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Writing.Com 101
Rated: E | Book | Other | #101
Explanations and instructions of all things Writing.Com.
#701402 added July 17, 2010 at 12:41pm
Restrictions: None
Custom In & Out Display Formats
Sometimes the "Preset In & Out Display Formats will not fulfill your needs. In that case, you can create your own In & Out format using the Custom Format features offered. Using various commands, you will be able to create the exact look that you envision for your item.

The following examples will give you an idea how these custom formats may look in your own In & Out. A complete list of the commands for creating these custom formats are listed below the examples.

Custom Format Examples

For the sake of these examples, assume the following information is used:1

Posted By: The StoryMaster
Item Posted: 100931
Time Posted: 5:00 PM on September 1, 2000
Post Body: The {i}quick{/i} {c:lkhaki}brown{/c} fox jumps over the lazy dog.


Example #1
This In & Out has Require Item IDs set to No. It's simple, clear, and clean, somewhat resembling a cross between the timed Graffiti Wall   and List   formats. Note the use of the %%post_username_anonymous%% variable, which will show the poster's username to the In & Out's owner, but not to the general public--the view below is what the general public sees.

1: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. [Delete]
         5:00pm on September 1, 2000

________________________________________________________________________________________

View the Format Commands Used



Example #2
Though this In & Out shares more information than the last, the focus is still on the post body, considering its large text. It uses the plain username and title in place of user and item links. The post body is separated from the other information, which is aligned right. Below the bold, red title, the item type is shown in yellow, and information about when the item was last modified is shown in blue. Because there is a blank line between the two parts of the post, two blank lines are added at the end to more clearly separate posts from one another.

storymaster: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. [Delete]

Writing.Com General Discussion
Message Forum last modified 2:22pm; July 18, 2010 (1 Day 1 Hour 11 Minutes ago)


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View the Format Commands Used




Example #3
In an actual In & Out, there would be an itemicon in the blank space to the left of the first two lines showing the item type; however, the sub-type appears as well, after the title and before the content rating. The genres and brief description appear next, followed by the submitted item's creation and editing dates. The post date and body stand out in red.

         "Writing.Com General Discussion [ASR]
         Genres: Writing.Com, Educational, How-To/Advice
A message forum for general discussion. Please come and chat with others!
Created: 09-25-2000 *Bullet* Last Edited: 07-18-2010
On 07-18-2010: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. [Delete]

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View the Format Commands Used



Example #4
This example shows the use of the Comic font, vibrant colors, and emoticons, which gives this setup a very casual and fun look. Below the submitted item's creation date and time are its three genres, each in a different secondary color. Just under that, in smaller type, are the item's keywords. The arrows next to the post delete button draw attention to the post body at the bottom.

"Writing.Com General Discussion
*Note5* on Writing.Com since Sep 25, 2000 @ 12:12am *Note5*
Writing.Com Educational How-To/Advice
Writing.Com, chat forum, discussion forum, general forum, discuss, meet writers, meet members, meet people, mingle, discuss, greet, things for writers
*Down* [Delete] *Down*
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

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View the Format Commands Used



Custom Format Commands
The commands used in the above examples are listed below. The commands are color-coded to coincide with the commands used in the examples above. That a particular command was not used in one example does not mean it cannot be used in your custom In & Out.

%%blank_line%%    (Used in Examples #2 and #4)
This variable returns a blank line. Though this can be placed anywhere in the template, it's intended for the very end, where it's used to put one or more blank lines between consecutive posts. In most cases, if separate In & Out posts don't have space between them, the result is incredibly confusing.

%%black_line%%    (Used in Example #1)
This variable returns a solid black line. Like the blank line, this can be made to appear anywhere, but it probably makes the most sense at the end, where it can be used to establish a boundary between separate posts.

%%dashed_line%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns a thin horizontal line across the post, offering another option for a border.

%%cnt%%    (Used in Example #1)
This returns the post's order in the In & Out. Whether you have Display Order set to Newest First or Newest Last, the output of the variable will be 1 for the top post, 2 for the post below it, etc.

%%delete%%    (Used in Examples #1, #2, #3 and #4)
This variable returns a button that the item's owner can push to delete any post. This button will actually appear whether you place it or not; however, it's recommended that you manually set it up so it's in a logical place. If left to its own devices, the button will appear in the last line of each post, slightly indented from the left side.

%%text_html%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns what the poster writes when he or she adds a post to the In & Out, and WritingML and HTML will be processed. This is the only area on Writing.Com besides Web Page Items that will process HTML.

