Forum Secrets

[PyTom]

Here's a thread in which I announce forum secrets, or at least things that aren't obviously documented.

Secret #1: Spoilers

By enclosing text in [ spoiler ] and [ /spoiler ] (remove the spaces) tags, you can make it a spoiler which people have to swipe to see.

Secret #2: Topics Anywhere

We run Topics Anywhere as part of this forum. By going to:

http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/topics_anywhere.php

You can generate javascript code that includes forum topics on your web page, or an RSS feed that lets you read the forum in a custom aggregator, or something even more obscure like google's custom homepage.

http://lemmasoft.renai.us/recent.html

This also powers the secret list of recent posts, given above.

That is all for now, more as I think of things.

[herenvardo]

[...] or an RSS feed that lets you read the forum in a custom aggregator, or something even more obscure like google's custom homepage.

Hmm... google's personalized home is not so obscure. It's no more than a server-side RSS feed parser

[ShiraiJunichi]

I'd be interested to know about the "Secret Fellowship of Game-Makers"... It's probably not much of a mystery, and even though I just found out about it today, it doesn't seem to be too secret.

[PyTom]

It used to be the secret brotherhood of game-makers, until Eclipse made a game.

Actually, one of these days I need to ger around to adding all the new game-makers to the brotherhood... something that is bound to be an anti-event.

[mikey]

The mysterious thing about the Fellowship isn't its existence, but its true purpose, that no one knows. Maybe one day it will be revealed?

I noticed it when Metropolitan Blues was released and it got new members at that time... and the very new members probably already are in the Fellowship, but don't know about it... It's all a mystery...

[rioka]

Actually, the goddes who's supposed to appear to the new members of the fellowship has gone awol... so no big heraldic messages, unfortunately. :\

[mikey]

I just remembered, maybe PyTom could copy/paste this into the first post...


Secret #3: User Attachment Control Panel

You can manage your attachments and delete obsolete/unnecessary files in the attachment manager like this:
- log on
- scroll down on the main page to see Who Is Online, find your name and click on it
- in your profile, follow the link to the User Attachment Control Panel
- and you're there

[PyTom]

I actually want to avoid people knowing about the user attachments control panel, as I don't want people deleting attachments. I have ways of auto-cleaning attachments when we need space, and until then I'd like to try and keep a complete forum history.

[mikey]

Hmmm... the masterminds of the Forums do not want people to know... ... they don't want us deleting our files... until THEY decide, or until an automatic hand removes them from existence... Is this the rumored "Grand Scheme", making its silent mark again?
So... just what is the RAIN network... are they among us... have the SWAN really disappeared? Does the Fellowship control everyone? Is PyTom actually two people? Stay tuned for more LS mysteries...

[Megaman Z]

something that shouldn't be abused, mind you, but it is possible to color code the names (or even parts of names) and insert links in quotes. it's really so simple I shouldn't have to explain it to you.

I actually want to avoid people knowing about the user attachments control panel, as I don't want people deleting attachments. I have ways of auto-cleaning attachments when we need space, and until then I'd like to try and keep a complete forum history.

and some people may want to remove outdated files, especially when they release new or improved versions. this arguement will never end, will it?

[edit: slightly better grammar, added note on URL's in quote names.]
[edit2: link now gold (and harder to see). click PyTom's golden name to see the post]

[PyTom]

something that shouldn't be abused, mind you, but it is possible to color code the names (or even parts of names) and insert links in quotes. it's really so simple I shouldn't have to explain it to you.

I don't see this as providing much of a benefit. And I don't know of a phpbb mod that implements it. So I don't seen much of a reason for it.

[Megaman Z]

something that shouldn't be abused, mind you, but it is possible to color code the names (or even parts of names) and insert links in quotes. it's really so simple I shouldn't have to explain it to you.

I don't see this as providing much of a benefit. And I don't know of a phpbb mod that implements it. So I don't seen much of a reason for it.

there's no mods being used. this is just something that I've found out on my own. the [ color ] and [ url ] bbcodes can be nested in the [ quote ] tag's poster name arguement, and there may be a couple other tags that can be nested in them (obviously, the spoiler, Bold, Code, and quote tags probably can't).

Code: Select all

[quote="[color=blue]Megaman Z[/color]"]see how my name is BLUE (over at the StepMania forums, I would make it green, but that's beside the point)[/quote]

see how my name is BLUE (over at the StepMania forums, I would make it green due to my status there, but that's beside the point)

[Jake]

the [ color ] and [ url ] bbcodes can be nested in the [ quote ] tag's poster name arguement, and there may be a couple other tags that can be nested in them (obviously, the spoiler, Bold, Code, and quote tags probably can't).

IIRC PHPBB does its text formatting by a series of regexp search-and-replace functions, so probably what you're seeing is just an effect of that. It should probably keep working so long as you don't put anything in there that makes it think it's reached the end of the tag, so no other tags with quotes in, no '[/quote]' tag, or it'll misinterpret it. You'd need to be careful to always preview your post if you wanted to do crazy stuff like that...