Forum coding help

[CJ 1825]

I've decided to make a tutorial on how to do some things like name hyperlinks and use colors when posting here in the forums (or in any forums, for that matter). Feel free to add others, but please stay on topic.

Also, always abide by the forum rules, found near the top of the page in red as well as right here. Thank you.

To find something specific, you can search for it by reading the bolded, white, size 3 text below, as words existing like this are the topics covered here.

*note* Many of the things covered below can be done using the built-in forum tools already, but I included them in here for those unfamiliar with them yet, or those who just prefer to do things this way. Feel free to mess around with the advanced editing tools, they will surprise a lot of you (including me!! ).

**note** In every example listed below, in order to show the code you'll need, I've used the fancy brackets { } rather than the normal brackets [ ]. When you use this code yourself (I'll say "when used correctly" or "when used in action"), use the normal brackets in place of the fancy brackets.

To underline/italicize/bold text:

1. To underline text, simply add {U} before it and {/U} after it.
2. To italicize text, add {I} before it and {/I} after it.
3. To make text bold, add {B} before it and {/B} after it.

For example:
{U}This is underlined{/U}
{B}This is in bold{/B}
{I}This is in italics{/I}

Which looks like this:
This is underlined
This is in bold
This is in italics

*note* Depending on your preference, you can also type all your text beforehand, then highlight it and use the forum tools to do any of the things listed above. The bold B, the italicized I, and the underlined U all do exactly as they show. This can save you time once you get used to it.

To name hyperlinks:

1. Copy the url of the site you want the link to go to. A simple demonstration would be Google, so that will be what is used here.
2. Type what you want the link to say, with {url=type the url of the site here} before it and {/url} after it.

For example: {url=http://www.google.com}This is Google{/url}
Which, when typed correctly, looks like this:
This is Google

To make text colored (outside of what the forum tools let you use):

1. Type whatever you want colored.
2. Choose what color you want your text to be. You can find a long list of colors here. (Like the named hyperlink?? )
3. Before the text, type {COLOR=type color name or ID here}
4. After your text, type {/COLOR}.

For example: {COLOR=green}this is green{/COLOR}
Which, when typed correctly, will look like this:
This is green

To change the size of your text:

1. Type whatever you'd like.
2. Before the text you want to be a non-default size, type {SIZE=type desired font size here}, and after it, type {/SIZE}

*note* Don't post anything bigger than size 5 font, and dont spam lots of giant or tiny words, because it makes it difficult to read and it's annoying.

For example: {SIZE=5}This is size five text{/SIZE}
Which, when written correctly, looks like this:
This is size five text

To change the font of your text:

1. Type the text you want changed to a different font.
2. Before said text, type {FONT=type font name here}, and after it, type {/FONT}

For example: {FONT=courier new}This is courier new font{/FONT}
Which looks like this:
This is "courier new" font

To change the alignment of text (left, right, or centered):

1. For text you want aligned with the left margin, put {LEFT} before it and {/LEFT} after it; text is by default aligned with the left margin, so this isnt really necessary, but good to know I guess. lol.
2. For text you want centered, put {CENTER} before it and {/CENTER} after it.
3. For text you want aligned with the right margin, put {RIGHT} before it and {/RIGHT} after it

So, for example:

{left}This is aligned with the left margin.{/left}
{center}This is centered.{/center}
{right}This is aligned with the right margin.{/right}

Which looks like this:

This is aligned with the left margin.

This is centered.

This is aligned with the right margin.

*note* You can only align text on any line in one direction. You cant have some text that is on the left and some that is on the right within the same line. The forums simply dont support that. Spaces will have to do, if that is what you want to achieve.

To create a dotted or numbered list:

1. For dots, type {LIST}. Then type {*} for every time you want a new dot, followed by whatever you want after that dot. Once you're done agitating dots (tv joke ), type {/LIST}.
2. For numbers, type {LIST=1}. Then type {*} for every number you want, followed by whatever you want after the number. Once you dont want anymore numbers, type {/LIST}.

That sounds weird, so here's an example of each:

{LIST}{*}Here's dot one
{*}Here's dot two
{*}Here's dot three{/LIST}

{LIST=1}{*}Here's number one
{*}Here's number two
{*}Here's number three{/LIST}

Which will in turn look like this:

• Here's dot one
• Here's dot two
• Here's dot three

1. Here's number one
2. Here's number two
3. Here's number three

To post a picture:

1. If the picture you want to post can be found on the internet, skip this step. If you have a picture on your computer that isn't on the internet (or that you cant find, at least), you can use a multitude of sites to upload it. I personally use tinypic.com, but you can use whatever you'd like to upload it.
2. Copy the url of the picture you want to post.
3. Paste the url in your post, with {SHOT} before it and {/SHOT} behind it.

