Why do image attachments get duplicated when you insert them into the post?

[MaximRecoil]

In other forums I've been to, when you attach an image and then insert/embed it into the body of the post, it doesn't also display the same image below the post. Instead, it just shows links for the attached images below the post.

I like being able to embed images in the body of the post, because it's a more natural way of communicating. For example:

As you can see in this picture...

(embedded image)

... the hoosieknuckle that came off the whatnot fits on the discombobulator.

Without being able to embed images in the body of the post, if you reference one of your images at any point before the last sentence of your post, you have to say something like "See attached image #3," and then the reader has to scroll down to see the image then scroll back up to find where he left off reading.

The way this forum software is currently configured, it puts a damper on inserting images into the body of the post because people don't want to see a duplicate of every image at the bottom of the post. Can the configuration be changed to only display attached images at the bottom of the post if they aren't also inserted into the body of the post?

[TelePlay]

I like being able to embed images in the body of the post, because it's a more natural way of communicating.

The way this forum software is currently configured, it puts a damper on inserting images into the body of the post . . .

No, it doesn't put a damper on inserting images.

The SMF software has always allowed images to be inserted into the text body. See this topic that I did.

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=26305.0

When attaching images in the current SMF software version, after selecting it, you will see 2 icons in the upper right corner of the image to be attached. One is a red "X" if you want to delete or remove that selected image. The other is a blue "up arrow" which if click on will insert that image into the body of the test exactly where the cursor was located.



If you attach multiple images, you can then place the cursor in the text exactly where you want the image to be, scroll dow to the image you want to be there and click on its blue up arrow. In the process, it will ask for height and width sizes. It is highly suggested that 500 be placed in the width box and the height box left empty. Then click on insert.

Then place your cursor in the text where your next image is to be placed and repeat the above steps.

Now, there is absolutely no reason to insert an image if it is not to be placed within the text conversation. Such duplicate, redundant images will be removed.

Finally, inserting images saved to an external image hosting site is not allowed. During the first 8 or so years of the forum, that was common practice.

If the image is removed or moved on the external site, the URL is changed and the image disappears on the forum. Here is one of hundreds of posts on the forum destroyed because external image links were used:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10404.msg110568#msg110568

This is what happens when the external hosting site account is deleted:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9550.msg102510#msg102510

Picasa went out of business and every image posted by members went away leaving many highly informative "how to" topics destroyed.

Images attached to the forum last forever, at least as long as the forum continues to exist.

[MaximRecoil]

No, it doesn't put a damper on inserting images.

It does, because, unlike other forums, the image gets duplicated here when you do that.

The SMF software has always allowed images to be inserted into the text body. See this topic that I did.

I know, I acknowledged that in the title of my post. The question is, why do they get duplicated when you do that?

I've attached two images. The first one is a screenshot of your post showing the duplicate image at the bottom, and the second shows the way that other forums do it when you insert an attached image into the body of the post.

[TelePlay]

The inserted image had to exist as a file somewhere on the internet, has to have a unique URL so the image command can find and display it where inserted.

Having it saved on an external site has risks. Saving it by attaching it to a forum topic does not have those risks.

The image does not have to be saved in the topic in which it is to be inserted, as this one was saved in another topic:




We created a board on the forum for members to create their own, personal topic for photo storage:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=115.0

You can create your personal storage topic, attach your images there and then use their URL to insert them in any other topic.

Here's is one saved there by kleenax:



If attached to a topic and inserted in that topic, yes, it looks like it has been duplicated but it has not. It was attached, saved, with a file name (jpg, png, etc) but the inserted image does not have or show it as a file.

Topics which do not need inserted images just show the images once at the bottom of the topic:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=21667.0

The SMF software is what it is, can't/won't be changed and allows attachments and insertions.

If you are seeing multiple images, go into "modify" and delete the duplicate images (and check to see you did not delete one that was inserted).

It is quite easy to attach an image twice by accident.

[TelePlay]

I should have created the attached image above without its file name (made it look like inserted image had a file name.



The above inserted image is the attached image below.

[TelePlay]

In your above reply

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28178.msg270360#msg270360

there is only one attached image and that image was inserted once.

The attached image has a unique file name, the inserted image does not have a file name.

The inserted image is the duplicate, the attached image is the original file image, just the opposite of how you labeled them.

[MaximRecoil]

In your above reply

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28178.msg270360#msg270360

there is only one attached image and that image was inserted once.

I know that. It doesn't change the fact that two images, exact copies of each other (which makes one of the copies redundant), get displayed onscreen. On other forums, that doesn't happen, because there is no need to render the same image twice in the same post.

The attached image has a unique file name, the inserted image does not have a file name.

That's beside the point. It's not so bad if you're only inserting one image into the body of the post, but if you're inserting 5 or 6 (whatever the limit is), 10 or 12 will get rendered onscreen, cluttering up the post with 5 or 6 completely unnecessary duplicate images.

The inserted image is the duplicate, the attached image is the original file image, just the opposite of how you labeled them.

They are both duplicates of each other, i.e., they are both raster renderings of the exact same image file stored on a server's drive. There's no need to render them both, and if this SMF forum software doesn't have a setting to change that, that's strange, because I've only ever seen it happen on this forum.

