* Thank you to THE Santa Claus for allowing me to remake and update his guide. Table of Contents: 1. Color Codes, Table of Contents 2. Simple Post Codes ( colors, bold, italics, underline, strike, size) 3. Aligning Text 4. Other Codes: Code, Spoiler, Quote, Other Colors, Special Characters, and Emoticons 5. Thread Topics and Posts (RNG, Dice, Post Styles, Voting, Polls, Subscribing) 6. Using Images 7. More Graphics (Avatars, YouTube) 8. Other Tips: Trying on Items, Seeing Favorites, Commenting on Profiles
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:47 pm
Post 2. Simple Posting Codes
The first law of coding a post is all codes should "sandwich" the text they are applied to, like quotation marks sandwich dialog. So any code you start with must have a corresponding closing code when it ends.
Example: I want to make my text red. I will use the [color=red] code so it looks like this:
[color=red]RED. But I must close it with the closing code:[/color]
Don't worry, your codes won't show, just the result. You can use [b] and [/b] to make text BOLD [i] and [/i] to make text ITALICS [u] and [/u] to underline text [strike] and [/strike] to Strike Out text
If you stack codes on the same text, sandwich them in the reverse order when you close them. So you can make words blue AND bold AND in italics like this: [color=blue][b][i] BOLD and BLUE and ITALICS [/i][/b][/color]
It doesn't matter the order you use, so long as you reverse the order perfectly when you finish:
[i][color=green][u][b] BOLD and GREEN and ITALICS and UNDERLINED [/b][/u][/color][/i]
You can also change the size of the font. Most folks have trouble seeing fonts smaller than 8, and size 0 is invisible. The default is size 12 and the largest is 24. This is size 8. This is size 12. This is size 24.
That code is align, which can be [align=right] and [/align] or
[align=center] (as above) and [/align] To center text (or images), you can also use the code [center] and [/align]
Text is automatically aligned left.
Aligning images to the left allows text to "wrap around" the image. See more about images in Post 6 below.
LIST List indents text a little and can add a bullet or number in front of it. Like other codes, you must close the code when you're done with your list. You can stack list codes to indent more, but that doesn't always work as well as it should. [list] just makes a bullet list, while [list=1] puts in numbers and (theoretically although I've never made it work) [list=a] puts in letters alphabetically. Use [/list] to close any list. Count carefully if you stack list codes to be sure you closed all of them! Each item on the list needs a [*] in front of it.
So this is my first list, and it has a nice bullet And all the bullets line up nicely.
And I can nest another list under one of the first list's items. and it moves over a little bit more.
third item on my first list, with nothing nested under it.
And this list has numbers on it for as many items as I add (and I don't have to keep track, it numbers automatically) but I noticed it didn't nest under the other list. I had to end the one above first. But any list will nest under the numbered one. So numbered lists always first.
And this list SHOULD have letters. It may work better in forums than in the guild.
To just indent, I put four lists (you can put more) and did not put the [*] in at all. No bullets show up, but the entire block of text indents the same distance. Just be sure to close all four list codes!
TAB tab Another way to indent just the first line of text is to use the :tab: code.
tabtabtab You can use 3 tabs for this effect.
TRANSPARENT TEXT COLOR Another way to line up text is to put transparent text in front of or between your colored text. Gaia only puts one space between characters regardless of how many spaces you put in, but if you put transparent characters in they will provide the blank space you want, even if the text is later quoted.
Post 4. Other Codes CODE The [code] code allows you to show your code without it actually being activated. This is useful if you want others to be able to copy it.
[quote="JoyRose"]It is considered polite to remove extra text when quoting to avoid long "quote trees."[/quote]
Looks like this if copied and pasted:
JoyRose
It is considered polite to remove extra text when quoting to avoid long "quote trees."
An empty code box puts a solid horizontal line across your post like this:
SPOILER and QUOTE The [spoiler] code hides things from view. This helps keep posts looking smaller, but does NOT change the rules for signatures (browsers load the images before loading the spoiler tags, so you still can't put an image larger than 100KB in your signature, even in a spoiler). Go ahead. Click it to learn about Quotes
Did you notice the [quote] code above? I used my username, but if you don't use the ="username" part of that code, it just leaves it blank like this:
Quote:
This is called BBC code and works in profile "About Me" section, signatures, journals, guild announcements, profile comments, and as you can see, guild posts. The codes don't work quite exactly the same in guilds as in forums, but pretty close.
