OT: Forum Preview Tool

Jonathan Neal wrote on 2/10/2009, 2:05 AM

Hello all,

Since I've been dropping in more often I thought I would update the forum preview tool I wrote.

http://madison.thewikies.com/sonyforumpreview/

Basically, the forum preview tool gives you a preview of your post while you write it, live, as well as provide a graphical interface for using and previewing the forum's tagging options, for things like bold, italics, underline, etc. All of the major tags, including links, images, and videos are supported.

One of the new features is the special live preview bookmark that you can add to your browser. When clicked, this will instantly deploy the live preview tool here on these forums for use while you're making a new post, editing an existing post, or writing a reply. In fact, I used the live preview bookmark when I wrote this, and then again when I edited it. Enjoy!

Jonathan

How to add and use the live preview bookmark
(as seen and tested in Firefox and Internet Explorer)

1. While on my Sony Forum Preview page, right-click the link that says: Add this link to your bookmarks to deploy on the forums.

(as seen in Firefox)

(as seen in Internet Explorer)

2. When prompted, give the bookmark a name. I've named mine Forum Preview Tool.

(as seen in Firefox)

(as seen in Internet Explorer)

3. While on the Sony Creative Software Forums making a new post, editing, or replying, select the preview tool from your bookmarked favorites.

(as seen in Firefox)

(as seen in Internet Explorer)

4. If everything worked right, you should now see the live preview tools.

(before)

(after)

Enjoy.

Back to post

Comments

altarvic wrote on 2/19/2009, 5:42 AM

it is a Bookmarklet
and it works fine in Opera

Jonathan Neal wrote on 2/19/2009, 8:04 AM

Glad to hear that it's working for everybody. I thought it worked in Firefix, IE7, IE6, Safari, Chrome, and even Opera. Now I know.

PeterWright wrote on 2/19/2009, 4:47 PM

altarvic - I'd like to find out what's different here.

I'm using Opera 9.62.

I have the Preview Tool saved as a Bookmark.

I hit Reply, then click the Preview Tool Bookmark

This opens the Preview Tool as a separate page, not as a modified Vegas Forum Reply page.

To use it I have to copy from the separate page and paste here like THIS.

Jim H wrote on 2/19/2009, 6:04 PM

How does this work anyway? Let's see now....

altarvic wrote on 2/19/2009, 8:25 PM

PeterWright - check bookmark's address.
it looks like javascript:(function(){var h=document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0],e;e=document.createElement('script');e.type='text/javascript';e.src='

you can customize Opera to load this script automatically when you click Reply.
1) Create text file and type the following text

document.addEventListener(

'load',

function () 

{



var h=document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];

var e=document.createElement('script');

e.type='text/javascript';

e.src='http://madison.thewikies.com/sonyforumpreview/bookmark.js';

h.appendChild(e);



e=document.createElement('link');

e.type='text/css';

e.rel='stylesheet';

e.href='http://madison.thewikies.com/sonyforumpreview/bookmark.css';

e.media='screen';

h.appendChild(e);

},



false);

2) Save it to any folder you like The name doesn't matter but extension must be .js
3) Open http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Right click on the page and select Edit site preferences
Go to Scripting Tab - User Javascript Files and choose the folder with script. Click OK
4) Test

PeterWright wrote on 2/19/2009, 9:06 PM

Thanks, but you've lost me! My bookmark address is:

http://madison.thewikies.com/sonyforumpreview/

How do I access the "longer" version that you posted?

altarvic wrote on 2/19/2009, 9:26 PM

here

PeterWright wrote on 2/19/2009, 10:33 PM

Well, thanks for going to all that trouble, but it's made no difference.

I copied your script into Notepad, saved it as Preview.js in a folder on Desktop called PREVIEW

I opened http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com rightclicked, Selected Edit Site Preferences, went to scripiting tab and chose the saved script in User Javascript Files and clicked ok.

Now when I open Reply it opens as previously, no Preview Tools, and clicking the bookmarked preview page, it opens the Preview Page separately as before.

No big deal, as I said, thanks for trying.

xberk wrote on 3/1/2009, 9:45 AM

I seem to have lost the use of the Preview Tool. Did something getting taken down?
I really liked it!

MUTTLEY wrote on 3/1/2009, 10:15 AM

Is there a reason I seem unable to post video's from Vimeo on here? I tried the preview tool and when I pasted the code from Vimeo into it the video did indeed show up in the forum preview tool but showed up as a gobbledy gook here.

- Ray
Some of my stuff on Vimeo
www.undergroundplanet.com

MSmart wrote on 3/2/2009, 10:11 PM

Email has been sent to Jonathan. It's a nice tool, I hope it comes back on-line.

Grazie wrote on 3/3/2009, 1:15 AM

It's gone . . . sad ..

Jonathan Neal wrote on 3/3/2009, 8:33 AM

I had to restart the server and I forgot to add it back. It's back now.

Also, can someone show me a vimeo video here? I'll add it to the tool today.

Jonathan

MUTTLEY wrote on 3/3/2009, 9:48 AM

MUTTLEY wrote on 3/3/2009, 9:49 AM

Well I did try, just the html jibberish. Here's the video.

http://www.vimeo.com/3369248

- Ray
Some of my stuff on Vimeo
www.undergroundplanet.com

MSmart wrote on 3/3/2009, 11:03 AM

Thank You Jonathan

xberk wrote on 3/3/2009, 4:19 PM

HEY! .. It's back! .. Best thing ever for this forum!
Huge thank you Jonathan

je@on wrote on 3/3/2009, 4:28 PM

Hey, I'm digging it! Thanks... je

Grazie wrote on 3/3/2009, 8:18 PM

Great stuff Jonathan!

However, I've got the Mark-Up appearing back in the Previewing Pane. I get sets of BracketsB and BracketsI when one OR the other is used. We had this B4?

Grazie

Jonathan Neal wrote on 3/4/2009, 10:54 AM

MUTTLEY, I think the actual Sony forums here do not yet support Vimeo video embeds. This means that if I added Vimeo video support to the forum preview tool then you would have a false impression that the video could actually show up here.

MSmar, xberk, and je@on, thanks.

Grazie, another great catch. When I reloaded the files I updated the old version but this has been fixed. You should be able to use multiple brackets again.

MUTTLEY wrote on 3/4/2009, 12:22 PM

No problem Jonathan, suspected that might be the case. Lemme just go ahead and say I hope they add it!

Thanks for checking into it.

- Ray
Some of my stuff on Vimeo
www.undergroundplanet.com

Christian de Godzinsky wrote on 10/7/2013, 12:19 PM

HELP !

Dear Jonathan :)

This excellent preview tool - I cannot get it to work on a new installation (WIN 7 x64 Ultimate, IE10) ???!!!

Has something changed since last time (in Microsofts software that prevents this excellent tool of yours to work)?

Christian

PS: And this nice tool deserves to get bumped (or this thread) now an then...

EDIT: Sorry - after a restart of IE the preview tool works as intended :)

If you Jonathan someday still tune this nice script - would it be possible to make the input window slightly higher, and add a vertical scroll bar for the preview window?

VMP wrote on 10/7/2013, 2:06 PM

Love it thanks!

MikeyDH wrote on 10/7/2013, 7:51 PM

This works pretty good and is so much easier to manipulate the size of the letters which really is not needed...or is it???

Not working for me...what am I missing???

..