Typically, on other forums, if you simply attach an image file and you don't insert it into the body of the post, then it gets rendered below the body, the same as what happens here. However, if you attach an image file and insert it into the body, then it only gets rendered in the body. It doesn't also get rendered below the body because that doesn't make any sense. There's no need for anyone to see the same image twice on their screen.

[MaximRecoil]

Typically, on other forums, if you simply attach an image file and you don't insert it into the body of the post, then it gets rendered below the body, the same as what happens here. However, if you attach an image file and insert it into the body, then it only gets rendered in the body. It doesn't also get rendered below the body because that doesn't make any sense. There's no need for anyone to see the same image twice on their screen.

Here's an example from another forum:

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/anyone-know-where-to-purchase-a-blinking-light-win-for-the-nes.506568/page-2#post-4589771

I attached an image in that post and inserted it into the body of the text, and as you can see, it didn't render the image twice like it would have here.

[TelePlay]

Typically, on other forums, if you simply attach an image file and you don't insert it into the body of the post, then it gets rendered below the body, the same as what happens here. However, if you attach an image file and insert it into the body, then it only gets rendered in the body. It doesn't also get rendered below the body because that doesn't make any sense. There's no need for anyone to see the same image twice on their screen.

There is.

The inserted image is part of, becomes part of the context supporting some point in the text.

The attached image remains at the bottom of the reply which can then be clicked on to enlarge the image to its full size (to see small details, inserted images can not be enlarged.

The attached image has a URL which can be used to insert the image into the topic to which it is attached or another topic, inserted images can not be linked.

The attached image can be saved (downloaded) for a member's personal use, inserted images can not be saved other than using a screen capture action.

All attached images are in one placed at the end of the topic where they can be easily reviewed, inserted images can only be see by scrolling through the topic.

This is how this forum works with respect to attaching and inserting images. You have the original image attached at the bottom of a post and a thumbnail of that image in the text, if you decide to insert the original image into the text body.

I can't change it. It won't be changed. This is just telling you how it works, which you seem to already know. That's the way the forum software has worked from 9/3/2008 to the present, at it works now and as it will continue to work from this point on.

I guess we are not a "typical" forum.

[TelePlay]

Here's an example from another forum:

That forum is not using SMF software. This forum used SMF software.

[MaximRecoil]

There is.

The inserted image is part of, becomes part of the context supporting some point in the text.

The attached image remains at the bottom of the reply which can then be clicked on to enlarge the image to its full size (to see small details, inserted images can not be enlarged.

Yes, they can. An inserted image can be clicked on to enlarge it to its full size, the same as with the attached image. I don't know why clicking on an inserted image doesn't enlarge it for you, because it does for me (it only enlarges it if it's not already being displayed at its full size of course).

The attached image has a URL which can be used to insert the image into the topic to which it is attached or another topic, inserted images can not be linked.

Inserted images have an URL that leads to the same image as the attached image's URL, because they are both renderings of the exact same file on the server. You can try it yourself with one of your posts in this thread. For example, in reply #4 if you right-click the inserted image and select "copy image link" (or whatever wording your particular web browser uses), you get this:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=468584;image

And if you do the same thing with the attached image that's rendered below it, you get this:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=468585;image

Which leads to the same image.

The attached image can be saved (downloaded) for a member's personal use, inserted images can not be saved other than using a screen capture action.

Yes, they can. There's no difference between them; they are just two renderings of the exact same image file. You just right-click the inserted image and select "save image as" (or whatever wording your particular web browser uses).

All attached images are in one placed at the end of the topic where they can be easily reviewed, inserted images can only be see by scrolling through the topic.

But they are all the same images that you just saw when you read the post. Scrolling up to see them again takes about half a second.

I can't change it. It won't be changed. This is just telling you how it works, which you seem to already know. That's the way the forum software has worked from 9/3/2008 to the present, at it works now and as it will continue to work from this point on.

The various major forum software packages are all highly customizable, so I suspect that it could be changed, but if you don't want to change it that's fine. I started this thread because I thought maybe it was just a simple oversight on the part of whoever configured this forum software.

That forum is not using SMF software. This forum used SMF software.

Yes, I know, but most of the major forum software packages have similar configuration options.

[TelePlay]

If you want to change the forum settings, contact the forum owner/administrator.

[MaximRecoil]

If you want to change the forum settings, contact the forum owner/administrator.

No, I'm not trying to make a big issue out of it. Like I said, I thought maybe it was just a simple oversight that could easily be changed.

One forum I frequent doesn't even have the option to attach images nor anything else (it's custom forum software, not one of the major packages), so this forum has that one beat by a landslide.

[TelePlay]

If you want to change the forum settings, contact the forum owner/administrator.

I am not the forum webmaster. I am not an administrator. I can not change forum settings or set up. I can't access the code to look at options. I have no idea if what you suggest is even possible. Only the forum owner/administrator can address your points.

[HarrySmith]

Teleplay, if I am reading what you wrote correctly;
If the image is saved in the members pictures topic and then inserted in the text body of the message it will not appear again at the bottom of the post since it has a local URL already?