Basic Text Formatting In Chat Box

Here are some links to previous incarnations of this suggestion:&nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3004/text-formatting-in-chat-box#post-23769" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3004/text-formatting-in-chat-box#post-23769</a> <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1097/chat-modalities-for-roll20#post-19426" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1097/chat-modalities-for-roll20#post-19426</a> <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/2382/chat-character-font-slash-color-controls#post-59732" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/2382/chat-character-font-slash-color-controls#post-59732</a> <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/313/html-in-chat#post-5521" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/313/html-in-chat#post-5521</a> and my previous post on the 'Specific Use Questions' section: <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/221408/bold-italic-or-underlined-text-in-chat-box#post-224197" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/221408/bold-italic-or-underlined-text-in-chat-box#post-224197</a> As a player and I assume as a GM being able to quickly sort and take in large amounts of text in the chat window is key in games that don't use voice or video. As you can see above there have been multiple suggestions over the life of Roll20 to improve the chat box and specifically the wall of text that it quickly devolves into. As per the sticky post guidelines for suggestions I'm only going to focus on one specific topic for this post. Namely about the need for some very very basic text formatting and suggestions on how to implement it. Ok now on to the actual post. I think games would be drastically improved for me and my GM if it were possible to have Bold, Italic, Underline or Strikethrough options for text in our chat window and/or macros. For example my GM likes to have the flavor text read out for each of my special powers so he can better describe the results on a roll I make in our 4e game. being able to put this in italics and being able to put the relative stat info for the attack in bold would help break up the text wall and highlight relevant info for him and for me. this is already done to a certain extend through the system mechanics by making the roll results bigger and bolder than other text but I feel it should be taken further so here are the suggestions for how to implement this in my opinion: HTML- I understand this use to be available but was removed due to security concerns. I won't try to pretend that i know much of anything about coding but i assume there would be a way to allow a very limited amount of HTML maybe just the parts relevant to text formatting? BBCode- From what I know this works well for most forums and is easy enough to learn. I'm not aware of any major security concerns for this like with HTML but I know you can limit what BBCode is useable.&nbsp; Built into the System- Since the dice roller mechanics can already bold and resize chat text and the emote system is already in place. it would be very simple i think to add commands like /b for bold or /i for italics and have that bold or italicize the text that follows until you hit enter or in the case of macros hit shift+enter to go to the next line. on a side note that could easily be expanded to edit color (/red or /green) and size (/small or /sm for small and /big or /bg for bigger text) but thats not the focus of this topic.&nbsp; There are probably other ways but these are the ones i can think of. i would really like this to be available and I know many other people would as well.&nbsp;

+1

+1

+1

+1

+1

If you are a Mentor you can use /direct in the API to do all of this and more.

Good. Making it anywhere near bearable to hold a text-game shouldn't be a mentors-only feature though, should it?

Asaram said: Good. Making it anywhere near bearable to hold a text-game shouldn't be a mentors-only feature though, should it Text games are very very uncommon so I think its fine for it to be a mentor only function, FYI it was intended to be used for what you what it just could be used for that very very easily, its not as if they added it for text games and then said lets make it so only mentors can play text games or anything. Also you definition of unbearable is obviously a bit to exaggerated, what we have at the moment is fine, if you want to enhance it and add fancy stylings to it then that is exactly what the API was made for.

I think adding the googleplus formatting would work for most people. *bold* _italic_

the googleplus formatting is a very good suggestion. It would help out my pbp games which is of course text based.

Instead of the basic "+1", I'm gonna go ahead and just say that I'd absofookinglutely love to have some sort of formatting options that didn't involve the API.

As a regular member chances are I wont have access to the API for a while and much as i'd like to become a subscriber my budget is a bit tight. I don't think it would be all that hard to add these basic things to the system. the googleplus formatting is a good idea as well. since there are so many ways to impliment it I assume there would be at least one way make it work without to much trouble.

Metroknight said: the googleplus formatting is a very good suggestion. It would help out my pbp games which is of course text based. Why do you need ingame chat for a Play by Post? why not use the compaign forum ... you know the thing that has full formatting already in.

