Linking for dummies...
Open the reply box and begin your post. When you are ready to add a link, open the thread or web page you want linked in a new window or tab. Then click on the little icon at the left hand side of the menu bar above the reply box.
You will get a box that will open. Copy the url (address) of what you want linked into that box and click <OK>. Be sure that only one http:// appears before you click <OK> or the link won't work. The box already has one in it so you have to either paste the one from the linked url over it or only copy everything after that point initially.
Another box will open into which you can type the label or title you want your link to be called. Click <OK> again.
You're linked.
OR you can use keystrokes to write it into your post directly. the key strokes to be entered, without any spaces other than those of you title get put in like this...
[
url=
The url of the page you are trying to link
]
Your title or label for the link
[
/url
]
Replace the dark blue with the url of what you want linked and the light blue with your title or label. Type everything in sequence on one line with no spaces other than in your title.
Use the preview button and try the link that appears to make sure it takes you where you wanted to go before hitting submit for your post.
The 1st bracket indicate a command sequence. The url= tells the system that this is a url it is to act on rather than show to the viewer. The second bracket closes the string. The third bracket also indicates a command and the / is called a switch which indicates that the command is to be turned off. Then the url tells the system that it is the command "url" that is to be turned off and the last bracket closes the whole string down.
The same key strokes can be used for other things. For example, the string [ then b ] says to make the next string of characters BOLD. It too is closed with the command switch [ / b ]. I put spaces in to keep it from doing what I am explaining. In use, there should be no spaces.
Other possible uses would be "i" for italics or "u" for underline
If I combine all three I can get bold, underlined, italics. The way quotes are indicated is by the same method. The word quote in brackets followed by the text to quote and ended with the switch /quote in brackets.
We'll play with colors, font and type size some other time...
Mark
