Introduction To Editing (v2)

 

This is the first in a series of introductory articles intended to help new contributors become familiar with the Users’ Knowledge Base (UKB) publishing procedures, so that they can quickly move to productive endeavors.

Posts intended for the main body of the UKB need to be written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), although contributions can also be made in other ways e.g. by attaching a word processing document to a post.

WordPress, the software behind the UKB, contains a built-in, albeit limited, editor that allows authors to enter their posts ‘online’. This provides, arguably, the quickest and simplest way to write and publish articles. Advanced programmers will have no trouble understanding, using, and extending the capabilities of the WordPress editor. On the other hand, those who are new to programming can quickly learn how to enter basic posts, via WordPress, using the examples provided in this ‘series’.

Note: It is possible to ‘publish’ without the need to learn HTML or other programming languages.

Third party editors can also be used. Authors with an IT, or programming background, will be familiar with third party editors. Authors, with the experience, can use their favorite editing programs to publish to the UKB by pasting code from them into the WordPress editor. At the other end of the scale, most people would be familiar with Notepad, or programs like it, that can be classed as simple third party or text editors. Posts can be written ‘offline’, using text editors, and copy/pasted into the WordPress editor at a later date.

The advantage of third party editors, in general, is that they offer a range of features that make code writing easier and faster for programmers e.g. syntax highlighting, auto-correction or completion of commonly used terms, find and replace ‘text’ etc. Other editors provide authors with a visual writing mode, that facilitates the creation of graphical and interactive web pages in a ‘What You See Is What You Get’ (WYSIWYG) environment.

The UKB is far from a fully featured web-site. It belongs to a special class of web-sites known as Web-logs or Blogs. As a rule of thumb, Blogs have a limited scope compared to a ‘web-site’. In general this reduces the need for their creators, or contributors to the Blog, to learn advanced programming skills. This maxim holds true for the UKB. In addition to that, because the UKB is a Knowledge Base, the emphasis has been placed on content rather than format. Because of the ‘restricted’ nature of the site, advanced editors, are a level above what is required to publish to the UKB.

A special class of third party editors, known as Blog Editors (Weblog Clients), provides software that is suitable for UKB authors who prefer a visual ‘writing’ medium . They are designed to synchronize with popular blogging software, in this case WordPress.

Features of Blog Editors (in general):

  1. portability
  2. save drafts offline and publish at leisure
  3. visual editing
  4. additional formatting options compared to the WordPress editor 
  5. insert and format images using graphical tools
  6. graphically insert and manage links
  7. automatic synchronization to the WordPress format
  8. automatic login to the UKB Administration Center
  9. bulk uploading of image files (automatic) 
  10. downloading of published posts
  11. HTML view, including editing capabilities
  12. offline web preview 

Depending on the software used, there are additional features that can be useful to authors:

  1. copy and paste rich text formats as plain text (suitable for publishing to the UKB)
  2. copy and paste word documents, including images, directly into the editor
  3. maintain offline backups 
  4. bulk uploading of file attachments
  5. save copies as portable HTML files (with contained images)
  6. insert and format tables
  7. insertion of custom HTML snippets
  8. spell-check
  9. automatic appending of titles to uploaded files

Unfortunately all of those features don’t come in one single software package.

Note: The author of this article has successfully posted to the UKB using BlogDesk, Post2Blog (ByteScout) and Windows Live Writer (Microsoft) as well as the WordPress Code Editor.

CAUTION – AUTHORS WHO ARE GOING TO USE BLOG EDITORS NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING CAVEATS:

  1. As a rule of thumb, they are incompatible with the WordPress Visual Editor (the WordPress Visual Editor should be turned off).
  2. Code written in the WordPress Code Editor might not be compatible with Blog Editors and will not necessarily download correctly into them.
  3. Code written in some Blog Editors uses different HTML ‘formats’ to the WordPress Code Editor, especially with regard to paragraphs and line breaks (use either a Blog Editor or the WordPress Code Editor; not both).
  4. Blog Editors can produce code that is not compatible with other Blog Editors (do not mix and match Blog Editors).
  5. Some Blog Editors provide rich text formatting as an option. This is in conflict with UKB defaults and may introduce unwanted behavior to the UKB server. DO NOT use rich text formatting features.
  6. Some Blog Editors capture web-pages, or parts of a web-page, for transmission to a Blog site (DO NOT capture or copy and paste any ‘pages’ that contain, or might contain, HTML code as it may introduce unwanted behavior to the UKB server).

