Edit tools/formats

[LitEroCat]

Can someone tell me what tools are used to read files that are submitted?
Do you convert our files to HTML or some other format? Do you use WORD?

I've been having formatting problems for two months with an RTF file. I create my stories in Wordperfect then convert and save them as RTF files. The conversion isn't always perfect, so I directly edit the RTF and fix the minor problems that creep in. WP lets me look at the formatting codes and catch problems that aren't obviously visible.

My MUSE story looked fine when I sent it in, but the online copy was badly corrupted. URLs were duplicated or missing. Short BOLD sections became many lines in BOLD. Many lines were missing- vanished!

I fixed all those errors, resubmitted it and waited another 2 weeks, after the initial 4 weeks. It looks like all the text is there, but the links to my other stories, all on LITEROTICA, are royally screwed and incomplete. Since part of the URL is truncated, they only lead to an error page though they ARE valid in both the WPD and RTF files. So what gives?

Would it be simpler and easier if we submit stories in HTML format?

Since ONLY bad copies have been published, I'd like to delete the story and submit as new once all the problems are solved. How do I do that?

A DELETE option seems like one that should be available on our SUBMISSION VIEW or home page.

Thanks

 

[fieryjen]

That sucks

I can't help you very much with that, sorry. I submit all of my stuff by C&P for that very reason. URLs and special formatting just has to be entered by hand that way, but I'm used to it now and it's not a big bother.

To delete a story, just do the old submitting another story with the title "DELETE" and in its body, list the titles of the stories that you'd like deleted. I agree it would be a lot easier if there was simply a link to do that. If the story is still pending, you can delete it easily, but for the accepted ones, I son't think they have found an easier way to do that.

 

[LitEroCat]

doooh! Re-booting brain.... Press F1 to continue

That sucks

I can't help you very much with that, sorry. I submit all of my stuff by C&P for that very reason.

Ahh, C&P - Chuckles & Pratt? Though on THIS site, I can think of 'worse' meanings for C&P! Honestly, my feable brain can't remember what that is.

 

[fieryjen]

Ahh, C&P - Chuckles & Pratt? Though on THIS site, I can think of 'worse' meanings for C&P! Honestly, my feable brain can't remember what that is.

Copy & Paste

 

[snooper]

Once more ... with feeling!

Read http://www.literotica.com:81/stories/showstory.php?id=57781 and/or http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=311913 to discover exactly how to do whatever you want. Then make a .txt file, insert as advised in those two "How To" articles and then cut and paste from the amended .txt - it really does work every time.

 

[palisa]

There's something to be said for avoiding special effects entirely. Without trying to be dogmatic, you could argue that underlines, bolding, and italics in many cases are techniques that try to compensate for deficiencies in the text itself -- in other words, if the text were well-written, you wouldn't need typographical emphasis.

Then there's the problem of all the different standards and extensions to standards of computer text files. Even ASCII is not plain vanilla anymore, as a perusal of the ASCII variants in Word will demonstrate. Even with the helpful links above, it's still a crapshoot.

 

[LitEroCat]

formatting

Copy & Paste

See? That was just toooooo simple! I already tried C&P, and D&D (Drag & Drop), but ALL formatting is lost.

Thanks to SNOOPER's post, I can assume the final result is an HTML file that's been processed by a script. I should have known! It seems WP doesn't save in HTM format- that's just a text file anyway, with scripting codes. I tried saving the formatted file as a WORD 97/2003 file then tried C&P and D&D. All formatting lost again.

I guess you have a macro for WORD .DOC files, so I'll submit it that way and see how it goes. So much trial and error to recreate something I already sweat over to make it look right.

Maybe you should list .HTML files in your accepted list? Even list it as preferred? We could preview it in IE, send in a working file and maybe save you most of the manual efforts. Your macro might only have to convert URLs that don't point to LITEROTICA.COM pages to text

Ya know..... the window used to create these posts may have ALL the tools we need and yet not require us to manually enter HTML codes. I'm sure there are 'live' HTML editors that let me see the formatted text and paste it into the text box on the submit story page. I was sure WP let me do that. I'll keep digging.

 

[fieryjen]

I've gotten used to just marking any special formatting by hand as I write, so it's not a problem for me and the C&P won't omit it. So in Word, my text looks very much like -

Well I don't <i>fucking</i> care.