For example: {SHOT}http://gigjets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Gears-of-War-3-500x250.jpg{/SHOT}
Which, when used correctly, looks like:


*note* please dont post multiple images, images that are extremely big, or images in your signature, as that is frowned upon and (in terms of images in your sig) against the rules [See above].

To post a hidden-until-clicked spoiler:

Even though there are tags you can put in front of the title of a thread to indicate the location of possible spoilers, perhaps you'd like to post something that others still might see within your posts that might ruin an experience for them. Well, with the addition of in-post spoiler tags, you can hide information from others that will only be shown by those who click on it. This is a very useful feature added at the request of Gnashes, and it's very easy to do.

1. Before the text you want to hide, type {SPOILER}.
2. After the text, type {/SPOILER}.

Simple as that. Here's an example: {SPOILER}You've revealed the text containing the spoiler!!{/SPOILER}

Which looks like this:

 

You've revealed the text containing the spoiler!!

To quote posts within this forum:

If you see a post that you'd like to respond to, or otherwise point out in one of your posts, it's very easy to quote other people. For now, lets focus on quoting one post.

1. Find the post (for now, within the thread you'll be posting in) that you'd like to quote.
2. At the bottom of the post, you should see a button labeled "Reply with quote".
3. Click that button, and a response box will open just beneath that post, with the post already coded onto your reply. Simply type what you'd like, and hit post.

*note* Although the response box appears directly beneath the post you're quoting, it will not be in that exact spot when it is posted. It will be at the next available spot in the thread, aka the last post on the last page.

**note** For every quote box that you post, next to the name of the person who posted it is a small button; this is so that others can view the original post, to both view the thread it came from as well as to make sure you didnt misquote them or take what they said out of context. THIS BUTTON WILL NOT BE THERE IF YOU MANUALLY QUOTE SOMEONE (see below).

Now for quoting multiple posts.

1. Find the posts (up to any amount, as far as I know, but be realistic when posting) that you'd like to quote. Again, for now, make sure they're in the thread you'll be replying to.
2. Beneath each post, next to the "reply with quote" button is another one that has a quote mark and a +. Click that button for every post you'd like to quote. It will replace the + with a √ when you've clicked it to show you that it will be in your response. DO NOT CLICK ANY OTHER REPLY BUTTONS UNLESS IT IS THE LAST POST YOU'D LIKE TO QUOTE.
3. Once you have all the posts you want to quote selected, hit any one of the "Reply with quote", "Reply", or "Reply to thread" buttons, and a response box will appear with all the selected posts coded into your response, in the order that you selected them.
4. If they are not in the order you'd like them to be, for whatever reason, feel free to move them around, just be sure to grab everything from the {quote} to the {/quote}, so as not to break any quotes. You can type anything you'd like between the posts (you dont have to have a wall of text after all of them), but again just be sure not to interrupt anything between the {quote} and the {/quote}. Once everything is done, just hit post.

*note* The "preview post" button comes in real handy here to make sure that you didnt break any quotes. I'd recommend always doing this before posting, to avoid confusion later on.

**note** While these multiple quotes are only supposed to stay selected for one post, I have experienced a few problems where multiple posts I've quoted will show up in later responses, even in different threads, after I've posted them. I'm not sure what causes this, but again, the preview button comes in handy to delete anything that has accidentally carried over from previous posts.

You can also quote posts from other threads, but it involves a tad more work.

1. Find the post(s) in (an)other thread(s) that you'd like to quote.
2. For each thread, click the "reply with quote" or quote + button (depending on if you're quoting one or multiple posts in that thread) for every post in that thread you'd like to quote, and then click any of the reply buttons.
3. Copy all the code within the response box that appears, and paste it in your response in another thread. Dont actually reply in the thread where you got the posts from; if you accidentally do, you can delete it (see below), but it's easier to hit "cancel" in the first place.

One last thing: you can also quote people manually (if you cant find the post but remember exactly what it said, for instance). The only drawback is that people cant click on the quote and view the original post (see the second note in this section) unless you also happen to remember the exact post number (and who does that?? lol). Another use for manual quotes is what I've done here; a quote box can make a thread easier to read, and doesnt have to mean that a quote is being used (since no names are credited toward having said what's in the box). It is done as follows.

1. For quoting someone manually, simply type what they said, with {quote=person's name who said the quote} before it and {/quote} after it.
2. For just the quote box, it's even easier. Just put {quote} before what you want in the box and {/quote} after it, and you'll have what I've done within this thread several times. It helps when posting a lot of information.

*note* When quoting a post, you will only quote what THAT person said; if they had quotes in THEIR post, they will not appear in your quote. You can insert them manually, using a combination of the above methods, but this is recommended only for experienced forum users.