Note: All of the Blog Editors tested by the author of this post, have produced ‘exceptions to the rules’ that had to be managed without support (novices should limit Blog editing to the basics and heed the cautions in this post).

AGAIN:

  1. TURN OFF THE WORDPRESS VISUAL EDITOR.
  2. USE ONE BLOG EDITOR AT A TIME.
  3. USE A BLOG EDITOR 100% OF THE TIME OR USE THE WORDPRESS CODE EDITOR 100% OF THE TIME.
  4. LEAVE OUT THE FANCY STUFF (SORRY, I KNOW ITS NOT AS MUCH FUN BUT IT WILL SAVE A LOT OF HEADACHES IF WE KEEP IT SIMPLE_SALLY OR SAM).

Tutorials, covering all of the core skills required to achieve basic competency as a UKB Author, and articles on a variety of publishing topics can be found at: AmiBroker Users’ Knowledge Base >> Contributors 

For additional information and links to publishing resources refer to: Wikipedia >> HTML Editor

Please read on!

 Note: The posts contained in the Contributors category only cover ‘publishing’ basics, with a limited range of publishing software and utilities provided as examples. Like everything ‘IT’, the programs and procedures are subject to rapid redundancy. They will be maintained into the future, to the best of the ability of the volunteers who ‘help’ out at the site. Visitors to the site are invited to help correct errors, or omissions, and suggest improvements, or alternative ways of going about it, by adding comments to the posts. Where enough new information comes to light, to warrant an extension or a separate article, please become an author and post to the site or email one-off articles to support [at] amibroker.com for uploading to the UKB. Ditto for specialist topics beyond the ken of the average person, or if you are ‘hot to trot’ on a particular topic or program. This will help the authors, and the editor, in their efforts to maintain this as a dynamic site.

 

RESOURCE LINKS:

HTML Editors

Link to a free ‘text’ editor with HTML capabilities (‘NotePad on steroids’): Fookes software >> NoteTab Editors >> NoteTab Light

Blog Editors

 

 

  • Version 1 – Aug 04/2007 – by Brian_z – written using Windows Live Writer beta 1
  • Version 2 – Aug 13/2007 – by Brian_z – draft rewritten and links section added

Introduction To The Admin Center

Objective.

This is the first in a series of introductory articles intended to help new contributors become familiar with the Users’ Knowledge Base (UKB) publishing procedures, so that they can quickly move to productive endeavors. The first few articles will focus on WordPress and will demonstrate all of the basic skills required to enable contributors to post, using WordPress as the blogging tool. Later articles will cover third party publishers, including third party visual editors and screen capture tools.

Introduction

The UKB is built on the free weblog platform and blogging tool WordPress. Information on WordPress , including documentation, support and forums can be obtained from:

http://wordpress.org/

The UKB site is hosted and administered by AmiBroker .

The WordPress documentation provides information on advanced features and administrative details. It is not necessary to be familiar with the details to be able to contribute. (Some of the features mentioned in the WordPress documentation were not required for the UKB site and have not been incorporated into the customized version used by AmiBroker). WordPress, in it’s standard version, assigns roles and capabilities to users as a fundamental part of it’s operating model. There are five roles; Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber. For ease of use, and to facilitate a self-managed site, AmiBroker has chosen to enroll the majority of contributors as Authors. Capabilities, which are task orientated, are assigned to the Roles incrementally, at the Administrators discretion. AmiBroker has elected to provide Authors with the authority to upload files and edit, as well as publish, their own posts.

For additional information on Roles and Capabilities refer to the WordPress documentation:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities

WordPress Publishing Procedures

Login

To be able to write and publish in WordPress approved Authors need to login to the WordPress Administrative Center via the UKB homepage.

To login to the WordPress Administrative Center:

  1. obtain a Username and Password from support [at] amibroker.com
  2. click on Login, in the right hand sidebar of the UKB homepage, and enter your Username and Password into the Login Window,
  3. then click the Login button.

