How to save forum posts to my hard drive??

https://ogrforum.com/...sts-to-my-hard-drive

Gentlemen,

The method described above (in the link back to 2016) does not do what the original poster requested.  I use the most current version of Firefox, and when I right-clicked on this forum item and chose "Save page as", I effectively only received two choices, Save as an html file or Save as a text file.  Saving as an html file only pastes a link back to the OGR Forum (which doesn't put the data on your personal hard drive) into your document, and saving as a text file only produces the following gibberish:

How to save forum posts to my hard drive?? | O Gauge Railroading On
  Line Forum
//
  * PRR1950
  * Post
  * Search
  * OGR Forum <https://ogrforum.com/forums>
  * SUBSCRIBE! <https://www.ogaugerr.com/subscribe>
  * DIGITAL LIBRARIES <https://ogaugerr.com/video>
  * WEB STORE <https://ogaugerr.com/web-store/>
  * Calendar <https://ogrforum.com/calendar>
  * Members <https://ogrforum.com/members>
  * Video Clips <https://ogrforum.com/clips>
  * TOS <https://ogrforum.com/tos>

  * Add Reply
  * Manage Topic

  * OGR Forum <https://ogrforum.com/forums>
      o
          Back <javascript:void(0)>
      o OGR Forum <https://ogrforum.com/forums>
      o Directory <https://ogrforum.com/forum-directory>
      o All Topics <https://ogrforum.com/topics>
      o
      o Train Forums <https://ogrforum.com/category/train-forums>
          +

          Back <javascript:void(0)>
          + Train Forums
          <https://ogrforum.com/category/train-forums>
          + Hi-Rail, O27 and Traditional 3-Rail O Gauge
          <https://ogrforum.com/forum/3-rail-forum>
          + 3RS Forum <https://ogrforum.com/forum/3RS>
          + Tinplate Trains
          <https://ogrforum.com/forum/tinplate-trains>
          + 2-Rail SCALE
          <https://ogrforum.com/.../2-rail-scale-trains>
          + O Scale Narrow Gauge Forum
          <https://ogrforum.com/...e-narrow-gauge-forum>
          + S-Scale Trains
          <https://ogrforum.com/forum/s-scale-trains>
          + The "HONGZ" Forum
          <https://ogrforum.com/forum/the-hong-forum>
          + Subways/Transit/Traction
          <https://ogrforum.com/...bwaystransittraction>
          + Real Trains <https://ogrforum.com/forum/real-trains>
      o Layout Building Forums
        <https://ogrforum.com/...yout-building-forums>
          +

The only way I know of to preserve OGR Forum data on your personal hard drive is to open a Word document (or something similar), then mark, copy and paste data from the forum into your own document which you then save to your hard drive. 

Be careful with pictures, though.  Sometimes, you will only copy a link back to the picture back on the forum.  To be sure you get the actual picture, right click on it, choose copy image, go back to your own document and click on your document location where you want the picture, then left click on the arrow under Paste in the Word ribbon.  A small, new menu appears from which you choose paste special and then choose device independent bitmap.  This puts an actual copy of the picture in your document, just in case the forum pic disappears.

This is an arduous process, and I bet there is a simpler way that someone else can mention here.

Print the page as a PDF?

I use CutePDF to print to a PDF file.

There used to be an option to save an entire multi-page thread, but that disappeared with the forum software upgrade serveral years back.

John D. posted:

Print the page as a PDF?

Would seem to be the most direct and simplest solution.........

On a Mac, File>Print>Save as PDF (Pulldown in lower left corner of Print window)  OR  File>Export as PDF.  From Safari.

Mac?  Who uses a Mac?

gunrunnerjohn posted:

There used to be an option to save an entire multi-page thread, but that disappeared with the forum software upgrade serveral years back.

Minor workaround is to set the page to view 200 replies per page.  This is an often over-looked feature.  For someone wanting to save a long thread, this could be as much as 1/5 the work!

I'll say John, I don't even know how to do that!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'll say John, I don't even know how to do that!

I had the same thought, then realized that option only shows up once a thread is across multiple pages.  Sure enough, 200 is one of the choices.

-Dave

That's why I couldn't find it!   I thought I remembered seeing it, but I searched all around and couldn't find a thing.

Dave45681 posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'll say John, I don't even know how to do that!

I had the same thought, then realized that option only shows up once a thread is across multiple pages.  Sure enough, 200 is one of the choices.

-Dave

Yeah, I had to go to the "what did you do on your layout today" thread to see just how high the options go...

Also, I knew something GRJ didn't.  I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead and just go home for the day.

WHEW !!!  Thanks a lot guys, you're really heavyweights with great info. I'm gonna stick with saving it as a PDF file.  Then xferring the PDF to a word file and saving in my Word Directory.

My best regards and thanks again.

Tommy

Actually, you can combine the two methods.  Set the posts displayed to 200, and then print to PDF.

If you use Firefox and I think Chrome there is a program called "Print Edit WE" It will allow you to save a page and remove anything you do not want such as ads or in a discussion you can keep informative posts and edit out the attaboys this can make your saved document much smaller. After your edit the program allows you to save as a PDF or print. The only shortcoming is that you must save documents that stretch over multiple web pages separate from one another you cannot combine them into one document. However you can name them the same name followed by 1,  2,  3,  4...............  or A B C.......... and they will be next to each other in you document file.  The program also keeps photos in their proper place though if you have to click on the photo for it to supersize you will only see the thumbnail.  I usually just make a folder and save the PDF and full size photos in the same folder.       j

I have found out my newer version of Windows Word 2015, part of Office 365,  will allow me to copy and paste OGR forum topics to a Word document with ease and all the pictures are saved and show up fine.  I use the paste icon on the left of the three choices, titled "Keep Source Formatting".

My OGR forum page is set for 40 responses per page and all can be copied and pasted in one operation.

My older computer has Windows Word 2010 and I could not get the pictures to paste correctly.

I was able to copy PFD fines and post them to my pictures files but could not find them again!

I found using word was easy and familiar to me.  I can always find Word files and edit them easily if necessary.

Charlie

You don’t need to copy and paste anything to save a forum page. Use the File > Save As… option in your browser to save the entire page to a file. You’ll have a choice or two in this process. I think the correct option is to choose “Web Page Complete” or something like that. (I’m not at the computer right now…working from memory on the Ipad.) That option saves everything, text and images.

Rich is correct above, but with some variations and issues.  In some browsers, after finding and choosing "Save as", you have 3 choices, and "Web Page Complete" seems to provide the best option.  However, you are still only saving a true copy of a webpage to your hard drive.  That means that anything on that page (photos, diagrams or web links) that works as a "link" will only be there as long as the linked material is still available.  Remember the thread issues we've had before when various photo servers closed down?

And, true, you can save an entire page as a PDF file, but then you have all the usual PDF file issues.  For example, some individual posts will be "split" across multiple PDF pages, and the user will be unable to copy and paste anything (text or photos) from the PDF file, unless you acquire the very expensive Acrobat program.  Unlike Rich's method, though, the PDF process does give you permanent copies of photos, diagrams and web links.

I can't comment on the MS Word 2015 method of saving forum posts because I don't have it, but I would suggest that if you use that method, check to see what is really saved on your hard drive.  Be sure that you have actual photos and diagrams in your file and not just links back to the OGR forum page or some other web location.  How to check?  Put your cursor over the photo or diagram and wait a few seconds; if a web-link box pops up, you will know that's what you have and that it might be lost some time in the future.

Chuck

@PRR1950 posted:

Rich is correct above, but with some variations and issues.  In some browsers, after finding and choosing "Save as", you have 3 choices, and "Web Page Complete" seems to provide the best option.  However, you are still only saving a true copy of a webpage to your hard drive.  That means that anything on that page (photos, diagrams or web links) that works as a "link" will only be there as long as the linked material is still available.  Remember the thread issues we've had before when various photo servers closed down?

