Ok ... so we can do rich text editing ...

About: add your first item to fastblogit

However it creates a lot of design problems ...

How are files to be uploaded to the rich text edit box? File upload must take place via the box in the media section with the Browse button. This upload must be submitted to the server prior to showing the image inside the rich edit box. You can place images that are already on the net with the image button in the rich text edit area, but not file uploads. Consequently, if file uploads are to be allowed, they must take place from another form that is submitted prior to showing the rich edit box.
The screen is already very cluttered and yet we need more options on it. How can we preserve a one click blog and still allow these more advanced features?

It does solve some other problems ...

Primarialy it means that we can disallow any HTML to be entered in the Say What box. Great nobody needs to learn any HTML.
Disallowing HTML will disallow all manner of security hazzards.

If anyone has any solutions to these design issues or bright ideas as to how to integrate this rich text edit box, now is the time to bring them up .....

Another solution ... perhaps a better one

It is strange how obvious solutions do not emerge untill we eliminate our assumptions ...

The rte box works fine for inserting pictures that are already on the web. Hense we can eliminate the "Web address of your media box entirely".

If we are always adding items in the rte box, then we can simply put the upload browse button and obligatory imput box on the left of the rte box. And additionaly add another button titled "upload". Clicking that button will reload the form (allowing us to go to the server to actually do the upload).

Then when the form comes back from the server, it will have the picture already in the rte box :)))

This solution also frees up the horizontal bottleneck on the design of the /add/ form :)))

You can see this solution first being implemented on comments here.

Now can you see the assumption that was masking that simple design ?

Comments

Mark de LA says
Why can't you do a 2-step process under the covers and upload the files first - i'm not understanding that part of the problem.

Mark de LA says
What would it take to make drag/drop of local pictures work ?

Mark de LA says
One silly way is to upload it in a 2-step process ..1) upload it via the standard way with no comments, then find the uri of the picture and then use the RTE as normal

Seth says
My best solution so far is to present the /add/ form pretty much the way it is now. Only put a button it that says "Continue editing in rich text". Clicking that button would upload any files in media and pre fill the rich text box ... then the screen with the rich text would not contain the upload part of the /add/ form. That is the solution to beat.

Seth says

Why can't you do a 2-step process under the covers and upload the files first - i'm not understanding that part of the problem.

I must use available Internet protocols and available software solutions. I know of none that do this behind the scenes. Only way to advance along those lines is to find where this is being done on the web now, and find where the software to do it is avaiable to me. I am, obviously, not going to do that kind of systems programming myself. I am an application guy.

Mark de LA says

Seth says: "That is the solution to beat."

- yeah that looks pretty good.

Seth says

Seth says: "That is the solution to beat."

Nope ... got a better solution now ... see text of item

Seth says
Of course another big prob rte solves is that allowing people to put HTML in just means that they will always be breaking their feed ... that, or i would need to stand on my head to sanatize it. I've just spent half an hour trying to get my feed out the door ... had to fix all of my HTML errors.