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VIII. Creating and Posting a Message

Creating a new topic and replying to other messages is easy. WebBoard has a number of features that help you format and preview your message before you make it available for others to see. Messages can be written as plain text or as HTML. However, even if you write your messages in plain text, by default WebBoard will add HTML tags to your message during the upload (posting) process.

Why use HTML? Composing your message with HTML allows you to include stylized text in your message (e.g., italics, bold, colors, different fonts and font sizes). By using HTML, you can also include inline images and sounds, as well as JavaScript and Java applets. If you don't already know HTML, you can use a WSYWIG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor like to create your message, then paste the source code from the editor's "view source" window into the WebBoard message box.

If a conference has been set up to allow active links in messages, any URL typed in a message will be hyperlinked to the resource listed. When you click on the URL, that resource will appear in the Message window. By include the URL of a graphic located on other Web servers, you can include that graphic in your message (as an inline image). So, for instance, if you specify in your message the URL a graphic on the UIS home page (http://www.uis.edu/images/image.gif), the graphic will be displayed as an inline image in your message ("Including Inline Images" below).

Posting a New Topic

  1. First, you must open the conference in which you want to post a new topic.
  2. Next, click on the Post button in the menubar.
  3. A message box like that pictured below will appear; type a subject for the posting in the text box labeled "Topic."

    Post New Message

  4. Click any of the options that you want activated for this message. Your choices include:
    Convert line breaks
    Interprets blank lines as HTML line breaks (i.e., <br>).
    Pre-formatted text (no HTML)
    Displays the message as it is typed-WebBoard won't convert to HTML. This feature is useful for pasting in original material from another source, such as from an email message.
    Anonymous
    Posts the message without your name on it. This option may not be available for some courses.
    Preview Message
    Allows you to view the message before it is posted. Unless you specify the Pre-formatted text option, the preview will display the message as HTML (not source code).
    Preview/Spell Check
    Previews message (as HTML) and spell-checks the message using the WebBoard dictionary.
     
    Attach File
    Will prompt you for file attachment before posting the message. This option allows you to upload a file to the WebBoard server. For example, you might attach a graphic for inclusion as an inline image (see "Including Inline Images" below), or a word-processing document to be shared with other members of your board or conference.
  5. Click in the large (message body) box and type your message.
  6. Click on the Post button in the upper right of the Message window.

Previewing and Spell-checking your Messages

  1. If you've clicked the Preview or the Preview/Spell check option, when you click the Post button, WebBoard will display the message again before actually posting it to the conference. Below is an example of the Message Preview window.

    Message Preview

  2. If you have chosen to use the spell check, misspelled words and those words not recognized by the spell checker will be underlined in red. You can click on the marked words to edit them-WebBoard will make suggestions for correcting the misspellings. The spell check window looks like this:

    Spell Check Suggestions

  3. Click on the appropriate suggestion for the spelling, or type the correct word in the Change to: text box and then click the Done button.
  4. WebBoard will display the Message Preview window again. Click the Post button once you're happy with message.

Editing Your Posts
Once you've posted a message, you can always go back and edit it. However, remember that unless you've chosen the Preformatted option, WebBoard converts your message to HTML during the posting process; specifically, blank lines are converted to HTML line breaks (i.e., <br>). When you edit the message, don't be surprised to see these HTML tags!

To edit your message, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the message subject line in the Conferences menu to display it in the Message window.
  2. Click on the Edit link in the message header to edit it.
  3. WebBoard will display the message for you to edit.
  4. Click on the Post button to post it. (If you preview or spell-check, afterward you'll have to click on the Post button again).

Including Inline Images
You can include inline images in your messages. If you want to include a graphic file that is stored on your desktop system, WebBoard helps you upload image to the WebBoard server. Once your graphic file is on the WebBoard server, you can make it an inline image by including its URL in the body of your message. You can also easily include an image already existing on a Web server.

In addition to including inline images, you can also include sound files, JavaScript, and Java applets in a message body.

Including an image already present on your desktop sytem

  1. Write your message, and check the Attach file option above the message.
  2. Click the Post button. (If you've also checked the Preview or Preview/Spell Check options, check spelling or make other changes, then click on the Post button again.)
  3. Next, you'll be presented with a dialog box (shown below) to type in the name (or path) of the file you want to upload. Use the Browse... button to find the file on your local machine. If you want, add a description of the file, and click on the appropriate file type in the choices at the top of the page--click on Image for a graphic file.

    Attach File

  4. Next click on the Upload Now button.
  5. Your message will appear with the icon for an image attachment and the name of the file next to it (as a hypertext link).

    Image Attachment

Next...

If you're using a PC

If you're using a Mac

Next, click on the Edit link in message menu. WebBoard will redisplay your message for editing.

Position the cursor in your message where you want the inline graphic to appear.

Choose "Paste" from the Browser Edit menu, or paste using the keyboard strokes for the platform you're using. This pastes the link location (i.e., the URL) of the graphic into your message as in the example below:

Test Code

Click on the Post button to post your message again. The graphic now appears inline where you pasted the link location. It also remains an attachment to the message.

Test

Including an image that's already present on a Web server (anywhere)

  1. Begin a new message, as usual.
  2. Copy the link location from the graphic you want to include. For example, to include the UIS homepage graphic, go to http://www.uis.edu, then click on the graphic as in step 6. Continue through step 9 above to paste the graphic's URL into your message.
  3. Click on the Post button and complete the preview or spell check.
  4. Click the Post button again.

Deleting Your Posts
WebBoard allows you to delete messages that you have already posted (you can only delete your own messages, not anyone else's!). You can delete a message at any time, regardless of how long it's been posted.

To delete a message you've posted, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the message subject line in the Conferences menu to display it in the Message window.
  2. Click on the Delete link in the message menu to delete it.
  3. WebBoard will ask you to confirm that you want the message deleted.

Replying to a Post

  1. In the Conferences menu click on the subject line of the message to which you want to reply.
  2. In the Message window click on the Reply or Reply/Quote link in the message menu.

    Reply will open a new Message window with the subject line retained from the first message.

    Reply/Quote will open a new Message window with the subject line retained from the first message and the body of the first message "quoted" in the message body box.

  3. Check the options that you want (e.g., Preview, Attach File).
  4. Type your reply in the message body box.
  5. Click on the Post button.
  6. Preview/Spell Check the message (if options were chosen), then click the Post button again.

Sending an Email Reply
Instead of making a public reply to a posted message, you can reply via email directly to the author.

Note: Email reply requires that you have already configured the mail preferences of your Web-browser, or that you have a desktop mail program like Eudora configured and launched. WebBoard will not communicate with a mail program like Pine or Elm running in a telnet window. If you are working on a computer in a UIS Computer Center, the mail preferences will not be configured when the machine boots up (although another user may have configured them for him or herself--be careful not to use someone else's settings!).

To send an email reply, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the message subject line in the Conferences menu to display it in the Message window.
  2. Click on the Email Reply link in the message menu.
  3. Your Web-browser's mailer, Eudora, or other email program, will open a new Message window addressed to the author of the current message.
  4. Fill in the subject line and body of the message and send as usual.

Please send comments and suggestions to the UIS  webmaster.

Written content provided by Jolee West and the Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments .