HELP! [lost lengthy post before clicking "save"]
 

I just spent a solid 2 hours or so on a post (OK, I messed up by not typing it up in word or something prior), but once I pressed preview, I was prompted to log back in (normal for me), but when I proceeded, told me that it couldn't process, and post was gone...

I think i have the link here..but wondering if it's somewhere in FT background floating around, before I spend another evening working on the freaking thing....

Frustration level to the max...sorry if this was a total noob move...just want to see if there's any way of salvaging.

Here's the link, but doesn't populate anything for me anymore
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=1718375

While I can't help you with the back end FT stuff, there's a great browser plug-in called Lazarus that saves your text entries into any/all fields and stores the data for up to 14 days, I believe. It's saved me countless times when things have disappeared due to user or system errors.

I learned the hard way just like the OP and I now periodically select my entire post and copy it plus I periodically click the "preview post" button as by doing the latter, it still shows that I'm logged in as opposed to an extended period of inactivity when typing a long post or otherwise getting distracted (i.e. a phone call)

I've searched and can't recover anything; I'm sorry that happened.

Sometimes, I make complex posts, and if the browser I'm using crashes, or Ive not saved it, I could lose the post. Some possibilities that come to mind:

1) The easiest is using the "Save" button periodically, even tough it could be confusing to members who are then presented with a partial post in the interim and the post will be annotated as "Edited" in the end.

2) Using the "Preview Post" will prevent the post from displaying prematurely and allows incremental saves that might even survive a browser crash. (You must click on "Go Advanced" to select this option if you have entered a post with the "Edit" command.) (This is my most common choice when writing longer posts - I've used it 2-3x so far with this post.)

3) Writing the post text in an app or word processing program (saving periodically as necessary), formatting / adding BBCode once the text is copied into the post. (If you're pretty familiar with BBCode, you can of course add it in the text processor while you are writing.)

4) Using add-ons, such as Lazarus Form Recovery, mentioned previously.

IMO #2 is easiest, and it has become second nature to use "Preview Post" to me. #3 is the most labor intensive, and #4 the most automated if you don't mind adding add-ons and are willing to take the risk that they could potentially add some glitches to the browser or vBulletin.

Thanks all--I'm usually on FT daily reading and such but got so frustrated I've taken a few day break (withdrawals included).

Hopefully I muster the energy to finish my DFW-AUH-LHR Trip report. Thanks everyone for the advice/help.

As a moderator, I've experienced a few lost works myself; I know the frustration. That's why I use the "Preview Post" a lot.

If you post the link to your trip report here when it's done if you remember; I'd like to read it.

AFAIK "preview post" doesn't work when I start to reply to a thread that has been "open" in my computer or device for a while. When I try to post, it tells me to refresh, but doing so loses the content I've already typed.

I learned the hard way like the OP, so now periodically select my entire post & copy it. Preview post only works if you're quoting another post w/ your reply. If you do quick reply, preview post isn't an option - unless you click on go advanced & then click on preview post, which is another extra click.

Cheers.

What is this "quick reply" you use? ;) I always use Reply or New Post for the Preview Post option.

But if it's quite complex, I'll use a select and copy elsewhere.

Quick Reply is the box at the bottom of every page within a thread that isn't locked.

Reply, Quote, and Multi-Quote are the icons in the lower right corner of every post (again, assuming that the thread isn't locked).

The "smiley" was the clue: Yes, I'm aware of that, thank you; I never use that option, for reasons stated.

While there is a quick reply button I don't usually use it if I'm responding to a post, such as I'm doing with yours. However, the only two options shown at the bottom of this post are 'post quick reply' and 'go advanced'. In order to get to preview post in a regular reply (vs quoting someone) I then have to click on go advanced & then preview post. Not everyone knows to do that & I just (personally) find it easier to copy what I've written vs. doing multiple refreshes, which are more clicks.

It would be easier if IB lengthened the time before they basically kick you out/think you're not active, but I realize that's way-y-y down the priority list.

Cheers.

I've lost many posts in the past as I usually try to re-read and edit as I go along and that may take too long before the post is gone. Now I copy and paste before the post is lost when I have to re-sign in and that works fine as many have said. But I thought, and it seems to work for me, that when I sign in each time I visit FT, checking the "Remember Me" box at the time seems to give much more allotted time for finishing my bellicose diatribe.

Later when signing out of FT I clear the cache on my pc and the part I've copied and pasted and the remembering part of my sign-in (yes, FT says it clears the cookies on logout, but I had found different years ago) are gone.

bj-21.