The Guide
The Guide
Creating & Posting in Public Threads
Table of Contents
- Forum Structure & Section Descriptions
- Search Feature
- Watching Threads & Alerts
- Posting a New Thread
- Posting/Replying to an Existing Thread
- Formatting Posts
- Thread Changes – Locks/Titles/Prefixes/etc.
Forum Structure & Section Descriptions
The core of the Terraria Community is a robust and varied public forum area where a variety of topics – both related to Terraria and not – can and are discussed amongst members. In order to keep things neat and tidy – and on topic – we have laid out the forums into various sections. Each has an overall theme, with subsections that dive into ever-greater specifics. Below you will find a high-level overview of the forum sections and subsections that will hopefully help you know where to look for topics of interest and/or post your own!
Generally speaking, the forums are laid out by “platform” (PC/Console/Mobile), with additional sections for Announcements/News, Cross-Platform Discussions, and Non-Terraria chat.
Of course, if you find or post a thread in the wrong place, no big deal – just click the report button on the first post in the thread and let the staff know that you think it may be misplaced. We will take care of it from there!
News, Announcements, & Resources
Terraria – Cross-Platform Discussion
Terraria on PC
Terraria on Consoles
Terraria on Mobile Devices
Terraria Trading Post
Non-Terraria Topics
- Developer News & Announcements – This is where the game developers will share news and updates around Terraria on PC/Console/Mobile. There is one subsection tied to each Terraria platform. Only Staff can create threads here, but anyone can respond to threads.
- PC - ReLogic
- Console – 505 Games/Engine Software
- Mobile – 505 Games
- Community News & Features – Community News, Featured Content (Player Creations, Newsletters, Maps, etc.), Contests, and similar items will be posted here. Only Staff can create threads here, but anyone can respond to threads.
- Community Resources – This section contains the basics of getting started with the Terraria Community – the rules and a robust User Guide – along with an area where members can give valuable feedback on the Community and its evolution. Rules/User Guide are Staff-Only and locked for comment. In the Feedback section, anyone can create threads and/or post comments.
- Rules
- Community User Guide
- Forum Help & Feedback
Terraria – Cross-Platform Discussion
- The Crossroads: General Cross-Platform Talk – This is the place to go for general discussion about Terraria that isn’t isolated to a single platform. Anyone can post comments or threads here, but please check to be sure that your topic doesn’t fit better elsewhere first (For Example: Is it specific to console? Is it actually a suggestion? Etc.)
- Introductions – New to our community? This is the place to give us a brief welcome – and to be welcomed – by the friendly citizens of Terraria!
- Player Creations, Art, & Literature– Terrarians have shown themselves to be highly creative over time across a number of mediums. This is your place to show off that creative side! Have an in-game build, Terraria Video, or perhaps Terraria-inspired Art/Literature to share? Post it here! There is one subsection for each type of creation.
- In-Game Creations & Screenshots
- Terraria Videos (Let’s Play, Guides, Reviews)
- Terraria Drawings, Paintings, and Pixel Art
- Terraria Literature
- Player Suggestions- Terraria has been heavily influenced by fan feedback over the years. Our Terraria game suggestions area is where you can continue that tradition! There is a subsection for different types of suggestions, and don’t forget to mark whether your suggestion is for PC, Console, Mobile, or across all platforms.
- NPCs & Enemies
- Equipment
- Items
- Biomes & Nature
- Blocks & Decorations
- Portfolios/Multi-Topic
- Game Mechanics
- Other
Terraria on PC
- PC Town Square: Social - This is where PC Terrarians get together to discuss the game and to organize – both within the Community and for In-Game Multiplayer. There is a subsection for general discussions, Player-Run & Professional Servers, and for Short-Term/Quick Hook-Up/Server Events.
- PC General Talk
- PC Player Events & Connections
- Quick Hookup
- Server Events
- Server Hosting (Paid)
- PC Support– If you have a technical issue/bug report on the PC version of Terraria, are stuck on a particularly tricky part of the game, or looking for a Guide to PC Terraria, this is the place to go! There is a subsection for each type of issue/guidance here. Please note that In-Game/Technical Support is intended to be for situations where you are seeking Community-Sourced ad hoc advice, whereas Bug Reports are intended for the Dev Team.