To remain logged-in for long periods Remember me can be checked. Once logged-in, with Remember Me checked, the links in the Meta section of the UKB sidebar will change to Site Admin and Logout. Clicking on Site Admin will take logged-in users straight to the starting panel. Alternatively, a shortcut placed on the desktop will also provide direct access to WordPress for those who remain logged-in. (Note that the sustained login stores the logged user in a ‘cookie’ on the local computer. It may not work for those who have disabled their ‘cookies’).

Login Window

WordPress Administration

A successful Login will open the WordPress Administration Center with the Dashboard as the default view.

For Authors there are four other panels, besides the Dashboard, available: Write, Manage, Comments and Profile .

WP002

For an overview of The Administration Panels refer to the WordPress documentation:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Administration_Panels

WordPress Administration Initial Setup

On the first visit to the Administration Center there are some preliminary tasks to perform.

To start, click on Write . This will open the Write Post Sub-panel with the Visual Editor as the default view.

WP003

The Visual Editor is an add-on feature to the basic WordPress software. Unfortunately it has many faults and it is recommended that it is not used. It also causes conflict with ‘code’ tags, a custom feature provided by AmiBroker for displaying AFL formulas, and other third party WYSIWYG editors. The Visual Editor should be turned off.

To turn off the Visual Editor:

  1. go to the Profile panel,
  2. uncheck Use the visual editor when writing ,
  3. and click on the Update Profile button.

A confirmation message box will appear to acknowledge that the Profile has been updated.

WP004

The password provided by AmiBroker can also be customized in the Profile Panel , and personal information can be entered and updated at the same time.

The Write Panel

After updating Personal Options return to the Write panel and the default view will now be the Code Editor. Those familiar with HTML can write posts directly into the Editing Window .

Start by entering the Title . It can contain any words or phrases. Commas, apostrophes, quotes, hyphens, dashes, and other typical symbols can be used. WordPress will retain symbols in post titles but remove them from links used within the program. Avoid using the same Title twice as that can cause problems.

Above the Editing Window is a collection of buttons, or Quicktags, that produce snippets of HTML for applying formats; bold, italic, image, links, lists etc. How to use Quicktags will be demonstrated in a separate article Introduction To The Code Editor .

WP032

As an example of HTML publishing, a segment of the code that underlies this post has been included in the screen-shot above.

(The image was captured at one of the draft stages of writing and may differ from the published version).

For those unfamiliar with HTML a basic example will be provided in a separate UKB post, Introduction To The Code Editor. Users who prefer GUI methods need not be concerned as help with using a visual editor will be available in a separate UKB series, Using Visual Editors .

As well as providing an interface for post content, the Write Panel also has a range of input boxes that provide users with publishing options.

WP009

They can be expanded by clicking on the cross in the top right of each box.

WP010

Before saving for the first time check that the posting options have been initialized to their defaults:

  • Categories – {empty}
  • Discussion – Allow Comments, Allow Pings
  • Post Password – {empty}
  • Post Slug – {empty}
  • Post Status – Draft
  • Post Time Stamp – current date/time
  • Page Order – zero
  • Trackbacks – {empty}
  • Custom Fields – {empty}
  • Optional Excerpt – {empty}

As writing progresses, the post can be saved as a draft.

WP008

To save a post as a draft:

  1. select the Draft radio button in the expandable menu box to the right of the Editing Window,
  2. click on the Save and Continue Editing command button,
  3. or click on the Save command button if ending the session.

The post will be saved as a draft and a Preview>> link will appear in the top right hand corner of the Editing Window. Clicking on this link will open the post in web view to allow the Author to check the post as it will look when published. After saving for the first time, the page will be moved from the Write panel to the Manage panel and a Delete this draft button will be added to the bottom left of the page. Drafts will not be visible to the public, but other contributors to the UKB site might be able to read them. They will appear in the Your Drafts list at the top of the Write and Manage panels. Clicking on a title in either of those lists will load it for further editing. (Posts do not appear on the Mass Editing list, until after they have been published).

WP027

After saving a draft for the first time it will be listed as Uncategorized and Uncategorized will automatically be moved to the top of the Categories list. It will remain there until the post is assigned another home. (The category that a post is assigned to appears at the top of the Categories menu box by default).

