Create a Signature Under Your Posts
 

How to Create Your Signature

This tutorial explains how to create a signature that appears under your posts in this message board. This is a multi-page tutorial -- use the Contents box above or the page numbers at the bottom to navigate.

<table><tr><td valign="top"><font face="Verdana"><font color="black" size="3">All registered members may create and use a "signature." A signature is text and/or images that is automaticaly inserted at the end of all your posts -- it's a little like having personalized note paper.</td><td width="200"><center><a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/passporter-tutorials/121358-create-signature-under-your-posts-print.html"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/printthispage.gif" border="0"><br><a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/passporter-tutorials/121358-create-signature-under-your-posts-print.html">Show Printable Version<br> of this Tutorial</a></center></td></tr></table>

<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><b>Here's how to create a signature:</b>

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step1.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Go to My Home</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">Click the <a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/usercp.php">My Home</a> link -- it is on the far left end of the orange bar at the top of every PassPorter Community page.</td><td width=200><center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/myhomeshot.gif"></center></td></tr></table>

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step2.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Open Your Signature For Editing</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">Once you're in My Home, click the <a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/profile.php?do=editsignature">Edit Signature</a> link in the menu on the left side of the screen. A editor window will open, ready for your text and images.</td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/editsignature.gif"></center>

<i>Note: If you are lacking the buttons above the white editor box, as shown in the image above, that may be because your editor options are set to Basic. To change this, go to My Home > Edit Options and choose either Standard Editor or Enhanced Interface from the Message Editor Interface drop-down list near the bottom.</i>

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step3.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Type Your Signature</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">The simplest signature is simply your name. Type your name in the white editor box. You can use the buttons at the top of the white box to format your name with colors, styles, and sizes.</td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/editsignature2.gif"></center>

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step4.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Save Your Signature</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">When you're done, scroll down and click the Save Signature button.</td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/savesignature.gif"></center>

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step5.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Check Your Signature</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">To see your signature, click the Edit Signature link again (step 2) and a preview of your signature will appear at the top.</td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/signaturepreview.gif"></center>

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Adding Images to Signatures

In addition to text, you can display images in your signature. There are two ways to place images in your signature -- one is to use the Signature Picture option, another is to use the IMG tags. We'll start with the Signature Picture option.

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step6.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Adding a Signature Picture</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">Return to the Edit Signature link (see step 2) and scroll down to the Signature Picture area below the white signature editor box. Here you can add a signature picture with two options -- direct URL or uploading. If your image is already on the web (perhaps with an image hosting service like Photobucket) and you know the web address of your image (URL), you can type it here in Option 1 and click Save Signature. If your image is on your computer, click the Choose File/Browse button, locate your image on your computer, and click Save Signature.</td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/signaturepicture.gif"></center>

IMPORTANT LIMITS: Images cannot be larger than 300 pixels tall x 400 pixels wide, or 30k. You may have a maximum of three images in your signature. You may have a maximum of 7 lines in your signature. Text size in a signature can be no larger than size 5. If any of these limits are exeeded, a message will display indicating this and you should reduce the appropriate size before saving your signature. See our guidelines for more details.

<table><tr><td width="100" valign="top"><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/step7.gif" border="0"></td><td>
<font face="Verdana" color="#ff6600" size="3"><b>Put the Signature Picture in Your Signature</b>
<font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2">Once you've successfully uploaded your signature picture, it will display in the Signature Picture section (see photo below). Now you need to actually tell the system to include the picture in your signature. Look for a link called Insert Signature Picture and click it. </td></tr></table>

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/signaturepicture2.jpg"></center>

Clicking the Insert Signature Picture link will add two SIGPIC tags to your signature (see image below) -- these tags tell the system to display your picture in your signature. Click Save Signature.

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/signturepicture3.gif"></center>

Here is how our example signature appears with the text and the picture:
<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/signaturepreview2.gif"></center>

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Using the IMG Tag

As I mentioned at the start of page 2 of this tutorial, you can also use the IMG tag to add images to your signature. You can use the IMG tag in conjuction with a Signature Picture or alone. To do this, go to Edit Signature (step 2 of this tutorial) and click the Image Button in the editor's toolbar -- it looks like a mountain and sun (see image below):

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/imgtag.gif"></center>

Once you click on the Image button, a dialog box (see image below) appears and asks you for the web address to the image. Type this in and press OK.

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/imgtag2.gif"></center>

If the system was able to connect to the image successfully, your image will appear in your signature editor either as the image itself (see below) or as an IMG tag link to it. How you see your image in your signature editor depends on your type of browser and whether you're using the Standard Editor or Enhanced Interface. Click Save Signature to save your image in your signature.

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/imgtag3.gif"></center>

You can also include the IMG tag manually by typing the open tag [ I M G ], the web address to the image, and the close tag [ / I M G ] (without any spaces), like this:

<center><img src="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/images/misc/imgtag4.gif"></center>

You can move your text, Signature Picture, and image(s) around in your signature as you like. You can also add a <a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/passporter-tutorials/121381-put-countdown-timer-your-signature.html">countdown timer</a> and a Previous Vacations box, which we cover in separate tutorials.

<b>Check out more tutorials in the <a href="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/passporter-tutorials/">PassPorter Tutorial Collection</b></a>.