- PC Guides
- PC Technical Support
- PC Bug Reports
- PC In-Game Support
- Player-Created Game Enhancements – This is the place to go for the vast array of community-crafted modifications and maps available for PC Terraria. There is a subsection for each type of content, as well as areas for development/sharing/discussion within each area. Please remember to place your mod/map in the right location (WIP vs Released). Ask a staff member if you need your thread moved.
- Client/Server Mods & Tools
- Released
- Works-in-Progress
- General Mod Discussion
- Player-Created Maps
- Released
- Works-in-Progress
- General Map Discussion
- Resource Packs
- Released
- Works-in-Progress
- General Resource Pack Discussion
- Client/Server Mods & Tools
Terraria on Consoles
- Console Town Square: Social- This is where Console Terrarians get together to discuss the game and to organize – both within the Community and for In-Game Multiplayer. There is a subsection for general discussions, Multiplayer Connections, and for Community Social Groups/Clans.
- Console General Talk
- Console Player Servers & Connections
- Quick Hookup
- Events
- Console Support- If you have a technical issue/bug report on either Console version of Terraria, are stuck on a particularly tricky part of the game, or looking for a Guide for Console Terraria, this is the place to go! There is a subsection for each type of issue/guidance here. Please note that In-Game/Technical Support is intended to be for situations where you are seeking Community-Sourced ad hoc advice, whereas Bug Reports are intended for the Dev Team.
- Console Guides
- Console Technical Support
- Console Bug Reports
- Console In-Game Support
Terraria on Mobile Devices
- Mobile Town Square: Social- This is where our Mobile Terrarians get together to discuss the game and to organize. There is a subsection for general discussions and Community Social Groups/Clans. Should Multiplayer ever be added to Mobile Terraria, we will add a subsection to make those connections here.
- Mobile General Talk
- Mobile Player Servers & Connections
- Quick Hookup
- Events
- Mobile Support- If you have a technical issue/bug report on the Mobile version of Terraria, are stuck on a particularly tricky part of the game, or looking for a Guide for Mobile Terraria, this is the place to go! There is a subsection for each type of issue/guidance here. Please note that In-Game/Technical Support is intended to be for situations where you are seeking Community-Sourced ad hoc advice, whereas Bug Reports are intended for the Dev Team.
- Mobile Guides
- Mobile Technical Support
- Mobile Bug Reports
- Mobile In-Game Support
Terraria Trading Post
- Want to Buy - Looking to obtain that rare item? Want to trade with other players? This is the place to make those connections! (Single Transactions)
- Want to Sell - Want to sell some of your duplicate items for other hard-earned loot or in-game currency? This is the place to be! (Single Transactions)
- Terraria Shops - For our Terrarians that enjoy more long-term trading via their very own "storefronts", we have a dedicated section just for you!
- Off-Topic – This is a catch-all section for topics unrelated to any specific video game or media (see Books, Music, Movies, and TV below). Though most topics are allowable here, please carefully review the Off-Topic Rules before posting. Topics that are traditionally more volatile (Politics, Religion, etc.) will be managed via Social Forums that will require members choosing to participate to opt-in to those discussions (and the potential drama that often unfolds). See the Sectional Rules for further details.
- Other Games – If you want to discuss video games other than Terraria, this is the place to go!
- Books, Music, Movies, and Television - Discussion of non-gaming media belongs here. Particularly popular media – TV/Book Series, for example, may also include publicly-accessible social groups.
- Forum Games – For those desiring a random way to pass the time/alleviate boredom.
Search Function
Sifting through thousands of posts and topics to find the information or discussion that you are seeking can be impossible! Luckily, the Terraria Community has a robust Search feature that will allow you to quickly and painlessly find what you need. Below, you will find a quick set of instructions on how to use the Search feature.
To start, simply click on the “Search Forum” button located just underneath the upper toolbar. This will open a basic search. By default this will search everything for the keyword chosen in the search field. You can narrow it down to keywords only in thread titles by clicking the checkbox underneath the search bar. If you want to narrow down results even more you can enter in a username if you know which member posted what you're looking for. Clicking the advanced button will take you to the Search Page, where you will be given four tabs for different kinds of searches. Each of these works differently, and those nuances are outlined below.
Search Everything (Default)
As it sounds, this allows members to search the entire forum – threads, posts, and profile posts. Please note that only profiles to which you have viewing access will return search results. Searches can be carried out in a number of ways, and any of these can be done alone or in combination in order to deliver a more targeted search.
