Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[diannemurray]

Just getting ready for our next trip (which starts on Thursday). Just about to find the code we need to use for making dates, places etc in bold, plus for including photos in the body of the entries (which was a REAL pain, as we type entries on a palm pilot with word, and upload them with a card reader) when we find this MARVELLOUS new improvement. Will find out how it works very shortly.

[niknash]

I like that there's a simple way to do simple formatting of text, but I want to be able to format my entries with only photos - Is there a way to enter a line break (BR) or a paragraph entry (P)? neither of these seem to work, and I'd like to be able to put two pictures, one underneath the other with no text between them.

[lucky]

I like that there's a simple way to do simple formatting of text, but I want to be able to format my entries with only photos - Is there a way to enter a line break (BR) or a paragraph entry (P)? neither of these seem to work, and I'd like to be able to put two pictures, one underneath the other with no text between them.

Simply hitting enter a few times should add a carriage return.

[lucky]

Hello everyone,

Based on some feedback we've been getting, we're working on getting the rich text editor just right for our members. One of main things which is causing problems is the advanced mode which we added to allow everyone to enter raw HTML.

Seeing as we only allow members to insert <A HREF links and <IMG tags, I thought I would ask everyone if this feature is really needed, and if so, why?

Do you really need to add RAW HTML or is it so that you can enter optional tag settings ( like alignment ) to those 2 tags. Adding a new GUI which would let you add options would solve this problem too which is what we're trying to get just right.

So, I would like to know do you guys and gals really want the ability to add raw HTML into your entries or do you want the ability to add more options to IMG tags?... and if it's RAW HTML you want, what exactly do you need it for?

We've got a few options on the table and I want to get everyone's feedback before we do anything.

Thanks!

[lraleigh]

Hello everyone,

We've got a few options on the table and I want to get everyone's feedback before we do anything.

Thanks!

Hi Lucky,

I'm so grateful for Travelpod in many ways, but one of the best ways is just this: you guys have the best "customer service" so to speak of almost any company or website out there. Plus it doesn't even feel like a company or website--it's like a bunch of friends we've never met wandering the earth in the past present and future together.

So to answer your question, I am more interested in the final product and ease of use. I like to make my travelpod pages with links, clickable pictures to go to other entries, and more. Sometimes I want the pictures to have the framing and caption you developed, sometimes I want the pictures to be a certain width or height without framing (though I wish we could wrap the text around them in this mode). As an example of some things I'd like to do, here's a page (see link below). If things get changed so I can't do this, then it would be a shame I think. But if you make it easier to do this, wrapping text around images, framing images, and more--then great.

http://www.travelpod.com/first-travelogue-...here./tpod.html

Thanks for everything,

Lloyd

[whereshegoes]

I'm so grateful for Travelpod in many ways, but one of the best ways is just this: you guys have the best "customer service" so to speak of almost any company or website out there. Plus it doesn't even feel like a company or website--it's like a bunch of friends we've never met wandering the earth in the past present and future together.

That's beautiful.

[lucky]

That's good feedback. Thanks. Anyone else?

[radsolv]

OK, My primary requirements are ease of use and portablility.

By portability I mean I want to be able to easily download my travel log including the photos and Story to photos to my HD then burn it onto a DVD. -- for permanence and distribution. Could also print it out in hard copy -- using photo paper and photo ink.

Now I have discovered that your function, 'Download Entry' or "Download entire Log' are part way there. The trouble is photos in an album at top of entry don't get downloaded. Also photos embeded in the entry text via your 'new cool feature' also don't get downloaded.

However, if the photos are embeded using the <IMG > WIDTH 500 brackets, they Do get downloaded.

The trouble with embedding using the <IMG feature it is Very cumbersome, at least for me. Even with a few shortcuts I've come up with. It requires too much switching around copying and pasting for me to be bothered with. I've done it with two or three entries. Far too time consuming.

Some bloggers have turned out beautiful entries with photos artfully distributed together with ability to click on a photo to take you to another link. But I wonder how much time and frustration they have spent in acieving such a result. Maybe they have some secrets of efficiency they can share with us. [Via the member created FAQs or Help or Tips which has not yet been implemented.]

