Thanks to the formatting quirks on this site and there being no preview function in the text window, I just lost a big portion of an old post when I tried to edit it. Again! This is not fun - especially since I have no back-up of the post and don't remember everything I wrote in it. I've had enough of that. So I'm creating this thread to address the matter.
Edit - I'll give you a concrete example of the problem. In one of my posts, I had a line of text looking like this:
F = FACIAL STRUCTURE: 1=Facial structure, 2=Skin tone, 3=Complexion, 4=Scar
I went into editing mode of that post, recoloured the letter "F" in the beginning and the numbers that follow it in order to highlight them, and then hit the "Submit" button. It came out like this:
F[color=rgb(51,102, 255)">[color=rgb(51, 102, 255)">] [/color]= FACIAL STRUCTURE: <span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 255)]4[/color]=Scar
Lines above and below that line was edited in a similar way at the same time but here the result was the intended one. For some reason, however, certain parts can evidently disappear altogether. And not only small parts like in the example above, but whole sections of the post.
So, unlike most other sites, at BSN you cannot assume that what you see before submitting a post is what you get after submitting it. Yet, when that button is hit, there are no returns. The result, whatever it is (including some random factor, it seems), is fixed - and public! Too often the source of frustration.
A simple way to avoid that, apart from improving how the formatting works, is to provide the site with a "Preview" button next to the "Submit" button in the text window, so that all members wishing to contribute something to the community can see the result, how it will actually appear in the forums (WYSIWYG), before submitting it, and therefore, if necessary, can go back, make adjustments and avoid mistakes for that final and intended submission.
This thread is an appeal to the technicians in charge to make the needed changes in overall design of the site in the spirit of good service for the many people visiting the forums. Due to the impression which has grown on me that the site is half-abandoned by those who're supposed to handle it (recent rules even forbidding members to contact moderators - never heard of such a thing!), I'm not expecting such help to be forthcoming, but it doesn't hurt to take a chance here. I like positive surprises. This one would be big.
Otherwise I'm inclined to abandon this site, too. I make a point of not supporting poor service, wherever I find it. Only two things keep me visiting the place: 1= My promise to the community to finish a certain project; 2 = The mods from the community. The latter alone is difficult to pass by.
PS. Still, if the technical standard of the site is ever up for an overhaul, do not forget to consider making the post remember the colour designation for text when you edit something in it. As it is now, each time you enter the post to change something you must recolour all parts with colour or those parts will no longer be coloured after hitting the "Submit" button. Including this post. Ridiculous process and quite frustrating in the long run.
Modifié par Domar, 13 juin 2013 - 11:30 .
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