Inserting a Link/URL Into a Message

Started by MountainDon, January 15, 2008, 09:13:09 PM

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MountainDon

Inserting a working Link or a URL into a message can be a challenge at times. I trust this will make it easier for anyone having problems.

There are a number of methods to insert a working link. First, here's one I have seen attempted, one that doesn't work. IF you type something like the following...



...the following is what will appear on the posted message screen.



That did not make a working link. The "countryplans.com" simply appears as plain text.  :-[

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Okay, the first method of entering a working link is to include the "www" prefix along with the rest of it. Like this...



This is what you then get appearing as the message.



The link appears in light blue lettering as all message links do. Passing the cursor over the link makes the finger pointing hand cursor appear. Clicking the mouse button will open that link. Great. But not all URL's begin with a www, so there's more...

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There is a "hyperlink" tool. Here it is...



If you've read some of the other tutorials you may have an idea of what's coming next. We'll go back to that first example, the one that didn't work, and make it a proper functioning Link without the "www". We start with the "countryplans.com" text and highlight it using our mouse. [click behind text, hold left mouse button down, drag left to highlight all text, release mouse button.]



Leaving the text highlighted, go up to that hyperlink tool button and click on it. Below is what should now be in your write message window...



When the message is posted the next image is what will be presented to the world. It's a working link! Hurrah! Note the text "countryplans.com" is in light blue signifying a link.



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There is another way to use that hyperlink tool button. Starting with the cursor where you want the link to appear, click the hyperlink tool button. This is what you should now have...



After you click the hyperlink tool button, the cursor is between the opening and the closing code bracket sets. Simply type the URL or paste the link into that space. It would look something like this...



When you're done, click the "Post" message button. You'll have a working link (if it was typed correctly).

...continued in next message....
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

#1
Next we'll see how to do a little magic and make yourself look like a pro.  ;D  It's not too difficult to hide the actual URL and have a descriptive word or phrase as the "hot" link. Let's set this up using the words "CLICK HERE" for the example. Type as below...



Then highlight the words...



With the words highlighted, next click the hyperlink tool button...



So far so good. But now we need to insert the actual URL that will be the destination. This could be typed in, but we're going to do a COPY and PASTE routine as this is something that is a handy. It also beats typing by eliminating any possible typing errors. So in another browser window, or another tab, open the URL you wish to couple to your message link. Because you have the desired link-to page open and active, you know the page address is correctly entered. Illustrated below is a page on countryplans.com. Highlight the address as shown, then holding the cursor over the highlighted text, right click and select and click COPY.



Return to your write message page. Now here it may get a little tricky depending on your mouse skills. The cursor must be placed within the first code tag, in precisely the correct place. You want to click after the "l" in "url" and before the "]"... Once the cursor is properly placed, press the "=" key. Below is what you should now have...



Next we'll PASTE the URL in there. A simple method to PASTE is to use the keyboard shortcut; press and hold down the "Ctrl" key and then press the "V" key and release both. The paste is completed and should appear as below...



After completing the message and posting it this is what it looks like...



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One more fun wrinkle to play with. You can combine code tags and make that "CLICK HERE" stand out even more. Using some of the expertise from the tutorial on "FONTS" we can change the color of the text to purple. Highlight the link words "CLICK HERE" as illustrated below. Then with the words highlighted go to the change color field, click, select a color and click on the color name.



Do not click anywhere in the message field yet! Next we'll make the text appear in Bold face. Find the "Bold" button in the upper row of buttons and over on the extreme left side. Click the "Bold" button. This is what you should now have...



When the message is completed and Posted/Saved this is what you should see...



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If you have any questions, suggestions, please drop me a PM or simply post your ideas or comments in a reply on this topic.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


sparks

Thank you so much Mountain Don. Your lessons made so much more sense than the other places I've looked at.........sparks.
My vessel is so small....the seas so vast......

MountainDon

Thanks. Anytime, sparks.

Anything else I can clarify? Just holler.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

sparks

Hi Mtn Dn, I've been using the compose place on the email to practice......sending stuff to myself ......thanks again...I don't want to look like a boob if and when I start using those tools! Tnx....sparks
My vessel is so small....the seas so vast......