- Keywords: Search for specific words or word strings. Check the “Search Titles Only” box to limit your search to thread topics, or leave it unchecked to search for any appearance of the keyword(s) across the entire forum. Please note that if your search is too general, the system will tell you there are too many possible results and you will need to narrow your search further to proceed.
- Posted by Member: This will return a search that lists every post made by a specific member. If no other parameters are specified, then it will literally return every post tied to that member. Note that multiple members may be specified as long as names are separated by commas.
- Newer Than: This allows you to adjust the recency of the search. When you click on this box, a calendar popup will appear. This allows you to limit your search results to posts made on or after your selected date.
Search Threads & Posts
This tab will limit your searches to only threads and posts in public threads. This will exclude Profile Posts and Tags from your search results.
Searches can be carried out in a number of ways, and any of these can be done alone or in combination in order to deliver a more targeted search
Keywords: Search for specific words or word strings. Check the “Search Titles Only” box to limit your search to thread topics, or leave it unchecked to search for any appearance of the keyword(s) across the entire forum. Please note that if your search is too general, the system will tell you there are too many possible results and you will need to narrow your search further to proceed.
- Posted by Member: This will return a search that lists every post made by a specific member. If no other parameters are specified, then it will literally return every post tied to that member. Note that multiple members may be specified as long as names are separated by commas.
- Newer Than: This allows you to adjust the recency of the search. When you click on this box, a calendar popup will appear. This allows you to limit your search results to posts made on or after your selected date.
- Minimum Number of Replies: As replies can often be a marker for more active threads, this allows you to limit your search on that parameter. You can either enter a number or use the +/- buttons to set the minimum reply threshold for your search.
- Thread Prefixes: Prefixes are used in our community to help members quickly and easily determine the broad category into which a thread belongs. For example: PC vs Console (and which Console)…or “Official” threads. By limiting your search to certain prefixes, you can potentially provide more actionable results (Example: Only looking for Official threads). IMPORTANT NOTE: As the use of Prefixes is optional in some sections, there is no guarantee that searching by prefixes will return all posts related to that topic area (Example: PS3 will return all prefixed Ps3 thread…but there may be other PS3 threads where the user didn’t apply the prefix)
- Search in Forums: Here you can limit your search to any specific section or subsection of the community rather than searching across the entire forum (which is the default). Click the “search child forums” box (default: checked) to be sure that the search includes any subforums below the sectional level.
- Order By: This determines how your search results will be organized – either by most recent first or by most active/replies first.
- Display Results as Threads: If this box is checked, the search results will be presented as original posts from threads in which your desired item exists. If it is unchecked, all and only actual posts related to your search will be shown. (Default: Unchecked)
Search Profile Posts
This tab will limit your searches to only Profile Posts. Please note that only profiles to which you have viewing access will return search results.
Searches can be carried out in a number of ways, and any of these can be done alone or in combination in order to deliver a more targeted search
- Keywords: Search for specific words or word strings. Please note that if your search is too general, the system will tell you there are too many possible results and you will need to narrow your search further to proceed.
- Posted by Member: This will return a search that lists every profile post made by a specific member. If no other parameters are specified, then it will literally return every profile post tied to that member. Note that multiple members may be specified as long as names are separated by commas.
- Posted on the Profile of Member: This will limit your search to specific profile(s) on which profile posts appear. For example, posts by Redigit on Redigit’s profile…or posts by Cenx on Crowno’s profile. As with “Posted by Member”, multiple Profiles may be included, as long as they are separated by a comma.
- Newer Than: This allows you to adjust the recency of the search. When you click on this box, a calendar popup will appear. This allows you to limit your search results to posts made on or after your selected date.
Search Tags
This tab will limit your searches to specific threads with specific tags. By entering in more than one tag you are specifying that any results must have both/all tags to show up in your results. Below is a list of popular tags that you can alternatively click on to get the results of that tag.
Watching Threads & Alerts
In order to help members keep track of discussions of which they are taking part, the system allows for the “watching” of threads. For any thread that a member is watching, an Alert will be generated whenever certain activity occurs – like if someone else replies to the thread. Members may also choose to receive an email whenever someone replies to a watched thread – this option may be selected in the Alert Preferences section of the Account Management menu.
