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

look, i was all for h2g2 being the best ever, and then i went and wrote a surprisingly long entry about leprechauns in ireland. i clicked on add entry, checked it out, and it had all disappeared! all of it! all that's left is the title! what happened! it took hours to write! how can i get it back?! please help!
hotblack

If you very carefully press the back button on our browser a few times, you might be able to get back to where you were typing the entry. Otherwise I think it's gone, and you have to put this down to experience.
A good idea is to use a text editor, and then copy it over, adding tags where you need them if you're using GuideML. Otherwise add the entry to the guide as you type, that way you don't lose it all in this way.

thanks for trying but it didn't work and now it has wrecked my mood. i don't know what tags are. when i was typing it i clicked preview entry or something and it kept saying 'invalid on top level of introduction''. something along those lines. when i clicked on plain text it was okay so i entered it and that was when it disappeared, forever. does this happen often?

Awww love I wish we could help, did you manage to retrieve it using Minas back button method?

Mel

Hi Hotblack -

I have never experienced a system failure like what you describe, although I have many times made mistakes that resulted in me losing my entries.

I would recommend you to write it again, as soon as possible. From bitter experience I have found it usually takes only half the time the second time around. It's no consolation, I know, but it is probably the best thing you can do, unless of course it is still in memory and pressing brings it all back.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

CR

nope. it was a really good article too (or so i thought), for my first anyway. oh well.
[''i never thought it was physically possible for something to both suck and blow at the same time'' -- bart simpson]

don't worry about it. once bitten twice shy? nah! i'll be skiving off work writing it tomorrow instead. i hope. [fingers crossed]
thanks for all your help

Post here when it's up and I'll come and have a look at it!

Mel

maybe if you do identify the place on your hard drive where the browser's cache is? For IE this is /windows/temporary Internet Files, and for Netscape it's somewhere below the netscape/.../users/default. Otherwise, do a Search for one of the keywords of your entry and extend it over the whole disk.

Usually you get the message about top level when you haven't got the tag in properly. I think. The tags are the bits of code inside the < > brackets.

As for searching through the cache, I have found that I can't get the text back when I have tried that, only the empty edit box.

hotblack, I may have some good news for you. I just went to your entry and replaced the letter 'A' with the word 'test' in the URL. This allows me to check the entry even if it isn't showing up on h2g2's pages correctly.

I found an entire entry that was hidden due to a coding problem!

I think what happened is that you changed your entry from plain text format to GuideML format. Since you don't understand tags, you may have accidentally clicked on the wrong button.

To fix this, go back to the entry. Click on the 'Edit Entry' button. Underneath the part where your entry appears, find the part where there are dots next to the words 'Plain text' and 'GuideML.' Click on the dot to the left of 'Plain Text' and click on the 'Change Style' button.

You may need to remove some text at the top and bottom of the what you wrote that wasn't there before. Go ahead and do that. Then click on the 'Update Entry' button. You should get your original stuff in tact. Good luck!

Fragilis, you deserve a for that.



CR

Why, what perfect timing! I was just finishing up dinner.

*eats *

Mmmm! Thanks, Abstracted Woodpigeon.

Well, all is not lost. I just checked your article, suspecting that it would probably all still eb there, and sure enough, it is. For some reason, it was set to GuideML but had not tags. This doesn't cause any errors, but on the downside, doesn't display anything.

I've switched it back to plain text, and all the text is back. However, to make it look good, you'll have to learn how to write in GuideML. I'm sure there are plenty of people around who can get you started.

OK, serves me right for not reading the whole thread. Fragilis had already confirmed the text was intact. I've just saved you from having to click a button, that's all.

I'm sure hotblack will be very happy to see his entry returned right away. You get too, Jim.

And I've learned something as well. Thanks!

Yes i am exceedingly happy. thank you all so much! er...still need some assistance.[please!] i switched it back to guide ml and am trying to learn it, so far its working out okay, butits keeping all the things like and stuff still in it, saying its an error. but if i take them out won't it go back to all body? i'm a bit confused as you probably can tell. thanks
hotblack
p.s. her, not his!

Hello hotblack. Glad to see you got your entry back.
to start with you need


as the first two lines.
the last two need to be


the tags ARTICLE and SUBJECT you have in there need to be removed, as they are not part of GuideML. (Someone correct me if I am wrong please.)
Around each paragraph go at the beginning and at the end.
For better help than I can give here, you need to pop over to http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/GuideML-Clinic, and this should answer all your questions.

Mina - this deserves another piece of

CR