General "How To" Guidelines (styled for Xenforo)

[B. Haddrell]

Hello members of the refurbished Bleach Asylum!

The new, Xenforo, platform comes with a number of changes and we realize that not every member is immediately able to get accustomed to them. For those who are not familiar with how the XF forums run, the staff team has updated the guidelines that Azley, Otome-san and Snickers (to some known as Nick) have originally put together to help you figure out how to edit your messages, insert images, and more.

Some of the first and biggest changes that arrived with Xenforo:

• Your Friends are now called Followers,
• The Visitor Messages are now called Profile Posts,
• The Private Messages are now called Conversations,
• To log-off, you now need to click on your username on the Navigation Bar and find the Log Off button from the drop-down menu.

 

[Polgarena]

Lesson 1: Using the Basic Editor​

The basic editor (shown above) lets you change how your text looks, quote another post, or insert images and videos.

Text Effects: Change how your text looks.

Bold text: Highlight the text you want to make bold. Then click the B on your editor.
Italicized text: Highlight the text you want to italicize. Then click the I on your editor.
Underlined text: Highlight the text you want to underline. Then click the U on your editor.
Strikethrough text: Highlight the text you want to cross out. Then click the S on your editor.

To remove any formatting you used, click on the far left icon that looks like an eraser.

• Changing text colors: Highlight the text whose color you want to change. Click on the “Raindrop“ icon, and then click on the color you want.
• Changing the font: Highlight the text whose font you want to change. Click on the “A” drop-down menu on your editor. Then pick the font you want.
• Changing text size: Highlight the text you want to make bigger or smaller. Click on the “T” drop-down menu. Then pick the size you want. (Please avoid making text too small to read or so large that it looks like yelling.)

To insert a link, click on the link icon in your editor. A window will pop up where you can copy the link and optionally choose a text under which the link will appear.

To insert an emoticon, click on the smile icon in your editor. A window will pop up. Click on the emoticon you want to insert.

***

Inserting Pictures & Videos: You will need to know the URL for whatever you insert. We suggest cutting/copying and pasting the URL from whichever site you find the picture or video.

To insert an image, paste the URL of the image you want to insert. (For example, to insert this logo into a post, enter its URL, without the red X in front.)

​

Cut the image URL; it looks like this [without the asterisk (*) in front of https]: *https://i.imgur.com/52iNnyP.png

Now type:
[xIMG] (without the red X) in front of the URL. Type [x/IMG] (again, without the red X) after the URL. Your image will then show up just as the one above.

To insert a video: Click the three dots button on your editor and select the “Media”.

The following screen will pop up:

Insert the URL of your video in the blank. A URL might look like this, without the “X” in front:
Xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfS5kBGBh00

Click Continue, and you’re done. The text in your post editor and your post will look like this:

***

Quoting Text: There are several methods you can use to quote a text.

Click on “+Quote” button from the post footer to add the post to the multi-quote queue.
Click on “Reply” button from the post footer and you will directly be taken to the post editor with a quote ready to be replied to.

Alternatively, highlight all text you want to quote and copy it. Go to the Post Editor and highlight the Quotation Marks icon (between the emoticon and the three dots icons on your editor). Paste the copied text into your post.

You may also just type [xQUOTE] in front of the quoted text and [x/QUOTE] after it. (Again, leave out the red X’s.)

Alternative option 1:

Highlight the text from a post you want to quote.

Click on “Reply” and the quote will immediately be added to your post editor where you can type your reply:

Clicking on “+Quote” adds the highlighted part of the post to the Multi-quote option.

Alternative option 2:

Under each post you have the "+ Quote" button. Press it and the software already selects the message for multi-quotes. The multi-quote option allows you to add several messages/posts to the quoting queue.

Scroll down to the post editor, where you will find the “Insert quotes” button.

Click on it and the following window appears. Here you can rearrange the quoted messages as well as choose whether to even quote all of them. Click on the “Quote messages” and they will appear in your post editor.

Now you can type your reply to the quoted messages and post the message.

Result:

***

Editing a post:

To edit your post, click on the Edit Button from the footer of your post.

A post editor where you can edit your post will appear. Apply the changes you envisioned. Click on either of the Preview buttons to preview the post with the changes you’ve made. Click on Save to save the changes. Click Cancel to cancel the changes.

 

[B. Haddrell]

Lesson 2: A BB-List of the most used codes with examples​

This BB-list is for those who directly use the tags. To toggle the BB-code editor on or off, click on the far right icon that looks like a gear. You can combine tags (such as bold + italic or color + underlined etc.)

