Tech support and advice threads.

[bixaorellana]

Dead space ~~ it's happened to all of us. You write a message, post it, and there's all this empty space under the text. How'd that happen?

I'm not talking about the space that occurs naturally after a short message, but about the big blank part that sometimes shows up at the end of a long message or a picture post.

I don't know how it happens, but have noticed it's more likely to happen in picture threads.

Whatever ........ there is a way to control it:

Simply make sure the little vertical line that marks your place (the thing that looks like this: | on your screen) is right after the very last thing in your message. For instance, as this is the end of my message, the cursor will be showing right after the period, like this.|

[bixaorellana]

Our host forum is working on the network issues that have locked us out of anyport today.

(I'm posting this quickly before it happens again.)

[Jazz]

The great new Search function, see #17,
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=4124&page=1#80212

[bixaorellana]

At this time -- 1:25 p.m. Central time, Monday, Oct 4 -- our host forum is investigating problems causing slow loading of forums.

So, sorry for any inconvenience, but it shouldn't last long.

[Kimby]

Sept 21, 2010 10:32:41 GMT Jazz said:

The great new Search function, see #17,
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=4124&page=1#80212

I can see the utility of the search function for finding content, but is it no longer possible to search for threads by a particular poster?

And why are the results not arranged chronologically, so you can at least find the most recent posts?

For me, the new search function is NOT an improvement. Is there a way to get the old search function back as an option?

[Jazz]

Writing in French on a laptop with the proper accents etc:


Does anyone know of a simple user friendly site ? This morning I began my search and am a bit overwhelmed. I googled and found these possibilities,
www.google.ca/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=how+to+type+french+accents+on+a+laptop&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Computer language is certainly not my strength . I seem to be a slow learner with computers. Ie: it took me an hour this morning to wade through several sites and approaches to finally and triumphantly figure out how to do the symbol for a euro…€€€€!!!! It didn’t help that I was unaware that my laptop doesn’t show the specific small part of the keyboard with the special numbers that you need to type in with several methods. And, you have to do something obscure to even find this group of numbers. Finally I found the easiest, CRTL + ALT + E. €€€€€€€€€€€€€

Most of the time I type on my laptop in French, but seldom physically write in French. With time, I think I’m losing my memory of accents etc. This bothers me. I would love to learn how to do this but am hoping for the most simple and clear method for a laptop. Today I’ll begin laboriously wading through the methods.

[bixaorellana]

Jazz, the method I use is this ~~

Control Panel > Regional & Language Options > Regional Options

You'll get a window with three tabs: Regional Options, Languages, & Advanced.

Under "Regional Options", put in the form of French you prefer, then click OK.

Now open the "Languages" tab and click the Details button.

It will show your default input language (probably English, Canadian in your case) and in the drop-down menu you will see the French language option you just added.

In the same window, under Installed Services, make sure you choose the keyboard option for French.

At the bottom of that window, you'll see Preferences. Choose "show the Language Bar on the Desktop". Now, in Key Settings, it should be showing a "Left Alt + Shift" as the way to shift between languages. Click OK.

You are now set up to switch to French as needed. Browse online for a printable picture of a French keyboard. Keep that next to your computer for reference. With time, you'll start to remember which keys render what when you are in French keyboard mode.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a place on the computer to click and get a bunch of symbols to copy & paste, but I can't remember where it is. Anyone?

[onlymark]

It's called a 'Character Map', no?
Where is it though?

What I did is went to 'Start' - Search - For Files or Folders - write in the search box 'Character Map'.
In the list that came up there was an icon for it as a shortcut.
I just dragged this on to the desktop.
And there is was after double clicking on it.

[bixaorellana]

Hooray! Thanks so much, Mark. I now have my very own Character Map Desktop Icon.

[onlymark]

Aren't you the lucky one.
Keep it quiet though or else everyone will want one.

[Jazz]

Merci mes amis! This is great information and I am finding some fascinating reading. But, as I was beginning to go through your instructions, I stumbled upon this site for typing in French without a French keyboard...its fabulous! C’est un cliché, mais la femme fainéante trouvera la mèthode plus facile.
You can also use it for other languages and currencies.

french.typeit.org/

[Deleted]

Oh, Baz should know about that. Oops -- that's right, he has a grudge at the moment rather than rising above it.

[Jazz]

Do you think Baz would like to have it? I'll write him.

it's so exciting! do I sound pathetic? uh, yes ;D

[Deleted]

Oct 11, 2010 19:42:56 GMT kerouac2 said:

Oh, Baz should know about that. Oops -- that's right, he has a grudge at the moment rather than rising above it.