%%text_writingml%%    (Used in Examples #1 and #2)
This variable returns what the poster writes when he or she adds a post to the In & Out. WritingML will be processed, but HTML will not.

%%text_plain%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns what the poster writes when he or she adds a post to the In & Out, and neither WritingML nor HTML will be processed.

%%post_date%%    (Used in Example #1)
This variable returns the date, starting with the first three letters of the month's name, on which the In & Out post was submitted.

%%post_date_num%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the date, starting with the numerical month, on which the In & Out post was submitted.

%%post_time%%    (Used in Example #1)
This variable returns the time of day at which the In & Out post was submitted.

%%post_username%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the username of the member who submitted the post to the In & Out. Note that this is simply the username in plain text; to turn it into a user tag showing the member's portfolio icon, you would need to place the variable where you would normally place a member's username; for example, {user:%%post_username%%}.

%%post_username_anonymous%%    (Used in Example #1)
This variable returns the username of the member who submitted the post to the In & Out, but that username is only visible to the item's owner. Note that this is simply the username in plain text; to turn it into a user tag showing the member's portfolio icon, you would need to place the variable where you would normally place a member's username; for example, {user:%%post_username_anonymous%%}.

%%item_brief%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the submitted item's brief description.

%%item_content_rating%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the submitted item's content rating; clicking on the content rating will bring up information outlining what to expect.

%%item_created_date%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns the date, starting with the first three letters of the month's name, on which the submitted item was originally uploaded to Writing.Com.

%%item_created_date_num%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the date, starting with the numerical month, on which the submitted item was originally uploaded to Writing.Com.

%%item_created_time%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns the time of day at which the submitted item was originally uploaded to Writing.Com.

%%item_genre_1%%    (Used in Examples #3 and #4)
This variable returns the submitted item's primary genre, which must exist.

%%item_genre_2%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns the submitted item's second genre, if it exists.

%%item_genre_2_comma%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the submitted item's second genre, if it exists, with a comma placed after the first genre in order to separate the two genres. This would be equivalent to writing %%item_genre_1%% with a comma after it as long as a second genre exists, but if a second genre doesn't exist, then this variable prevents a comma from unnecessarily appearing after the primary genre.

%%item_genre_3%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns the submitted item's third genre, if it exists.

%%item_genre_3_comma%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the submitted item's third genre, if it exists, with a comma placed after the second genre in order to separate the two genres. This would be equivalent to writing %%item_genre_2%% with a comma after it as long as a third genre exists, but if a third genre doesn't exist, then this variable prevents a comma from unnecessarily appearing after the second genre.

%%item_id%%    (Used in Examples #3 and #4)
This variable returns the submitted item's ID number. Note that this is simply the item number in plain text; to turn it into a working item link, you would need to place the variable where you would normally place an item number; for example, {item:%%item_id%%}.

%%item_icon%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the submitted item's "itemicon," which visually reflects its item type. It will be aligned on the left edge of the post; that can't be changed. To see an example of the itemicon for any item type, scroll to the top of the page and click on the Reading or Writing tabs. "The Ins and Outs of In & Outs [E] is a Static Item, so its itemicon is the sheet of paper on a red background.

%%item_keywords%%    (Used in Example #4)
This variable returns the submitted item's keywords exactly as they appear on the item creation/editing page.

%%item_modified_date%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the date, starting with the first three letters of the month's name, on which the submitted item was last edited.

%%item_modified_date_num%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the date, starting with the numerical month, on which the submitted item was last edited.

%%item_modified_time%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the time of day at which the submitted item was last edited.

%%item_sub_type%%    (Used in Example #3)
This variable returns the item's subtype, if it exists. Books, Images, and Static Items have sub-types.

%%item_time_since_mod%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the amount of time since the submitted item was last edited. The duration shown in Example Two is what would be returned at the moment of posting, but the timer will continue to increase until the item is edited again.

%%item_title%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the submitted item's title in plain text.

%%item_type%%    (Used in Example #2)
This variable returns the submitted item's type.

%%item_username%%
This variable returns the username of the submitted item's author. Note that this is simply the username in plain text; to turn it into a user tag showing the member's portfolio icon, you would need to place the variable where you would normally place a member's username; for example, {user:%%item_username%%}.



With a little practice, you should be able to create your own custom unique In & Out.


Recommended Reading

Footnotes
1  Originally written by Davy Kraken for The Ins and Outs of In & Outs . A huge thank you for taking the time and effort to showcase each format properly. Edited for Writing.Com 101  by The StoryMistress

© Copyright 2010 The StoryMistress (UN: storymistress at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
The StoryMistress has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
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