Markdown editor for the forum - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2019, 11:18:59 am
content: Hello Dave,Would be nice if the forum editor were to be upgraded to a Markdown one. Would be much faster to write !Regards,David

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 01:23:28 am
content: edit: got it, you want the forum to use a different style formatting.You can use bbcode in the editor, it works.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 01:28:11 am
content: Quote from: SparkyFX on September 05, 2019, 01:23:28 amI am talking about this syntaxhttps://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/Has been popular among programmers and technical writers, but to be honest it is just so fast and intuitive.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 02:34:03 am
content: BBcode is just fine, and don't see any strong reason to switch to that.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 02:55:35 am
content: I know it has nothing to do with the thread, but since we're on the topic of the forum format, has anyone noticed that the "Country" indicators under our names are duplicated? Or is it just me?

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 03:00:21 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on September 05, 2019, 02:34:03 amHave you ever tried it?You don't buy a Toyota corolla after having tried a Mazda 3.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 03:06:37 am
content: Quote from: ddavidebor on September 05, 2019, 03:00:21 amReading the web page is enough, and my car is better than Mazda 3.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 03:07:24 am
content: @edy: don't threadjack - there are already about three threads for the country issue.@All,IMHO markdown is a dumb idea, unless implemented as a per-user configurable option for a markdown => BBCODE translator in the editor. Reddit is probably the most well known site with a markdown editor, and you only have to look at the number of posts there with gross formatting errors, even in highly technical subreddits, to see that a significant proportion of average users just cant cope with formatting with a non-WISIWIG editor.Since BBCODE is the native SMF forums formatting language, and underlies its WISIWIG editor, if you prefer plain text editing, just learn enough BBCODE to get by.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 03:20:47 am
content: Quote from: Ian.M on September 05, 2019, 03:07:24 am+1 on the garbage posts, that sometimes I wonder if the only good thing comes out of that, is to expose the poster's stupidity or ignorance.

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 03:56:51 am
content: Theres tons of different markup formats (latex, pod, wikitext,...) in use, but as the browser renders HTML the reasons to have a different markup language in a forum in the first place is so that users can´t screw up the page layout or do things like including iframes, direct invocation of files (malware), images (copyrights) and such to annoy other users.So bbcode (or vbcode, which is way older than markdown) is more or less just an altered and reduced HTML with a different tag format that gets rendered upon display or saving to the database, while actual HTML is encoded to not work.That´s why you would not want to do the encoding and decoding in the client (browser) and have to do it on the server (forum software).Security concerns might not be an issue with markdown either, but adding another ML would create a couple of problems, like concurrent use of bbcode and e.g. markdown, which one would have precedence and how is it communicated to the user? Both formats would need to be parsed and converted in some sequence, creating race conditions of formatting and opening new security vulnerabilities.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 04:23:36 am
content: Quote from: SparkyFX on September 05, 2019, 03:56:51 amThe wisdom of acknowledging the advantages (& disadvantages of course) of centralize processing like in the olde days is long gone for current generation, especially with powerful client nowadays.

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 04:36:08 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on September 05, 2019, 04:23:36 amA page shouldn't displayanythingwithout client-side processing. You show troubling signs of alack of dedicationfrom the part of the client.On markup languages: I can never settle on liking any particular one. In the end I'm equally happy with anything that allows me to avoid typing <p></p> and <li></li>, beyond that they're all equally crap. ie I don't see many advantages with adding support for another one here, bbcode is feature complete and not the worst that's out there.Adding a new markup language isn't a zero-fee game. You have to support that engine forever, lest the rendered posts can't stay cached or someone edits an old one. You can't easily change which markup renderer you are using either (markdown for example has many implementations) as small differences (eg spaces between images) will break people's posts.Mywebsite's enginehas no specific ties to any one page language (you choose what you want when writing a page). Naturally I've ended up with a website put together from half a dozen different markup languages.

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2019, 07:51:21 pm
content: Quote from: Whales on September 05, 2019, 04:36:08 amSure, but what is sent by the server for display should be safe when watched with a browser. The client could do any number of changes to what is sent or received.What i wanted to point out is that a post is saved in the database including the bbcode and gets translated into HTML when the server sends it (should a user reply, the server will put the original bbcode in the text field), following server rules. Adding a new markup language server side means double effort with unknown result.As already suggested you could use an md-to-bbcode converter client side all the time, should work, maybe as some greasemonkey script or as a bookmarklet or so.