But using a username the way I used mine in a quote is a great way to get that user's attention because most folks get notifications with a link to someone quoting them. So if you quote me, even just copying and posting the above coding, I'll get a notification that I've been quoted and a link to wherever you posted it. However, if you edit a post to add quoting me, it may not work. A quote with a description instead of the username can be useful.
Description
This would be a great place to put a description! And whoever named their avatar "Description" will just get an odd notification.
Remember, the code and spoiler codes must be closed to work properly, especially in guilds!
Note: Posts count ALL characters (transparent ones, codes, spaces, etc.) and you run the risk of losing some if you go over 50,000 characters total in one post. Sometimes Gaia just chops off characters that exceed that number.
A note about colors: If a user selects Dark Mode, black text turns white but other dark colors become hard to see.
And here are some symbols, although be careful with these. Not all symbols show up on all computer monitors, so your special symbol may turn to nonsense to others' eyes.
Post 5. Thread Topics and Posts There are some things you must choose BEFORE you click "Submit"
RNG (Random Number Generator) In guilds, look below the box you type your post into. In forums, look to the right of that box, for "Post Action." Click "show spoiler" below to see an illustration.
(You can pick any numbers instead of the ones given, but the first one must be less than the second one.)
DICE
In guilds, look below the box you type your post into. In forums, look to the right of that box, for "Post Action." Pick the kind of dice you want to roll (how many sides) and how many of them to roll (1-20, if you pick 0 your answer will be 0). Click "show spoiler" below to see an illustration.
Post Styles Post Styles refer to the frames (this one is "Document") and sometimes impact the text. For an updated list of choices in forums see THIS PAGE OF POSTS. In guilds your choices are limited to the frames you see on this page: Ornate, Whisper, Say, Shout, Document, and Think. "Honey" does not work.
Voting The <3 or Polls Polls can be set to the right of the box where you put your first post in forum threads or under that box in guilds. You can edit polls in forums, but must delete and remake polls in guilds. Either way, you will lose all previous votes. Each visitor can only vote once per poll no matter how many times they visit the thread.
Subscribing You can subscribe to forum threads, but not guild threads as of now. If you subscribe, when anyone posts in that thread you get a notification in a bubble by your avatar in the header.
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:56 pm
Post 6. How to use Images on Gaia
First you need a picture, also called a graphic or image.
Either you make it using a program on your computer (I just use Paint.net because it's free, but there are many choices out there for real artists) or someone gives you permission to use theirs.
DO NOT COPY A PICTURE WITHOUT PERMISSION TO SELL!! That's against Gaia ToS and Rules and can get you banned, because it's STEALING someone else's work! If you are selling art on Gaia for Gaia currency to be used on Gaia, you may use Gaia art.
I'm going to use a banner from another thread of mine for this example:
Second you need a website to host your graphics.
A list of sites can be found here. You'll need to make an account, but many are free.
Follow the directions to upload your graphic from your computer. A window will open for you to browse for your graphic, so be sure you know where it is on your computer!
Or you can upload it directly from the url another artist gave you for their graphic. An url starts "http" and you can find it by quoting the PM or post they give you. Then you would chose the second choice under "Paste Image or URL."
Remember, while it is possible to upload graphics from the internet nearly anywhere, do not do it for profit unless you have permission. Otherwise it is stealing!
After it's uploaded, click the drop down menu to the right of the image and choose "Get share links" and pick the BBC (which includes the image code).
Now you need a place to put it.
If you want to put it in your signature, go to My Gaia, click the arrow by the gear and click Signature on the right side.
Paste your image code into your signature box. Signatures have rules on Gaia you must abide by or lose signature privileges.
Signature Graphics may not be bigger than 500 pixels tall or wide and may not be more than 500kB in file size.
You can check these on your graphic by right-clicking the graphic and clicking "Properties" or "View Image Info." If you're having trouble viewing the properties of your image, try this tutorial: Signature Limits Guide.
Also signatures may not contain more than 750 characters, which means you usually can put up to five or six urls in your signature. There's a way to get more in one image called a signature map or sig map (Tutorial for that here), but I won't go into that here. There are also short-cut url sites, but Gaia won't show those either if they're not whitelisted to people who have their settings on "whitelisted images only."
Thread, Profile and Journal graphics rules are a little more lenient, but graphics that are too big will likely irritate people, so I recommend staying inside those guidelines everywhere. The coding works the same.
Making it link
If you want people to click on your graphic to get to a certain thread or place in Gaia, you simply copy that place's url and paste it after the = in the code [url=] followed immediately by your [img] code. Then after your [/img] code put [/url].
