Unwanted links
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When creating a post using the WP app on my iPhone, if I add a link in the text, this link is then inserted as a click-through in the next two images or more that I add. I do not want this to happen. Is there a way to prevent it happening?
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Hi there,
Just to make sure I understand correctly, are you saying the link you add to the text also gets added to subsequent images you add?
Can you walk me through the precise steps you’re following that leads to this? And can you also confirm you iOS and WordPress app version numbers for me?
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I am using the latest version of the WordPress app with ios 4.5.
1. I open a “paragraph” block to write some text. In this text I include a link to a website.
2. Then I open an “image” block to insert a photo.
3. I open another paragraph block.
4. I open annother image block.
etc
If I now switch to HTML mode to examine the coding, I see that in the image code there is now an a href link that I did not ask for, containing the website entered in the link in the paragraph. At least two subsequent images will contain the a href link that I did not ask for. I have to remove these manually.This is obvioiusly a bug in the aoolication.
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Do you perhaps mean iOS 14.5?
I’m not able to replicate what you describe on my end, so it looks like it might only be happening on your device.
Try force-quitting the app. Then restart your iPhone. Then try creating a new post. Does this still happen?
I also wonder if it might have to do with how you add the image. Can you walk me through the steps you use there? Do you press + and select an image block, or type
/image? What method do you pick to add the image? etc. -
Yes, sorry, of course, I meant 14.5. I should perhaps also add that I am using an iPhone 8, in case that makes a difference.
I always update the app and the phone immediately updates appear.
I work as follows
1. Open the app, click on blue and white button to write a post.
2. Add the title
3. Click + and Paragraph.
4. Write the introductory paragraph of text.
5. Click + and image
6. Select photo from the device.
7. Click to centre (center) image, click to select full size; add caption
8. Click + and Paragraph
9. Repeat until end.If I add a link to the text, I proceed as follows:
1. Select Paragraph block
2. Write text up to the link position
3. Find the website in the iPhone browser, click on URL to copy it
4. Select the link symbol in the app
5. Check that the URL is showing in its field
6. Add link text
7. Click on Update to exit link screen
8. Continue writing text.
9. Insert next image as previously described.I have tried opening the link screen later and clicking Delete link but it makes no difference.
I might say that the link is added to the image code perfectly correctly wit an a href tag and the closing /a tag in the right positions. This shows that this is being done within the app and is not an accidental happening. The app obviously “thinks” this is correct procedure.
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Thanks for the detailed info (the iPhone version doesn’t matter, as long as you’re able to run the latest version of iOS).
With these steps I’m able to replicate the issue, and it looks like it has to do with having the link present in the clipboard when tapping the gear icon on the block to resize the image. If I don’t tap the gear icon after inserting the image, the image doesn’t get linked, and if I don’t have a link in the clipboard when tapping the gear icon, the image doesn’t get linked. I was able to replicate this on a brand new post, containing just an image block, so the link appearing in the post itself is not even necessary for this to happen.
This definitely seems like unintended behaviour to me, and I’ve reported it to our developers to investigate further.
Meanwhile, you’ll hopefully be able to avoid it for now, though. After adding in your link where you want it in the text, hold any random word on the screen to highlight it, and tap the Copy option. That should remove the link from the clipboard, so it’s not accidentally added to images when you edit them.
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It looks like the mobile apps team already has a bug report open for this, and they’re working on it.
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Ah, good. Thanks for letting us know this.
It’s hard enough trying to make the dreadful block editor do what you want without bugs making the job even more difficult.
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Thanks for persevering with the investigation. I’m naturally pleased that what I was experiencing has been validated as a real effect.
I will try your solutions. The best seems that of COPYing a randon word in order to clear the buffer. Another idea occurs to me: instead of clicking on the gear wheel to size the image, one can insert a directive such as ?w=640 at the end of the image URL. That also will size the image as long as its actual width is equal to or larger than 640px.
Anyway, thanks again for your help and I look forward to an eventual bug fix.
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