FUDforum: How To » Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.?

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Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168948]

Sat, 10 August 2013 13:04

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

We often need to add indented text, tables, etc. to messages. Can bbcode do this?

Or would it be better to install an external editor like TinyMCE or CKeditor?

What do you recommend? Thanks.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168953 is a reply to message #168948]

Sat, 10 August 2013 16:44

cpreston

Messages: 160
Registered: July 2012
Location: Oceanside

Karma: 6

Senior Member

What about the formatting tools?

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

This is the code button.

Quote:

This is the quote button.

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Re : Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168954 is a reply to message #168953]

Sat, 10 August 2013 17:12

TheDude
Messages: 120
Registered: November 2012
Location: France

Karma: 2

Senior Member

Check this reference site and experiment :
http://www.bbcode.org/reference.php

http://www.bartopmania.com

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168959 is a reply to message #168953]

Sat, 10 August 2013 20:28

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

Looked at the BBCode site (thanks). My attempts to use the table plugin or add my own tags to the templates has not (yet) worked.

I don't understand what "Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]" and "This is the code button" means.

BBCode is hardly a sophisticated editor (nor is it intended to be). External editors like TinyMCE and CKEditor seem much more capable and seem better suited to our needs.

Discovered FF's Plugin Manager and installed and activated CKEditor. No go. Tried disabling BBCode in FF by choosing HTML or None, but that didn't let CKEditor work either.

Do other people have CKEditor working in FF?

Looking at FF message HERE, I may try to disable BBCode in a relevant template and see if that lets CKEditor start working.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168960 is a reply to message #168959]

Sat, 10 August 2013 20:42

cpreston

Messages: 160
Registered: July 2012
Location: Oceanside

Karma: 6

Senior Member

I was demonstrating the indenting capabilities of the current editor. You type in some text, select it with your mouse, then hit either the code or the quote button in the formatting tools. The buttons I used are next to the Size dropdown above. The quote button is the one that looks like a folded piece of paper, and the code button is the two parentheses w/the dots next to them.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168962 is a reply to message #168960]

Sat, 10 August 2013 21:29

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

Aha! Thank you for turning on the light.
It worked as you said.

Typed in a few sample lines: "1234567890 HiHiHi" and tried the buttons.

Lines 2, 3 = Quote button
Lines 5, 6 = Code
The indent was minimal so:
Lines 9, 10 = CodeCodeCode

Result:

1234567890 HiHiHi
Quote:

1234567890 HiHiHi
1234567890 HiHiHi

1234567890 HiHiHi

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

1234567890 HiHiHi
1234567890 HiHiHi

1234567890 HiHiHi
1234567890 HiHiHi

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

[code][code]1234567890 HiHiHi
1234567890 HiHiHi[/code][/code]

1234567890 HiHiHi

As you can see, the multiple Code entries were ignored. The Code tag also changed to a monospaced font, good for writing code but not good for intending a few lines of Verdana or Arial text. The distinct background color is good for quoting text from another message but not composing a message.

I guess the templates and CSS file can be adjusted to do these things better (or better for this particular site's needs).

First, I'd like to try getting CKEditor working. Do you know if it can (reasonably) be done?

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168968 is a reply to message #168962]

Mon, 12 August 2013 06:26

naudefj

Messages: 3775
Registered: December 2004

Karma: 28

Senior Member
Administrator
Core Developer

It it will help, we can introduce a new BBcode tag for this. Possible implementation:

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

 [indent]Indented text[/indent]
 [indent][indent]Twice indented[/indent][/indent]

I will code it later.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168969 is a reply to message #168968]

Mon, 12 August 2013 09:50

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

It may be helpful to others using BBCode in FF, but please don't spend any time on it for me.

I've started to enter some messages in my new FF board, and BBCode just doesn't cut it. My situation must use a WYSIWYG editor, just like MyBB and Vbulletin.

FF with BBCode serves technical users very well, especially programmers or others working with code. My forum will serve a very different group of people. WYSIWYG entry and editing of messages is a must.

I'll keep trying to get CKEditor working.

There's no reason to try TinyMCE or other editors, since whatever is preventing CKEditor from working with FF would block those editors too. I'll start with your comment in another message here that the solution may be fully disabling BBCode when CKEditor is installed and active. If you have any further hints, I'm listening.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168970 is a reply to message #168969]

Mon, 12 August 2013 11:45

naudefj

Messages: 3775
Registered: December 2004

Karma: 28

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Administrator
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CKEditor has a BBcode mode, which should be fairly easy to integrate with FUDforum.
For details, see http://ckeditor.com/addon/bbcode

EDIT: I see we already have a "ckeditor.plugin". Have you tried it yet?