BB-Codes list

If you use the standard-interface you can also set a few tags with a hot-key (every BB-Code with a hotkey are listed all in their categories). All tags need to be inserted without the red x!

Spoiler

Spoiler

[Xspoiler] This is a test! [X/spoiler]

And the result:

Spoiler

This is a test!

Inline Spoiler

Spoiler

[Xispoiler] This is a test! [X/ispoiler]

And the result (click on the blurred text below):

This is a test!

Alternatively, you can highlight the text you want to put under inline spoilers, click on the three dots drop down menu from the post editor toolbar and select “Inline Spoiler”.

Quotes

Spoiler

[XQUOTE="Seirei55, post: 473448, member: 300"]uhm….someone mentioned dirty boots (Jackie)…and the overall theme being red (red hair)…the pic with the helicopter reminds me of two people appearing to be connected (Zabimaru)…..the sports illustrated reminds me of Superstar…….can’t connect the last picture lol…I am going to say it’s Renji [X/QUOTE]

Username = the name of the user you want to quote
473448 = the internal post-number which the quote refers to
300 = the forum member ID number

And the result:

uhm….someone mentioned dirty boots (Jackie)…and the overall theme being red (red hair)…the pic with the helicopter reminds me of two people appearing to be connected (Zabimaru)…..the sports illustrated reminds me of Superstar…….can’t connect the last picture lol…I am going to say it’s Renji

Writing bold

Spoiler

Hotkey: Ctrl + B

[Xb]I'm bold and I love it![X/b]

And the result:

I'm bold and I love it!

Writing in Italic

Spoiler

Hotkey:Ctrl + I

[Xi]Wha, I'm falling sideways! [X/i]

And the result:

Wha, I'm falling sideways!

Writing underlined

Spoiler

Hotkey:Ctrl + U

[Xu]And now I have a fancy line below me![X/u]

And the result:

Now I have a fancy line below me!

Writing strikethrough

Spoiler

Hotkey:Ctrl + S

[Xs]And there’s a line striking right through me![X/s]

And the result:

And there’s a line striking right through!

Inserting images

Spoiler

You copy a URL and insert it like this (of course, without the red x):

[Ximg]hXttps://i.imgur.com/52iNnyP.png[X/img]

And the result:

Inserting a URL

Spoiler

Hotkey: Ctrl + K

You can either simply copy / paste the URL or you can configure it so it shows a name:

Simple:

[Xurl]hXttp://bleachasylum.com/showthread.php?1-Forum-Rules-and-Regulations[X/url]

Complex:

[Xurl="hXttp://bleachasylum.com/showthread.php?1-Forum-Rules-and-Regulations"][Forum Rules & Regulations][X/url]

And the results:

http://bleachasylum.com/showthread.php?1-Forum-Rules-and-Regulations

[Forum Rules & Guidelines]

Embedding Videos:

Spoiler

[XMEDIA]Xhttps://...EXAMPLE URL…[X/MEDIA]

And the result:

Aligning text

Spoiler

You align it left, center or right depending on which tags you use. As symbols, you find them through the drop down menu by clicking on the first icon to the right of the “tree dots” icon.

[XLEFT]I'm left[X/LEFT]

[XCENTER]I'm centered[X/CENTER]

[XRIGHT]I'm right[X/RIGHT]

And the result:

I'm left​

I'm centered​

I'm right​

Creating lists

Spoiler

There are 2 types of lists: numbered and unnumbered.

Unnumbered:

[Xlist]
[X*] I'm
[X*]a
[X*]list
[X/list]

And the result:

• I'm
• a
• list

Numbered

[Xlist=1]
[X*]I'm
[X*]a
[X*]list
[X/list]

And the result:

1. I'm
2. a
3. list

Coloring Text

Spoiler

[Xcolor="#FF0000"]This text is red[X/color]

The "#FF0000" is the Hex-value of the color you want. You can choose a color while clicking the Raindrop icon on the post editor toolbar. If you want a different color from the ones you see, you can directly insert a hex-value in the small bar below the selection of colors (for the function to take effect you need to highlight the text you want to be affected if you use the basic editor!).

Here is a Hex-chart you can use to copy the Hex-value from: [Hex-color chart]

And the result:

This text is red

 

[Polgarena]

Lesson 3: Reporting Posts/Messages​

General description

The report a post/message function is for every post you think breaks the rules. Don't hesitate to report even if you're unsure. If the post is O.K. or you reported something by accident Mods will ignore it or ask you for further clarification.

When you press the report button, a report is formulated and sent to the staff with the username who reported, your explanation and the link to said post / PM.


Examples of messages which should be reported:

Bashing of any sort: This includes bashing of BA and its members (including staff), Tite Kubo, Bleach, and its characters. An example would be, “I wish Kubo would just kill off [X] already.” Constructive critique, however, is fine. An example would be, “Kubo hasn’t done a good job of developing [X]’s character.”

Advertisements and spam: Advertising is strictly not allowed on Bleach Asylum. You can often recognize a spammer by its suspicious user name (usually a random combination of letters) and posts about “adult” sites, pills, handbags, or other items not related to Bleach. These posts usually have links and don’t make sense when read.

One-liners: Examples are “I agree,” “LOL,” or just a picture. Even if you quote someone else's post, you must still contribute to the discussion.

Off-topic posts: An example would be debating power levels in a chapter thread. A post is also off-topic if it is simply asking why a previous post was deleted.

Harassment and discrimination: Discrimination includes any content which attacks someone based on gender, race, sexual preference, nationality, or beliefs. Messages meant to attack, ridicule, or antagonize others are considered harassment.

How you report

Basically like this:

Press Report button that appears at the footer bar of all posts to alert the staff. A dialogue box appears. You should type down the reasons why you report a certain post and click on “Report” to submit it.

 

[B. Haddrell]

Lesson 4: Customizing your signature

​

Click on your username at the top of the page navigation bar.

Select “Signature” from the menu that appears.

The following screen should appear, and this is where you can add text, image links and similar that will appear as your signature. We recommend that you use BB-code tags in this editors, copy and paste the link to an image which is hosted elsewhere.

When you finish, click "Save" at the bottom.

An example signature looks like this:

 

[Polgarena]

Lesson 5: Linking to another message and Bookmarking posts​

There are two methods how to link to another post on BA. You must be logged in first. Find the post you want to link to. (We recommend opening a separate tab for this.)

Method 1:

You should see a number at the right of the post. Right-click the number, as shown and click “Copy Link Location” (it may be “Copy Link Address” based on the browser you use):

Paste the link into your own post or message.

Method 2:

You should see the Share icon at the top right side of the post. Click on it and a small window will appear. Click on the “Copy to clipboard” icon as shown on the image below.

