Some "teething problems". Remember: brackets, not parenthesis

Okay, since some of you have raised questions regarding the trigger code (what it is, what the point of it is, how to use it and how to determine when it's appropriate), I thought I'd explain why I asked the good Doc to implement the feature, some background info and so on, so forth.

Background Information
I frequent a fair few entertainment forums, and they use "BBCode" (explained next) to enable people writing posts to hide "spoilers" which could ruin the plot of TV Shows, Movies, Books, etc. If someone wants to view the spoiler when reading the post, they click "Show Text" or "Show", which displays the hidden text. They can then click the button again which will say "Hide", following the reader clicking "Show", and that hides the text once again.

When I was writing a reply to a thread, I noticed that a portion of what I was writing could be potentially triggering, instead of the whole reply, so I decide to just use "- - - - - POTENTIAL TRIGGER - - - - -" before the portion of text that could be triggering, and "- - - - - END POTENTIAL TRIGGER - - - - -" afterwards, to signify the end of the potentially triggering part of my reply and that the text before and after the previously mentioned "tags" was safe to read and not potentially triggering.

This is what gave me an idea: why not use a similar method as some forums use to hide "spoilers" for potentially triggering excerpts/parts of a reply or thread, when the rest of the text is thought to be generally trigger-free? So I did a bit of Googling, found the code used, and gave the code and idea to DocJohn whilst advising that the spoiler text be replaced by trigger text.

I found it encouraging and became more convinced of the idea when I found others following suit after I used "- - - - - POTENTIAL TRIGGER - - - - " to notify readers that a portion of my reply, NOT the whole thing, was triggering. Why not make it simpler by just allowing people to use a bit of code to hide these small bits of potentially triggering information?

What on EARTH is BBCode?
I'm not sure how to explain this more than others have already explained it, but BBCode is basically a way of formatting text, inserting images and links, identifying some text as "code" etc. It can also be used for custom functions, such as the aforementioned "Spoiler" hide/show text function. Essentially, BBCode is an extremely stripped-down form of HTML code - click HERE for a further explanation of BBCode.

If you've ever inserted a picture, or a link, or made text on these forums bold, underlined or italic then you've used BBCode. When you click an option in the toolbar that appears when you're writing a reply, the forum automatically inserts the BBCode for you. Here's an example of BBCode:

Italics:
THIS IS WHERE YOUR TEXT GOES
- That would make that same text appear like so: "THIS IS WHERE YOUR TEXT GOES" I'll explain how this happens:

When you surround the "i" with brackets ("[" then "i" then "]"), it tells the forum software to make what you write afterwards italic. Then, when you want to make the text normal font again (so tell the forums that it should turn off the italics) all you do after the italic text is type the same thing but with a backwards slash ("/) which would be "[" and "/" and "i" and "]". The brackets tell the forum that you're adding code, the letter or word signifies what you want it to do (so "i" for italic, "b" for bold or "trigger" for a trigger box) and when you end the function, so tell the forum to stop what you told it to do, you do the same but put a "/" before the letter or text.

This is stupid, RB - We already have the trigger icon!
Okay, yes. There are certain times when using this feature is not required, which will be most likely if you're posting a thread with entirely triggering content. However, if you're replying within a thread without a trigger icon, or your reply/thread only has parts of triggering content and isn't all triggering or for whatever reason you feel you may use it, the option is now there.

I thought it could be useful and personally I will find it useful. You don't have to use it but the feature is there - use it at your discretion. Nobody will judge you for not using it

But how can I tell if what I'm saying may be triggering?
Well, as with creating a thread that may be triggering (in which case you are required to highlight it as such using the trigger icon and optionally a "trigger warning" in the thread title), it really is down to being aware of what you're saying and using your instinct. If you feel as though it could potentially be distressing, triggering, stressful or upsetting for someone to read, it's a potential trigger. Once again, it's down to your instinct. This is what makes the feature so useful - if in doubt, you can hide the text just in case and it can be revealed by the reader as easily as clicking a button. And of course, it doesn't stop your thread/reply/post from being read at all because you've had to highlight the entire thing as being potentially triggering - you can just hide the specific part(s) of text.

It's all down to respect for the feelings of others - something I have begun to take seriously more and more every time I see people getting upset not just on the forums but also in real life. I care very much for this community we have going, and I care deeply about the feelings of everyone else. I admire the courage and determination of all of us, and it is fascinating and a real display of the good side of human nature to see how supportive we can all be together. This function is just another way we can protect each other and minimise the risk of us causing offense. The the following is a list of things that can be potentially triggering or offensive:

Talk of:


Arguments regarding:
Religion
Care
Politics
The law.

I like the idea, is it possible to have the button added to the toolbar so we can click it and the code is added automatically for us?

It is definitely possible, and I provided DocJohn with the information to make this happen. However, it is completely up to DocJohn and the rest of the mod and admin team whether or not to add the button and we should all be okay with that decision. Instead you can just write "[" trigger "]" (without the speech marks and spaces) before writing the text that may be triggering, and then writing "[" /trigger "]" (once again without the speech marks or spaces) AFTER the triggering text before continuing with the rest of your post.

Summary
There you go. If you need more help, information, advice or anything else regarding this code, please feel free to PM me. Once again, you are not obliged to use this feature - I just thought it may be of use to some. Note: I am not sure of the compatibility with this code when used in the Tapalk app. IIRC, all BBCode is stripped by the app so no formatting works using it, except images (I think). Also, the trigger icon is not present in Tapatalk. Just a warning

to all. I hope you all enjoy your day/night/evening/morning/week/month/whatever
RB

FURTHER READING:
What is BBCODE and how do I use it? - http://www.askdavetaylor.com/what_is...w_do_i_use_it/

BBCode Guide - https://www.phpbb.com/community/faq.php?mode=bbcode

BBCode (How to use) With Pictures - http://m.wikihow.com/Use-BBCode