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If you are new to forums this thread will be invaluable: [http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/welcome-consumer-forums/107001-how-do-i-dummies.html '''"How do I...?" A Dummies' Guide to this Forum'''] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- == HOW DO I........? == Internet Forums are not always the easiest thing to navigate, so here is a guide to some of the commands you can use. Some are very basic, some will take a little bit of practice. If you want to practise, don't hesitate to create yourself a thread in the Bear Garden, once confident enough, you can always ask a moderator to delete it for you. ====Create a new thread:==== [[Image:How to 01.jpg]] Click on , [[Image:New_thread.jpg ]] this opens a new message box. Give your thread a name, type your message, click on [[Image:Submit new thread.jpg]]. If you want to double check that your post looks ok (for example, if you are quoting things, or posting a link or an image), you can first click on this [[Image:Preview post.jpg]] before submitting your new thread. ====Reply to thread:==== [[Image:Post reply.jpg]] Click on [[Image:Reply Button.jpg]] You can do that to reply to someone else's thread, or to post an update / query on your own thread. Alternatively, you can go to the bottom of the page, where there is a “quick reply” box: [[Image:Quick_reply.jpg]] Ok, so this is what you should now be seeing: [[Image:Post Reply box.jpg]] Let's go through the less obvious buttons. [[Image:Hyperlink.jpg]] This is the Hyperlink button, and allows you to post a link without the long http://consumeractiongroup.... showing. (Note: it works with all http://.... not just the CAG ones!) Type "This is what I want to say", highlight it, click on [[Image:Createlink.jpg]], paste your link in the box, click ok. <span style="color:blue"><u>"This is what I want to say”</u></SPAN> should now look like this, and you can of course change colour, font etc, should you wish to do so (to match the rest of a signature, for example). [[Image:Hyperlink 2.jpg]] This does the opposite. You might want to post a quote from another site, but not carry the link. Click on the [[Image:Unlink 1.jpg]], clear the box, click ok. <span style="color:blue"><u>"This is what I want to say”</u></SPAN>“ will now look like this: "This is what I want to say". [[Image:Email link.jpg]] This is the “Insert e-mail link” button. Type the e-mail address in the box, and it will automatically create the link. People will then be able to click on it to start an e-mail message. [[Image:Image link.jpg]] This is the “Insert image” button. Click on it to insert a picture hosted elsewhere, like Photobucket. [[Image:Wrap quote.jpg]] This is the “Wrap Quote” button. Click on it, and this: will appear in your post, with the cursor between the 2. Just type your message or paste whatever it was you want to quote and it will then show like this: [[Image:Quote.jpg]] [[Image:Smiliey.jpg]] This is a drop-down menu for the smilies. “Show all Smilies” will open a separate window with all the smilies available on this forum. ====Quote from another post: ==== Click on [[Image:Quote icon.jpg]] in the post you want to quote from, it will automatically open the “reply” box and insert the quote, it will look like this: [quote = Bookworm; 1027594]This is an example.[/ quote] Type your reply, and [[Image:Reply Button.jpg]]. It will look like this: [[Image:Quote box 1.jpg]] However, sometimes, you might not want to quote the whole post, so you can delete what you want from within the quote marks and only keep what you need, so the end result will look like this: [[Image:Quote box 2.jpg]] ====Multi-quotes:==== If you want to reply to more than one post, click on [[Image:Multi Icon.jpg]] on each post you want to quote from, it will then turn [[Image:Multi Icon 2.jpg]] On the last post you want to quote from, click on [[Image:Multi Icon 2.jpg]] first then [[Image:Quote icon.jpg]]. The end result will look like this: [[Image:Multi Box.jpg]] If you change your mind, or have clicked on the wrong post, just click on the again, it will deselect it. ====Subscribe to a thread:==== You can subscribe to a thread without typing in it: [[Image:Sub Box.jpg]] Click on “subscribe to this thread”, it will take you to the options menu, where you can choose to get notification by e-mail or not and how frequent the notification. ====Search:==== For basic search, just type in the box: [[Image:Search button.jpg]] Or for more elaborate search, click on “advanced search”: [[Image:Advanced Search.jpg]] Note: If you want to search for post with “0” replies, change the default “at least” 0 replies to “at most”, and you can of course highlight the forum you want to search if you want to narrow it down. ====Report a post:==== We ask all of our users to remain vigilant for any posts which contain the following: Insulting language / swearing, threats of violence, racist comments, potentially libelous wording (i.e. the bank 'stole' my money), posts which show complete reproductions of our templated letters, advertising etc. If you are not sure, please report it and let us decide. You can also use it to report a title that needs changing to **WON** or threads that need merging, or moving. Click on [[Image:Triangle.jpg]] under the username of the post you want to report. Type the reason why you are reporting it. Send. ====Say thank you for a useful post:==== Click on [[Image:Scales.jpg]]. A drop-down opens which you click to say “I approve”, underneath, there is a box for a comment. If you leave a comment, please sign your nick, it's always nice to know who's being nice, and the box doesn't ====User CP:==== [[Image:User CP Box.jpg]] User CP (control panel) gives you access to your own settings. When you first