In addition, Alerts may be generated for other forum activity related to the member. These actions include a member’s post being “liked” and/or quoted, Profile Posts or Comments being made on the members profile or in relation to Profile Posts made by the member on others’ profiles, images being attached to threads, and so on. Members may customize what community actions trigger alerts for their account in the Alert Preferences section of their Account Management menu. See the Account Setup & Management Section of the user guide for further detail and instructions on this.
Watching/Unwatching a Thread
- Members may choose to watch specific threads in two ways – Manually or Automatically.
- To Manually watch a thread, click the “Watch this Thread” button (see image above) in any thread.
- Automatic thread watching is tied to member posting and is an option that can be selected in the Options section of the Account Management menu. If this option is selected, any thread in which you post will be automatically added to your Watched Threads list.
- Please note that Unwatching threads must always be done manually. To do so, simply enter the thread and click the “Unwatch this Thread” button located in the same place as the “Watch this Thread” button shown in the image above.
- Watched Threads generate alerts – as noted previously – and are also added to your “Watched Threads” list. This can be accessed via a button located under the upper toolbar (see image below). Clicking on this button will deliver a list of all of the threads that you are watching that have new/unread posts.
Alerts – Viewing & Management
In addition, if you are active/online at the time of new alerts triggering, you will see a popup box on your screen that brings this to your attention.
If you would rather see all of your Alerts on a separate page, you may choose select “Show All” from the Alerts window. This will pull up a separate Alerts page where all of your Alerts – both new and old – sorted by date and time. Please note that clicking the Alert tab will clear the red box/number for all of your alerts – whether you subsequently check them or not. See Important Note at the end of this section.
- The entire Account Management Menu will be displayed along the left side of the page. Please see Account Setup & Management for information on how this functions.
- Personal Details: This gives direct access to the Personal Details Account Management section.
- Conversations: This functions the same as selecting “View All” from your Inbox tab. See Private Messaging for further details.
- Your News Feed: This will show all activity from the list of members whom you are Following. See Follow Function for further details.
- Likes You’ve Received: As it sounds, this allows you to view all of the Likes given to your activity in the Community.
If this occurs, simply revisit any threads that you are watching and the system will reset your alerts for that thread.
Posting a new Thread
So, you have an idea for a new thread? Fantastic! This section will guide you through how to create a thread in our Community and the options available to you when doing so. Before you get started, please make every effort to check the appropriate section(s) of the forum and/or utilize the Search Feature to insure that a thread discussing the topic does not already exist. We try to avoid duplicate threads in order to allow for more inclusive and efficient discussions – so duplicate threads run the risk of being locked.
To get started with posting your new thread you can use one of two ways to initiate thread creation.
1. From the Forum Index
From the forum index page click the "Post Thread..." button near the top right of the screen (shown in the image below). This will open up the section selector, from here choose the most appropriate section for your topic and click on it (See Forum Structure for descriptions of each section).
2. From the section itself
first find the section/subsection that is most appropriate for your topic (See Forum Structure for descriptions of each section). Once you are in the section that you want, click the “Post New Thread” button shown in the image below.
If you post your thread in the wrong place, don’t worry too much – odds are it will be reported for moving by staff, who will place it in the right location.
Thread Creation Page & Options
Once you click the “Post New Thread” button, the “Create Thread” page will load.
There are three core items that may need to be filled out in order for your thread to be created
- Thread Prefix: If available, you can assign an appropriate thread prefix that denotes an area of focus for your thread. In some thread sections, this is required. Available prefixes vary by section, please check out the sectional rules in each area for details.
- Thread Title: This sets how your thread will appear in the thread list on the forums. Try to be descriptive to your desired topic so that other members can readily identify what is being discussed.
- Original Post Content: This is where you enter the text/images/etc. that will appear in the first post in your thread. Try to expand upon the Thread Title and provide more detail to set the stage for the subsequent conversation.
- For formatting and other posting options, please see the Formatting Posts Section of the User Guide.
Adding a Poll to your Thread
Below the text box where you will enter the content of your initial post is an area where you have the option to add a poll to your thread if you so choose. Simply click "Post a Poll" to open up the sub-menu where you can edit the details of your poll. Polls will be listed at the top of each page in the thread upon creation.
To correctly add a poll to your thread, just follow the steps below.
- Enter the Question for your Poll in the “Question” field
- Enter at least two choices in the “Possible Responses” field. You may have up to 20 possible responses to your poll.
