Testing just how long of a subject line you can have long long long long long longer

Doug S · #1 12-12-2002, 05:20 AM

ok

DaveT · #2 07-17-2003, 09:34 AM

Yep...you can fit a lot in there.

Doug S · #3 07-17-2003, 09:40 AM

Dave, Welcome to CPF. I can already tell that you have *way* too much time on your hands. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PaulW · #4 07-17-2003, 09:45 AM

Doug

Good test. I have also been wondering about this, but didn't even occur to me to try it. Thanks.

Paul

P.S. DaveT. If you do have too much time on your hands, this is a great place to be. Welcome.

Doug S · #5 07-17-2003, 09:55 AM

[ QUOTE ]
PaulW said:
Doug

Good test. I have also been wondering about this, but didn't even occur to me to try it. Thanks.

Paul

P.S. DaveT. If you do have too much time on your hands, this is a great place to be. Welcome.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm, Paul. Now I am wondering why the length was truncated for your post. You didn't deliberately change it, did you?
Note the date of my original test, hence my remark about Dave having time on his hands.

PaulW · #6 07-17-2003, 05:36 PM

Doug: Isn't that strange. I did not deliberately truncate. It did it by itself.

I hadn't noticed the time elapsed from the initial post. Failed to pick that up, too. I'm missing a lot. Maybe I need to get out every now and then. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I just now tried to paste a very long sentence into the subject line, but it self truncates after "you ca." Another failure. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif[/img] Yup, I need to get a life. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Paul

Tomas · #7 07-17-2003, 08:05 PM

Just a guess, but I suspect it may be a difference in browsers - how they handle the "max length" argument in the form input, etc.

Here's the line from the CPF page "Quick Reply" that sets the length of that particular feature:

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
<input type="text" name="Subject" maxlength="50"
class="formboxes" size="60" value="Re: Testing
just how long of a subject line you ca" /></pre><hr />

Note that the max length should be no more than 50 characters, and WILL be if the bowser follows instructions ... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] (Of course there are also ways around this, sometimes ... )

Tomas · #8 07-17-2003, 08:10 PM

Here's an example of "getting around" the 50 character limit ...
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Greta · #9 07-17-2003, 08:10 PM

... and once again one must ask... why is bandwidth being wasted on this? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img]

Tomas · #10 07-17-2003, 08:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Sasha said:
... and once again one must ask... why is bandwidth being wasted on this? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
That same question can be asked about 3/4 of the posts on any BBS, Sasha, and certainly can be here.

99% of the posts in the Café are bandwidth wastes, but people continue to enjoy them anyway and keep adding to them. It's part of "community forming" in any group, and is just a part of the function of a BBS. Has been since at least 03JUN82 when I made my first post to a USENET group, and will probbly continue to be until the last AOL user can no longer type "Me to!"

Edited: To correct the year of first newsgroup post. (Must be senility setting in - I was of by a year. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif[/img] )

Doug S · #11 07-17-2003, 09:36 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Sasha said:
... and once again one must ask... why is bandwidth being wasted on this? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I would suggest that this discussion is actually less pointless than some. Having a subject line truncated in a reply can lead to confusion. Understanding the reasons for, and how to avoid truncation may reduce same. It is bad enough when posters arbitrarily change subject lines.

Tomas · #12 07-17-2003, 11:12 PM

Basic finding to this point is to limit your original posting subject line to no more than 46 characters. This allows it to have followup replies that do not truncate.

Original subject lines longer than 46 characters will be truncated in the normal use of the BBS.

Also, it appears that some characters in a header can cause the header to terminate unexpectedly at a much earlier point.

I have not tried all characters (nor a variety of browsers and Operating Systems) on this, but it can be seen on some long threads on other CPF forums where the header has been repeatedly truncated at a "quote" mark ... (note the many posts that truncate subject lines to things like "Re: " and "Re: Official " etcetera.

And yes, this is information that actually affects the constructive use of the CPF by most users as opposed to some other things that appear.

Maybe, though, we should simply have asked, eh? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif[/img]

NEXT!

Tomas · #13 07-18-2003, 01:36 PM

Question: Does this response somehow now belong in the "Questions or problems about this website and forum" forum?

====

EXAMPLE, Problem Two: The following thread is an example of a new thread that had quotes in the subject line. Note that at the second reply the software truncated the subject line at the first quote it encountered. This problem has appeared on many threads here at CPF, and will likely continue to.

SAMPLE THREAD

My recommendation (as if anyone asked) is to NOT use quotes in subject lines ...

P.S. As is usual the action of "reply," "quick reply, "preview," and "edit" functions all behave in a slightly different manner, and have slightly different quirks. Their HTML is not written consistantly. Add in the many different browsers and Operating Systems and it is difficult to "troubleshoot" this sort of problem. The easiest "fix" is to simply note in the FAQ that these things happen: Subjects over 46 characters long or with quotes in them are subject to truncation when replied to. It is recommended not to use them. ASIDE: Does anyone read the FAQ?

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]

Doug S · #14 07-18-2003, 03:01 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Tomas said:
[/b] ASIDE: Does anyone read the FAQ?

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

FAQ? What FAQ?

IlluminatingBikr · #15 07-18-2003, 03:37 PM

The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) are located at the top of your CPF screen. It is near Main Index, Search, My Home, etc.

The_LED_Museum · #16 08-11-2003, 08:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Tomas said:Also, it appears that some characters in a header can cause the header to terminate unexpectedly at a much earlier point.

[/ QUOTE ]
The quote mark (") can be replaced with two apostrophes ('') in the header, and nothing becomes truncated and they come out looking like a single quote mark in the subject line (header). At least using the "CPF Blues" they do. I have not looked at an altered header (with apostrophes replacing quote marks) using other stylesheets.

But when I want to use quote marks in a header, I use apostrophes and it doesn't truncate.