"New Thread" toolbar problem.

[Bill Stuntz]

When new users register on our site to ask a question, the first thing they're likely to do is create a new thread. And they're immediately presented with the complex 3-line set of tools in the editor screen. The advanced tools are mostly useless for new users - they don't know what the extra tools do, or even why they might want to use them. For other functions like responding to a post, they get the simpler 1-line set of useful tools with a "Go Advanced" button if they want more tools to fancy up their post.

Is there a way to make the "New Thread" editor display the simpler set of useful tools and a "Go Advanced" button instead of the complex one? Most people, and especially new users, don't need the full set of tools.

On a similar subject, is there a way to add a "Preview Post" button to the simple 1-line set of tools? 95% of the time, the ONLY extra tool I need from the "Go Advanced" tools is that "Preview Post" button.

[Lynne]

AdminCP > Settings > Options > Registration Options > Default Settings > Message Editor Interface > Show Standard Editor Toolbar

[Bill Stuntz]

Nope. Still 3-lines of tools. I even closed CP & reopened it to be sure it saved.

P.S. I DO want WYSIWYG, but only the simpler 1-line toolbar like every other edit window uses. As far as I can tell, only the "New Thread" editor opens in what appears to be "Go Advanced" mode by default. Every other context I've found into the editor opens it with the 1-line toolbar and a "Go Advanced" button. Newbies have absolutely no idea what to do with all those extra tools that are basically useless and confusing while they're trying figure out how to make their first post - which is usually a new thread asking "How do I fix this?" with an attached photo. I don't want them to get lost in the maze. I want them to see only the essential tools, and make them "Go Advanced" if they want to try to do something fancy. All they NEED to do is ask a simple question, not fine-tune & pretty up their first post. If they WANT to confuse themselves, they can "Go Advanced" - I don't want them to START confused by all the unnecessary tools.

[Lynne]

Um, that just changes it for new registrations not existing users (which is what I thought you said you wanted - "When new users register..."). For an existing user, you need to edit their UserCP Settings (upper right corner) > General Settings > Message Editor Interface:

[Bill Stuntz]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The inconsistency is a bit confusing for regular posters, too. Most of the time, they don't need the advanced tools either. What I really want to happen is for that edit window to have the same simple 1-line tool bar as every other instance of the editor, and click "Go Advanced" to get the big one. I haven't been able to figure out why the "New Thread" edit window's toolbar different from all the others. And how can I make it the same?

Is there a way to get the "Preview" button from the advanced editor to show up in the simpler 1-line toolbar version of the editor? IMHO that's the most useful of the extra options available in the advanced editor.

P.S. My profile is set for enhanced WYSIWYG, and I get the 1-line toolbar for every edit window I can find EXCEPT "New Thread"
I have to hit "Go Advanced" to get the 3-line toolbar.

[Lynne]

You can set all users to use the standard toolbar in Maintenance > Execute SQL Queries (make sure your userid is entered into the line in the config.php file to run queries). That will set ALL users to use the standard toolbar and then they would have to edit their settings to use the WYSIWYG editor.

I'm sure there is a way to add a Preview Button to Quick Edit (anything is possible if you code it), but I don't have some handy code available for you to do so.

[Bill Stuntz]

My profile is set to use the WYSIWYG editor. And the editors open with the 1-line toolbar for everything EXCEPT "New Thread" and "Send New Message". Those 2 editors act like every other version does AFTER I press "Go Advanced" - except that I HAVEN'T pressed "Go Advanced" I want to "Go SIMPLE" from the apparently pre-selected "Go Advanced" mode that ONLY the "New Thread" and "Send New Message" editor use by default.

Quick Reply, Reply to Thread, Reply to Post, Edit Post, & Reply with Quote, and reply to Private Message ALL come up by default in WYSIWYG with the 1-line simple toolbar and an available "Go Advanced" button. And THEY have a "Cancel" button, which is mysteriously missing from the the extra bells & whistles in the "Advanced" editors.

Why should those 2 versions of the editor come up in "Go Advanced" mode with the overly complex toolbars, when all the others come up with the simpler interface and a "Go Advanced" button that users can press if they actually want to use the extra tools? If the simpler interface is adequate for all the other uses, what makes the "New Thread" & "New PM" functions so special that they NEED the clutter of 40 or so extra tools that are very seldom used to be available by default? I doubt if even 20 of the 2,189 users who have used our MB in the last 30 days have used those extra tools. I only KNOW of about 5 users who routinely use any of those tools - 1 "normal" and about 4 admins/mods. I'm one of the 4 - and it annoys me that I can't make them go away. I'd much rather click "Go Advanced" when I NEED them, than put up with them cluttering up my screen when I don't need them.

I've had several people (including 2 moderators) ask why those two editors function differently from the others because they DO NOT want the extra tools. And they want me to "fix" the editors because they're too confusing and they NEVER use any of the extra tools anyway.

I can't find anything in any settings/options/profile/etc. that seem to cause those 2 to behave differently from all the others.