- Maximum Selectable Responses: There are three options here, you can either make it so a user can only select one answer (Single Choice), select as many choices an individual user feels is applicable (Unlimited), or select up to X number of choices (the number indicates up to how many choices a user can select)
- Allow voters to change their votes: Enabling this option makes it so a user can change what they chose even if they have previously already voted.
- Display Votes Publicly: Just like it sounds, this will show the actual member names of those who selected each poll option.
- Close this Poll After: This allows you to set a time limit for your poll. If you check this box, you must then provide a deadline for the poll to close. This can be in Hours, Days, Weeks, or Months. If the box is not selected, the poll will remain open forever.
If you need a change to the core elements of your thread, you will need to reach out to a staff member. For changes to thread titles, prefixes, or to edit/add a poll, simply click the “Report” button underneath the original post (OP) in the thread. When the “Reason for Report” window appears, please outline the requested change and click “Submit”. Remember to include all pertinent information (for example, if you want the title changed, please provide the text for the new title), and then wait for a staff member to enact the change. Please note that thread changes should typically be requested by the topic creator.
In the event that the topic creator would prefer that their thread be locked from further comment, a similar process should be followed (click Report, request a lock, etc). However, we do ask that members provide a rationale for requesting a lock. Generally, staff will follow through with any member asking for a lock on their own thread, however, there may be some instances where this may not be the case: for example, the topic creator wishes to leave the discussion, but there are several members still having a robust and constructive debate that should be allowed to continue.
Threads may also be locked for other reasons – most commonly topics that have derailed, are duplicative, or where rules violations have become rampant. Such actions are covered in the Rules & Rules Enforcement section.
Posting/Replying to an Existing Thread
Ready to jump into robust conversations with your fellow Terrarians? This section will deal with your options for responding to existing threads – either those created by you or by others. Please see the Forum Structure and Search Function sections for instructions on how to best locate topics for which you have interest. Once you have located a thread on which you want to comment and be involved, you have a few methods to do so.
The Basics
The most straight-forward way to contribute to an existing thread is to scroll down to the bottom of the most recent page, locate the Posting Box, and start writing your reply where it so aptly states “Write your Reply”. The system will autosave a draft for you along the way for you in case you lose connection, have to leave suddenly, etc. These will be in place until you post your message.
- If you wish to remove your currently saved draft message, simply click the “disc” icon located along the top of the Posting Box and then choose “Delete Draft”.
- Once you have the text of your post composed, you can either click “Reply to Thread” - at which point, your response will be posted to the thread for everyone to read – or you can choose “More Options”.
- The “More Options” button takes you to a page that only contains your draft post-in-progress. While the formatting options are the same, you have the choice to “Preview” your post here, and you can also choose your thread watching preferences for this particular thread (which will override whatever you have selected for your Account in general)
- Formatting of posts, including uploading images and other media, will be covered in the Formatting Posts Section of this User Guide.
- Please note that if you simply want to show appreciation or general agreement with an existing post, then clicking “Like” underneath that post is a great way to do so. Please do this instead of posting low-content responses like “Yes” or “I agree” without any further explanation.
- If you need to edit one of your existing posts, simply follow the procedure below by clicking one of the options found at the bottom left corner of your post
- Click “edit” if you want to make changes to the post, or “Delete” if you would like to remove your post altogether. Choosing Delete will cause a confirmation box to appear. If you are sure that you want to delete the post, click yes. There is no need to provide a reason unless you want to (the box will ask for one)
- If you intend to edit your existing post, then click Edit. This will cause the Edit Post popup window to appear. You may make whatever changes you like here or you can click the “More Options” button to pull up a more robust post editing page that is similar to the “More Options” page available upon post creation.
- Whenever you have made the edits you desire, select Save and your edited post will be uploaded.
- Please note that post edit history is visible to staff, so this feature cannot be abused to quickly post and remove content in violation of community rules.
If you wish to directly reference an existing post – or several – you have two ways in which to do so – either by selecting “Reply” or “+Quote”. These generally can accomplish the same thing, but have nuances that should be noted.
- “Reply”: Clicking Reply on an existing post in a thread will autopopulate the Posting Box with the text of that post surrounded by a Quote BBCode tag. You may then write your response around that Quote – either before, after, or both.
- When you “Reply” to an existing message, the author of the post will receive a “<Member> quoted your post…” Alert instead of the more generic “<Member> replied to X thread” Alert.
