A Few Handy Tips for Free Republic Users

various FR posts | 10-22-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

[backhoe]

The old posts are locked out from bumping, so here is some new information along with some old, and newer links as well.

Subhead: ( things I wish somebody had mentioned to me... )

1- The Two Browser Trick. Minimize the browser you're running, click on your desktop browser icon and a new one pops up. This is handy for finding web addresses you need, referring to another site for info or an addy, etc.
If you are running IE, a simple ^N [ control-N ] will pop it up )

Say you want to make a link to an article you've seen on this board or elsewhere- pop up the second browser, go there, and when you get to the desired place, the web addess will be in the ribbon window that shows web addresses. Point to it, hilite, and hit control-C to store it in your clipboard for use elsewhere. This brings us to a related area:

2- Keep a file of frequently-used data ( like HTML codes ) stored as a wordpad or notepad file on your desktop for handy cutting & pasting, Example- you want to make a link with an addy you have from #2? Store this line:

<a href="">link</a>

You cut & paste that line to your post, get the addy, point right between the quotes ( "|" ) and hit Control-V to paste the addy where it belongs. That "link" can remain or you can replace it with a more descriptive name for the link.

Same trick works for pictures you want to display- the basic code is:

<IMG src="">

You stick the web addy of the picture you want between the quotes- like this one:

http://home.earthlink.net/~joebrower/BUMP/BSMETER.GIF

3-Make the process of tagging a file or article you want to post easier on yourself- get an HTML editor. I use FastHTML-- download a copy to try here:

-Link--

but there are many others as well, keep trying 'til you find one you like. You cut & paste the article to the editor's page, tag it ( adding links if needed )- save it! Just in case! And cut & paste to the posting area.

4- There's a lazy way the "learn" ( i. e., copy ) HTML you have seen that you want to use or think is a neat effect:

With Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0+ you can easily download and install a few cool tools, such as "View Partial Source." Web Developer's Accessories allows this, and can be found here:

View Partial Source

A little more info--

Help with Posting

---

A couple of other useful tricks:

1- How do I copy eletters/emails without reformatting into HTML?

The computer, obviously, can "see" the tags- how can you? In Outlook Express, hit "forward" and a window with "source" will appear at the bottom. You can copy & paste from there. If you are plagued with "greater than" symbols clogging the page, use the find & replace function of another program to fix it.

2- How do I copy links & titles to an email?

While you are on this board ( or any other ) open a "new mail" window in Outlook Express. Hilite, copy, and paste the web address from your browser box to the new email, copy the title or any other information you desire, and your email will have a link. If you later wish to use the HTML embedded in the email for posting here, the "source" tab in the email will call it up for copy & pasting.

Links to useful software:

-Several HTML Editors--

A replacement for Wordpad/Notepad:

Cetus Freeware Products
... Click HERE to find out about CNotePad, or download it by clicking HERE. Click
HERE to find out about CWordPad, or download it by clicking HERE. ...

[ErnBatavia]

Put brain in gear before putting keyboard in motion.

Yet another - don't be a self-appointed "thread cop"; it must give some folks a little power surge to be able to type in, "already posted".....just put ice on it and move on. :)

[backhoe]

Thank you for looking and replying.

[backhoe]

Thanks for "looking & booking..."

[backhoe]

I appreciate your comments- thanks!

[tubebender]

Bookmarked but this stone age FReeper is still using smoke signals. Am I the only one frozen in space and time...

[backhoe]

Thanks for "looking & booking," and this is a good opportunity to mention this:

Go here:

Ignorance Making You Ill? Cure It!

for links, tools, & instructions about how to contact a pile of different people, and how to send a link to this story right here ( or anywhere else ) to a "mass email" using Outlook Express.

---

Do be advised that since I increased my volume of mass emails to letters to editors I have gotten return volleys of virus attacks- my ISP filters them out before the get to my PC, but if yours does not, take appropriate precautions to guard your PC.

I take this as a positive- my emails are simply links with no editorial content; so the other side must fear & loath the information even reaching the public.