We'll have to agree to disagree that Rich's method doesn't work.  I saved the first page of the thread PASSENGER TRAINS - Let's See Them! using the Save As in Firefox.  I selected Web Page Complete.  I got the HTML file and the folder with all the support files, including graphics and even videos.  The total was 361 files & folders for 188mb of files.

@PRR1950 posted:

...That means that anything on that page (photos, diagrams or web links) that works as a "link" will only be there as long as the linked material is still available....

This is no different from viewing the original post on the web. If a link changes, or a photo site shuts down, the links in the original post on the web won't work either, unless that page is updated with the new link.

...Unlike Rich's method, though, the PDF process does give you permanent copies of photos, diagrams and web links.

A PDF will not give you "permanent copies..." of photos or web links. The exact same situation is in play here as above where you save the web page as an html file. If a link on a web pages changes or disappears, the link in the PDF won't work either.

With regard to photos, the images on a web page are saved as part of the PDF. You cannot pull an individual image out of a PDF to save it unless you own a PDF editing program like Acrobat. And even then, you will get only the low-resolution image that was saved in the PDF. However, if you save the page as an html file, you have access to the original images in the post. If there is a particular photo you want to save, you can right-click on the photo and save it from the menu that will come up. In many cases, the actual image file is a medium to high resolution image that has been downsized to fit on a web page. That means that when you grab it and save it, you get the higher resolution image.

You cannot do any of that in a PDF.

My copies saving the web page are as permanent as I desire, they only go away when I delete the saved web page.

Gentlemen,

I stand corrected.  Upon further review of my DOWNLOAD subdirectory, I found both an HTML file and a new subdirectory with a name that matched the HTML file name.  That new subdirectory (which I had not seen earlier) did contain the photos and everything but the text from the downloaded forum topic which is already in the HTML file.

Thank you for opening my eyes.

Chuck

Ain't this place wonderful.  I know I learn something every day here, it was just your turn today.

I used to save web pages in Firefox using Save As Web Page Complete and somewhere along the way a windows update broke those files and now when I try and open them I get dozens of individual files.  Is there a way to fix this as I have hundreds of such files.          j

You have to open the associated .HTM file, that links all the files together, see indicated file.  If you open the folder, you'll see all the individual files.

Open the .HTM file associated with the folder.

This is probably something like what you're seeing.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

You have to open the associated .HTM file, that links all the files together, see indicated file.  If you open the folder, you'll see all the individual files.

Open the .HTM file associated with the folder.

Thanks  John , Tried it no joy.  This is a twelve year old W-7 computer that I hacked software to run Nikon film scanners and Alps printers who's most recent drivers are XP.  I did not upgraded this box to W-10 when it was free. Glad about that I have a W-10 box and hate it. About two years ago after a Windows update my Document file looked unrecognizable.  However since that event I have saved web pages as "WEB PAGE COMPLETE"  and end up with two files one is a folder with all the individual files and another with the Firefox icon that if you click on will open the page you saved in it's entirety. I usually make a new folder and drag both these files into the new folder just to cut down on clutter. Attached photo of my Document file with small icons. Note the HTML folder with the firefox icon on the right side of the photo.  When I drag the courser over it I get a info box which says "File Count 207 Empty Folder" I can well understand why Alan says he does not install Windows updates on his W-7 machine. What I started doing is to use an add-on to Firefox called "PRINT EDIT W.E."  It allows saving a web page as a PDF  with subtractive editing so you can take out ads and Attaboys. Though the photos are saved in the PDF I go back and right click on each photo to save the full size version. Then I create a folder for the PDF and all the photos I save separate. It would be nice to get all the WEB PAGE COMPLETE files I had saved when Microsoft's update corrupted my document file (registry?). Everything else about this computer works fine just all these System files in My Documents.    j

I have no idea what happened to that computer's disk!   I can say that I've used the Save as WEB Page Complete since basically forever, and it's always acted like I described.  It also works for Chrome and IE (and I presume Edge, etc.)