click on it, this is what you'll see: [[Image:User CP Box 2.jpg]] These are the thanks of people who clicked on your scales. Next, are these: [[Image:User CP 3.jpg]] They show the threads to which you have subscribed and which have posts you haven't read yet on them. ====Settings & Options:==== <center>[[Image:Settings.jpg]]</center> <center>[[Image:Settings 2.jpg]]</center> Most are self-explanatory, except the bottom one, “Miscellaneous Options”. If the Message Editor Interface box doesn't already show it, then change it to “Enhanced Interface – Full WYSIWYG Editing”, it's the setting that allows you to use smilies, quotes, etc... Don't be fooled by the name, WYSIWYG is simply short for “What You See Is What You Get”. <center>[[Image:Settings 3.jpg]]</center> Nothing complicated there, the only thing to remember is this: The maximum size of your custom image must be 80 by 80 pixels or 19.5 KB (whichever is smaller). <center>[[Image:Settings 4.jpg]]</center> This opens a box which allows you to enter a signature, whatever takes your fancy. Please remember that standard forum rules apply, though, and that links to commercial websites are not allowed. Also bear in mind that minimum post length (# of words) = 100 words and minimum post count before signatures show = 10 Posts. Your signature will only show 2 times on any one page even if both the above conditions are met. These conditions do not apply to the moderating team. The others settings are self-explanatory, with tick/untick options. ====New posts:==== [[Image:New post.jpg]] Clicking on this will open the last 5 most recent pages of threads which you haven't read. ====Find a post/a thread==== Click on the nickname or avatar (picture below nick) of the user whose threads/post you want to find (it can be yourself, if you can't find where you posted). It opens a screen like this: [[Image:Find a Post.jpg]] Click on either "find all posts by..." or "find all threads by..." and it will take you to that list. ====Post a link==== It's easier to do this with 2 windows opened, although not necessary. This is the thread you want to link: [[Image:Post link.jpg]] Highlight the http://... as shown, and copy it. (Ctrl + c, or right click + Copy) Then, paste it in the post where you want it to go (Ctrl + v, or right click + Paste) [[Image:Post link 2.jpg]] Post reply. The forum software will automatically transform the http://... into the title of the thread. [[Image:Post link 3.jpg]] If you want to only post the link to one post, not the whole thread, click on the post number: [[Image:Post link 4.jpg]] It opens a new "single post" window: [[Image:Post link 5.jpg]] Highlight, copy and paste the link as previously explained, job done. ====Find out who's online==== At the bottom of the forum front page: [[Image:Who's_Online_1.jpg]] (Site Helpers are <span style="color:pink">'''pink''',</SPAN> Moderators are <span style="color:green">'''green''',</SPAN> Admin are <span style="color:red">'''red)''' </SPAN> Clicking on the username will bring up their profile, like so: [[Image:Who's_Online_2.jpg]] ====Send A Private Message==== Please, please, please - if you have a question about your claim, post it in your own thread 95% of your questions can be better answered in your own thread. 95% of your questions will be more likely to be answered in your own thread If someone believes that your question requires communication by PM, they will PM you. If you feel your question is of a personal or confidential nature, you are welcome to PM a Moderator or Administrator. There are basically two ways of sending a PM: '''1.''' At the top of the page click on 'Private Messages' [[Image:PM1.jpg]] This will take you to your Inbox page. Click on 'Compose message' [[Image:PM2.jpg]] In the Recipients box, type the users name. As you type a drop down list of choices will appear. [[Image:PM3.jpg]] Click on the appropiate one, enter a title, type your message and click on 'Submit Message' [[Image:PM4.jpg]] '''2.''' Alternatively, click on the User's name in a post [[Image:PM5.jpg]] Then on the User's Profile page click on 'Send a Private Message to' [[Image:PM6.jpg]] This will take you to the same Message page, but the User's name has already been entered. Enter a title and your message and click on 'Submit Message' [[Image:PM7.jpg]] === Attach Documents === Click on [[Image:Reply Button.jpg]] You will see this, you can use either the paperclip or the "managed attachment": <center>[[Image:Howto01.jpg]]</center> Click on either to see this: <center>[[Image:Howto02.jpg]]</center> Enter the file from your computer or the URL and upload. '''Note that the files you can upload are very small,''' so if you want to post something larger (photos and scanned documents in particular), you are better off uploading them to a free web-hosting site. Photobucket, Flickr, ImageShack and many others, all offer this kind of service, do a search for what suits you best. To upload from one of those sites (I use Photobucket, so will give example from there): <center>[[Image:Howto3.jpg]]</center> Click once on the bottom link, it will automatically copy the code. Paste that code into your post, it will look like this: [IMG]http:// i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/'''{your nick}'''/thSparklyDay-1.gif[/IMG] You can click on Preview changes before posting to make sure this is what you want (in particular, beware of posting pictures which are so big that they will knock the whole page out of shape to accommodate them, it's very annoying for everybody!) Post your reply, and there you are: <center>[[Image:ThSparklyDay-1.jpg]]</center> == Related Pages == [[CAG - How to Complain]] [[How To Make Posts]] [[Private Forum Messages]] [[Forum Post Signatures]] [[Category:Forum]]

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