Kristin C. said: Alex L. said: Metroknight said: the googleplus formatting is a very good suggestion. It would help out my pbp games which is of course text based. Why do you need ingame chat for a Play by Post? why not use the compaign forum ... you know the thing that has full formatting already in. Probably because they might be utilizing a map and tokens at points during gameplay. Also useful for handouts and character journals. That would be my thought anyhow. I can understand why they would use the app, i didnt ask that, i asked why you would use the chat that is designed from the ground up for real time synchronous communication over the forum that is asynchronous with all the formatting they need.

Mostly i want the ability in macros i've created to separate text as flavor, important info, and extraneous info. having it as a real time chat feature would be great for adding emphasis or highlighting things. I just don't see why there is resistance to this idea. I get that some groups won't use it but some will. I thought the purpose of Roll20 was to make it the best place to have a virtual tabletop experience. &nbsp;in my opinion if it makes a section of gamers happy and is pretty small why not add it. Yes we all want all the cool sparkly features that are coming out of the API and I understand having to pay for those things since they appear, at least from my limited knowledge, to be complicated and time intensive, but why try to restrict these tiny things with the free players when it could possibly attract more members who eventually become subscribers. If it comes down to the fact that the code is too hard then tell us why the suggestions we've put forth wont work and we'll understand.&nbsp;

Steph, I would not interpret one user's negative responses as general resistance to the idea. Different people will have different experiences and opinions.&nbsp; - Gauss

i didn't intend for my post to come off as upset or antagonistic. i know what your saying my point was just to say that i feel we should be expanisive rather then restrictive when it comes to suggestions.&nbsp;

Steph H. said: Mostly i want the ability in macros i've created to separate text as flavor, important info, and extraneous info. having it as a real time chat feature would be great for adding emphasis or highlighting things. I just don't see why there is resistance to this idea. I get that some groups won't use it but some will. I thought the purpose of Roll20 was to make it the best place to have a virtual tabletop experience. &nbsp;in my opinion if it makes a section of gamers happy and is pretty small why not add it. Yes we all want all the cool sparkly features that are coming out of the API and I understand having to pay for those things since they appear, at least from my limited knowledge, to be complicated and time intensive, but why try to restrict these tiny things with the free players when it could possibly attract more members who eventually become subscribers. If it comes down to the fact that the code is too hard then tell us why the suggestions we've put forth wont work and we'll understand.&nbsp; My point is that what you need is already there, this sort of thing is exactly what the API was made for, you have all the stuff you need in its basic form but you want to customise it some more. I don't see the point in making the API if every time someone wants something that could and should be added in via the API they just add it to the main app, its a total waist of time if you ask me. The only stuff I would like to see Riley have to bother him self with is stuff&nbsp; that is to hard or inefficient to do in the API, like lighting stuff.

Please allow people their opinions. While the API is great for people to do custom stuff, the Devs are interested in all suggestions. If a suggestion gets enough traction with the player base it will be considered. The fact it can be done simply with the API has little to no bearing on whether or not it becomes a regular feature. &nbsp; - Gauss

+1 on Gauss (the idea as well, but that's further up)

I don't even run a text-based game, implementing voice and video for most of my player interaction and relying on the text for battle, rolls, and whispers... yet I love the idea of being able to format what text I do use as I see fit. &nbsp;Maybe it appeals to my vanity, maybe it appeals to my OCD, maybe I just love options and love to see them offered. &nbsp;Whatever the root cause, I think this is a great idea.

Would be awesome.&nbsp;

It be nice to have some basic formatting. Having the ability to reduce a dice roll down from 3-4 lines on average would be nice. Also, it seems redundant to have every /roll have "rolling " prefixed.

Jonn Perry said: It be nice to have some basic formatting. Having the ability to reduce a dice roll down from 3-4 lines on average would be nice. Also, it seems redundant to have every /roll have "rolling " prefixed. Check out the new improvments here:&nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/242619/update-7-slash-16-transmogrifier-inline-rolls-3d-dice-fixes-rollable-tables-for-everyone-and-more#post-242619" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/242619/update-7-slash-16-transmogrifier-inline-rolls-3d-dice-fixes-rollable-tables-for-everyone-and-more#post-242619</a> Inline rolls is great for that kind of thing!