Unless there is an easier way, I personally won't spend the time. But I wonder if this suggestion could be implemented without too much trouble for the geniuses at TP.
[Edit: Rereadng this it could be interpreted as sarcastic. That was never my intention. There are clearly some technical wizzes at TP and very dedicated to making posting easier for all of us. --- radsolv]

Offer an option when uploading photos. Now when you upload photos five at a time, which is ok, and you click on Open, the Tag or Location is entered into the photo album. Instead put that Tag between the <IMG ... > and then position all the photos at the bottom of the text entry. Then I could cut and paste the text around and among the photos.

Since I sometimes lose all I've written if I go elsewhere to check on something I'm going to post this now. Check on a few items, mainly terminology and make sure I'm talking about IMG tags and not HREF. I think maybe I can come back and edit this or at worst add another corrective entry.

Hope this is useful. As far as the Advance and Wizard editing haven't had any problems there.

Still some problems with map pins though.

Thanks for the efforts of the whole gang. Ya all do nice work.

This is what I get when I right click on a photo and click on "Copy Image location" I would then paste this after SRC= .

But the slightest misplacement and it doesn't work.

http://images.travelpod.com/users/radsolv/...00.a01.jpg?7340

Edit:
Yes, the IMG was what I meant.

<IMG SRC="http//images. .... .jpg" WIDTH="550">

Note: Doing this editing ie. <IMG SRC= ... > must be done in Advanced mode. Switching to Wizard mode shows the results, ie the photos not the syntax. That's very helpful, because I used to have to exit Edit mode and then View as Guest to check results of my photo placements.

Was this of any help?

[ScottWoz]

Hi Luc,

Lloyd has echoed my words exactly regarding the HTML issue. It seems he's on the exact same page as me when it comes to creating his entries. I too like to insert pics and links and construct the entry page in a manner that I wish to portray at the time. This often involves inserting the necessary HTML in order to display a combination of pics side by side to achieve a particular result. This takes some lengthy calculations, and yes - it is long winded as Radsolv has pointed out, but I am and have been willing to put up with it to get the result. The new feature doesn't allow me to do this in the same way, so for me the HTML is a huge need, not necessarily a want. If this option were to be removed, it would be a great shame - unless the same result can be achieved within the new editor feature. I think all of us need the flexibility to create entries and display them in a way that we want, the word 'create' here being paramount.

I guess in an ideal world a fully editable 'workspace' where you can take your uploads from an 'area' and drag and drop in and around your text (or side by side as a few of us like to) would be the way forward. I appreciate this may be a long way off but flexibility, for me at least, is the key.

I can't second Lloyd's comment enough about the 'customer service' aspect of Travelpod. It goes far beyond the scope of what the average person would expect from a website. Great work..

Hope this helps..

[lucky]

Thanks guys.

Ok so from what I gather, if we had a tool which allows everyone to format images with more options and flexibility it would most likely be just as good but keeping HTML gets you there too.

Radsolve, I don't understand what you mean by "The trouble is photos in an album at top of entry don't get downloaded." can you expand on that?

[radsolv]

"Now I have discovered that your function, 'Download Entry' or "Download entire Log' are part way there. The trouble is photos in an album at top of entry don't get downloaded. Also photos embeded in the entry text via your 'new cool feature' also don't get downloaded." -- radsolv

Sorry, Luc, don't know how to make it any clearer. Just below the black backgound header to each entry is a box for a photo album if photos have been included. Typically it contains 4 thumbnails and box saying x more.

Scroll down and there is the text to the entry. If you click on the orange "Print this entry" in the black header, the text will print out but not any photos from the album shown between black header and text box.

If photos have been embedded in the text, they get printed out if they have been embedded using the <IMG SRC= ,,,, > syntax but not if you use the 'cool new feature'.

Probably my suggestion about uploading photo IDs directly between the < > isn't any clearer.

Should you think it worth while to discuss this over the phone send me your phone # and time to call. I use PennyTalk only two cents per minute US to Canada.

Cheers.
Art Rom...

[lucky]

Ahhh I see... yes the printer friendly mode. Actually this mode shouldn't show photos at all seeing as it's meant to be printer friendly.

I see your point though.

[radsolv]

[/quote]

However, if the photos are embeded using the <IMG > WIDTH 500 brackets, they Do get downloaded.

The trouble with embedding using the <IMG feature it is Very cumbersome, at least for me. Even with a few shortcuts I've come up with. It requires too much switching around copying and pasting for me to be bothered with. I've done it with two or three entries. Far too time consuming.