**note** Quoting other people's posts is a great feature that Epic allows us to use, but they can and will ban you for misusing it. This includes misquoting people, using people's posts to attack others, ect. You know what's right and wrong, so play nice.

You may have noticed that some people have things that are posted under everything they post. It may change from time to time (as they follow the steps in the tutorial below), but at any given time all of their posts will have the same thing under them. This is their signature. It's a way to show off who you are or tell people something you have to say without people having to view your user page. Mine says a little something about being an Achievement Helper, and tons of thank you's.
To add/edit/delete your signature:

1. Assuming you have an account here on the forums that has been activated and has not been banned, you can access the signature page by going to "Settings" (located at the top of the page) and navigating down to the "Edit Signature" tab on the left.
2. Type anything you want into the box displayed on that page. Just be sure to abide by the forum rules, including no pictures in your sig. and keeping it 5 lines or less. You may edit the font and size of the text (see above), as well as the color (see above), but not drastically. Don't go bigger than size 4 of 5, and dont make 5 lines of size 5 font, because it's just annoying and will probably get you banned from having a signature (they can and will revoke your sig. privileges if needed).
3. Before you confirm that the text you wrote will be your signature, you can click the "Preview Signature" button and see it exactly as others will. You can then continue editing, or click the "Save Signature" button to finish.

*note* Your signature will be displayed under every post you make, as well as under every private message you send (by default; you can change this if desired). If you edit your signature after posting anything in the forums, it will change past posts and messages to show your new sig.

To change the title of your thread

I've had to help a lot of people with this, including more advanced forum users, so I'm gonna make a quick tutorial on editing the title of a thread you've created. It's actually really easy.

1. Click the edit button (like you're going to edit any post)
2. Click the "Go Advanced" button that appears
3. On the next screen, you'll see a box for your post (the OP) and a separate box with the thread title in it. Here you can edit the title. Change what you want, then hit "Save Changes", and you're finished.

To delete a post:

If you'd like to delete a post (of yours, obviously, unless you're an admin/moderator on the forums, lol), it's very easy to do so.

1. Click the "edit post" button under the post you'd like to delete. If your browser takes you to a new web page (the "go advanced" editing page) to edit your post, see step 3, not 2. Otherwise, ignore step 3.
2. Beneath the text box that has your post in it, next to the "go advanced" and "cancel" buttons is a "delete" button. Click this, and confirm that you want to delete your post, and you're done.
3. If you got redirected to the "go advanced" version of the post editor (this happens randomly for me, so I added it just in case), then above the box that has your post in it is a section where you can delete your post. Just make sure the square box is selected, then hit the "delete post" button the right. If it asks for confirmation, do so.

*note* You cannot delete the first post in a thread (so if you started a thread, you cant delete it; a forum admin or moderator can help you though).

**note** Deleting your posts removes it from the thread and moves the post count of everyone behind you up. But anyone who quoted your post will still show your post in their quote box, however the small button linking anyone to your post will no longer work (if it stays there at all).

***note*** Deleting a post will bring down your official post count by one for each post you delete. This isn't a big issue, but I wanted to point this out.

****note**** Forum admins and moderators can still see your deleted posts (obviously I dont know what they see, but I know they have access to all deleted content). Remember this wisely.

To change the background color on the forums

Do you often find certain colors hard to read here in the forums?? Wish you could change the background color of the forums in general?? Well, here's two ways to do so.

Option 1

1. Scroll down to the bottom of any page here in the forums. You should see a drop-down box directly above the Epic Games shield.
2. You'll see four options: "EpicGames", "UDK", "Infinity Blade", and "Gears of War".
3. Select whichever you'd like.

Option 2

1. Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the screen
2. In the left column, click "General Settings"
3. Scroll down to where it says "Forum Skin", and select whichever you'd like.

To save you from experimenting with them all (feel free if you still want to, of course), here's what each one looks like:

• EpicGames - White background with mostly red writing and tabs. In the upper left is the Epic Games logo, and the upper right has the notification tabs and whatnot.
• UDK - Exactly the same, as far as I can tell. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
• Infinity Blade - Mostly the same, but with an I.B. logo in the top left instead.
• Gears of War - Completely different, with black (really dark grey) backgrounds and light grey tabs. There's a Gears logo in the top left, and the notification tabs are centered.

*note* I'm still experimenting with this myself, but my current theory is that the first option changes the forum skin only for whatever page you're on, not all the pages, while option two changes all forum sections.

**note** According to what it says in the settings tab, some pages in the forums must have certain skins, no matter what your default is.

Hope this helps!!
Message me if something is still confusing, or if I've misspelled something or otherwise written something incorrectly. I'll get on it immediately, as my OCD doesnt let errors remain if I can help it.

[CJ 1825]

Reserved.. Just in case. lol.

