Is the Preview Box Missing a Slider Bar for Long Posts in PF Forums?

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The discussion centers on the absence of a slider bar in the Preview box for lengthy posts in PF forums, particularly when using the new 'Conversation' feature. Users report that the Preview box shows only the initial part of the post without a scrolling option, which complicates reviewing longer content. It is noted that the Preview box behaves differently when replying to posts versus starting new threads, often displaying an overlay that may confuse users. The issue appears to stem from the lack of an 'Expand' option when drafting standalone replies, preventing the slider bar from appearing. Overall, the functionality of the Preview feature seems inconsistent, particularly with longer posts and different types of interactions.
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I just drafted a rather lengthy post which I wanted to Preview before posting. When I clicked on the Preview button, I got the first part of my post, but then I noticed there was no slider bar to scroll down to the end.

Is this feature supposed to be lacking from the Preview window? I specifically was replying to someone who had started a Conversation; most of my posts in the regular forums I haven't noticed a problem like this with the Preview window.
 
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SteamKing said:
I just drafted a rather lengthy post which I wanted to Preview before posting. When I clicked on the Preview button, I got the first part of my post, but then I noticed there was no slider bar to scroll down to the end.
Can you post a screenshot?
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
Can you post a screenshot?

Here it is:

Preview.jpg


The Preview Box itself can't be moved on the screen.

Thanks for looking into this, Greg.
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
Are you editing? Otherwise you shouldn't get the overlay.

I was not editing when I initially noticed the lack of a slider bar on the Preview box. I had drafted my reply on-screen, and I was using the Preview to check for typos, formatting, etc.

The screen shot I just sent was created by clicking the Reply button to my post, editing out the "QUOTE" tags, as if this were a new post, and then hitting the Preview button to make the screen capture. However, the Preview box appears on screen just as it did originally.
 
SteamKing said:
I was not editing when I initially noticed the lack of a slider bar on the Preview box. I had drafted my reply on-screen, and I was using the Preview to check for typos, formatting, etc.
When you preview from a new reply it should not open the overlay. I just get the preview on the page.

The reply button popped up an overlay?
 
I'm confused by your comments Greg. The previews have always looked like that for me, except when I'm editing a post I made earlier. So if I understand you correctly, what I see is the opposite of what you're saying. When I'm editing, things look very different. In particular, the preview is not in a pop-up window, and the LaTeX isn't rendered.

Edit: Now that I'm looking at the picture again, I see that the background is the type of thing that I see when I edit an existing post, not what I see when I write a new one. Hm maybe it also looks like that when you start a new thread. I will check... OK, done. This is what I see:

1. Replying to a post: The preview is in a pop-up. LaTeX is rendered correctly. Behind the preview window, you see the actual thread.
2. Editing a post: The editor is in a pop-up. If you click "more options" (which you have to do if you want to preview). You are taken to a different page with a different editor. The preview appears above the editor box. LaTeX isn't rendered.
3. Starting a new thread: Everything is very similar to when you edit and have clicked "more options" (but you don't actually have to click a "more options" button). The preview appears above the editor box. LaTeX is rendered correctly.

I have never gotten a result like SteamKing's screenshot, i.e. a preview window on a different background than the thread itself. I don't even understand what that background is.
 
Last edited:
Fredrik said:
I have never gotten a result like SteamKing's screenshot, i.e. a preview window on a different background than the thread itself. I don't even understand what that background is.

Frederik:
I don't know how it appeared either. Like I said, I was using this new 'Conversation' feature in PF 4.0 when all the fun started with the Preview box.

SteamKing
 
SteamKing said:
The Preview Box itself can't be moved on the screen.
It looks like the preview box is too large for your screen resolution.
 
  • #10
Greg Bernhardt said:
It looks like the preview box is too large for your screen resolution.

There is something else I noticed about the Preview box when working in the PF forums.

If you reply to a post, the previous message is quoted and the first few lines are displayed in the Preview box when you write your reply. At this time, if the original message is more than a couple of lines long, the Preview box only displays the first few lines with an 'Expand' notice. There is no slider bar on the Preview box initially. When you click 'Expand' in Preview, a slider bar will appear, and you are able to scroll thru the quoted post and the reply, complete.

This problem may have occurred because when I drafted my reply post in the conversation, the OP was rather lengthy and I didn't want to quote it again, so I drafted my reply from scratch. When I went to Preview, there was nothing to 'Expand', hence, I think the Preview box was unable to supply the slider bar to allow me to see and preview a rather lengthy stand-alone post.
 

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