Offer an option when uploading photos. Now when you upload photos five at a time, which is ok, and you click on Open, the Tag or Location is entered into the photo albumat the top of the Entry. Instead put that Tag between the <IMG SRC= ... > and then position all the photos at the bottom of the text entry. Then I could cut and paste the text around and among the photos.

This is what I get when I right click on a photo and click on "Copy Image location" I would then paste this after SRC= .

But the slightest misplacement and it doesn't work.

http://images.travelpod.com/users/radsolv/...00.a01.jpg?7340

<IMG SRC="http//images. .... .jpg" WIDTH="550">

Note: Doing this editing ie. <IMG SRC= ... > must be done in Advanced mode. Switching to Wizard mode shows the results, ie the photos not the syntax. That's very helpful, because I used to have to exit Edit mode and then View as Guest to check results of my photo placements.
[/quote]

=============
Since you were asking for feedbaack on Rcih text editor or Wizard mode vs Advanced mode, I may be getting off track, but I forget where the forum on photo problems was.

Well maybe Print Entry/Log" isn't spposed to show photos the fact is that I have able to download an entry with <IMG SRC= > photos embedded and print it out photo and all. I used plain paper and regular color cartridge but the result was quite satisfactory.

So again is what I ask for feasable? I realize I maybe could make this clearer if need be.

Thanks Art Rom...

[lucky]

It seems that you're using this feature for backup of your blog which isn't the intent of this feature.

We've got some stuff coming in 2007 which will address that issue specifically.

[lraleigh]

Lucky,

Howdy. Seems like the feature that allows you to use photos and text to link with other entries now doesn't work. At least on my first page, all the links are now gone, even in the advanced view!!! Hope this can be retrieved as it was lots of work.

best,

Lloyd

[lucky]

Lucky,

Howdy. Seems like the feature that allows you to use photos and text to link with other entries now doesn't work. At least on my first page, all the links are now gone, even in the advanced view!!! Hope this can be retrieved as it was lots of work.

best,

Lloyd

We haven't made any changes which would cause this, please contact support to find out what happened.

Make sure to include the link to your entry and as much detail as possible in your email.

Cheers,

[lucky]

Hello all!

We've been busy tweaking the rich text editor based on your feedback and have just installed the latest one which should solve all of the issues you've found and improve the editor in several ways.

Specifically:
- The editor now only adds one carriage return when you hit enter which doesn't change how your entries will look but makes editing them a little more pleasing to the eye.

- You can now cut and paste from word directly into the wizard mode. You'll be shown a popup which will ask you if you want to remove the word formatting. Just click "Ok" and TravelPod will clean all of that extra nasty Word stuff from your entry automatically. You can still use advanced mode if you like as well.

- We also fixed a few browser compatibility bugs with FireFox.

- We've also modified the wizard and advanced modes. When you switch to advanced mode, you'll be taken to the original editor. You can find this option on the New Entry and Modify Entry pages.

This should also help in cases where the new editor doesn't work for you because you're using a PDA or something. When you switch your editor preference, that setting will be saved so that you don't need to keep changing it.

As always, your feedback is appreciated.
Cheers!

[thetembas]

I don't know if someone mentioned this yet (I don't have time to read the replies) but I would LOVE if you made the link function on the new editor automatically stick in a "target=new" to the link so it opens in a new window. I don't want people to have to jump off and on the website. At least make it an option. Thanks!

[lucky]

I don't know if someone mentioned this yet (I don't have time to read the replies) but I would LOVE if you made the link function on the new editor automatically stick in a "target=new" to the link so it opens in a new window. I don't want people to have to jump off and on the website. At least make it an option. Thanks!

No it hasn't been mentioned yet but it makes tons of sense.

Thanks for the feedback, we'll make the change.

[lucky]

I don't know if someone mentioned this yet (I don't have time to read the replies) but I would LOVE if you made the link function on the new editor automatically stick in a "target=new" to the link so it opens in a new window. I don't want people to have to jump off and on the website. At least make it an option. Thanks!

No it hasn't been mentioned yet but it makes tons of sense.

Thanks for the feedback, we'll make the change.

After a little more investigation, Shaun pointed out that we already do this.

When a link is shown to your guests, TP will automatically add a target=_blank within the link.

Thanks for the feedback.