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The Upload Sub-panel

Images can be inserted into, or linked to, posts in various ways. (For simplicity, this example will refer to images only but the instructions are also applicable to other types of files). This is managed from the Upload Sub-panel, which is located in the area below the Editing Window. Initially there are two [tabbed] sub-panels in view; ‘Upload‘ and ‘Browse All’. Essentially ‘Browse All’ is like a file library, to which images or files can be uploaded. Images are listed in the browse page as thumbnails and files are listed as thumbnail size icons that contain the file name in text.

(Note that images uploaded using some third party Visual Editors may not appear as thumbnails. Some software will produce images that use file icons).

To browse the file library:

  1. click on the Browse All [tab],
  2. select the required page number (use the page >> arrows to move through the complete range),
  3. use the scroll arrows at right to view all the thumbnails on each page.

WP012

The files in the library are common property; they are a collection of all of the images and files uploaded to the site by all users, since the site inception. An Author can use any file, but they can only delete their own files or images. Only the Administrator or the Editor can delete common files.

The complete catalog of files can also be viewed by selecting the Uploads [tab] at the Manage Panel .

WP015

Authors can upload files for their own, or common use. Once a file has been uploaded another [tabbed] Browse Sub-panel will appear. It will only contain the files and images that belong to the particular post that is current at the time. Files in the Browse Sub-panel have the same appearance and behavior as files in the common library and they have joint membership of both groups.

When uploading files the Author has the option to enter a Title and a Description. If an image is inserted into a post, the Title will appear as text when the mouse is hovered over the image (this may not hold true for all browsers). It will also be the text displayed if a Title is inserted as a link. The Description is only used if an image is linked to a page (it will be included as page content).

To upload files:

  1. click on the Upload [tab] to open the sub-panel,
  2. use the Browse button to find and select the required file from the local computer (the standard MS browse window will open),
  3. enter a Title (if a title is not entered the default will be the name the file has on the local computer),
  4. enter a Description (if a description is not entered the default will be {empty}),
  5. click on Upload.

WP013

After uploading the file can be inserted into a post at any time e.g. images can be shown in a post as a thumbnail, or as originally sized, with the option to link to a file or a page.

To insert an image :

  1. left click on an image in the post library (Browse), or common library (Browse All ) to view the Insert menu;
  2. select the Thumbnail or Full size option,
  3. select Link to None ,
  4. hit the Send to editor >> button.

WP017

The defaults for the Insert menus are Thumbnail and File . There are several possible ways to insert images, however the author of this document finds some of them have no practical use e.g. inserting an image as a page link is not recommended as the image produced has very poor quality. Users can experiment with the different combinations to find what works for them, or suits the style of post they want to make. All of the images in this post were inserted full size with no links. This is the recommended method as it allows readers to print the posts with the full size images included.

(Note that if page linking is not going to be used there is no need to file the Description , as it is only used in linked pages).

It is also possible is to insert images that open from text or thumbnail links. Some authors may prefer this as it provides a more compact post.

To insert a linked image:

  1. select the Thumbnail or Title radio button,
  2. select Link to File ,
  3. hit the Send to editor >> button.

This will insert a Thumbnail, or the Title , into the post as a link. When they are clicked on by readers the full size image, as uploaded, will open in a separate window.

The Title or the Description of the file can be changed at any time.

To change the Title or the Description:

  1. click on the image,
  2. click on the Edit link that is appended to the file name in the Browse – Insert sub-panel (edit and insert are alternate views in the Browse sub-panel and they can be toggled back and forth via the Edit/Insert links),
  3. over-type new text into the input boxes,
  4. click on the Save>> button at the bottom of the Edit sub-panel.

WP018

Note that this only changes the Title and Description for any subsequent inserts. It does not change them for images that are already inserted in a post. The Edit settings are pre-conditions and they are not dynamically linked to inserted files. The image properties; Title, Description, Show and Link are captured in code on the initial insert. After files have been inserted their properties can only be modified by changing the code. The exception to this rule is linked pages, which are dynamically generated each time they are opened. Images or attachments can only be deleted from a post by deleting their code. There is no warning given when removing images from posts in this way.

For additional information on Using Image and File Attachments refer to the WordPress documentation:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Image_and_File_Attachments

Publishing

When writing is complete and the Author is satisfied with the final version it can be published.

To publish a draft:

  1. open it from the Your Drafts link at the top of the Manage panel,
  2. click in the Uncategorized checkbox to deselect it,
  3. select the Category of choice,
  4. click on the Publish button below the editing window.

The post will be published and it will be moved from the Your Drafts list to the Mass Editing list on the Manage Panel . It will appear at the top of the list (the list is ordered by published date). All published posts are listed and they can be viewed from the list. Author owned posts can be edited or deleted by clicking on the appropriate link.

WP021

Published posts can be returned to Draft status by changing the Post Status setting and Saving the post. It is not recommended to do this as RSS feed readers may receive additional copies when the post is republished.

Please try to avoid publishing until the final draft version has been carefully checked, as visitors to the site may have RSS feeds enabled. Any published version of a post will appear in user’s RSS lists, even if the post is deleted at a later date. Once a post is published there is no guaranteed way to take it back.

Editing Published Posts

When a published post is opened for editing it opens in the same template as the draft, except that the Delete this draft button changes to Delete this post and the Timestamp, which tracked current time in the Draft , will be set to the published date-time. This can be confirmed from the Post Timestamp box. In the Draft this reports current time only.

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In a published post the Timestamp is frozen and text confirmation of the published time is included.

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(Note that the post is sorted by the Timestamp in various places, including; the Mass Edit list, Searches, Archives and Categories or Subcategories when selected from the sidebar drop-down).

All the other editing features for published posts are identical to those used when drafting.

(Note that changes to the Upload Panel and main editing panel are not automatically saved. The Upload Sub-panel edits need to be saved using the local button and changes to drafts or published posts should be saved at the Editing Window buttons before closing the page or publishing the post).

Deleting Published Posts

When a post is deleted any files that were in the local library will remain on the server in the common library. It is recommended to delete library files from the server before deleting a post, unless the author has a future use for them.

Uploaded files can be deleted from the Edit Sub-panel , but only by the owner.

To delete uploaded images:

  1. go to the Upload Sub-panel,
  2. click on the image,
  3. click on the Edit link that is appended to the file name in the Insert sub-panel,
  4. click on the Delete File button at the bottom of the Upload sub-panel.

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When the mouse pointer is hovered over the button it turns red to warn the user of the consequences of clicking on the button and a confirmation message box will open with a warning.

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Notice the distinction between deleting files from a post and deleting files from the library. When a file is deleted from a post it is still in the library. When a file is deleted from the library it is deleted permanently. Where a post references a file that has been deleted from the library, the image will remain within the post as an empty shell, with the Title displayed as the alternate heading.

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Comments Sub-panel

The final area available to Authors is the Comments Panel. Here Authors can modify or delete comments that are attached to their own posts.

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The Awaiting Moderation Sub-panel is also accessible from this screen but it doesn’t contain any content for Authors . Moderating and approving comments, and checking them for spam is looked after by the Administrator or Editor .

That completes this section on Using WordPress . For a better understanding please read it in conjunction with other posts in this series.

For additional information on Writing Posts refer to the WordPress documentation:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_Posts

 

See you at the UKB Authors Forum ……………happy publishing!

add – post ID

add – upload library (second panel)

Introduction To The Code Editor

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

A BASIC INTRODUCTION TO THE WP CODE EDITOR WILL BE WRITTEN HERE ASAP

INCLUDING:

  • example posts (basic level),
  • the quickest and simplest way for novice authors to post,
  • managing special characters (use of <PRE>),
  • using custom <code> tags to enter AFL formula in a standard format (and how to avoid HTML conflict with AFL code).

NEW AUTHORS PLEASE JOIN THE AUTHORS FORUM WHERE DETAILED POSTING ISSUES CAN BE DISCUSSED.

 

add – discussion on pasting AFL formulas into the CE including special characters

check – more

site development – link to section and back to top link in posts???

http://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_Code_in_Your_Posts

Viewing Microsoft Attachments

DRAFT

The majority of computer users are also Microsoft (MS) users, however, for financial reasons, or through personal choice, not everyone who visits the Users’ Knowledge Base (UKB) will use a Microsoft product as their operating system or have Microsoft ‘office’ software installed on their computer. Even for those who do use MS software there are ‘compatibility’ issues between different versions of their ‘office’ products such that users may not be able to read online attachments written in MSOffice, for example, while using MSWorks as the sole MS ‘office’ product installed on their computer.

Fortunately Microsoft attachments can be viewed in other ways, although some of the advanced features available in the higher end products might not be supported by the lower end versions. This article looks at an alternative for MS owners, using Word documents as the primary example.

