# Why do I get the message, "The message you have entered is too short" **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 27, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371 "2014-05-27T14:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/1 "2014-05-27T14:55:51Z")
I recently tried to edit a post that I had made and changed a couple of words to something quite short. I got the following message: The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 2 characters. I really don’t understand. I tried to lengthen the replacement text to a few words but got the same error message. So, I tried to lengthen it again and by more with the same result. So, I tried again and again and again but always with the same result. Obviously, I do not understand what is going on. Can anyone please explain this to me? I don’t know what more to say. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/2 "2014-05-27T14:58:56Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I recently tried to edit a post that I had made and changed a couple of words to something quite short. > > I got the following message: > > The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 2 characters. > > I really don’t understand. I tried to lengthen the replacement text to a few words but got the same error message. So, I tried to lengthen it again and by more with the same result. So, I tried again and again and again but always with the same result. > > Obviously, I do not understand what is going on. Can anyone please explain this to me? > > I don’t know what more to say. That happens to me when I hit “quote” instead of “Edit” and I try to edit (my own) quoted material. SInce I’m changing text within the quote and not adding new text, it gives me an error that the post is too short. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/3 "2014-05-27T15:40:06Z")
Another advantage of my sign off - I never get that message. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/4 "2014-05-27T15:41:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Another advantage of my sign off - I never get that message. > > Regards, > Shodan You would, if you made the same mistake I did and I suspect our OP did. The sign-off would be already in the quoted material you were trying to edit. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/5 "2014-05-27T15:50:50Z")
I blame global warming. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/6 "2014-05-27T16:05:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Another advantage of my sign off - I never get that message. > > Regards, > Shodan When you say ‘\*another \*advantage’… what were the others? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/7 "2014-05-27T16:21:57Z")
Courtesy, being distinctive, indulging my personal whims, things like that. I think we have thrashed discussion of my sign off pretty much to death, and it is probably not a good topic for ATMB anyway. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/8 "2014-05-27T16:35:20Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > That happens to me when I hit “quote” instead of “Edit” and I try to edit (my own) quoted material. > > SInce I’m changing text within the quote and not adding new text, it gives me an error that the post is too short. Oooooh! That sounds like the reason for the problem. Yes. I’m doing the same thing. I thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/9 "2014-05-27T16:58:45Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Oooooh! That sounds like the reason for the problem. > > Yes. I’m doing the same thing. > > I thank you very much. Drove me nuts until I figured it out. Glad I could help! ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/10 "2014-05-27T20:00:57Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I think we have thrashed discussion of my sign off pretty much to death, and it is probably not a good topic for ATMB anyway. Then why’d you bring it up in a completely unrelated thread? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/11 "2014-05-27T20:22:21Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > Then why’d you bring it up in a completely unrelated thread? Well I saw the humor. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/12 "2014-05-27T21:00:32Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > Then why’d you bring it up in a completely unrelated thread? Its uses are related; IMO discussion of my motivations are not. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/13 "2014-05-28T00:18:54Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Courtesy, being distinctive, indulging my personal whims, things like that. > > I think we have thrashed discussion of my sign off pretty much to death, and it is probably not a good topic for ATMB anyway. > > Regards, > Shodan I always took it for an ironic flipping of the bird. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/14 "2014-05-28T19:52:08Z")
So we’re allowed to edit text inside a quote box now? When the quote you’re editing is your own? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/15 "2014-05-29T04:02:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > So we’re allowed to edit text inside a quote box now? When the quote you’re editing is your own? The _VBulletin software_ will let you edit text inside a quote box pretty much any way you want. The _rules of this message board_ are much more restrictive. Even the message board rules say that you _can_ edit even text in a quote box, for certain purposes; for example, if someone posts a seventeen-paragraph screed, and you only want to address the point raised in paragraph three, it’s perfectly OK to hit the “quote” button and then edit out everything but paragraph three. (And if the software already didn’t allow you to edit text in a quote box, there wouldn’t really be any need for additional board rules about editing text in a quote box.) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/16 "2014-05-29T11:17:31Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > So we’re allowed to edit text inside a quote box now? When the quote you’re editing is your own? What I’m referring to is editing a quote by mistake. I want to edit my post but hit quote instead of edit. Oblivious to the quote tags :smack:, I edit the text (which happens to be quoted) and when I hit submit I get the error. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/17 "2014-05-29T21:00:45Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > What I’m referring to is editing a quote by mistake. I want to edit my post but hit quote instead of edit. Oblivious to the quote tags :smack:, I edit the text (which happens to be quoted) and when I hit submit I get the error. Aha, I get it! I’ve done exactly that too! Good thing the software catches me, too, lest I mistakenly re-write my own post in a quote box, thereby bringing down the Wrath of the Mods upon my keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-the-message-the-message-you-have-entered-is-too-short/689371/18 "2014-05-29T22:20:47Z")
I’ve gotten the message when I quote something straight off and want to preview how the quote looks. Apparently there’s a two character minimum “new text” flag in place before the sw will let you do things like Preview or Submit.