Picture Attachments in Posts

TFP Admin · #1 March 17, 2008, 01:55 PM

Using pictures in your posts adds valuable information, illustrates your questions or answers and can add to the entertainment value of your messages. A member emailed me asking how to upload pictures to their posts. Maybe there's others who need more guidance, so here's a tutorial. This is for using the website upload feature that gives all members space for their pictures and other files.

Attachments can only be added using the Enhanced or WYSIWYG message editors for new posts and replies, NOT the Quick Reply editor. There are two areas of the editor that you can use to upload your picture attachments. The images below show the attachment icon, which looks like a paper clip, and the Manage Uploads button.

Clicking either of these will bring up the small Manage Uploads window pictured below.

You can upload pictures from your computer, or you can upload pictures from another website. The most common image formats are .GIF and .JPG, but there are several other formats available for upload here. The size of the images is set by me (forum administrator) and should allow you a wide range of file sizes and dimensions so that you do not have to do severe editing of your pictures before uploading them. The picture above shows a maximum file size of 1 MB and maximum dimensions of 1024x768 (image dimensions are commonly measured in pixels).

Here are the steps you take to upload images from your computer:

Click the Browse... button
Find the image on your computer using the file manager that opens - you must know the file name and location of your pictures
Click the file name and then the Open button - the file locater window will close and the file path will appear in the upload manager
When you have located all the images you can upload at once (currently 2), click the Upload button - the file name will appear in the upload manager as Current Attachments
When you have uploaded all the images you want (current limit is 12), close the upload manager window (you also have the option of removing some images before closing)
Finish your message and click the Submit button and all your images will appear below your posted text, or...
Attach your images inside the text area wherever your cursor is by clicking the Attachment Icon (paper clip) and selecting each image from the list

You can use the URL of an image located on another website, as indicated in the Manage Uploads window, but it's much easier to just use the [IMG]image-address-here[/IMG] feature for that.

Be sure to preview your message before submitting it so that you can correct misspellings, punctuation and image placement. You want your images to fall on their own line - hit Enter after a line of text and again after inserting the image. If you have any questions about picture attachments, please ask them in this topic. You can also practice attaching images in this topic, or use the Test forum for practicing.

Enjoy,

TFP Admin

Daris Mulkin · #2 March 17, 2008, 07:31 PM

Thanks for ithe info Jim. It is still greek to me but maybe if I try it it will make sense. Incidently the link you sent me isn't a good one. It gave me an error 404 message.

Thanks

Daris

rusty baker · #3 March 17, 2008, 07:43 PM

Clear as mud to me. But my wife will understand.

TFP Admin · #4 March 17, 2008, 09:48 PM

I tested the link I sent you via email - both of them worked fine. It may be the email program you use is doing something to it like adding a space at the end or something. Unless you copied and pasted it, which often times also adds a space at the end of the URL. Remove the space and it works. You didn't reply back with a copy of the message you received from me, so I couldn't tell what might have happened.

Anyway, do some testing here or in the test forum, Daris, and see if uploading images is easy for you. You know, you're welcome to call me too and I can talk you through it. I'm sure you'll remember it after that. 530-283-5467

T