Formatting Dilemma

[+gallahad]

My cache (Court Jesters Revenge - GCHW6Q) includes encrypted hints that appear on the page like this:

 

Ubefrf syrr

nf yvtugavat synfurf

Ybpx gur tngrf

naq frpher gur fnfurf

 

Gur "qevir-ol" pnpur jvyy vapernfr lbhe ahzoref;

lbh pna svaq gubfr rnfvyl, rira nf lbh fyhzore.

Ohg vs lbh jnag n yvggyr zber;

gur rivy pnpur bssref guevyyf tnyber.

Lbh pbhyq favss guvf bar bhg, V fhccbfr;

ohg lbh'q arrq n irel irel ybat abfr.

Zbyyl zvtug svaq vg; fur'f Zvevnz'f ubhaq;

fur favssf qbja ybj, whfg nobir gur tebhaq.

 

When the hints are decrypted, the look like this:

 

Horses flee

as lightning flashes

Lock the gates

and secure the sashesThe "drive-by" cache will increase your numbers;

you can find those easily, even as you slumber.

But if you want a little more;

the evil cache offers thrills galore.

You could sniff this one out, I suppose;

but you'd need a very very long nose.

Molly might find it; she's Miriam's hound;

she sniffs down low, just above the ground.

 

But they should look like this:

 

Horses flee

as lightning flashes

Lock the gates

and secure the sashes

 

The "drive-by" cache will increase your numbers;

you can find those easily, even as you slumber.

But if you want a little more;

the evil cache offers thrills galore.

You could sniff this one out, I suppose;

but you'd need a very very long nose.

Molly might find it; she's Miriam's hound;

she sniffs down low, just above the ground.

 

Regardless of how I prepare the text (I even tried some simple HTML codes to see if they might work) I have found it impossible to incorporate the proper text formatting in the listing. Anybody got any suggestions on what I’m doing wrong here?

[+The Leprechauns]

The encrypted hint field uses javascript so that readers can decrypt the hint online without reloading the entire cache page.

 

That works fine for the normal hint, like orgjrra gur ebpxf naq gur snyyra gerr. Is a hint as fancy as yours really a hint?

 

You could consider including the lengthy hint as part of your cache page text, and letting people decrypt manually or at a website like rot13.com. Within the long description field, you can format your text to look exactly the way you want it.

[+Prime Suspect]

[+Jamie Z]

No kidding! Who'd want to decrypt all this in the field? You want to sit down on a log being bitten by mosquitos while you work through all this? No thanks. I'll take the DNF.

 

Ubefrf syrr

nf yvtugavat synfurf

Ybpx gur tngrf

naq frpher gur fnfurf

 

Gur "qevir-ol" pnpur jvyy vapernfr lbhe ahzoref;

lbh pna svaq gubfr rnfvyl, rira nf lbh fyhzore.

Ohg vs lbh jnag n yvggyr zber;

gur rivy pnpur bssref guevyyf tnyber.

Lbh pbhyq favss guvf bar bhg, V fhccbfr;

ohg lbh'q arrq n irel irel ybat abfr.

Zbyyl zvtug svaq vg; fur'f Zvevnz'f ubhaq;

fur favssf qbja ybj, whfg nobir gur tebhaq.

 

If you have that much to say, put it in the cache description, not the hint.

 

Jamie

[+Isonzo Karst]

You must have skipped the instructions on the cache edit page that say

 

Please keep your hints short, so decoding it on the trail is easier

.

[+Cardinal Red]

The java script that is causing this is saving a page refresh. After you click Decrypt (and don't get exactly what you want), that clickable choice now says Encrypt. If you click on Encrypt, it actually creates a page refresh and gives you EXACTLY what you are looking for. If it's important enough, you could explain this [inside brackets] instructing anyone viewing the Cache Page to make that second click. The brackets would keep your explanation from being encrypted.

[+alexrudd]

I think's there's some way around this, but I don't remember exactly. What happens if you include a blank line between the lines?

this hint is ridiculously long and

 

belongs in the cache description where

 

hunters don't have to waste time decrypting it

Edited October 16, 2006 by alexrudd