Introducing: an upgrade to our text editor

We’ve rolled out an upgrade to one of the heaviest used features on Ning: the text editor. It’s used for all sorts of activity ranging from writing a Blog post to sending a private message, to editing member Profile pages. Previously, each of those tasks would involve using a different text editor for each different type of page. Now, Ning Creators and members will have a clean, consistent user experience when adding content. We’ve been beta testing the new text editor on dozens of Ning Networks, and feedback from our Ning Creators has greatly influenced how this new text editor works.

You’ll find the new text editor in just about every place on your Ning Network that requires typing. By default, members will be in WYSIWYG mode — but wherever you see a toolbar, you’ll have the option to switch back to HTML mode if you prefer. Aside from a consistency and a clean design, the new text editor is loaded with useful functionalities:

• The ability to drag and expand boundaries of the text editor so that you’ll never run out of space when you write, minimizing the need for scrolling
• Embedding rich media content is now easier. The video embeds pasted in WYISWYG mode will be automatically visible, without the need to switch to HTML mode. There’s also a new “Embed” button that allows members to paste and see embed codes without leaving WYSIWYG mode.
• Links added into the text editor will, by default, open in a new window if they link off your Ning Network, and open in the same window if they link within your Ning Network. Not happy with the default? Just click on a link after you add it, hit “Edit” and change the setting.
• Text pasted from a Word document is better handled. And now you have the option to paste in plain text so that only basic formatting is retained to ensure your text appears cleanly when it’s posted.

We’ve also added new functionalities specifically for members on any Ning Network:

• More control on alignment, padding, and size when adding image. Members can also choose from linking the image to the URL of the image file, a webpage, or another image.
• Even more room to share their thoughts: Just hit the “Full Screen” button to use the entire browser window.
• Ability to customize the link and text when adding hyperlinks