- If you wish to quote more than one post in your message, simply click reply on additional messages. An example is shown below. Please use this or +Quote rather than multi-posting
- “Multiquote”: Multiquote allows members to generate a list of multiple quoted posts that can span across multiple threads and sections. Clicking “+Quote” on an existing post in a thread will add the text of that post to your Multiquote queue. A message will appear at the top of the screen notifying you of this.
- You may continue to click +Quote on as many existing posts as you like, adding to your queue each time. If you wish to remove a post from your queue, simply go back to that post and click “-Quote”
- Once you have selected all of the posts that you wish to quote, select the “Insert Quotes” button that now appears just beneath the Posting Box. When you do this, a window will pop up that contains all of the messages you have added to your Multiquote queue.
- You may remove any messages that you no longer wish to quote by clicking “Remove” on the right side located next to those messages you wish to remove from your list.
- Clicking and dragging the three stacked lines will allow you to move around the messages.
- Once you are satisfied with your list, click “Quote These Messages”, and the system will automatically populate the Posting Box with your Multiquote queue.
Post Formatting – RTE & BBCode
There's a lot of nifty functions that can be preformed using the Rich Text Editor. The Rich Text Editor is used whenever you create a thread, reply to an existing thread, make a profile post, comment on an existing profile post, or creating a private message to send to another user. This section of the guide will help you master the many possible formatting options you can use to create a tidy and readable post.
- Remove Formatting : The default function of copy and paste is to keep all formatting the original text and layout had, but what if you only wanted the plain text of another post or webpage so that you could format it exactly how you want it? Clicking this button will revert the text to the Rich Text Editors most basic and default format.
- Bold (ctrl+B) : Clicking this button will thicken the words for emphasis or other purposes.
- Italicize (ctrl+I): Clicking this button will slant the words for sub-text or other purposes.
- Underline (ctrl+U): Clicking this button will underline all the words for emphasis, sub-titles, or other purposes.
- Strike (ctrl+S):
Clicking this button will put a line through all the words for soft redacting information or other purposes. - Text Color: Clicking this button will open a menu that will allow you to choose the color of your text. You can use any of the per-determined color options or even select the color based off of hexadecimal values.
- Font Size: Clicking this button will open a menu that will allow you to choose the size of your text based on the most common point formats.
- Font Family: Clicking this button will open a menu that will allow you to choose the style of your text based on the most common font families.
- Insert Link (ctrl+K): Clicking this button will open up a menu that will allow you to embed a link into your words.
- Insert Image (ctrl+P): Clicking this button will allow you to insert an image, it has two options. The first option will allow you to select an image located on your computer that will then be uploaded to our site so that it can be used in the post. The second option will allow you to enter in an image url that is already being hosted on another site to use in your post.
- Smilies: Clicking this button will open a menu that will allow you to choose an emotional reaction from some of your favorite Terraria characters.
- Insert: Clicking this button will open up a menu that actually has a lot of different unique options. Let's go over them.
- allows you to insert audio or video clips into your post that a user can play.
allows you to insert a collapsable text box in the form of a button that can be used to condense or hide information in your post.- allows you to insert blacked out text for hiding information in your post.
Code:Will pull up a menu that will allow you to select a coding language (which will be automatically formatted)Once the language is select simply start typing out your code for others to see and hit continue once you are finished.
Will allow you to use general code in line with your other text rather than putting it in it's own code box.
- Alignment: Clicking this button allows you to select whether you want the text on the left side of the post (left aligned), center of the post (centered), or right side of the post (right aligned)
- List: Clicking this button will open a menu that will allow you to have either an numbered list, an unordered list (bullet points); or even create an indent or outdent.
- Insert Table: Clicking this button will open up a menu that will allow you to create a table that can help structure your formatting similar to a spreadsheet.
- Undo (ctrl+Z): Clicking this undoes the last action you took, whether that was typing out text or adding/removing formatting.
- Redo (ctrl+shift+Z): Clicking this redoes the last action you took, whether that was typing out text or adding/removing formatting. This essentially acts as undoing your undo.
- Drafts: Clicking this opens up a menu that will allow you to save your potential post as a draft so that you can come back to it later or even delete your most recently saved draft in case you no longer wish to post what you were going to post.
- Toggle BB Code: Switches the Rich Text Editor to a BBCode editor. Chances are, you won't use this very often if ever.
