Take out the warning "When posting logs or configuration snippets please use code blocks and syntax highlighting. For quick highlighting of code, YAML, etc, use this button: "

1

It has been a while present now, and is a bit of an annoyance especially on smartphones with smaller display. Could it be taken off?

2

That wouldn’t be popular as there are always new people joining.

What would be popular would be for it to have some kind of intelligence so that it would know if you have ever posted formatted code and then doesn’t show the banner. (I’m pretty sure this possible).

And also, few people will see this post as I think you forgot to give it a category.

3

Not going to happen. As @klogg said there are new people joining every day and even with the huge banner at the top of the page most ignore it until they are specifically asked to read it.

It would be nice if there was some sort of forum tutorial that wouldn’t let you post until you mastered this. Then the banner could be taken away.

4

to me that means is ineffective. SO take it out and just leave a link to instructions

5

How often do you try to help people who don’t properly format code or error logs? Improper formatting makes it very difficult to read. At least now we can say, “hey, you missed the instructions at the top of the page.”

Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that there isn’t more instruction required for new users of this forum. Besides the issue of improperly formatted code/logs, people don’t know to check the “this solved my problem” box once their problem is solved and they don’t need help anymore. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve wasted reading topics trying to offer help, only to discovered the person doesn’t need help anymore.

Before coming to HA I used SmartThings, and their forums do a much better job of teaching people how to use them. Of course, those forums had a lot fewer people on them, so maybe that had something to do with it. :wink:

2 Likes
6

Also taking out one third of visible space on small smartphone makes it difficult to read the forum threads itself

7

How about adding a RTFCL to the top? Just today, someone was posting about their time automation not working after updating to 86.1. Oh yeah? no kidding… READ THE F***ING CHANGE LOG!!!

8

All you have to do is scroll down.

1125×2436 451 KB

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9

How small is your smartphone? I read this forum on my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge all the time.

But seriously. You make good points, but right now, IMHO, having the instructions easily available is helpful and it’s worth a bit of space. And like @tom_l says, it goes away as soon as you scroll.

1 Like
10

why don’t add a cookie, or whatever, it shows first times and then stop, common, every single thread of this forum has to start with the warning for months and years? Seriously?

11

Something like that would make sense. Or even better: just display it when a user actually want to create a topic or reply to an existing on. And in a very in your face-way. Like filling up the whole screen and a dismiss button that only can be pressed after a reasonable timout. And once it has been dismissed (and therefore hopefully read), this is saved to the account and won’t be displayed again. And somehow I’m thinking of the Southpark episode with the Human Cent-iPad. :smiley:

1 Like
12

How about they give us the ability as users to smack the crap out of someone the second time they do it incorrectly?

13

Besides, the warning instructions are wrong, you have to add a line with no characters, so now lots of new people don’t get it nevertheless of the warning

14

Be even nicer to link it to a cattle prod for people that ignore it!

15

Because people might visit (and get a cookie set) for months or longer before ever posting.

16

??? you do???

17

Hmm, apparently you do. At least, you have to have a blank line before the lines you want to format. I guess I didn’t know that because I always use the three-back-ticks before and after technique:

```
aaa: 123
```
1 Like
18

Yes you do, the whole thing is not as easy as ‘oldtimers’ think it is. I remember it took me a couple of attempts to get it right when I joined here.

I agree 100% with those who complain about people who can’t/don’t do it properly but I also think they should be cut them a little slack until such a time as some of the excellent ideas regarding educating new people are implemented.

I’ve actually started using the same method as @pnbruckner. It has the added benefit of adding colour :sunglasses:

19

Yes I have always used backticks as well but some people can’t find that key… anyway… it’s impossible at times to help unless it’s formatted correctly so it hurts them.

20

Talking about forum frontend stuff… Is there an option to block specific members posts to my questions ?
(if so I have not found it yet, and have looked).

Increasingly here like all web forums, there are a bunch of people who will ask you for more and more details on a question, then give you a trivial and useless statement at the end of doing that, like “yes you will need to fix that” or some other BS that was obvious. I’d like to start blocking these time wasters.