Uploading problems

The DTCA website host is having some issues with several effects that are preventing picture uploading and sending out email notifications. Another update soon.

After some vital changes, picture uploading and hopefully messaging are getting back to normal service today.

Thanks Al!!!! Terry

Dave/Al I presume the same problem as before with uploading images has now hit this site once more. I have just spent over an hour trying to upload images within a long text, and was successful with five images and then the problem raised its ugly face. I then opened a new tab and doing the same with a smaller text on a different Topic, this one with only a single image and again no joy using either method. It is extremely frustrating for this to be happening on a regular basis, so I hope this problem will be permanently sorted out. I do appreciate your mostly unsung efforts on behalf of the membership, even though I may sound ungrateful but it is extremely frustrating when one spends considerable time preparing a Post to be shared with members and visitors, and then to encounter a problem with the website itself that puts the Post in limbo. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20161011/999/0032

I couldn't reproduce this problem Bruce. Are you still having upload issues? There are several possibilities: Maybe a local connection brown out, or maybe the host was having some wobbles. If you try to upload very large images, it's not unlikely that the system could timeout. Ideally your images should not be much larger than 200 kilobytes each.

Al It is 4.16am here, and I have just tried uploading quite small images of 800x400, the size of the Vectis images on their website using the process you helped me with some time ago, clicking on the icon second from the left middle row above, and then following the steps after that, and again I was unable to upload that image. I have used this method of uploading images quite a few times in the past and the only time I had problems was when I had forgotten to make the original image smaller, 1700x1193, the size of the base plate image for the 480 Post. As can be seen with my last Post with the 480 Kodak Van, I had no problems uploading a large image by using the process hereunder, add a new file. I much prefer using the method of uploading images that you described to me, as it allows me to place an image immediately following the relevant text and then continue with text. I cannot understand why one method is satisfactory and another is not, with the message coming up that the file is too large. I particularly wanted to use the alternative method, text - image - text - image etc with a Post I have developed for the 505-905 Foden Flat Truck with Chains as it allows the reader to follow what I am describing in picture format. By the way, I had switched off my computer for many hours before Posting that entry in the 490 Topic, and I was then able to download that 480 image so maybe the problem must rest with my computer. I will have another look tomorrow, sorry, later today! Many thanks for your efforts though Al - they are more than appreciated. Kind regards Bruce 20161013/1002/0432

Could you make a note of what the error message says exactly, - if it's telling you on one hand that an image is too big for inline upload? Also please send the problem images to me as email attachments without changing the names of the files or doing anything else with them. With a website such as this, all the components were designed and built by different people at different times - even the bits that essentially do the same kind of things. One method of picture uploading may perform its own image resizing while the other was not equipped with similar abilities. However 800x400 should be digestible to both.

Al Here is the message that came up. As the message always remains on the screen for a fleeting instance, the only way to read all it said was to do a very fast screen dump. Not knowing how to attach that to this Post I photographed the screen dump reduced its size and it is attached. One can see the image is well within the parameters required to upload, but I do not understand how I could have been using 20mb of my 20mb quota. I can also send direct to your email address the screen dumps for each process I used to attach an image within the text, and you may see whether I have carried out the action correctly, although this has always been the process I have used in the past. The last time I used this method of attaching images within the body of the text was on 22 September on the 986 Mighty Antar topic. I have used the easier method that has the images after the text from that date on as there was no requirement for the images to be within the text. I would be interested in your findings. One last thing - this morning before turning on the computer I switched it off at the rear of the tower, switched off the power at the outlet and pulled the plug, disconnected the Internet line to the modem, waited 30 seconds and re-connected. In the meanwhile I hope you can look into this further from your end. Many thanks again for your help. Kind regards Bruce (150) 20161013/1003/1128

A-ha, yes the error message isn't really an error report. The image upload quota with inline images is 20mb per user - that is to say ever, not just in one post. I'm going to remove that cap but limit the size per image to 1mb. Nobody should be uploading files over 1mb but now you should be able to add all the inline images you like.

Al You great wizard! I am so glad you nailed my problem - the system had been keeping a tally of all that I have been uploading using this method of displaying images within the body of the text over the thirteen times I have used this method. I have just completed and posted my contribution to the 505/905 Foden Flat Truck with Chains Topic with no problems, except for a small delay while uploading image five which resulted in a short heart attack! I may be wrong, but i think I may be the only member who has used this method of uploading images into this new website. Would i be correct with that? But my sincere thanks for removing the cap. I really enjoy using this method of uploading as it keeps each image relevant to the matter under discussion. The only downside is that members and visitors are unable to click and enlarge each image. Thank you again! Kind regards Bruce (150) 20161014/1005/0015

Thanks Bruce - The inline image function and the separate image uploader were designed by different people at different times. Indeed the whole site is a quilt of separate efforts stitched together.I suppose the purpose of the inline image feature is the ability to craft images and text together in a precise way. Not just above and below but at one side or another, bigger or smaller or however else the user wants to arrange content. In that sort of context, probably the designer didn't feel that having a breakout zoom was then appropriate to the purpose.