Can we have [more inside]?

December 19, 2002 3:56 PM

Is it possible to make [more inside] a feature?

[more inside]
posted by betaray to Feature Requests at 3:56 PM (19 comments total)

I was just considering having two text entry boxes. On that would contain the front page text, and second one to give you the "fist post".

Then just automatically inserting a [more inside] link (to the comment of course) at the bottom of their post, and it's all done.

I'm feeling lazy, so I won't make my this all link-tacular, but the comments in this thread are what insipired this post.

This would let newbies know about the convention, and allow the rest of us a way to preview the entire thing before posting with out a lot of run-around.
posted by betaray at 3:58 PM on December 19, 2002

Sounds like a good suggestion to me.

What you're proposing (the two text entry boxes solution) is already being implemented in Movable Type, so I guess Matt could check the codes and do something similar too.
posted by kchristidis at 4:06 PM on December 19, 2002

Lots of good stuff on this topic in the archives, too.
posted by dg at 4:17 PM on December 19, 2002

Yeah, I could really easily check the length of a post, and if it's over 500 words or something, strongly suggest (with a box or instructions to do it the low-tech way) how to do a [more inside] thing.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:22 PM on December 19, 2002

did someone in here say "frost pist!?"
posted by quonsar at 5:02 PM on December 19, 2002

i think that's a great suggestion. it would cut down on a lot of the sniping and also allow people to shape their posts better.
posted by donkeyschlong at 5:28 PM on December 19, 2002

I like the programmatic idea because it doesn't promote a homogenous "metafilterian posting style."

I really hope that new people don't think that their links have to contain [more inside], multiple links and small fonts to warn about links to RealPlayer documents.
posted by machaus at 5:45 PM on December 19, 2002

Ahem...
posted by inpHilltr8r at 6:42 PM on December 19, 2002

Many content management systems have a system by which you can specify a front page summary and a [more inside] text in separate text boxes. I'd like to see that solution, as it eliminates the "frist prost" problem (getting interrupted before you can get your [more inside] submitted), avoids the awkwardness of enforced chopping after n characters, and generally promotes the concept of "Meat on the Front Page, Gravy Inside." That's my thoughts on the subject, anyway.
posted by Erasmus at 10:08 PM on December 19, 2002

A programmatic suggestion: perhaps as the front page is being rendered, it could insert a "more inside" at the first \n it encounters then continue rendering the post at the beginning of the thread page?
posted by cheaily at 1:18 AM on December 20, 2002

Why bother with the ]more inside[ in the first place? Usually, it reads like the 'overlords' and 'vibrating' memes and sounds just as ridiculous. Oh, nevermind, I think I just answered my own question.
posted by mischief at 3:41 AM on December 20, 2002

The thing I'm writing now does it automatically..if it's over 40 words, it chops off the end and, inserts a "... (more)" style link.

I don't know if I'm a big fan, because it chops at funny spots sometimes, but I like the fact that the user who is doing the inputting doesn't have to think about it at all.
posted by Fabulon7 at 10:37 AM on December 20, 2002

First off, I'm not going to make anything automatic, and I'm not going to add excerpt boxes to the posting page.

This is a seldom used feature and should stay that way. There are just a few people that aren't doing it already (what, maybe 1 a week, tops?) that would benefit from it. It will be hidden completely, unless you submit a gigantic post to preview. Then, you'll get a polite note asking you to edit down or consider posting most of it as the first comment.

I like the fact that the user who is doing the inputting doesn't have to think about it at all.

That's the exact opposite of what I'm trying to achieve. I want people to think before they post.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:55 AM on December 20, 2002

So are we talking an insert like the /n mentionned above?
posted by silusGROK at 11:07 AM on December 20, 2002

I agree - I meant they didn't have to think about what text to put in which box and stuff like that - it's confusing and it interrupts the flow of their text.

Like I said, I don't really like the automatic system myself, but I think it's better than the two-box system. I'm glad you don't like either system.
posted by Fabulon7 at 1:49 PM on December 20, 2002

Hey, I am the poster that submitted that long FPP, and you know what, I couldn't find any information about how to split an entry, in spite of the fact that I knew that there was a way. I suggest adding a little explanation in the post page.
posted by samelborp at 1:44 AM on December 21, 2002

*sigh* fist post *sigh*

ahhhh, belly feels good after laughter
posted by folktrash at 8:23 AM on December 23, 2002

There's no trick to splitting an entry, samelborp – just post the first part as your post description and then post the rest as a comment. You can reduce the odds of someone getting a comment in ahead of yours by writing the whole thing in a text editor first, then cutting and pasting the bits.
posted by timeistight at 8:54 AM on December 23, 2002

tell that to Irontom. I wasn't trying to beat him or anything. I'd just never hit a [more inside] post with nothing more inside.
posted by folktrash at 9:31 AM on December 23, 2002