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 12:02:13 am
content: Twas a joke Sparky> you could use an md-to-bbcode converter client side all the time, should workPlease no. Send HTML, the native language. It's simpler and more reliable, when it breaks it breaks for everybody (not just a few people).

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 02:14:46 am
content: Does not need to be a joke, such converters exist:https://alfateam123.github.io/md2bbc/But the forum will handle the bbcode only, e.g. people that respond will have the usual bbcode.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 02:31:39 am
content: In 2019 there shouldn't be any need for people to enter BBCode or Markdown code.There's several solutions "what you see is what you get" which would allow users to enter and format text as if writing in a text editor.Once data is received by server, code on server can convert the html of the text back to bbcode or whatever, if desired.here's exampleshttps://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?https://techwiser.com/best-wysiwyg-html-editor-open-source/

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 02:57:36 am
content: Quote from: mariush on September 06, 2019, 02:31:39 amYes, but some of us are a lot more productive using markdown - it's about being able to keep our hands on the keyboard and not having to reach for a mouse or trackpad.Unfortunately adding in the phpBB Markdown plugin probably means that it has to be supported forever or any posts and messages formatted in it will be unreadable.I think the best solution is a client-side tool which allows you to write in markdown but uploads bbcode to the server.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 06:50:33 am
content: Quote from: ledtester on September 06, 2019, 02:57:36 amI can type [ b ] or [ quote ] without reaching for a mouse.There is only a few commonly used tags and they are the same on almost all Internet forums. Just memorize them already

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 08:30:14 am
content: Quote from: mariush on September 06, 2019, 02:31:39 amThe forum already has a what you see is what you get editor. It's just not enabled by default.Click on your profile, select "modify profile" and click on "look and layout", click on "Show WYSIWYG editor on post page by default." finally click on "change profile" to save the changes.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 09:37:01 am
content: Many of us have spent literal years on web fora or hand-editing HTML, so typing BBCODE for markup actually comes easier than wrestling with a WISIWIG editor, each of which seems to have a different layout.What *would* be nice is keyboard shortcuts for the most frequently used insert BBCODE button icons.(including subscript and superscript to encourage well formatted device parameter names etc.) All shortcuts for paired BBCODE tags would wrap any highlited text with the tags or remove the same tag from hilighted text beginning and/or ending in the tag, (better yet if it can be a true toggle). If used with no text selected, it should insert the paired tags with the cursor between them, or remove a pair of the same tags directly bracketing the cursor.To avoid conflicts with different browsers, system hotkeys, accessibility software etc. the escape key (modifier deadkey) that prefixes a shortcut should be user selectable, then the shortcut should be a single letter (possibly case sensitive), number or symbol. Type the escape key twice to insert the actual escape character.Also an 'Unquote' keyboard shortcut would be really useful, for use when replying: quoted, interspersed, which would insert a /quote tag followed by a quote tag with parameters copied from the same level quote tag above it, so the continuation quote below gets attributed to the correct author.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 12:17:13 pm
content: Quote from: ddavidebor on September 05, 2019, 03:00:21 amJust to be contrarian, I'll add in that I've had a rental Mazda 3 for a week, and that my previous car died, it was immediately replaced with a Corolla without so much as a consideration for Mazda.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 12:49:47 pm
content: If an engineer lives/works in a dense urban area without secure off-street parking, doesn't have small penis syndrome, and doesn't need to do on-site client 'marketing' visits in their own vehicle, a mechanically well maintained 'beater' can be a consciously cost effective choice as a daily driver as you can get, run and maintain a very reliable set of wheels for a tiny percentage of the cost of a new semi-performance car. An ex-fleet Corrola could well fit that description.Fake some body damage with primer, leave a judicious scattering of clean 'litter' on the seats and footwells, and hang a couple of fake 'tree' air fresheners from the mirror, and even the druggies don't bother trying to break into your vehicle.Make the front wings and doors look bad enough, and 'dress down' when you are driving and taxi-cabs and buses start yielding to you at busy junctions . . .The down side is the occasional police stop,but if you keep copies of *all* the vehicle paperwork, (including recent maintenance receipts) in the glovebox, strictly avoid breaking the law in your vehicle, and don't have a criminal record, they tend to be very apologetic for wasting your (and their) time. I wouldn't go as far as getting a car topper from a defunct Pizza takeaway, but I hear that + an old Pizza bag on the back shelf can deflect a lot of attention. Cops gotta eat too . . .