What about 'Post Preview' option?

[Vikas Kapoor]

I think we need that option.I have seen many posts which have been edited couple of times just to look them proper.Preview option can help into that.
[ May 12, 2008: Message edited by: Vishal Pandya ]

[fred rosenberger]

what's wrong with editing your post multiple times?

i believe this has been suggested several times before, and the reply is generally "What real benefit would that give us, for all the work we'd have to put in?"

Nobody has ever been able to come up with anything but "it would eliminate all those 'this post edited'" messages, which really isn't that big a deal...

[Vikas Kapoor]

Originally posted by fred rosenberger:
what's wrong with editing your post multiple times?...

Why to edit the post multiple time if it can be figured out at first place.

Originally posted by fred rosenberger:
..."What real benefit would that give us, for all the work we'd have to put in?"...

You don't need to edit it multiple times. It gives ease at least over its absence.

Originally posted by fred rosenberger:
...Nobody has ever been able to come up with anything but "it would eliminate all those 'this post edited'" messages, which really isn't that big a deal...

What else we can expect from that 'Preview' button.It will simply provide the preview that's all.

[fred rosenberger]

current work flow:

click "post reply"
enter text
click "add reply"
read what you wrote
while post not correct:
  click "edit post"
  make edits
  click "edit post"

under your proposed change:

click "post reply"
enter text
click "preview post"
read what you wrote
while post not correct:
  click "edit post"
  make edits
  click "preview post"
click "add reply"

it looks to me like your proposal ADDS a step. I personally am just not seeing an advantage (and I am NOT speaking for the Ranch.. this is just my opinion).

Why to edit the post multiple time if it can be figured out at first place.

You still need to edit it as many times as before. the only things this changes is whether or not the "this message was edited" message appears.

You don't need to edit it multiple times.

Really? if it doesn't need to be edited, why do you need to preview it? just post it.

What else we can expect from that 'Preview' button.It will simply provide the preview that's all.

I understand the concept of a preview button. However, you are asking someone to do a lot of work to implement this, when there is currently functionality that does basically the same thing. What reason can you give for someone to spend 10 (or more) hours working on this, other than "it would be neat"?

[Vikas Kapoor]

Hi Fred,

You may find 'There shold be a Preview Post option' here.
All i meant is this could help to make JavaRanch better.

[Ulf Dittmer]

Leaving aside the question of the usefulness of such an option, the UBB software we're using for the forums is not really amenable to non-trivial changes any more, and its remaining lifespan is limited. That being the case, it just doesn't make sense to add features that require a lot of development effort.

[fred rosenberger]

Originally posted by Vishal Pandya:
Hi Fred,

You may find 'There shold be a Preview Post option' here.
All i meant is this could help to make JavaRanch better.

I saw that thread. I understand you think it would make the ranch better. What you have failed to do in my mind is explain WHY it would be better. I don't see ANY significant difference between your proposed 'preview' function, and simply editing something that gets posted.

And, as Ulf said, it would require a SIGNIFICANT effort on someone's part to implement it. You would really have to convince someone with the know-how to do it (that would not be myself) that there is some benefit, or some gain that we do not currently have. Since the exact same functionality is available right now, and as i pointed out above with actually FEWER steps, you need more than "i think it would be nice to have".

[Andrew Adamson]

The biggest use of a preview function is where edits are disabled to prevent people from changing or removing something that people have already replied to but may be offensive or something.

Probably not a lot of point, by the sound of it.

[Vikas Kapoor]

At last my search for lovely lovely lovely Preview button ends in new ranch software... Now no more editing. Hurray!