[Cher]

Nice CJ

Maybe add a "How To Change Your Signature" tutorial as well? This seems to give people the most trouble

[CJ 1825]

Thanks for the sticky Cher!!
Will add that shortly!

[RVS300z]

Now this is a helpful thread. Thanks for the info!

[xKiLL ZoNEx]

Awesome thread CJ. I needed help with adding pics and this helped. Thanks for posting this.

[APGelite]

this post helped thanks this helped alot

[Salvy xxlx]

This deserves to be...........BUMPED!!!!

This thread is awesome.

[Tesco Jeans]

This will be a very helpful thread for the newer, lesser experienced members of the forums. Great work.

[WhyNoNamesLeft]

Thanks 4 help

[CJ 1825]

To all I've helped by creating this tutorial thread: you're very welcome!!

Also, if you see people in other threads asking for help on how to do something listed above, link them here!! Chances are they'll learn more than they asked for by reading this thread.

[FunPlum]

Testing 10 words

[FunPlum]

and again, 10 words

[CJ 1825]

Just realized that the new forum format required a change to some instructions. I fixed the "Edit Signature" section, let me know if I need to change anything else.

[CJ 1825]

Just added dotted and numbered lists, let me know if it doesnt make sense. It's kinda hard to explain. lol.

[Tesco Jeans]

Great thread mate, keep up the good work.

[CJ 1825]

Thread revamp!! Made examples easier to understand and added a "how to change thread titles" tutorial. Hope it helps you all!!

[Cher]

This so awesome. Thanks CJ

[T0PP HATT]

Here's one for you CJ:
I was messing around setting up my profile and the like. I done something and it changed my background color to Black. Now all the backgrounds are Black instead of white!
Even the main forums page where you choose which forum to go into to, i.e, Gears of war, Gears of war 3, Gears of war multiplayer, etc.

How do I change the background color back to White??

[CJ 1825]

Here's one for you CJ:
I was messing around setting up my profile and the like. I done something and it changed my background color to Black. Now all the backgrounds are Black instead of white!
Even the main forums page where you choose which forum to go into to, i.e, Gears of war, Gears of war 3, Gears of war multiplayer, etc.

How do I change the background color back to White??

Added.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can tell there's no difference between the "EpicGames" and the "UDK" forum schemes, right??

Also, if anyone has any more specifics on forum skins, let me know.

[Awesomriffic]

I feel smarter now.

[CJ 1825]

I feel smarter now.

Hey, glad to help. That's what this is here for!!

[Guu-sama]

Thanks for this, some is explained while you are editing but not to that level of detail

[CJ 1825]

Added a large section on quoting posts, as well as a small section on deleting posts.

[Cher]

Wow! You've done an awesome job dude!

[Ant Heuser]

I'm just now finding this lol Thanks to Cher, she directed me in the right direction, awesome thread BTW and very useful. I learned a lot because I didn't know anything

[DaRkNeSs]

I'm just now finding this lol Thanks to Cher, she directed me in the right direction, awesome thread BTW and very useful. I learned a lot because I didn't know anything

I just found it too ¬.¬ lol

[Ant Heuser]

I just found it too ¬.¬ lol

I know how you got here...

*points to my siggy and smiles*

[DaRkNeSs]

Yay, just found out how to use the {LIST} tags. Cheers dude

[CJ 1825]

Glad to see people learning new things. If you have an extra line in your sig (remember, 5 max, lol), feel free to spread the word about this thread!!

[LambentHammerburst]

http://forums.epicgames.com/profile.php?do=editoptions

Miscellaneous Options
-Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing

How I have mine setup. Basically gives you all of these commands right in the interface. Highlight the text - click the bold button ect

[Judg3mentDrag0n]

Love it. Keep up the good work!

[Hades no1Minion]

Good thread here thanks. Helped with my new petition thread.

[CJ 1825]

Updated with the new spoiler tags!!

 

I really love working on this thread, and I hope you guys and gals like my work!!

[MSTRPRFKT]

now i can underline stuff this is great thx alot

[CJ 1825]

now i can underline stuff this is great thx alot

You're very welcome!!

[TONKERZ]

This is a very helpful thread!

[Cryra]

Nice, thank you.

This person deserves one of those orange badge/things, w/e they're called.

[CJ 1825]

This is a very helpful thread!

Nice, thank you.

This person deserves one of those orange badge/things, w/e they're called.

You're both welcome. And I'm honored that you think so Cryra, but I'll get one in due time if the mods think I deserve it. lol.

[CJ 1825]

Nice, thank you.

This person deserves one of those orange badge/things, w/e they're called.

Looks like someone agreed with you!!

I'm so honored to have this. It means so much to me. Thank you all for appreciating my thread too, I put a good bit of work into it. I love you all!!