# Attaching a file to a conversation



## Nanon

Hi All,

I hope the title of this thread is self-explanatory. There is no "upload a file" button in conversations (PMs). I didn't find how to attach a file to a private message. Did I search properly?


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Hello,

Next to the "Post Reply" button there is a "More Options" button. Click it and you'll see the "Upload a file" feature.


----------



## osa_menor

Hello Paul,

in *conversations*  in my "More Options" window this button is missing.

Osa.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

osa_menor said:


> Hello Paul,
> 
> in *conversations*  in my "More Options" window this button is missing.
> 
> Osa.


You're right. Let's see what Mike suggests


----------



## Gemmenita

Nanon said:


> (...)There is no "upload a file" button in conversations (PMs). I didn't find how to attach a file to a private message.(...)



Bonjour Nanon,

Yes, there is an 'upload a file' button in _all_ forums _except in PM_. So we can't upload a file from our PC in Private Messages!
Just you can insert links with the 'Link tool' in the toolbar and also you can insert images 'from web' (not from your PC) inside this command:




And like this:




(you type the URL address of the image that you want to insert, inside the brackets without space.)

Je te souhaite une excellente journée, Nanon !


----------



## Nanon

Thank you all for your ideas. Sorry, I didn't have time to elaborate this morning when I wrote the initial question, but I did check "More options" before posting here. 
The file is not an image, but then, I suppose I could enter the URL for any file hosted online, not just images. Yet maybe there is another way. Let's see what Mike suggests .


----------



## mkellogg

Nanon said:


> Let's see what Mike suggests


I suggest uploading the file somewhere else and including a link to it in your message.  Where exactly? I'm not sure. Something like megaupload, but still in business.  Somebody younger is going to have to tell us what is a good option.


----------



## Nanon

Thank you, Mike.  I was just missing the old PM attachment feature...
Drives and clouds, then.


----------



## Hector9

mkellogg said:


> I suggest uploading the file somewhere else and including a link to it in your message.  Where exactly? I'm not sure. Something like megaupload, but still in business.  Somebody younger is going to have to tell us what is a good option.



If it is for files -> MEGA (it's the new megaupload, same founder)

If it is for images -> Imgur (best and simplest image hosting, ever)


----------



## Dan2

Thanks, folks, for clarifying that attaching a file to a conversation is not possible and that the work-around is to upload the file to someplace publicly accessible and include a link to it in the conversation.

But this state of affairs - that files can be included in posts but not in conversations - seems almost "backwards" to me.  I can attach a large image file to a post, where it has the potential to inconvenience dozens of readers, but not in a conversation to _one _person, who has _requested _that I send them the file!  What is the justification for this convention?  Thanks.


----------



## mkellogg

Dan2 said:


> What is the justification for this convention?


I haven't really thought about it. It is just the way that the Xenforo software is designed, unless there is some switch that I haven't found.

Altogether, I think it is best. The system is designed to facilitate public discussion and only has private conversations as an extra feature.  If you want full-featured private communication, good old email is probably the best solution.


----------



## Gemmenita

Hi Dan,
Why do you think that a large image  would inconvenience readers, if  that image is useful for a thread  they follow ?
This is not a convention, but  I think because of some (unchangeable)  properties of Xenforo program already inside it. For example, even if you create somewhere else
a URL address  for an image in your PC, still you have to type it inside the 'IMG' commande (an unchangeable property in Xenforo) whereas in vbulletin there was
an 'insert image' button ! Mike does all his best to add missing properties as much as it is possible in Xenforo -Thanks Mike!-and I am sure that even this
'Upload property in PM' was possible in Xenforo he would certainly fix it!
And I think for the rest (impossible cases) we should accept  them as they are and find a way ourselves. However Xenforo has so many advantages that I think we can overlook some missing cases...


Added: Oh,  I didn't see Mike's reply. I posted right after...


----------



## JamesM

What I've been doing in posts, if I have a large image, is to insert the _thumbnail_ into the post and leave a note to say that you can see the full image if you click on it.  That seems to avoid the annoyance of a massive image in the middle of a thread.


----------



## Dan2

Dan2 said:


> I can attach a large image file to a post, where it has the *potential *to inconvenience dozens of readers (bold just added)





Gemmenita said:


> Why do you think that a large image would inconvenience readers


I wasn't saying it's usually an inconvenience.  In fact I'm glad we have that capability.  I was just saying that one _could _argue _against _allowing attachments to posts (since people could include pictures or audio that don't really add to the discussion, which users with slow connections or paying for data by the megabyte would then view in the hope of something relevant).  On the other hand, it's hard to argue _against _allowing attachments in PM's.

But thanks Mike and Gemmenita for your replies, and James for the good suggestion.


----------



## siares

Hector9 said:


> If it is for images -> Imgur (best and simplest image hosting, ever)


How long does the file stay there, please?


----------



## Hector9

siares said:


> How long does the file stay there, please?



Hello siares, images on this platform stay *forever. *They are only removed if deletion is requested.


----------



## siares

Hector9 said:


> Hello siares, images on this platform stay *forever. *They are only removed if deletion is requested.


Thank you very much for the info, Hector!


----------