You get the idea. I've never had it turn out any different than I wanted it to. It will turn the word into proper italics once you click the preview button.

 

[LitEroCat]

solved?

I've gotten used to just marking any special formatting by hand as I write, so it's not a problem for me and the C&P won't omit it. So in Word, my text looks very much like -

Well I don't <i>fucking</i> care.

You get the idea. I've never had it turn out any different than I wanted it to. It will turn the word into proper italics once you click the preview button.

I see. You put the html codes in your text file so it isn't a complex .HTML file.
There are probably only about 6 codes we'd use anyway. THAT short list might be good to include in the FAQ or even the SUBMIT page. Who would do that?

FYI, I found WORDPERFECT's secret too. It doesn't manage a live HTML file at all. It's just a simple text file anyway. Once I have my file prettied up, I tell WP to publish the file to HTML. It creates a new .HTM file with all the HTML codes to make it look like my WP doc.

The new .HTM file is UGLY! Just what you'd expect from a generated script file. I think I'll learn from the WP codes, then try it your way. It may be possible to CUT only the essential file body out, but I won't hold my breath.

Thanks for your comments Jen.

P.S. NO one's volunteered to be my model(s) yet. Surprise! :-(

 

[LadyCibelle]

I see. You put the html codes in your text file so it isn't a complex .HTML file.
There are probably only about 6 codes we'd use anyway. THAT short list might be good to include in the FAQ or even the SUBMIT page. Who would do that?

FYI, I found WORDPERFECT's secret too. It doesn't manage a live HTML file at all. It's just a simple text file anyway. Once I have my file prettied up, I tell WP to publish the file to HTML. It creates a new .HTM file with all the HTML codes to make it look like my WP doc.

The new .HTM file is UGLY! Just what you'd expect from a generated script file. I think I'll learn from the WP codes, then try it your way. It may be possible to CUT only the essential file body out, but I won't hold my breath.


Thanks for your comments Jen.

P.S. NO one's volunteered to be my model(s) yet. Surprise! :-(

If you take a look at those two very informative 'how-to's' you'll understand a bit better the formatting you need to do for your story.

Testing Story Formatting

VB Code List


This last one you simply have to change the [] for the <> in your story.

As an example if you wanted some text in italics you would write <I>some text</I>

If you want some text in bold you'll write <B>some text</B>

Underline some text? You'll write <U>some text</U>

It's quite easy once you get the hang of it.


Then when you've inserted all the codes for your formatting, you simply have to C/P into the text box on your submission page.

 

[LitEroCat]

buried treasures

If you take a look at those two very informative 'how-to's' you'll understand a bit better the formatting you need to do for your story.

Testing Story Formatting

VB Code List


This last one you simply have to change the [] for the <> in your story.

Thanks for the pointers. Buried treasures like this are hard to find if you don't even know they exist. I see the VB codes used in these bboard posts. But are they valid for use in stories?

It'd be nice to know what limits there are on features. Like fonts. There should be a limited set of fonts, but not tooooooo limited. A dozen should be enough, but we need to know which are valid.

 

[LitEroCat]

There's something to be said for avoiding special effects entirely. Without trying to be dogmatic, you could argue that underlines, bolding, and italics in many cases are techniques that try to compensate for deficiencies in the text itself -- in other words, if the text were well-written, you wouldn't need typographical emphasis.

You have a point, to a point! So we can have any format "as long as it's black". And forget that new fangled crap for our cars - like AM radios, TWO speed Powerglide, 6- cylinder engines and doors! Who needs doors? If the car is built proper like, we don't need no stinkin doors, or colors or......

As far as writing... Screw this internet crap! BOOKS are all we need. Good sturdy books. I'll write in ink, on a yellow pad - don't need no stinkin erasers - and send it in by snail mail! My stuff is well-written and without error, just like everyone else's.

Aren't there rules for how to quote or cite sources that exceed plain text? Now, pass me my Olivetti manual typewriterer, and some white-out, damn it.

 

[LadyCibelle]

Thanks for the pointers. Buried treasures like this are hard to find if you don't even know they exist. I see the VB codes used in these bboard posts. But are they valid for use in stories?

