How To How To Use The New Forum Software (1 Viewer)

[Dave Upton]

I'll be posting various tips and tricks in this thread as time allows, giving tips on how to use the site. I'll start with a couple of essentials.

New HTF Mobile Experience
Our new mobile version of the site is significantly improved over the last version, and is now what is called a progressive web app. This allows the site to load minimal data and perform even better.

If you access the site on your mobile device, you'll see a relatively similar interface to the old forums, however I will point out two very important changes.

1. New Posts/What's New
   • This has now moved to a button at the top that looks like a lightning bolt. You'll also see a larger button on some pages, like the Forum home:
     
2. Navigation Enhancements
   • Tap the hamburger button in the top left
     
     and you'll now have a single, easy to use slide out navigation menu, accessible anywhere:
     

 

[Dave Upton]

How To Post Question Threads
In some parts of the forum, like the Beginners & General Questions area, you now have the ability to choose a different type of thread to create. The most useful of these is the Question thread type.

• Simply click the Question tab at the top before posting your thread, and you'll get an improved interface.
  
• Once you post a question thread, people can up or down vote answers, and the original poster (OP) or moderators can select a best answer:
  

 

[Dave Upton]

The New Editor
As you may have noticed, the text editor looks quite different now than it did before the upgrade. This is a major revamp of the old editor, and is designed to better handle a variety of content types and mobile devices.

• The editor now dynamically changes its layout to better suit a narrow device like a phone in portrait mode. On these devices, the editor will slim itself down, hiding more buttons under the more button. Anywhere you see this more button
  
  you can click it to see additional options and buttons
  • 
• A preview function is built into the editor now, and is always in the top right:
  
  • Clicking this button will instantly show you a preview of your post without having to go to a new page or reload
• The attachments system has been completely overhauled, now showing all attachments in a horizontal layout that prevents scrolling down to find the correct thumbnail
  • 
• When you quote someone, your reply will show a rendered version of their quote, instead of the old bbcode blocks

  [QUOTE] [/QUOTE]

  

 

[Robert Crawford]

Where is the regular spoiler tag?

 

[Dave Upton]

Where is the regular spoiler tag instead of

I just rearranged the editor bar so it's there on the top left:

 

[Jeff Fearnside]

I hope I can write this so that it makes sense... There seems to be two different, for lack of a better word, "looks" for the pages now. For pages in the old "look," the editor bar is clearly there for replies. However, whenever I read a review in the new "look," I see a place to reply but without an editor bar. So I can post but only in a simple text format--no bold, italics, quotes, or anything else. Am I just not seeing something obvious?

 

[Malcolm R]

I hope I can write this so that it makes sense... There seems to be two different, for lack of a better word, "looks" for the pages now. For pages in the old "look," the editor bar is clearly there for replies. However, whenever I read a review in the new "look," I see a place to reply but without an editor bar. So I can post but only in a simple text format--no bold, italics, quotes, or anything else. Am I just not seeing something obvious?

No, that editor does not have all the formatting options. At the end of the review, and before any reply comments, click on "View thread" and that will return you to the "old" style screen and the discussion thread. You can comment/reply there with the usual options.

 

[Jeff Fearnside]

Thank you, @Malcolm R!