Forum Text Entry (Simplified HTML)

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Forum Text Entry (Simplified HTML)

MikeA
Hello team. On this page that I type in this request (under the Message category), there is a checkbox to indicate that your message can be entered as HTML Format. I know it enough, but don't claim to be an expert.

That said, I have a new forum, and while you do not check the box, you have the ability to use the editor to insert an image, and alter the appearance of text. I see headers [h2 or h3...], basic emojis [smiley image], the ability to add a hyperlink [a href], and the ability to put text in italics [i] and in bold [b], become evident as partial HTML-looking code in the design of the message, without checking the HTML Format.

I respectfully request for the Nabble team to consider some additional formatting options options for use in this "simplified HTML representation" for the following capabilities: ordered (numbered) lists, un-ordered (bulleted) lists, underline, and a way for indicate a text color.

If you took an offline editor, and copy/pasted full HTML formatted code, I'm pretty sure that would work... but would rather not force someone to do that. This forum is great and simple for people who don't have to know any type of coding, but a few additional capabilities like this seems like a good  investment to add some usability features.

If anyone from Nabble would like to comment, please feel free to respond here.
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Re: Forum Text Entry (Simplified HTML)

GregChapman
I am not Nabble staff but am an experienced user and have followed this forum for about eight years.

Nabble is now in "maintenance mode" and is expected to be replaced by Blasma in due course so I doubt that your request will be followed up. Read more at:
http://greghelp.991552.n3.nabble.com/Nabble-and-SSL-https-td4012780.html

In the past others have made similar suggestions to you. You'll find topics and potential solutions for it by editing the NAML code to introduce an external editor, but from what I've read of those topics the results are not ideal. They include:
http://support.nabble.com/Images-being-stored-on-Froala-instead-of-my-site-tp7592421.html
http://support.nabble.com/Foala-editor-implementation-questions-tp7592373.html

I have found that most forum users have no reason for adding any formatting at all, other than inserting pictures and I always have to provide FAQs to help people out. e.g.
http://seahawk-forum.968426.n3.nabble.com/Inserting-Images-in-the-Forum-tp1599211.html

On one forum I maintain, designed to hold the online version of a print magazine, I did create some very specialised formatting for the various heading tags that Nabble allows. See the post at:
http://greghelp.991552.n3.nabble.com/Using-CSS-to-Change-the-Formating-of-Headings-td4012765.html

You are right that using a specialised external text editor designed for creating HTML code, and pasting in the results works very well. I use that technique myself on a blog I run using Nabble. However the point about that is while my posts often included photos with specially formatted borders and caption text, followers who commented never needed such formatting.

In short, I think you will find that 99.99% of users are more than happy with plain text input when they have the ability to add images and smilies. Unless you have a very special purpose forum which requires heavily formatted text then most users will not miss the extra facilities offered by a more advanced editor.
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.