6. Topics, Posts and Polls
There are three different posting screens available.
The new topic button, visible in forums and in topics allows you to add a new topic to that particular forum.
The new poll button (enabled in DX Polls only) will also be viewable in topics and forums allowing you to create a new poll in the forum.
When viewing a topic, there will be an add reply button, allowing you to add a new reply onto that particular topic.
When making a post, you will most likely have the option to use IBF code when posting. This will allow you to add various types of formatting to your messages.
*For more information on this, click the 'Bburago Code Help' link under the emotion box to launch the help window.
On the left of the text entry box, there is the clickable emotions box - you can click on these to add them to the content of your message (these are known as 'smilies').
There are three options available when making a post or a reply.
'Enable emoticons?' if this is unchecked, then any text that would normally be converted into an emoticon will not be.
'Enable signature?' allows you to choose whether or not you would like your signature to appear on that individual post.
'Enable email notification of replies?' ticking this box will mean that you will receive e-mail updates to the topic, see the 'Email Notification of new messages' help topic for more information on this.
You also have the option to choose a post icon for the topic/post when creating one. This icon will appear next to the topic name on the topic listing in that forum, or will appear next to the date/time of the message if making a reply to a topic.
You will also see a file attachments option, this will allow you to attach a file to be uploaded when making a post. Click the browse button to select a file from your computer to be uploaded. If you upload an image file, it may be shown in the content of the post, all other file types will be linked to.
Poll Options
If you have chosen to post a new poll, there will be an extra two option boxes at the top of the help screen.
The first input box will allow you to enter the question that you are asking in the poll. The text field underneath is where you will input the choices for the poll. Simply enter a different option on each line. The maximum number of choices is preset, and this figure is displayed on the left.
Quoting Posts
Displayed above each post in a topic, there is a 'Quote' button. Pressing this button will allow you to reply to a topic, and have the text from a particular reply quoted in your own reply. When you choose to do this, an extra text field will appear below the main text input box to allow you to edit the content of the post being quoted.
Editing Posts
Above any posts that you have made, you may see an 'Edit' button. Pressing this will allow you to edit the post that you had previously made.
When editing you may see an option to 'Add the 'Edit by' line in this post?'. If you tick this then it will show up in the posts that it has been edited and the time at which it was edited. If this option does not appear, then the edit by line will always be added to the post.
If you are unable to see the edit button displayed on each post that you have made, then the administrator may have prevented you from editing posts, or the time limit for editing may have expired.
Add Reply
This buttons allows you to post a reply to a topic. Your post will be placed in the order it was added.
If this button replaced by a 'Locked' button, then all posting privileges have been removed by the Admin or Moderators for various reasons.
Post Count
Your post count will increase with posts to each forum with the exception of DX Classifieds, DX Humor and DX Banner Signatures. Creating topics in these three categories will not increase overall post count.
Bburago Code
This code is what allows pictures to be linked and text to be edited. This delay is in place to prevent posting abuse.
Additional Bburago Code can be found in the Post Topic Settings underneath the Emoticon box.
Do Tags
In order to post pics from a dynamic site, Bburago Code will not work, you will need to use 'Do Tags'
This is an example of what a post using 'Do Tags' will look like:
[/dohtml}
ensure that } is replaced with the correct tag of: ]
New Topic
This button allows you to add a new topic to a any particular forum.
Report
This buttons allows you to report a topic to the Admin or Moderating team.
Please refrain from using this button unless you have made a determination that the topic is obscene, inflammatory and derogatory. On the following screen, please indicate why the post is being reported.
Once the topic is reported, the Admin and Moderators will take appropriate action to correct in violations.
Top
By clicking on this button, you will be taken directly to the top of that particular topic.
Fast Reply
Where it has been enabled, there will be a fast reply button on each topic. Clicking this will open up a posting box on the topic view screen, cutting down on the time required to load the main posting screen. Click the fast reply button to expand the reply box and type the post inside of there. Although the fast reply box is not expanded by default, pressing the 'More Options' button will take you to the normal posting screen.
Today's Active Topics
You can view which new topics have new replies today by clicking on the 'Today's Active Topics' link found at the bottom of the main board page (the first page you see when visiting the board). You can set your own date criteria, choosing to view all topics with new replies during several date choices.
View New Posts
The 'View New Posts' link in the member bar at the top of each page, will allow you to view all of the topics which have new replies in since your last visit to the board.
Topic Options
At the bottom of each topic, there is a 'Topic Options' button. Pressing this button will expand the topic options box.
From this box, you can select from the following options:
-Track this topic - this option will allow you to receive e-mail updates for the topic, see the 'Email Notification of new messages' help file for more information on this
-Subscribe to this forum - will allow you to receive e-mail updates for any new topics posted in the forum, see the Notification of new messages' help file for more information on this
Hotlinking Uploaded Photos
DiecastXchange currently does not allow 'Hot Linking'.
Linking to the URL is permissible, however, linking photos directly from DX is not allowed.
Reasons for this are many, but center around photo piracy, bandwidth consumption and non credit.
Shadow Posting
Often known as 'Cross Posting"
This is most often associated with the Classifieds, creating a topic and then going to another forum posting a topic which refers members to the original topic.
This type of posting makes the forums very untidy and creates dead topics in the process. This also makes search queries longer which slows the efficiency of the forums down.
All Shadow Posts will be deleted without warning to the author(s).
Pinned Topics
These topics can be found at the very top of a particular forum. Pinned topics are often used to showcase a critical issue or acknowledge a major announcement.
Emoticons
These are animated gif's which can be found in the posting screen.
Expressing yourself through a keyboard is not always an easy task, often emotions are lost in every keystroke. The emoticons we have access to at DX demonstrate a wide range of emotions which can be used to set the mood as well as change the mood of a topic.