Example: I want to link my little banner to my "Fuzzie Graphics" mini shop thread. My graphic is at https://vgy.me/n4bOjs.gif and looks like this
I want to link it to my "Fuzzie Graphics" thread which has this url: gaiaonline.com/forum/t.84215653 (actually the url reads http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/personalized-graphics/fuzzie-graphics/t.84215653 but I don't need that extra stuff for the link to work).
I use this code (note my thread URL goes first, then my graphics or IMAGE code and /URL):
Go to the marketplace listing for the item and copy the number at the end of the listing. Go to your post and highlight NUM and paste. Then right-click the image (you can choose any pose or the main image, it will come out the same size), select "Copy Image Address" then go to your post and highlight IMG and paste.
ADDING TEXT NEAR IMAGES I can align images.
imgleft in the code instead of img lets text start next to rather than under the image.
imgright puts the image on the far side of the post. Note that this text is also aligned right, and FOLLOWS the image code.
If you want the image centered, simply put the center alignment code around the image code.
I can also use the [CLEAR] code to keep images and text from getting cluttered.
So go from this: If I want text next to this, but the next image below...
to this by adding [clear] code: I get the text next to the image and then use the clear code to move the next image down below it.
RESIZING IMAGES
You can resize images by adding codes "width,height" like: So it looks like this for img="100" (note width becomes 100 and height changes proportionally)
and this for img="100,100"
and this for img="height=100"
Good luck with your graphics! PM me if you still have questions!
Right click the avatar. Sometimes you can just select "Copy image address" for the needed link. Otherwise select "Open image in new tab" then go to that tab. Copy the url for that image..
Remove everything after "png". Use that in your img code.
You can change the avatar's orientation by adding or removing "_flip" before the .png part of the code. If you only want a headshot, remove "_flip.png" (or ".png" if no flip) and replace it with "_48x48.gif"
To use an image of a current avatar that will NOT change when the owner changes without saving it to your computer and uploading it to a 3rd party host:
1. Find a post you (or they) made and click the red heart under the avatar. I often save mine in a folder for Avatar Contests or in a folder of my own avatars.
2. Go to the My Gaia drop down menu and click Favorites.
3. Find the avatar you just saved and click on it. A dialog box will open with the avatar in it.
4. Right click on the avatar. Sometimes you can just select "Copy image address" for the needed link. Otherwise select "Open image in new tab" then go to that tab. Copy the url for that image.
5. Simple use the copied link in your img codes to post!
Note: You can edit saved avatars in your collection to add details and move them to other folders. If you want to delete avatars from your collections, start a "Trash" folder and move the avatars you want to delete there. Then simply delete the Trash folder.
Exporting your Avatar: Gaia has a page of links for various platforms: https://www.gaiaonline.com/export/export
YouTube videos
To embed YouTube videos in posts, profiles, etc., just use the [YouTube] and [/YouTube] codes, like IMG codes, around the youtube video link.
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 9:04 pm
Post 8. Other tips
For many of these tips, you'll need the number following the user's name in their profile. This only works if their profile is public. Click on the drop down menu under their avatar and click "Profile." The url of my profile is: https://www.gaiaonline.com/profiles/joyrose/551023/?_gaia_t_=718. The number you need directly follows their username. Mine is red above. This number is their ID number.
Also on the avatar's drop down menu is
"View Posts" where you can see what else they've posted on Gaia (but not in guilds) "Favorites" where you can see what avatars they've saved "View Store" where you can see what they have listed on the Marketplace "View Equipped List" where, if they have it selected as visible, you can see a list of what their avatar is currently wearing
Ways to try out items
Dress Up allows you to try on anything you own (select "My Inventory" at the top of the inventory) or anything on Gaia (select "All Gaia"). It's a nice big avatar, double forum size, so you can easily see details and colors. But you can only try on one pose at a time.
If you save your avatar and then return to Dress Up and change without saving, it gives you two sets of items with which to try on items in the Marketplace. Choices for trying different poses and arm positions is much more limited in the Marketplace.
Under your inventory in Dress Up is "Try the Avatar Builder!" button, which takes you to another way to play with items.
Ghosting
Under your avatar(s) in the Avatar Builder is an option to allow Ghosting. If you click that, then others may peruse your inventory and help you make outfits.
To see another's inventory (assuming they allow Ghosting), click the "Ghost?" text above your avatar(s). You need to enter their ID number.
Seeing another's Favorites collections
You can use the drop down menu described above, or get the ID number as described at the top of this post, then use this code: gaiaonline.com/collections/show/ID number
= angel
If you want to put it in your signature, go to My Gaia, click the arrow by the gear and click Signature on the right side. 
imgleft in the code instead of img lets text start next to rather than under the image. 