BBCode vs Rich Text Editor
The instructions given in the Text Formatting section are written around the use of the Rich Text Editor (RTE) toolbar available on TCF. However, our forums also support the use of BBCode for some more advanced features as well as for those that prefer to utilize this more “manual” method of post formatting. All of the same options in the RTE toolbar – plus a few extra – are available via BBCode. The instructions and external links below are intended to help those inexperienced with this method understand how it works and what is possible. Below is an image from this very guide, but shown with the BBCode editor on:
In general, all BBCode commands have the same syntax: [command]<Text>[/command], with some commands having either the requirement or option for additional text (such as quoting a specific user vs just an empty Quote box). Below is a link to an external site that has a list of the most commonly used BBCode commands that shows how they work and how to utilize each of them.
Though the above guide covers the vast majority of the available BBCode commands on TCF, there are a small handful of additional options here that are not covered in the standard guide. Below, you will find a summary of those options and how they work.
- Anchors: TCF supports the use of post anchors. This allows you to create connections/links within your posts for quick navigation. The Table of Contents and “Back to Top” links in this guide are a good example of how this works. The use of Anchors requires two sets of Commands – one to set the link and the other to set the destination of that link:
- Anchor Tag: This sets the destination, or the “anchor point” for any related links. The anchor point is invisible, and the key you use will not appear in the post. Using simple, ambiguous keys - like numbers - can cause much confusion when coordinating complex sets of anchors. It is strongly suggested that clear and concise text names are used as anchor key values.
Code:[anchor]key[/anchor] - Goto Tag: This sets a link in place that will take anyone clicking it to the first anchor point on the page that matches whatever is entered as the key value. The text between the opening and closing tags will become a clickable link.
Code:[goto=key]key[/goto] - Url Tag: This sets a link that will take anyone clicking it to the first matching anchor point found anywhere in the thread. When linking to anchors from outside the thread or from inside the thread on any page after the first, this is the tag to use. Simple append a number symbol (#) and the anchor key value to the end of the url for the first page of the thread.
Code:[URL=http://blahbalh.php?threads/some-random-thread/#key]Some Link Text[/URL]
- Anchor Tag: This sets the destination, or the “anchor point” for any related links. The anchor point is invisible, and the key you use will not appear in the post. Using simple, ambiguous keys - like numbers - can cause much confusion when coordinating complex sets of anchors. It is strongly suggested that clear and concise text names are used as anchor key values.
Spoilers & Fixing Double Spoilers
One of the most commonly used commands/formatting tools are Spoilers. Using this will place the desired text inside of a clickable box – making it not visible unless the person reading the post desires and clicks the box. This can be a useful tool for hiding game spoilers as well as for enhancing the readability of longer posts/text walls.
Code:
[anchor]TopOfSpoiler[/anchor]
[SPOILER]
Content of spoiler.
[goto=TopOfSpoiler]Top of spoiler[/goto]
[/SPOILER]Uploading/Inserting Media in Posts & Embedded Links
Posts on TCF are not limited to text alone! Members may embed external media – videos and images – as well as links to external content. The BBCode Section covers the primary methods of doing so manually, while this section will deal with how to upload images and utilize the RTE toolbar to include media in your posts
Let’s start with how to upload your own images to the TCF server and then import them into your post. To begin, when you are making your post, click the Insert Image button
- Once you click the Upload button, a popup box will appear. This is where you will be able to select the file you want to upload.
- Click the box that appears to generate a browsing window that will allow you to select the desired file from your computer. Note that on Mobile Devices/Phones, you will get a slightly different choice (Camera/Choose Existing), but this should be self-explanatory.
- Once you have selected a file, the system will upload it to the TCF servers, and a new line will appear beneath your post. By default This will allow you to embed the image directly into the post – either full size or as a thumbnail. If you do not select either option, then the image will simply be attached at the bottom of your post once you complete it.
Embedded Links
Members can also embed links into the text of their posts via the Link button
- To embed a link into your post text, start by highlighting the text that you want to serve as your link. Then click the Link button (the one that looks like a Chain).
- Place the URL of the page to which you want to link inside the text field of the popup box and click Insert. This will make the text that you highlighted into a clickable link that will take anyone clicking it to the page you linked. The color of the text will change slightly to indicate this difference versus normal text.
- If you wish to remove an existing link, simply click the link text to open a popup menu with three buttons. Click the button on the most right to remove the link. Alternativley you can also click the middle button to edit the link or the left button to open the link.
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