Writing.Com 101

In & Outs have many formats available for members to use. The pre-set formats are shown below provide an idea of how they might look in your own In & Out. Experimenting with the various formats offered might help you to determine which one is right for your needs.

If you need a specialized format that is not shown below, you might need to create your own custom In & Out format. For more information about that option, please see "Custom In & Out Display Formats" .

The preset formats provided for In & Outs are (click a format name to jump-scroll to its examples):1


Examples of Preset Formats for an In & Out with Items
In these examples, the following submission information and custom text labels are used:


Two examples are shown for each preset format:

Two additional characteristics are noted for each preset format.


Classic    ^TOP
The Classic format with Require an Item ID? set to either an Item ID option or an Entry ID option is the only In & Out preset format to make use of all the fields in Section 5: Item Type Specific Settings  . Each line has a custom header and lists a different piece of information.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: No

With Require an Item ID?: No


With Require an Item ID?: Yes




Centered    ^TOP
The most distinguishing characteristic of the Centered format is that the entries are all centered on the page. It displays the exact same information as the Classic format, but has a more streamlined appearance.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require an Item ID?: No



With Require an Item ID?: Yes




Conversational    ^TOP
A simple type of display, the Conversational format only shows the name of the person who posted the comment followed by that comment in dialogue format. Item IDs will NOT be displayed.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes




Detailed    ^TOP
The Detailed format is specifically designed to require item IDs and is by far the preferred choice for "plug" pages. Unlike the Classic, Centered, Graffiti Wall (Timed), and Timed Styles, it does not record the time that a submission is posted. (In an actual In & Out, the space to the left of Item Posted, Genre(s), and Description contains the Item Icon and text label for that item type. If the item type features subtypes, the text label shows the subtype instead. If the item has a cover, the cover is not displayed.)

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: No

With Require an Item ID?: No



With Require an Item ID?: Yes




Graffiti Wall    ^TOP
The simplest style of all, Graffiti Wall displays only the post body. The name of the poster is shown only to the owner of the In & Out, anyone else who has edit access to the In & Out, and Writing.Com Staff.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: Yes




Graffiti Wall (Timed)    ^TOP
A spin-off of Graffiti Wall, the Graffiti Wall (Timed) format retains the anonymity and simplicity of its predecessor while adding the time that each submission is posted.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: Yes




List    ^TOP
There is no space between posts in a List Style In & Out, and they all have numbers before them. Since the post preceded by 1 is always at the top, Display Order might be more important than usual. If Display Order is set to Newest First, that means the most recent post will always be preceded by 1. If Display Order is set to Newest Last, that means the most recent post will be preceded by the highest number on the list. Once you've reached the number of posts selected from How many submissions shown? numbers will not continue to increase. For example, if you show 10 entries at a time, the posts will always be numbered from 1 to 10; never 11, 12, and so on. The name of the poster is shown only to the owner of the In & Out, anyone else who has edit access to the In & Out, and Writing.Com Staff.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: No




List (Timed)    ^TOP
Just as the Graffiti Wall has Graffiti Wall (Timed), the List has List (Timed). The first line looks much the same as the regular List format, but there is an additional line that includes the time of posting. The name of the poster is shown only to the owner of the In & Out, anyone else who has edit access to the In & Out, and Writing.Com Staff.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: No




Quotation    ^TOP
Like the Conversational and Post-Byline formats, a Quotation format with Require an Item ID? set to No only displays the post body and its author; however, setting Require an Item ID? to one of the other options will have an effect in this case.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require an Item ID?: No


With Require an Item ID?: Yes




Post Byline    ^TOP
Unlike the Conversational and Quotation, the post body in a Post-Byline format is not surrounded by quotation marks and is more like the Graffiti Wall format. The difference is the person who posted the submission is identified parenthetically after the post body.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes




Timed    ^TOP
Like the Centered Style, a Timed Style In & Out displays all the same information as the Classic Style but in a more compact form.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require an Item ID?: No



With Require an Item ID?: Yes




Using preset formats for an In & Out item with Book entries    ^TOP
To use a preset format for an In & Out item with Book entries, set the Display Format drop-down menu to the preset format for Classic, Centered, Detailed, Quotation, or Timed, and set the Require an Item ID? drop-down menu to Entry ID or Entry ID (w/no duplicates). The preset formats replace the item information with the Book entry information as noted below.

In the Classic, Centered, Detailed, Quotation, and Timed preset formats:

In the Detailed preset format only:



Custom Formats    ^TOP
If you are not satisfied with the preset In & Out formats that are provided by Writing.Com, you can always create your own custom format. For complete information, please see: "Custom In & Out Display Formats" .