# Mundane. Just discovered a feature by accident - dragging links into edit boxes. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913 "2010-01-21T22:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/1 "2010-01-21T22:44:31Z")
Just thought I’d share, so that others might find it useful. Take the SDMB as an example of usage. I was about to follow a link and decided I didn’t want to. But I’d already clicked. Usually when this happens I try to ‘cancel’ the action by moving the cursor away from what I’d clicked on and then releasing. On this occasion I happened to move to an edit window. When I let go the url appeared there. So there you go. It might be useful 🙂 ETA: Dragging the quote button here… [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12022684](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12022684) ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/2 "2010-01-22T00:54:36Z")
Since this is sort of related . . . sort of . . . can someone tell me how to post links so that I don’t have to include the entire URL? I’m talking about the way most people do it around here–renaming the link with just one word, for example, so when you click on the hyperlinked word it takes you to the website. I swear I used to know how to do that when I had a PC, but now that I have a Mac I can’t find the, um, button. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/3 "2010-01-22T01:04:59Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > Since this is sort of related . . . sort of . . . can someone tell me how to post links so that I don’t have to include the entire URL? I’m talking about the way most people do it around here–renaming the link with just one word, for example, so when you click on the hyperlinked word it takes you to the website. I swear I used to know how to do that when I had a PC, but now that I have a Mac I can’t find the, um, button. 1. Think of how you want to describe your link. Let’s say this… Search Engine 1. Highlight that text [Search Engine] with your mouse then click on the little “blue planet with a chain link” icon above the text box in which you are typing up your post. This opens up a new box. 2. Type or paste your link in that box, click OK. Let’s say your link is [www.google.com](http://www.google.com) After clicking OK, your link will look like this: Search Engine ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/4 "2010-01-22T04:45:57Z")
All I know is that one time I did this to get a photo of RuPaul into Adobe Photoshop, and instead of loading in a separate window it was pasted into the image I was working on. So I went to undo it, and the menu said, “Undo Drag.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/5 "2010-01-22T18:04:13Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > Since this is sort of related . . . sort of . . . can someone tell me how to post links so that I don’t have to include the entire URL? I’m talking about the way most people do it around here–renaming the link with just one word, for example, so when you click on the hyperlinked word it takes you to the website. I swear I used to know how to do that when I had a PC, but now that I have a Mac I can’t find the, um, button. [noparse][put the text or word you want to appear here]( put your url here)[/noparse] So [noparse][Google](http://www.google.com)[/noparse] becomes [Google](http://www.google.com) . ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/6 "2010-01-22T18:07:22Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Just thought I’d share, so that others might find it useful. > > Take the SDMB as an example of usage. I was about to follow a link and decided I didn’t want to. But I’d already clicked. Usually when this happens I try to ‘cancel’ the action by moving the cursor away from what I’d clicked on and then releasing. On this occasion I happened to move to an edit window. When I let go the url appeared there. > > So there you go. It might be useful 🙂 > > ETA: Dragging the quote button here… > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12022684](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12022684) Cool, I didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/7 "2010-01-22T22:07:27Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/8 "2010-01-22T23:43:44Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > All I know is that one time I did this to get a photo of RuPaul into Adobe Photoshop, and instead of loading in a separate window it was pasted into the image I was working on. So I went to undo it, and the menu said, “Undo Drag.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/9 "2010-01-24T14:26:49Z")
Thanks to everyone who answered my question! ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/10 "2010-01-24T21:26:02Z")
I believe this feature came with the wysiwyg edit box. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/11 "2010-01-24T23:44:06Z")
Great tip! Thanks. And, just to make it explicit, it also makes it much easier to link to a particular post in a thread. Just drag the post # to the edit box. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/12 "2010-01-25T03:28:13Z")
> [@](#): > > All I know is that one time I did this to get a photo of RuPaul into Adobe Photoshop, and instead of loading in a separate window it was pasted into the image I was working on. So I went to undo it, and the menu said, “Undo Drag.” Reminds me of a screenshot I saw once. Someone had an e-mail program open, and there was a message on the screen from Princess Zelda, “Help! I’ve been kidnapped!”. In the screenshot, the cursor was highlighting the “Send Link” menu option. ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-just-discovered-a-feature-by-accident-dragging-links-into-edit-boxes/525913/13 "2010-01-25T03:33:08Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Great tip! Thanks. > > And, just to make it explicit, it also makes it much easier to link to a particular post in a thread. Just drag the post # to the edit box. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12022684&postcount=1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12022684&postcount=1) I am just testing this. Very cool. I did not know this, but it will definitely come in handy. Thanks.