h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not sure if this is the place ot ask, this site seems to go around in circles when it comes to trying to get help, but anyway...

I have written guide entries but they are not showing up anywhere, it has been the same entry added a few times because there has been trouble getting the coding right - some things no matter how well written the guide simply will not accept, even when it comes to the default coding it puts in even before you get started. I was under the impression that you could go back and edit guide entries but non of them seem to be there.
I added an entry today and the whole thing seems to have TOTALLY vanished - with problems with guide code and entries vanishing I doubt I am ever going to get anything posted, whats going on?

Hmmmm.... One possibility -- when you create a guide entry, it doesn't actually get saved into the database until you hit the "Add Guide Entry" button at the bottom of the page -- are you sure you hit that button?

There is no button for 'Add Guide entry' only 'update introduction' on clicking the edit button on the side of the screen i seem to have been able to bring up my entry but I'm not getting any further.
I know for a fact that i have done this before, but for some reason I keep getting stuck.

Ahhhh.... Then what you're working on isn't what we'd call an entry, but on your personal space.

For example, here is my personal space: U99875

And here is an entry I created: A2643518

Both personal spaces and entries can use guideML, but they tend to have different purposes.

As far as your personal space goes, you need a tag at the very beginning and a tag at the very end for the material to show up. But it is all there, waiting for you -- just check <./>testuserpage635495</.>

Hope this helps!

Ah right - but then what is the function of the personal space entry if it never shows up?
Also if I need to put in the guide tags at the beginning and end why does it kick up such a fuss when I try to put any of the guide code in there?

I'm not sure what you mean by "kicking up a fuss" -- it will refuse to let you update the entry if some of the GuideML is incorrect, is that what you mean? I will take a look at your personal space and see if I can figure out what else is going on with the code.... Ah -- you do probably want to have and tags around your paragraphs, for things to format correctly.

You are aware that you can have your personal space in plain text format, and avoid all of the GuideML fuss, right? It won't look as fancy, but all the text will show up. If that's what you want to do, just go to edit it, go down towards the bottom where it says "change style", click on the one that says "plain text", then hit the "change" style" button. When the page reloads, hit the "update introduction" button.

And just so you know, your bit on Wicca and NeoWicca really looks more like the kind of thing most people would put in an entry rather than a personal space. Your personal space is really a great place for people to learn more about *you*, whereas entries are a great place for people to learn more about things that are interesting or important to you. If you hit the link that says "create new entry" on your personal space, it will take you to a page for creating a new entry -- it works much the same way as creating or updating your personal space.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help!

Mikey

By kicking up a fuss I mean that it refuses to let me update an entry as it is saying the code is incorrect – or some similar complaint, with big red text, this is true of body tags and P tags, unless I put it in plain text it will not let me save the entry.
Yes, I am aware it can be done in plain text format, however I would rather use GuideML if I can get it working for me.

I’m trying to put that as an entry rather than my personal space, just can’t figure out how to do that.

Some simple rules for making sure that your GuideML is valid:

Any tag that you open, be sure to remember to close it: at the start of a paragraph should be followed by at the end.

Because < and > are used for tags, you need to avoid using them in any other context. If you want to include an ampersand (&amp, then type this: &amp;

Because of the way GuideML is structured, the order of tags is important. For example:

Bold paragraph works, and is legal, but you can't do Bold text.

So, if a format is to apply to two or more paragraphs, you need either to format each separately or to do this:

Paragraph OneParagraph Two

Further information is available at the <./>GuideML-Clinic</.> or by replying!
If you still have problems, maybe you could post some sample code?

Whoami?

What skin are you using?

Brunel: 'Edit Page' (in the right hand column by your introduction) is to edit your Personal Space. Instead, select 'Add Entry' from the left-hand menu bar.

Alabaster: 'Edit Page' (in the right hand column by your introduction) is to edit your Personal Space. Instead, scroll down to the section of the left hand column marked 'My Most Recent Guide Entries' and select 'Add Guide Entry'.

Classic Goo: 'Edit Page' (in the right hand column by your introduction) is to edit your Personal Space. Instead, scroll down to the section on the left hand side of the main column marked 'My Most Recent Guide Entries' and below the list of Guide Entries, select ''Edit Page' (in the right hand column by your introduction) is to edit your Personal Space. Instead, scroll down to the section of the left hand column marked 'My Most Recent Guide Entries' and select 'Click here to add a new Guide Entry'.

Whoami?
h2g2 Guru

It might also be worth explaining that the Personal Space Introduction is what appears on your Personal Space (click on 'My Space' on the menu bar). If you use Brunel, then it'll be below almost everything else on that page when you're logged in.

I was a site content editor for a large Uk organization for two years, I do know coding, however something about this site doesn't seem to like even something as basic as putting in paragraphs, I've had my partner have a look as he works in IT too, just in case I had made some obvious mistakes, however still cannot see whats wrong.
Perhaps it has something to do with putting it in the wrong place?

I'm still confused as to how to write a guide entry, if not going though the way I went through how do you add a guide entry to this site?

To add a guide entry, click on where it says "Create a guide entry" from your personal space.

The system will reject it if each tag isn't closed -- so every time you have a you have to have a . And just like you need a at the very beginning, you need a at the every end.

Here's a short example of what an entry would look like in guideml:



This is not a real entry, I'm just babbling to take up space. But this is basically an introduction paragraph.

My First Header

Here's my first topic. All about how much I like the color orange. I'm wearing an orange shirt today. I also like orange cheese.

My Second Header

Here's my second topic. All about how happy I am that my exam is over with. Woo hoo! Soooooo happy! Now my entry is over with.




Mikey

One of my postings above demonstrates *exactly* how to open the editing page for a new Guide Entry, starting from the Personal Space, which is the page that you are taken to automatically when you sign into h2g2.

As for the code, perhaps it would help for you to take a look at how it's done for one of the latest Edited Entries. If you click on this link, it will give you a page of code: <./>Test2451683</.>

Just a warning: it's an entry on Death and Decomposition - not cheerful, but I chose it because it demonstrates many of the elements of GuideML, properly applied.

If you continue to have problems, then a good step forward would be to post to this thread with your code both as it appears in the box that you are trying to use, by copying and pasting, and also copies of any error messages that you receive.

I hope that this helps - I've double-checked and the coding is still working fine for me, so it's probably something tiny and annoying that you just can't figure out. You know, one of those really obvious things that it can nevertheless be impossible to see - happens a lot to all of us!

Good luck!

Whoami?

Hi there.

I have tried to put an entry (my first!) into the guide (id: A3428967) using GuideML, but nothing at all seems to have appeared in the entry space apart from the subject line.

I would really appreciate any words of advice.

Many thanks.

It looks just fine to me, so I'm guessing you found the problem.


Mikey

Yes, Mikey - found the answer via another conversation by Amy the Ant. Thanks for looking anyway!