Want to strike back at the malicious & childish clowns who send viri? Look here:

-http://www.all-nettools.com/tools1.htm--

... for online traceroutes and other help, so you can email all the ISP's in the chain that propagated the virus, and let them investigate.

[madfly]

Hey there. Thanks for posting this, backhoe.
I remember how grateful I was last year
when someone posted the link to download "View Partial Source".

I think your link for FastHTML has moved. (I'm now using my notepad file for links and images :)

Is this it on Page 6?
http://www.winsite.com/tech/html/page6.html

I have a tip for those pesky dead links that always make you wonder, hmmm why was this page pulled?
Simply go to the WayBack Machine at www.archive.org.
They archive back to 1996 and list all updates
to web pages by month and year.

www.archive.org

[FourtySeven]

Must have partial source at home...thanks!

[justshe]

How about posting the info for using the FR "pager"?

[madfly]

bttt

[Johnny Shear]

I've been on the internet since before there was really a "World Wide Web"...I'm still a computer IDIOT but I've gotten fairly good at figuring-out how to make links and/or pictures on other message board...

I've been posting on Free Republic for over a year now...And lurked for well over a year before that...And still...THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST CONFUSING MESSAGE BOARD I HAVE EVER BEEN ON!!!

Yes, this is a topic for another post but I'll go on...

I've given a link to this site to numerous "Net Friends"...Each and EVERY ONE comes back and says that they can't understand how to use this place and just give up and go away...I almost did the same but being the Political Junkie and Broken Glass Republican that I am, I didn't give up...And now I know how to post and can get around pretty good (Although I still have NO IDEA of how to use the "Subscribe" feature....)

Anyway...I am POSITIVE we are missing a LOT of good contributors because this place is so WEIRD!! And maybe that's by design...Maybe it keeps out the Riff-Raff...I don't know...

/Rant

So anyway......I still can't post links or pictures here...It's just SO WEIRD!!! (I've NEVER been to a board where you have to put a "P" surrounded by <> just to make a new paragraph!! My request is this...

Please tell me how to post pics and links...And please do it this way....

Put all those wierd commands (http///.href<>blahblah) on the front and end of the example and then type "PUT THE LINK OF THE URL OR THE PICTURE RIGHT HERE" (But exclude the "'s otherwise I'll think I have to add them too). Maybe by doing that, I'll learn how to do it.

And please don't confuse me by adding that thing where you get to name the link anything you want...That just just makes things worse.

Thanks a lot!

[tax]

thanks!!!

[backhoe]

Appreciate the information- thanks!

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking!

[backhoe]

How about posting the info for using the FR "pager"?

I would- if I had it!

Anyone else?

[backhoe]

OK... type this line as shown, into a notepad or wordpad file:

<IMG src="">

You stick the web addy of the picture you want between the quotes-

To give an example, this addy-
http://home.earthlink.net/~zeroxing/911WAR.jpg
pasted between the quotes becomes:

[backhoe]

The pager:

+++ Free Republic "Pager" Window Notifies You when you get Replies and Mail +++

[Johnny Shear]

OK...Here we go!

[Johnny Shear]

Well that's cool! Hard to remember, but cool!

I've got to ask...Why is this way of posting a picture totally and completely different from anything I have ever seen on any other board?

Or for that matter, everything about Free Republic?

Is it to keep the trolls in line? It's the only reason I can think of, because honestly...I'll bet we only get about 1 to 2 out of 10 people participating here, of the ones who would like to, but can't figure it out...

[backhoe]

Hard to remember, but...

That's what I neglected to explain with "type it in a notepad file"-- so you can save it to your desktop ( or a folder, if you wish to conserve space ) for later use. I have all kinds of files with links, some graphics, boilerplate text, saved in files like that for handy use.

A minor tip? If you use google's Image Search to locate graphics, it works very well, but has a little quirk-- when you copy the web addy from them, it has a space in the address ( hard to spot, too! ) and if you don't delete or backspace it out, you'll get the nasty little box with the X instead of a picture. Drove me nuts until I finally saw the dang space!