For those who do not use MS as their operating system some options are canvassed at:

Microsoft’s Word Processors

At the time of writing Microsoft’s ‘word processors’ range from Notepad, at the lower end, through WordPad and MSWorks Word Processor in the middle of the range, to Word at the higher end, although strictly speaking Notepad is classified as a plain text editor.

In general Microsoft’s ‘word processors’ are compatible with each other when going up the range e.g. a plain text file written in Notepad will open in Word. However documents written in the higher level programs are not necessarily compatible with the lower order programs e.g. advanced features provided in the professional level programs are not supported by the basic programs.

Opening Attachments On A Microsoft Machine

As a rule of thumb, if the attached document is compatible with local word processing software, the file will open without problems.

  •           1) Click on the link to the attachment in the UKB post (the File Download window will open).
  •           QuickPost104
  •           2) Opt to Open the file to read it ‘online’ or Save it as a local copy.

Note: the program that the file is associated with will vary by Type.

  •           3) Allow the process to proceed when a security warning requires input.
  •           QuickPost105

If there is not a compatible MS word processor installed on the machine an ‘error message’ will occur when opening the file ‘online’.

  •           QuickPost103

An error message of this type can also occur if the default program for the attached file-type is incorrectly set.

Note: in this situation the attachment can be Saved to the local machine without problems and then the file-type default can be reset.

To reset the file type default:

  •           1) Click on the link to the attachment in the UKB post (the File Download window will open).
  •           2) Click on Save, and download the file to a local disk.
  •           3) Use the operating system file browser to locate the ‘saved’ version and right click on the file (a series of pop-up menus will allow users to               nominate their program of choice as the default ‘editor’).
  •            ViewingAttachments012
  •           4) Select Choose Default Program from the list (the Open With window will appear).
  •           ViewingAttachments004
  •           5) Pick the highest level of word processor available from the list of Recommended Programs and check Always use the selected program to                        open this kind of file and click on OK (in this example MSWordViewer is the only program compatible with Word documents).

Thereafter Word files will open in the Microsoft Word Viewer in the normal way, albeit without editing capabilities.

Note: novice users should use trial and error to test the compatibility of word processing programs on their machine for themselves. In most cases documents written in higher order Word programs can be ‘forced’ to open in the more basic programs, although they will be stripped of incompatible features.

Microsoft Viewers

Microsoft provides free Office viewers to their users who do not own the Office suite. Installing a Word Viewer will allow machines without a specialist word processing program view, print and copy Word documents. 

 To download Microsoft viewers:

  •           1) Link to the MS Download Center at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx?displaylang=en
  •           2) Enter the name of the viewer required into the Download Center search box. (DO NOT Search Microsoft.com in the topmost engine).
  •           ViewingAttachments001
  •           3) Download and install the files from the search list according to the instructions provided by Microsoft.
  •  
  •            ViewingAttachments006
  •            4) After installation set Word Viewer as the default program for opening RTF files (as per the method above).

Note: at the time of writing the Author successfully installed and tested Word Viewer 2003 on a Vista machine that uses MSWorks as the sole ‘office’ suite.

To access an attachment for testing the compatibility of local software with Word files go to: Quick Posting Example

Viewers are also available for Xcel 2003, PowerPoint 2003 or 2007 and Visio 2003 or 2007 versions.  

 version 4 – Aug 6/2007 – written using Windows Live Writer beta1

Converting Word Documents Into Posts

DRAFT – SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL REVISION

OBJECTIVE

The objective for this tutorial is to show how to copy a Word document into Windows Live Writer (WLW) for uploading to the Users’ Knowledge Base (UKB).

INTRODUCTION

Copying Word documents into WLW  provides Authors with an additional option, and a user friendly way, for contributing to the UKB. It is recommended for those who have an archive of articles already written in Word or who prefer the familiarity of Word. It is also suitable for those who want to use the superior editing features that Word offers over Blog Editors. It is also useful for those who work collaboratively and want to use features like comments and revision tracking. Another benefit is that it provides a stable, and familiar local back-up. It is a method that does not have a long learning curve.

PREPARATION

It is recommended that the Word document to be copied has been written according to the guidelines at: Quick Posting Example – Word Attachment . The document should consist only of text, with basic formatting, images, tables, hyperlinks and AFL formulas. Tables need to have been converted to an image.