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #168971 is a reply to message #168970]

Mon, 12 August 2013 13:35

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

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Member

Thanks. If CKEditor can use either HTML or BBCode to give users a WYSIWYG way of entering and editing messages, that would do the trick.

Meanwhile, I'm working around it by pasting externally-made HTML into the messages. But nontechnical users cannot or will not do that.

Yes, the CKeditor plugin was "installed and activated." But it doesn't do anything (no CKEditor), even after turning off BBCode and trying the HTML and None alternatives -- and of course recompiling (Rebuilding).

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #169035 is a reply to message #168971]

Sat, 17 August 2013 09:24

naudefj

Messages: 3775
Registered: December 2004

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Try this version of the CKEditor plugin: http://sourceforge.net/p/fudforum/code/5642/
It works reasonably well, but may still require some tweaking.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #169036 is a reply to message #169035]

Sat, 17 August 2013 11:46

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

Thanks. I'll try it today and report the results.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #169039 is a reply to message #169036]

Sat, 17 August 2013 19:01

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

Success! Thank you.

CKEditor is now working in FF. I'll need to replace the standard version with the customized version and edit the available tags, but that is doable. This is a critically important capability in my system, so I'm very pleased.

Initial observations that might be useful:

1 After editing text in CKEditor and clicking FF's Preview button, it often displays raw HTML code, not the visual result.

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

CKEditor         Forum 		Preview 
 Config		Setting          Result


BBCode		BBCode		Result is pure HTML code:  A large "Hi There" displays as:  <h1><strong>Hi There</strong></h1>

BBCode		HMTL		Some HTML code leaks through:  Large "hello" text previews as:  hello ');">

HTML		BBCode		Pure HTML:  Large "Howdy" appears as  <h1><strong>Howdy</strong></h1>

HTML		HTML		YES!  Works properly.  Large "Greetings" shows as: Greetings  (shown large)

2 Smilies and icons, when clicked, do not insert at the cursor, but you can drag them into the text area and drop them where wanted. That's no problem but could use a tiny tip like "drag into text" or "drag to insert" in the left column's "Forum Options." Again, this is not a problem

3 CKEditor's resize corner can expend vertically but not horizontally. FF's grippie is still present and functional. It must be moved down manually when using CKEditor's expansion corner to enlarge the text area.

The grippie is perfect for wide-screen forums, and nothing else is needed. But for narrower ones, it would be nice to let the user expand the text area horizontally as well as vertically. CKEditor generally has that capability but in this case it can only expand vertically. Would disabling the grippie help? This too is not really a problem

Thanks again. This makes FF even better. (And it also gives FF a check in the forum comparison's one box that lacked it -- WYSIWYG editing.)

[Updated on: Sat, 17 August 2013 20:24]

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #169040 is a reply to message #169039]

Sat, 17 August 2013 22:34

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

Noticing that the BBCode plugin was not listed with the plugin files even though specified, I downloaded the BBCode plugin from the CKEditor site and put a copy in CKEditor's plugin folder and a copy in FF's plugin folder. Result: slightly different:

Code: [Select all] [Show/ hide]

CKEditor       FF Forum		Preview Result
 config         Setting


BBCode		BBCode		Result displays ok, but very few tags are available

BBCode		HMTL		Just pure HTML

HTML		BBCode		Just pure HTML 

HTML		HTML		Yes!  Works properly. Somewhat more tags are available.

Conclusion: For now, the HTML/HTML settings seem to work best.

Various FF and CKE files may have places to adjust this. Will explore.

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Re: Can bbcode add indents, tables, etc.? [message #169165 is a reply to message #169040]

Sat, 31 August 2013 21:12

Parrot
Messages: 32
Registered: July 2013
Location: US

Karma: 1

Member

My optimism was premature. I've been wresting with CKE for the past two weeks, and it's winning.

Using CKE in FF with the HTML settings does not seem to work. The extensive tags do appear, but they don't work. Here's how CKE with FF's HTML settings looks:

index.php?t=getfile&id=6349&private=0

index.php?t=getfile&id=6349&private=0

The HTML setting's CKE tags do not change the text in the textarea.

The BBCode setting differs. Some tags do work. Here's how the BBCode setting looks:

index.php?t=getfile&id=6350&private=0

index.php?t=getfile&id=6350&private=0

BTW, CKE's expansion triangle does work to enlarge the textarea but only vertically (like the grippie).

So far, trying to edit the various FF, CKE, and BBC files has not helped to get desired tags working.

If I can make progress on this, it will appear here.

Attachment: fud_cke_html.png
(Size: 40.44KB, Downloaded 1422 times)
Attachment: fud_cke_bbc.png
(Size: 19.91KB, Downloaded 1584 times)

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