lightweight, approved-for-whole-family-viewing collection of pics, or did I waste too much time & get the full exposure? :) I HATE it when I'm overexposed... :) Maybe I squeaked by on the instructions timeline... but y'see, it's COUNTERPRODUCTIVE for me to tell you how to blackmail me like this ... I'm so confused ... what do I do? To post this or not post - that is the question! By the pricking of my thumbs, something EVIL this way comes... :)

Pleasant posting, everybody! I hope I've flogged this one thoroughly to death... Hope I didn't bore ya all completely to tears or skip over a critical step. Feedback - feedback - no, that's a FEEDBAG. Whattaya think I am, a starving HORSE? :) Feedback, Seymour! :)

Aaa. It must be late and I tired.

I'm done here, I think. Time to don my mask and chase sunsets.



REMEMBER, folks - be SURE to click the little circle beside either "JPEG" or "GIF" for EVERY picture you upload! Otherwise, it wrecks things! This seems to be a bug that needs fixing.

-- Tim --

Endeavor Again.

[TDHofstetter]

The TEXT got through. That means that GIF pictures do NOT work - or else the system can't handle several at a time. If anybody wants the pictures I tried to attach, I'll email them out - just email me & they'll be headed your way toot sweet.

-- Tim --

Endeavor Again. And again. And again. And again. Till your BUTT is sore! :)

[TDHofstetter]

Something's broke in the forum, and I'm not making it any better.

I got the first two pics attached, but now I can't attach any more.

Email me for the pics, anyone.

...or, if there's a bunch of popular demand, I'll hang a Web page and post a link to it.

I'm sleepy now.

G'night, John-Boy.

-- Tim --

Endeavor Again.

[TDHofstetter]

Picture #3?

-- Tim --

Endeavor Again.

[Jules]

Looks like Tim has 'gone postal' like some of the rest of us.

(nice try Tim... gotta give credit where credit is due) :)

Cheers, Jules

[TDHofstetter]

BOY was that frustrating! Glad I finally got the text out there, but so help me Goldberg I couldn't get the pictures to go without bringing the whole forum to its knees.

This kid says - there's a prob still stewing in the picture-posting software... and I, for one, am not going to attempt it again until it gets FIXED.

I b'lieve I understand exactly how the problem works, that is to say how it's supposed to work and how to fix it - because I've worked on very similar problems on another Website. Formatting marks are getting lost in the ... uh, nobody wants to know that, do they?

Anyway, our fearless bitbangers will hopefully have the problem fixed soon. Until we're told that it's safe to go back in the water again, for whichever file types, for however many files as long as the total stays under 100K, for mixed file types, every time files get attached, I'd advise that nobody mess around with the attachments. When Lee et al get it fixed & tested & tried & true, we'll be notified of that fact.

-- Tim --

Endeavor Again.

[MadMark]

Here's a .JPG

http://www.netexperts.cc/~lambertm/Wood/me.jpg

And now a .GIF

http://www.netexperts.cc/~lambertm/Wood/boards.gif

M

[rogerf]

Wow what a sense of de ja vue.

Thanks for the va;iant effort Tim, I know how frustrating bugs can be. I dont even want to know what a butthut is either.

Roger ;)

[MadMark]

Actually it's a Twilight Zone moment, they're *all* "Message 9"

M