Over the past six months or so, I've had a problem with sending other members links in PMs to a particularly nice photo I thought they would like to see, a subject matter I know they enjoy. I copy the URL and place it in the body of the PM and when they try it, they get only the Caedes home page. It doesn't happen all the time but at least half the time. I know that if you try to copy the address before it's finished loading, it won't work. So, using Safari on my Mac, I can see the loading process at the top of the screen and wait until it's finished before I copy it. But it still only gives the intended party the Caedes home page, even though you can see the originating member's name in the URL. I know from my correspondence with others that it happens to more folks than just me. Any suggestions from the members, cadre, or Geri?

And while I'm here, people, why not take a look at the "Kiva Team Caedes" thread and consider it for yourself. One person really can make a difference. How's that Phil? :D

Is this a repeatable issue with the same URL?
If so perhaps you could send one to me that did not work. I may be able to figure out what is happening to it in transit?

There is a thread on this somewhere... it's to do the the "&image" bit isn't it? On macs that part seems to change into a funny symbol... as I said I'm sure there was another thread on it somewhere... I think Geri replied that there really wasn't anything that could be done without changing the entire coding of the site...

Well there you go... I typed "& image" (without the space) and it changed it into exactly the funny symbol I was referring to...

Actually I sent one to a Caedes friend earlier today and it worked for her. I sent the same URL to a second friend and it didn't work. Then the first friend sent it back to me and I tried it and it didn't work. Confusion reigns supreme.

It may depend what system they are using as well... I do remember having the same sorts of issues where I would send people links to images and they would reply that it didn't work.

Well, I guess we just work around it then. There are ways. Thanks for the input.

I'm not sure when this started happening, as it was not always like this. But, I do have to add the "& image" (without a space), in order to open a link that someone sends via PM. I think it also happens with links in threads, but not sure.

I recall it happening to me before I moved interstate, that was about 2 years ago, but I think it goes back a few more years than that.

The message boards and PMs are treated as HTML, not text. So special characters have special purposes and cannot be written as text without using HTML coding. The & sign serves such a purpose and thus will not act as expected. It is possible to make the & appear by typing & in place of the & sign. Don't forget the semicolon.
So here it is...

http://www.caedes.net/Zephir.cgi?lib=Caedes::Infopage&image=Nikoneer-1277769541.jpg


A better solution is to learn to make an active link in your message. All we have to add is -
<a href="">Behind These Doors...</a>

The finished link will look like this

<a href="http://www.caedes.net/Zephir.cgi?lib=Caedes::Infopage&image=Nikoneer-1277769541.jpg">Behind These Doors...</a>

When sent or posted it will look like this-

Behind These Doors...

I've used that very method in my PMs and image submission posts for the past year as a convenience and a tool. I just didn't think it was necessary to replace simply copying a URL since the URL copy used to work just fine for me. It's only been in the last 5 or 6 months that it's been glitchy. I had already decided that this was my way to get around the problem of URL copies not working, but thanks anyway.