I'm so sorry to hear this.At you K2? Why should we all have to suffer from his absence because you pissed off someone else again??? >:(
I miss him on here.




edited to add the appropriate emoticons indicating that I was attempting to be playful,and not publicly attack Kerouac or anyone else. Can we be playful every once in a while??? Please? Someone brought up Baz,and I do happen to miss him,it seemed the right thing to say at the time I was reading it. Free Trade Zone says "meet and mingle",so,I am mingling.

[Deleted]

Please see above edit/modification explaining my post in more "appropriate" terms.

[bixaorellana]

Posts since your last visit

A new feature has been added which should be helpful for when people are short of time, but want to glance into AnyPort.

Click on the moving compass under the rest of the menu at the top right of the main page.

It will present a list of posts made since your last visit to the port.

The list rounds up to the nearest hour for last visit time. Thus, you may see some posts from your last visit.

A "visit" is only initiated whenever the visit cookie can be set. Thus, if you always leave your browser open, this won't work for you.

You must be logged on to use this feature.

[Kimby]

Don't try this feature while NOT-at-home!

Checking emails at the library on their super-fast connection, I tried it, and after watching the computer process and process, realized it would search out every single post on APIAS, unless I had logged into AnyPort on this computer previously, setting a cookie (which is probably not enabled on these computers anyway). Not so useful.

Will wait till I get home to try it... But what do you advise for travellers who are using public computers?

[Deleted]

I like the spinny thing, but I am so self-centered that I don't care what anybody has posted since my last visit. I must really miss a lot of stuff here.

[bixaorellana]

Oct 19, 2010 19:50:40 GMT Kimby said:

what do you advise for travellers who are using public computers?

I guess those people will just have to run the life-threatening risk of occasionally opening a thread that doesn't really interest them or in which they don't appear.

[Kimby]

Did you neglect an emoticon, bixa?

[bixaorellana]

Sorry, Kimby -- just frustrated. We DO try to accommodate everyone's time & forum-reading needs, but there's only so much that can be done.

[Kimby]

I think the question of travellers' use of APIAS is valid, though. And not just on that one feature.

Often we are using a hotel lobby computer with a short time allotments and other users waiting, and with varying connection speed (often better than at home, but sometimes far slower).

A summary of the ways one can condense a session on Any Port when using public computers that might be slow would be helpful. If there already is such a summary, can you provide the link here?

Thanks.

[Deleted]

Actually, I have opened some interesting threads here two or three weeks late sometimes, which is both good and bad. Sometimes I feel stupid for having missed it for so long, and sometimes I think it is the perfect time to add to a thread, because it has had time to mature and/or it is a good time to give new life to a topic that is fading from view.

[spaceneedle]

Is there some way to restore this at the bottom of the forums? I really enjoy this feature.

(Or is it hidden and I cannot find it?)

Also I have tried the little compass at the top right of the home page that has "recent posts" but when I use it, my anti virus software goes NUTS and eventually my computer just freezes. This has happened several times.

[bixaorellana]

The 80 posts feature is found at the top of the forum proper, below the horizontal menu. Click on the date at the far right to switch between a view of Category/Board/Thread to this:



Once you click on Recent, you'll get the 80 most recent posts:



I don't know why your anti-virus would reject the "posts since last visit" feature. See #135 above to see if any of the caveats apply to you.

[spaceneedle]

Thanks, but I had hoped the option to see the 80 most recent posts would be enabled so that I can look at them without being logged in.... (like it used to be)

[Deleted]

I would like to see the same thing. I rely on the 80 most recent posts. I have found a way to access them anyway, without logging in. But most may not know how to do this, so it would be good to have them up there like they used to be.

[spaceneedle]

I figured it out too deyana. Thanks

[bixaorellana]

Tell your social network friends that they can now register at Any Port in a Storm from their social networks.

One advantage is the ability to use the new share button at the top of every thread. By using this button, AnyPort threads can be shared with Facebook, Twitter, and many other social networks quickly and easily.

If you're already a member and want to take advantage of this new feature, go to your Profile and click on Social Networks.

[bixaorellana]

Wouldn't you like to get more views on your picture threads? Those threads are time-consuming to make, but are a large part of what gives the forum universal interest, so they deserve to get continuing attention.

The way to keep those threads in the public eye is to give them solidly descriptive titles. "The Ideal Vacation" will get attention from forum members when it's new, but will probably fall out of sight later. Something like "A Seychelles Summer", however, is much more likely to be picked up by Google and the other search engines. This will mean your site will continue being viewed and that your imaginative presentation might attract more members to anyport.