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Writer Troubleshooting Guide

Are you having trouble using our publishing tools? Read through this guide to see if you can find a solution to your problem. If you can't, contact the Suite101 Help Desk and let our Technical Assistant know what you need help with.


Uploading Images

I can't upload an image:

  • Did you forget to enter a caption and a credit? You need to enter a caption and a credit for the image before clicking the Upload button. 
  • Did you forget to click the Upload button? The system may stall if you click publish article or Publish changes or save as draft without clicking the Upload button first.
  • Check the file format. All images must be in .jpg, .gif or .png format. However, if you have trouble uploading a .jpg or .gif file, save the file in .png format and try uploading it again.
  • Check the file name. Image file names can’t contain blank spaces or special characters or dashes (e.g., “build_birdhouse.jpg” will work, but "build-birdhouses.jpg" or “build birdhouse.jpg” won’t). Additionally, uppercase letters or numbers in file names sometimes cause image upload failures. Try renaming the file.
  • Check the file size. For best results, images should be no bigger than 800 x 600 pixels. Try resizing the image, if necessary.
  • Still not working? As a last resort, save a draft of your article without an image and then go back and add one later.

The image appears as a caption and credit only:

  • If the image server is busy, the image has to wait in the queue. The image will eventually appear when its turn comes up. Do not upload it again.

The image does not convert to a circle:

  • If the image server is busy, the image has to wait in the queue. The image will convert to a circle when its turn comes up. Do not upload it again.

The image appears as a red "x":

  • Most likely the image server has gone down. Images will reappear once the server is up again.

The image shifted after I uploaded it:

  • The parameters of your images are automatically handled for you; however, if you want something in an image to be centered, crop the image yourself (if the copyright allows modifications) before uploading it.   You will have less shifting if you make the height of the picture equal to the width.
  • Has your profile image shifted? Make sure it is 80 x 80 pixels before you upload it.

Publishing Articles

I just wrote my first article but it hasn't been reviewed yet:

  • Is your article still in draft form? It won't be reviewed by an editor until you click the submit to editor button at the bottom of the Article Form Page.
  • Did you just submit your article? Normally your first article will be reviewed within 24 to 48 hours of submission. You will be notified by email as soon as it has been reviewed.

My article hasn't been published:

  • Are you using Google Chrome or Safari? These browsers will save your article as a draft but won't allow it to be published (even though the buttons appear). Use either Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer instead.
  • Is your article still in draft form? If it is listed as a draft in your article list, open it and click the publish article button. 
  • Did you reload the page or click the Back or Forward buttons on your browser? Always save a draft version of your article (or publish it) before reloading or leaving the Article Form Page or your article will be lost.

My article won't publish:

  • Did you get an error message saying what the problem is? Read all error messages carefully. They will be displayed at the top of the Article Form Page or immediately above the field where the error has occurred. If you can't resolve the error immediately, save a draft version of your article and come back to it when you can supply the missing information.

I don't understand the Keyword error message:

  • If you try to publish your article with less than six keywords entered in the Keywords Relevant to this Article field, or without commas separating the keywords, or with duplicate keywords, your article won't publish and you will see the following error message: "Your keywords have been condensed to remove duplicates. Please enter at least x more keywords specific to your article." Once you have entered at least six unique keyword phrases, separated by commas without spaces, you can publish your article.

My article hasn't appeared on the section or topic page yet:

  • If there is a high volume of traffic, your article may be queued in the server. Do not resubmit your article as it will appear eventually. 

HTML code is showing up in my published article:

  • Did you format your article in a Word document and then paste the text into the Article Form Page? For best results, either write your article directly into the text window, or write unformatted text in a Word document and use the text editing tools on the Article Form Page after you have pasted it. If you have experience editing HTML code, you can open your article and click the Source button on the toolbar to see if you can identify the hidden problems.

Parts of my published article are missing or scrambled:

  • Did you enter HTML code by hand in the Source view or copy formatted text from Word? The system has been programmed to not accept certain HTML code (such as tables, image source, single spacing, horizontal lines, blockquotes, heading size, javascript, and font color). Removing the code should fix the problem.

My title is displaying strange characters:

  • As a general rule, avoid using special characters in titles, subtitles and subheadings as they might not appear as you would expect when your articles are published.

My article has been published twice:

  • Did you resubmit an article that you assumed hadn't been published successfully? When you did, did you get an error message saying that an article with the same title already exists? Seeing this error message is a fairly good indication that your article was published successfully. If you simply change the title and publish it again, without checking first to see if the article with the same title is your own, your article will be duplicated. Contact the editor of the section in which it appears to delete one of the versions. 

Using the Text Editor

The text editing tools don't appear on the Article Form Page:

  • Are you using Google Chrome or Safari? These browsers have unresolved incompatibility issues with the text editor. Use either Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer instead.

Text that I wrote in the Body box has disappeared:

  • Did you reload the page or click the Back or Forward buttons on your browser? Always save a draft version of your article before reloading or leaving the Article Form Page.

I can't place the cursor in the Body box:

  • Is ActiveX enabled on your browser? If not, change the security settings in your anti-virus software so that ActiveX can be enabled.

The text editing tools aren't working: 

  • It could be that system enhancements were made to the text editing tools, but your browser is caching (storing) the old version of the web page. If so, you need to manually clear the cache on your browser. If clearing the cache doesn't solve the problem, try restarting your computer.
  • To clear the cache in Firefox, go to Tools > Clear Private Data to open the Clear Private Data box. Deselect all check boxes except for the Cache check box, and then click Clear Private Data Now.
  • To clear the cache in Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options to open the Internet Properties box. On the General tab, in the Browsing history section, click the Delete button to open the Delete Browsing History box. Click the Delete files button to delete temporary internet files, and then confirm that you actually want to delete them.

Changing Published Articles

I can't delete an article:

  • You can't delete an article once it has been published. If you've published an article and now want it to be deleted, contact the editor of the section in which it appears. You'll find the editor's email link on the section homepage.

I can't change the date on a published article:

  • Dates are locked in once an article has been submitted. As a last resort, ask the editor of the section in which the article appears to delete the article, and then republish the material on the desired date.

Reading Revenue Reports

My daily revenue amount isn't displayed:

  • If you were expecting to earn revenue for the previous day, based on your current trends and number of page views, but your revenue report lists your earnings amount as 0.00, it could mean that the system hasn't finished uploading daily revenue amounts to writers' revenue reports. Check back later.