Post Editing Tips
If you at all familiar with programs like office and outlook, then adding and editing posts is pretty straightforward and intuitive. However, there are a few things which which can life a easier then posting.
Window Live Writer
The editor integrated into the site is great and that’s all you really need to add posts. However, it can be easier (and more productive) to use a professional blogging product like Windows Live Writer (which is free):
Author Note: I tend to now do almost all my posts (including this one) with Windows Live Writer. It’s much easier, more efficient and covers all the functionality (extract, categories, tags, etc.) .
You can also use any other word processing tool which supports the MetaWeblog API. Whether or not this has the same functionality as Windows Liver Writer or not, would depend on the technical capabilities of the tool you are using.
HTML
All posts are stored as HTML behind the scenes. While you don't need to know any HTML, if you do you can always edit the source code to tweak the look or layout of your post.
Author Note: I try not to directly change the HTML, however on occasions it is useful, particular in fine tuning tables. In using Windows Live Writer, I also use the Dynamic Template plug in and HTML has let me set up a few snippets (such as the underlined abbreviation above).
When creating posts, please note the following:
- Do not use ‘<h1>’ tags in a note. Note headings are automatically created as ‘<h1>’ tags.
- Do use ‘<h2>’ tags to identify the major sections of your note.
Tables:
While optional, if you set the table class to myElectricalTable, it will render tables in a common style. Table headings use the <th> tag and cell content the <td> tag.
Equations & Symbols
Equations:
There are various ways to enter equations:
- you can use any online equation generator, external package or word processing tool which will produce the equation as an image for inclusion into your post.
- our site it MathJax enabled – you can insert any appropriate Tex, LaTex or MathML equation for rendering. You can find more information at: MathJax Documentation.
Note: if using MathML, it is best to stick with a simple <math> tag for future compatibility.
Symbols:
These can be entered as HTML entities. You can view the page HTML Symbol Entities for instructions and a list of available symbols. It is also possible to enter these using the equation editor, although this is not recommended as the symbols will be entered as images which take time to load and don’t line up nicely with the text.
If you have any other good tips or ideas you would like to share, please add below.
References
References add validity to a topic and show the writer has carried out research to ensure the factual integrity of the information. Most importantly they acknowledge the contribution made by the author of the referenced work. You should use references where appropriate.
Each reference is individually numbered and enclosed in square brackets (e.g. [1]). A list of references should appear at the end of the topic.
We like to use the Vancouver style. To make producing references easy, a quick Google search will come up with a lot of online citation generators. One that we use is: