Warning for the inattentive

sneuberg

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I spent more than an hour on a post this morning only to lose it all by doing something stupid. I don't even know what I did anymore but poof my work was gone.

You can lose a post by navigating to somewhere else, e.g., clicking the back button or clicking on a bookmark. Sometime I just want to lose the post as I decide what I was writing was crap but when that's not the case this is really frustrating.

I suggest adding some JScript that would detect a navigation from the page and if the post form had text in it it would stop you with a warning that your input will not be saved.

Can I do this on my end? Is there anyway I can configure my browser to do this?
 
When I want to do a bit of research, I try to open a new browser page or even a new window.

However, I have also experienced the "lost post" syndrome. I agree, very frustrating but not unique to vBulletin.
 
I would tend to use notepad for any length posts and then paste in. I do that for a lot of sites.
Fortunately I do not do many lengthy posts here. :)
 
I have experienced the same issue on this and other forums. As Doc_Man says, I tend to open a new browser tab when researching while composing a response. But I have lost "in progress work" unexpectedly more than once. If I have a lengthy item, I will sometimes go to Notepad++ and work/edit there before going back to the forum and pasting.
 
I'll tend to do long posts in notepad and then repost but I still get caught out now and then.

Dropped wifi connections are the thing that usually gets me.
 
This has happened to me more than once, and it drives me nuts. It usually happens when I work on a post for more than a few minutes. I tried going advanced and periodically previewing my post. that helps, but I have to remember to do it every few minutes.

Mostly, I work on my post in MS word and then copy it in and immediately send it, but If I want to make more revisions after I paste it, I can still lose it. Luckily, when I do that, I still have the Word document, so I haven't lost everything. The site does time you out, but it does it very quickly.

It would be very helpful to know what the rules are, that is, how long you have to work on a post before you're timed out.

Henry
 
Yes, I've had that happened to me, as well. I do like the OP (original post) says and draft my question in Word, and then copy and paste to the forum. I think you have to add links or links to pics after you paste your text to the forum and use their tools to do all of that. Helpful forum, though. Thank you.
 
Yes, I've had that happened to me, as well. I do like the OP (original post) says and draft my question in Word, and then copy and paste to the forum.

I do that now too if I know the response is going to be lengthy but sometimes I start with what I think is going to be a short response but it grows. This wouldn't be a problem if I could keep my head out of my ass but I get in a hurry and navigate to somewhere else without opening another tab and poof it's gone.

I don't think it would be hard to provide the users with a warning that they have data in a form that won't be save if they leave the page.
 

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