The post link will be copied and ready for you to paste it into your own post or message.

~~~

You can also bookmark posts.

To bookmark a post, select the Bookmark icon that lies right to the post number. The window that pops up allows you to add a message and/or a label.

Click “Save” to save the bookmark. Click “Delete” if you want to remove it.

To access the list of your bookmarked posts, click on your username on the navigation bar. Select the Bookmarks tab.

To access the Bookmark tools (Copy link, Edit, Delete), click on the Gear icon. To access the full list of the bookmarked posts click on “Show all”.

 

[B. Haddrell]

Lesson 6: Subscribing to a thread (Watched threads)

​

You can keep track of your favorite threads by subscribing to them, or, using Xenforo’s phrasing: watching threads.

To subscribe to a thread, first, go to any page in the thread. Click on “Watch”. The following options will appear:

Choose whether you want or not to receive email notifications and click on "Watch".

Note that at any time, you can find a list of your watched threads by going to the sub-navigation bar and selecting “Watched threads” from the “Watched” tab.

There, you can choose to stop watching or enable/disable email notifications for all the threads from the list by clicking on "Manage watched threads" on the top right corner above the list of threads. To stop watching an individual thread, you have to go to each individual and "unwatch" it.

 

[Polgarena]

Lesson 7: How to embed images under spoiler tags​

By our rules, we do not allow direct links to the manga website like Mangapanda or Mangastream (Mangabee, Mangarock,etc), but we allow images to be embedded under spoiler tags.

This accomplishes two things:
1. No Direct URLS means that BA adopts the stance of protecting copyright where possible; we are not aiming at aiding people by saying "Hey, click this link to read Bleach or other manga on this website." Embedding an image allows us to share a panel for the sake of discussion and not in the above context.
2. Using spoiler tags allows you to conserve screen space (real estate), especially when using multiple images for the sake of discussion.

This is for the sake of the individuals who still find it difficult to follow the tutorial, but respect the rules and try to make whole hearted efforts to rectify the situation:

Steps:

1. Go to the manga website and right click on the page that you wish to share.
2. Use a right click on the image and select the "Copy Image URL" option. This will copy the link to the actual image and NOT the link to the manga website page. In case of doubt, do NOT copy the URL from your address bar.
3. You should get a link like: http://i998.mangapanda.com/bleach/593/bleach-5131303.jpg copied to your clipboard. Note that this is not www.mangasomething.com/bleach/593
4. Now, in your post where you want to insert this image, type out the following:

{spoiler}{img}http://i998.mangapanda.com/bleach/593/bleach-5131303.jpg{/img}{/spoiler}

But when you do it, you should replace the { with [ and the } with ] (huge font only for illustrative purposes.)

To summarize:

Correct!:

Spoiler

Wrong!

Spoiler

http://www.mangawebsite.com/bleach/495/2

The mods, in future will probably point to this post and give you time to fix it, but if you still do not fix your BBCode after that, the post may be deleted or a warning may be handed out depending on your history of violations.

Hope this helps!

 

[B. Haddrell]

Lesson 8: Making a text link​

Sometimes, you prefer not to just paste a link into a message, but to coat that link with the text of your message.

You should copy the destination link before you start to do this.

You also want to make sure that your Post Editor Toolbar Icons are active. To toggle the Post Editor Toolbar Icons on and off, click on the far right icon that looks like a gear.

Here are the steps:

1. Select the text in the editor.

2. Once you have selected the text you want to convert to a link, click the Link icon on the editor. (It's to the immediate left of the Insert Image icon.) The following screen will appear:

3. Paste or type the destination URL into the pop-up as shown on the image above. Click Insert.

4. Your selected text will now be a clickable link. You are able to use either BA links or external links. Finish typing your message, or submit the message when you're done.

 

[Polgarena]

Lesson 9: Reactions, likes and trophies​

If you were familiar with the Reputation System from the old Bleach Asylum (back on the Vbulletin platform), you have probably noticed that it no longer exists. Instead, Xenforo uses something called “Reactions”.

Instead of the Reputation button, there is a “Like” button. And it works pretty much the same as on the social media platforms. When you click on it, you give “a like” to the member who posted the post/message/conversation you liked.

You can also hover over the “Like” button and it will reveal a list of available Reaction icons from the Reaction bar.

To access a list of the received reactions click on your username on the Navigation Bar and select “Reactions received” from the menu that appears.

When you should give a positive reaction:

• When someone helped you (answered a question)
• When someone contributes (spoilers, scans, translations, fanarts etc.)
• When someone makes a great post which is insightful

How you use it

You click the Like Button and the system will select the “Thumbs up (Like)” icon from the menu. To choose another icon for your reaction, hover over the Like Button first and then click on the appropriate icon.

Trophies and Reaction System; How it Works​

The reputation system has been reworked into a feature called Trophies. To see the Trophies you’ve acquired so far, go to your profile, section About and scroll down to see the list.

A reaction is a way to express your feelings towards a post.

There are 3 kinds of reactions at the moment: Like (thumbs up icon), Love (heart-shaped eyes emoji) and Haha (smiling emoji).

When you react to somebody’s post or a message points are added to that user’s reaction score. The amount of points doesn't depend on the giver's reaction power; instead, each "like" is worth one point. Each user can see who gave him a reaction.

Your reaction trophies will be combined from a chart similar to the one from the old BA:

The total amount of reaction points sets the users level:

• 1 starting to see things that aren’t there
• 15 starting to think they are a shinigami
• 75 has been checked in to Bleach Asylum
• 150 is in regular sessions with Dr. Kurosaki Isshin
• 300 has been diagnosed as a Bleach addict
• 500 has been checked in to ward: Bleach
• 750 is seeing Bleach chibi’s flying around the ward
• 1000 is claiming the hougyoku is inside them and Aizen is coming for them
• 1250 is waiting to be saved by Kurosaki Ichigo
• 1500 is trying to call out their zanpakutou so they can free themself
• 2000 has been moved to solitary confinement, Bleach addiction worsening
• 2500 is under heavy sedation around the clock to stop kidou chanting
• 3000 has been admitted for life unless a cure is found

***

At the moment we have turned off the option to give somebody a negative reaction (negative reputation on the old platform). The BA Staff is of opinion that you can voice your disagreement in a constructive and polite manner through discussions. We won’t be adding the negative reaction option, but just in case we do sometimes in the future, the most basic rules connected to the negative reactions can be found under spoiler tags below:

Spoiler

When it is justified to give a negative reaction (Note: negative reactions have been turned off for the time being):

• When a user bashes a member, a pairing or a character
• When a user posts homophobic, sexist or racist posts (or any other content which aims to insult any kind of religion, or ways of living)

We encourage mostly positive reactions here, but in the cases above it is justified to give a negative reaction to someone.

When you shouldn't give negative reaction:

• When you simply disagree with another member’s opinion
• When you simply dislike the user

What do I do when I feel like I don't deserve a negative reaction that I have received?

• Do not give a negative reaction back! It can get you in trouble as well because the “negative reaction wars” are not allowed.
• Please write to a Staff Member/Admin, explaining the case. They will look into it and decide on a course of action.