It'd be nice to know what limits there are on features. Like fonts. There should be a limited set of fonts, but not tooooooo limited. A dozen should be enough, but we need to know which are valid.

You cannot use the VB code. That's why I said yoiu'd need to replace the [] with <> instead.

Also you can't choose your font, or at least I've never heard or seen that you could.

 

[Weird Harold]

Thanks for the pointers. Buried treasures like this are hard to find if you don't even know they exist. I see the VB codes used in these bboard posts. But are they valid for use in stories?

The syntax for vB codes is very similar to HTML, but the stories are in HTML format and vB codes do NOT work. The vB code ist is useful in that it has equivalents to all of the codes you're allowed to use that only require the <> delimiters in place of the [] delimiters.

It'd be nice to know what limits there are on features. Like fonts. There should be a limited set of fonts, but not tooooooo limited. A dozen should be enough, but we need to know which are valid.

The fonts are fixed and will be changed to,

<font size="2" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif">

...so that Lit has a consistent "look and feel."

If you have a very specific need for a different Font, Size, or Color -- such as a newspaper ad or ransom note -- in your story, it can probably be negoitiated for that perticular short section of your story.

Likewise, BLOCKQUOTE and/or CENTER commands are possible with a little negotiation.

Links are NOT supposed to be allowed -- not even links to other chapters of the same story or other stories on Lit; every story will automatically include a link to your author's page.

Bold, Italics, and Underline are generally accepted without problems or negotiation.

As for your original complaint, there seems to be a problem with converting RTF files, and in my experience WordPerfect has a problem converting to MSWord files. Your best bet as a WordPerfect user is to export to a plain text file and manually add the double paragraph breaks and HTML tags in Worpad or Notepad.

I don't have any experience with what WP puts in HTML files, but I strongly suspect that it's not compatible with Lit's look and feel. I know MS Word doesn't "save as HTML" without (re-)inserting formatting codes for every paragraph and stripping them out is more work than it's worth.

 

[fieryjen]

My font is always fucked up in the stories I submit. If you look at the one I have in my sig currently - halfway down it changes to a different font.

Is there any way to change that?

 

[palisa]

You have a point, to a point! So we can have any format "as long as it's black". And forget that new fangled crap for our cars - like AM radios, TWO speed Powerglide, 6- cylinder engines and doors! Who needs doors? If the car is built proper like, we don't need no stinkin doors, or colors or......

As far as writing... Screw this internet crap! BOOKS are all we need. Good sturdy books. I'll write in ink, on a yellow pad - don't need no stinkin erasers - and send it in by snail mail! My stuff is well-written and without error, just like everyone else's.

Aren't there rules for how to quote or cite sources that exceed plain text? Now, pass me my Olivetti manual typewriterer, and some white-out, damn it.

Well, I really didn't mean to be dogmatic in my first post, but after reading this, I looked at a few of your stories. Obviously, for someone who's a fan of bolding random words to give the visual impression of scattered rat turds, all the whiz-bang effects available are necessary.

Maybe we can talk the moddies into allowing animated smilies in the stories as well...

 

[Weird Harold]

My font is always fucked up in the stories I submit. If you look at the one I have in my sig currently - halfway down it changes to a different font.

Is there any way to change that?

this is what the affected part of your story looks like in "view/source:"

Cian straightened up from his sitting position, a bit surprised at the turn of events, but intrigued. "Sure. It may take me a few days."<br  />
<br  />
"And if you can, don't kill her yet. It might be interesting to take her alive."<br  />
<br  />
<center>**********</center><br  />
<br  />
Cian's estimate turned out to be slightly off. It took him the better part of two hours to figure out where she lived, due to the fact that there weren't too many people these days who went to the emergency room bleeding from two puncture wounds in the neck

I have no idea WHY it's doing it, but the long string of centered asterisks you use for scene breaks seems to be closing out the font specification in the browswer, but not in the HTML coding (the font change doesn't appear when you C&P the section into Word, which usually picks up the font and font size from Lit pages.)

I'd suggest cutting your scene break marker back to just a single ellipsis of asterisks -- eg three, and only three, asterisks -- since that's what ellipses are for.

 

[fieryjen]

Thanks WH - I'll start doing that.