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Currently, oneboxing requires that the URL be the only thing in a chat message. If additional text is added with the url in the same chat message, oneboxing won't work.

If other people are chatting, they can break in and divorce the onebox from the descriptive text:

enter image description here

Please fix chat in some way so that the descriptive text can stay with the onebox, without messages from other chat users breaking in:

enter image description here

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11
  • 1
    This happens to me every day but I've never seen it as a problem. Would love to see it implemented though.
    – BoltClock's a Unicorn
    Jan 25, 2012 at 17:48
  • 2
    "Parent" post: this answer by Jeff to a similar chat functionality change request
    – Pops
    Jan 25, 2012 at 17:57
  • 1
    Jeff did ask for it.
    – casperOne
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:00
  • Damn that also happens to me often. +1
    – PeeHaa
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:04
  • 1
    Somewhat related: The chat anti spam measures are annoying and The purpose of chat
    – user154510
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:14
  • 2
    I am both happy and angry. I'm hangry.
    – user1228
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:51
  • @won at least this request makes sense
    – Jeff Atwood
    Jan 25, 2012 at 19:06
  • This might not be legalized in some states yet.
    – casperOne
    Jan 25, 2012 at 19:52
  • 1
    @Won't, you joke, but "a hangry kid is one who steps off the bus ravenous, irritable..." -For Kids With ADHD, Some Foods May Complement Treatment
    – Pops
    Jan 25, 2012 at 20:05
  • I see what you did there.
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Jan 25, 2012 at 20:40
  • @JeffAtwood: Whaaaaaat?? My version made total sense, and handled the two irksome quirks that I encounter in chat every time I join!
    – user1228
    Jan 25, 2012 at 21:04

1 Answer 1

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27

Since this is presented better I've voted to close this post as a dupe of this. I made a suggestion there that I'll reproduce below.

I would like this feature as well, but on the other hand I don't want every link to onebox. I propose something like the following:

Gets oneboxed

Link by itself (current behavior)

https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/120285/154510

Inline link with some sort of markup, e.g. prefixed with ! (new behavior)

Check this out: !https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/120285/154510

This was actually how I thought it worked when I first started using chat. I think it makes sense to use the ! similar to posting an image in a question/answer, since you're creating an emphasized visual element, but the syntax could be anything.

Doesn't get oneboxed

Inline link with no markup (current behavior)

Check this out: https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/120285/154510
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5
  • 1
    Wouldn't you just put the link on its own line like it is now?
    – Michael Mrozek
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:16
  • 2
    @MichaelMrozek You could, sure, but a lot of people don't put newlines in chat messages (used to Enter sending a message, not knowing about Shift-Enter, whatever). I'm up for any syntax really though, as long as it's simple enough.
    – user154510
    Jan 25, 2012 at 18:19
  • I think it would be easier on the logic if the url was either the first or last line of a multi-line message, it would still be oneboxed with the additional content still be part of the message. Then of course, people will have to know about how to put in the multi-line messages which is less of an issue.
    – Jeff Mercado
    Jan 25, 2012 at 19:13
  • 1
    ! is already used in chat for oneboxing images from URLs without image file extensions.
    – TCPMAN.EXE
    Jan 25, 2012 at 19:43
  • @mootinator Thaaaat explains my confusion before! Thanks.
    – user154510
    Jan 26, 2012 at 0:31

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