How to use attachments

[Wise Young]

This site allows you to add attachments to your postings. When you post your reply, look for a button that says attachment or has a paperclip icon associated with it. All you do is to indicate the name of the file (and its path on your disk... if you don't know the path, you can choose "browse" which allows you to select the file from your disk), and then make the posting.

When to use attachments. You should use attachments in the following situations:
? Picture or files with special styles.
? Large file that would take up too much display room on the site, >100 Kb.

If it is a picture, the filetype of jpeg (jpg) or gif type will be automatically displayed as the picture so that people don't have to download the file. Please note, however, that if it is a big file, you are forcing everybody who looks at the picture to download the file. In addition, we pay for storage on the site. Thus, please be circumspect with the size of the pictures or files that you upload onto the site.

Some of the forums require the moderators to approve the attachment. This may explain why the attachment does not show up immediately. For example, this is true for the exchange forum. The reason is because many people may post huge pictures of their equipment, car, houses, and so on... Sometimes, we will shrink down the size of the pictures.

If it is another type of file (such as Word or other formats), please remember that not everybody has the program to open up and view the file. In general, you should consider posting files of the pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format because everybody can get the Adobe Acrobat reader for free.

If the picture is present on another internet web site, you may want to consider using the image feature of the posting. While you are posting, find and click the "Image" button and enter the URL address of the image (you can get this URL by CTRL-clicking the image on the other web site to open the image up in a new window and then selecting and copying the URL address of this window) between the square bracket IMG commands. Note that the latter approach allows you to put multiple images on a single posting whereas you are only allowed to attach one file per posting. The picture is automatically shown in the posting when people look at it, so that they don't have to click the link.

Wise.