AutoShrine Network Forum FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Some common questions about the Forum software in use on this website.

I forgot my password.

Go to the Reset your password page, linked from the sign-in form.
Fill in the email address you used to create your account, and a new password will be emailed to you.

How do I put a picture of me or my car next to all my posts?

1. Click on My Home Page at the top left of the page.
2. From your Member Home Page, click on Edit Profile
3. Click the Browse button under Main Picture and select the photo you want to use.
4. Fill in your current password to confirm the change and click "Update Profile".

Note that the image will automatically be resized so you don't have to worry about the image size or dimensions. Photos will be automatically cropped to 3x4 or 4x3 aspect ratio.

How do I post a picture?

There are a few ways you can do this.

Option #1 and probably easiest, you can use the Attach feature when posting a new message. The image will automatically be resized to resonable dimensions automatically. Make sure to click the Attach button after you choose the file!

Option #2: Link to your image on the web (not just on your computer's hard drive). Then put the image address in the [img] tag as described below. Please make sure the image isn't bigger than around 800 pixels wide, so it doesn't overflow off the sides of the page.

Some websites where you can "host" your images for free: Photobucket | Flickr | Imgur

Option #3: Start a journal and post your picture there. It will be automatically resized, and then you can post the image address between [img] tags as described below. You can right-click on any image on a web page and "Copy Image Link" to get the image address.

How do I put a picture in my signature?

1. Upload your signature photo to a photo hosting service such as ImageShack or PhotoBucket or Flickr etc etc.
2. Copy the "direct link" to your photo. Example: http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5120/bessar2minhand.jpg
3. Go to the Forum Control Center
4. Click on "Forum Settings", change "Add my signature to this message" checked by default" to YES and Submit.
5. Click on "Edit Signature"
6. Paste the direct link you copied above between [img]...[/img] tags and Submit.
   Example: [img]http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5120/bessar2minhand.jpg[/img]

Important Note: As per the Forum Guidelines, you should not use a forum signature image taller than 250px and no wider than 700px.
Use an image viewer/resizer application on your computer, or a online service such as PicResize to shrink your photos.

I want the "Most Recently Replied-To" topics at the top of the list

Also known as "Float to top" mode.

Make sure you're signed in, then scroll to the bottom of the Topic List page and click "Turn Floating Threads On".

I want to expand/collapse the thread display

Please note that there are two different view settings that you can control.

The first is the Topic View, which is the list of all topics in a particular forum. You can switch between two modes via the link at the bottom of the screen. Selecting "Switch View" will cause only the topic's Subject to be displayed, one per line. Selecting "Switch View" again will cause each topic to display all of the messages in the thread below it, in hierarchical fashion.

The second setting is the Message View, which is what you see when you click on a topic to read all the posts. Selecting "Switch View" will allow you to view the contents of all the messages in the thread at once. Selecting "Switch View" again will display one message a time, with a hierarchical display of all the messages in the thread, which can clarify which messages are being replied to.

When I come back, my display settings aren't the same

You must have "cookies" enabled in order for your web browser to save your display preferences. Flushing your cache ("Temporary Internet Files" in Windows-speak) may clear your cookies, but if cookies are enabled your settings will be remembered for the following session. Your cookie setting will be in Preferences or Internet Options or something like that (don't ask me, because every web browser is different). Some ad-blocking software may also interfere with Phorum saved settings.

I have to log in every time I visit the Forum

Try deleting cookies in your web browser. This often clears up sign in problems, especially in Internet Explorer 6.
In IE6 you can delete cookies from Tools menu, Internet Options, General tab, Delete Cookies.

For your security, when you sign in to the site, you are automatically signed out from all other locations.

Can I use HTML markup in Phorum?

No, but you can use BBCode.

Some examples:

Can I edit my message?

Yes, click on the message and click the "Edit" link.

There is a time limit of about 2 weeks from the time the message was created, after that the message can no longer be edited (except by the Forum Administrator). Posts in the Trader section should be editable forever. If you need an old locked thread deleted, contact the webmaster and make sure to include a link (URL) to the post in question!

The Forum looks really ugly or weird

You're probably using an old web browser that doesn't support web standards properly. Upgrade your web browser to something more recent that respects open standards, such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, or IE8.

Or, maybe you just have a different sense of style!

Still have questions? Contact the webmaster