How-To: Use the PWI Forums

How-To: Use the PWI Forums

A short guide on the ins and outs of using a vBulletin forum (the forum software PWI uses). This guide covers all the basics and informs you of a few extras that are impossible to find on this customized version of vBulletin.

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Table of Contents

1. Uploading and using images
2. Editing your Avatar
3. Editing your Signature
4. Adding users to the Ignore List
5. Using vBcode to spice up and organize posts
6. Using the Search function

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1. Uploading and using images

The easiest way is to use TinyPic.com. If you wish to keep track of your images in an album, Photobucket might be worth looking in to.
This guide will cover TinyPic though.

When TinyPic.com loads up, you'll see this Upload screen.
Press Browse and navigate to a picture that you want to upload to the internet.
Doubleclick the picture you want to upload and hit the green UPLOAD NOW button.

After loading for a few seconds, it will take you to the Share This Image screen.
Here, select the line under "IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards" and paste it into the post you would like the image to be in.

The code should look like this in your post:
[HTML][/HTML]

PWI has different rules in different sections, this code will make an image preview load directly into your post, or it will be displayed as a hyperlink to your image where deemed appropriate.




2. Editing your Avatar

PWI Forums allows you to use a plain generic avatar shaped like a silhouette, or you can choose for it to display your character class and level instead. You can change this setting by visiting the Edit Avatar page.

You will see a row of the characters you have and the server they are located on. Click the one you want to be seen with. That's it. Avatar changed. The forums update slow sometimes, so don't spamclick it, it'll change eventually.




3. Editing your Signature

To change the Signature, we visit the Edit Signature page (located in the User CP)

From there you can choose to upload directly from your PC by clicking "Browse" or inserting a URL to a location on the internet (you could upload to TinyPic, copy the URL and paste it there)

Make sure the image is 500x100 or smaller, or it will be rejected by the PWI forums. you can adjust the widht/height of pictures with Paint or more advanced tools like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP.

After filling out either field, hit the Upload button, wait for it to load out and insert this text into the "Your signature" field.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Now press the "Save signature" button at the bottom and you'll have a shiny new signature with your picture of choice in it.




4. Adding users to the Ignore List

A feature not linked anywhere, but it exists nevertheless! The Ignore List page allows you to put those pesky trolls or people that just don't have anything relevant to add to a forum blacklist.

Fill out a name in the "Add a Member to Your List..." that you would like to ignore and press the "Okay" button.

Posts of that person will now look like this when viewed. Much better, right?




5. Using vBcode to spice up and organize posts

PWI Forums support a large number of vBcodes, these are simplifed HTML tags that make it easier to post special objects like images, links and code segments and spice up posts with custom colors, lists and indents.

Bold - Makes the words inbetween the B tags Bold.
[HTML]Hello World[/HTML]

Italic - Makes the words inbetween the I tags Italic.
[HTML]Hello World[/HTML]

Underline - Underlines words inbetween the U tags.
[HTML]Hello World[/HTML]

Align - Aligns the words left, right or center.
[HTML] - - [/HTML]

List - Makes an organized list
[HTML]

• Item

[/HTML]

Indent - Shifts the text to the left slightly
[HTML] [/HTML]

Link - Makes a a link to another web location or image
[HTML]PW Website[/HTML]

Email Link - Opens a new email message in your default email client
[HTML]PW Email Address[/HTML]

Image - Inserts an image or link to an image
[HTML][/HTML]

Quote - Quotes another forum user, so his post can be properly replied to
[HTML]

Esuna - Raging Tide wrote:

Hello World

[/HTML]

Code - Highlights programming code
[HTML]

Code

[/HTML]

Code - Highlights HTML code
[HTML][html ]html[/html ][/HTML]

PHP - Highlights PHP programming code
[HTML][PHP]php[/PHP][/HTML]

Color - Gives text a certain color, hex color codes can be used
[HTML]Purple Text[/HTML]

Size - Changes text size
[HTML]Small Text[/HTML]

Font - Changes font types
[HTML]Arial Font[/HTML]




6. Using the Search function

Before you post a thread with certain questions, try using the Search Function. Chances are big that people have already asked the very same things or that there are guides on said topic.

On the Search page you'll see a variety of settings to edit.

In the "Key Word(s)" field, you type what you are looking for. Let's say you're looking for Rebirth Gamma guides. You would probably type in "rebirth gamma". However, this will give you all threads with the word "rebirth" and all threads with the word "gamma" separately. Use the query "rebirth+gamma" to filter out threads about other types of Rebirths. You can also choose to "Search Entire Post", or "Search Titles Only". If one is looking for a guide, it is probably better to "Search Titles Only", so none of the threads randomly discussing Rebirths will popup in the results.

The "Search by User Name" is pretty straightforward. If someone was looking for one of my posts, they would type in "Esuna - Raging Tide" and it will display all my posts that have your keywords in them.


The "Find Threads with" function allows you to specify the amount of posts you want threads to have. This is to filter out dead threads that nobody has replied to.

The "Find Posts from" allows you to specify dates. If you're looking for a thread that's recently been made, you could filter out threads that existed for months.

The "Sort Results by" will sort the list of results according to your wishes, this can be age, user name etc.

The "Search in Forum(s)" function allows you to specify in what subforums to look. Hold down the CTRL-key and click the forums you like to select multiple, but specific forums. The CTRL-key also allows you to deselect a single selected forum. With the Shift-key you can select a row of forums at a time.
This function is meant for specific searches. If you are looking for Archer guides, you will most likely not want results from the other class forums or General Discussion. This is exactly what this function filters out.