CONVERT

Copy and paste the document into WLW

1) Open a New post in WLW.

2) Enter a Title for the post.

3) Open the Word document that is to be copied.

4)

 

AFL formulas – add markers (plain text in AB pref)

TO BE CONTINUED

Introduction To Windows Live Writer

How to make Suggestions and ask Questions

If at all possible ask your questions in a comment to a closely related post, that way it will be read by someone who knows the topic and who is most likely able to answer your question. Note that some categories have introductory posts that are especially created to provide you with an easy way to ask questions. If you cannot find a related topic you can ask your question in a comment to this post.

Please use the same method when suggesting new topics or categories. If no related topics can be found you can suggest your topic in a comment to this post.

Tips and Tricks

In this post we will collect simple Tips and Tricks that can help you get the most out of this site. You are invited to report new ideas of using this site in a comment to this post.

Searching for a topic
At the top of the Right side-bar is a search window in which you can type keywords to search for. The search is restricted to the title and body of the post and does not include author names. You can also use your browser find button (CTRL-F) to find any string in the displayed browser window. While not really a search you can list all posts in a category and its sub-categories by selecting the category in the Category window located in the middle of the Right side-bar. Posts will be listed by the date they were filed with the most recent post at the top.

Copying AFL Code
For the purpose of clarity and reference AFL Code on this site is formatted with line numbers. These line numbers will not copy when you highlight a section of code. You can directly copy-n-paste AFL code from this side to the AFL formula editor. As the site matures download procedures will be provided to download all code for a selected category. Some posts may also have download links to document and/or AFL files.

Creating a local copy of the UKB
There are many free programs that you can use to download, copy or grab, the entire UKB website. Typically these programs will create an icon on your desktop that gives you fast access to a local copy of the UKB. This off-line local copy will function exactly like the on-line one but respond much faster. It is best for you to do a search and select the website copier you prefer however to get an idea of how they work you can try this free product: HTTrack website copier

How Do I Read RSS Feeds?

TO BE DELETED – CONTENT WILL BE COMBINED WITH ‘USING AMIBROKER RSS FEEDS WITH INTERNET EXPLORER

 

For those subscribed, the Users? Knowledge Base Feed will be listed in the Internet Explorer Favorites Center, under Feeds.

ReadRSS1

The number of posts saved, the frequency of updates, and other options, can be set from the Feed Properties window. To open the Properties window, right click on the Users? Knowledge Base link in the Feed list and select Properties from the context menu that opens, or, click on the View feed properties link in the browser window RSS page.

ReadRSS2

If the posts are in a summarised form the text will end with the word (more….) as a link. The full version can be viewed by clicking on the link, or, by clicking on the right arrow at the top of the post.

ReadRSS3

The full version of the post will open with the comments below. Scroll down to read the comments, if any.

ReadRSS4

Comments can be viewed separately, in a scrollable list, by subscribing to the Users? Knowledge Base Comments RSS.

To unsubscribe from a feed service, simply right click on the link in the Favorites Center and delete the link.

Introduction To RSS

DRAFT – SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL REVISION

RSS Feeds, also known as XML feeds, syndicated content, or web feeds, are a means to automatically obtain frequently updated content published by an RSS enabled website. They are most often used for news and blog websites, but they can also distribute other types of digital content, including rich media (pictures, audio files, or video). Popular Internet Browsers like Internet Explorer, FireFox and Safari can discover and display feeds as you visit websites. You can also subscribe to feeds to enable automatic checking and downloading of updates that you can view later. Account holders at the major Internet Portals, like Yahoo and Google, can also access RSS content using inbuilt readers from within their personal pages. Stand alone feed-reading, or news-aggregator software, is also readily available for providing users with access to enhanced features:

  • audio or visual announcement of new posts,
  • watch or search for keywords automatically,
  • save individual articles manually,
  • integrate items from multiple feeds and organize by subject,
  • offline reading,
  • play rich media content,
  • view headlines, summaries or full articles,
  • and more.

Content summarized from Internet Explorer help files and other internet sources. Reference Internet Explorer > Help for the complete transcript.

 

RESOURCE LINKS

1) Link to a free site that forwards RSS Feeds to an email address: http://www.rssfwd.com/

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