What is the red dotted line?

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Lately, I keep seeing a red dotted line appear in the reply text window. It has what I take to be an "enter" symbol (or "carriage return" as we more mature people say) at the right- hand end.

I had hoped this was a means of inserting interspersed comments when quoting a message in a reply …. which would be truly useful and in some cases is a virtual necessity.

All I can seem to make it do though is allow top-posting – in which case, it seems hardly worth the effort in this particular forum layout.

Maybe everyone out there knows what it's actually intended to do (and how to use it). If so, could someone please enlighten me?

– God

Edited By OMG on 07/09/2013 16:32:44

[Keith LongParticipant @keithlong89920]

Sorry – not seeing it – could be specific to your set-up, have you changed anything recently?

Edited By Keith Long on 07/09/2013 17:00:15

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I've seen the red line a couple of times [using iPad], but can't make it appear "on demand", and I have no idea what it is supposed to do.

I presume that someone has been "developing" the text-entry window, because I've also noticed that the text looks slightly fuzzy compared with that in the posted version.

MichaelG.

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by Keith Long on 07/09/2013 16:59:10:

Sorry – not seeing it – could be specific to your set-up, have you changed anything recently?

Edited By Keith Long on 07/09/2013 17:00:15

It only happens when you quote from a previous message (so you wouldn't have seen it in your reply).

Try this specifically:

– Click quote on a previous message

– In the reply window, click in the white area under the quote to put the text-cursor there ready for a reply.

– Now, without pressing any mouse buttons move the mouse cursor to the top of the text window (underneath the editing icons) in the approximate centre.

– You should see the dotted line appear.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Found something about it here

Allegedly, it's useful.

MichaelG.

[Keith LongParticipant @keithlong89920]

Allows you to put text here

Posted by OMG on 07/09/2013 17:19:46:

Posted by Keith Long on 07/09/2013 16:59:10:

Sorry – not seeing it – could be specific to your set-up, have you changed anything recently?

Edited By Keith Long on 07/09/2013 17:00:15

and here

It only happens when you quote from a previous message (so you wouldn't have seen it in your reply).

that's true

Try this specifically:

– Click quote on a previous message

– In the reply window, click in the white area under the quote to put the text-cursor there ready for a reply.

and you can intersperse comments!

– Now, without pressing any mouse buttons move the mouse cursor to the top of the text window (underneath the editing icons) in the approximate centre.

– You should see the dotted line appear.

Yes – saw it that time. Looks as though allowing top posting is what it does (primarily).

Sorry about the above – I'd not come across this before so I was "playing"

Once I clicked on the "CR" symbol, as well as allowing top posting it also let me click on any part of the quoted text and type in comments.

Keith

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by Keith Long on 07/09/2013 17:34:17

Once I clicked on the "CR" symbol, as well as allowing top posting it also let me click on any part of the quoted text and type in comments.

Ah, but you could always do that. It includes the added comment within the quote (i.e. it doesn't break the left-hand quote bar). It's illogical because it make your comments look like part of the quote and people who are following the thread may simply decide what you are replying to via a quick glance and then move on without noting the interspersed comments.

On an email client, for instance you can break a quote and add comments between the parts of the quote in their own space. It would be nice if it were possible here.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

It's a clever thingy that lets you addd a carriage return after the last one in the post, thereby removing any inherited formating. that's why it is useful after quoting someone, but it also appears if you insert a table or photo etc. on the last line.

Neil

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