Note that you can fill in your trial post in any "Reply to Thread" box, click to put a check mark in the "Preview" box and hit "Submit Message."

The Preview will show what your post will look like, and the link will work just as if it had been posted. You can right-click the link you made and choose "open in new tab," or "open in new window" to see if the link works. (In browsers that use "tabbed browsing" clicking with the wheel in the middle of the mouse also (usually) opens the target in a new tab.)

You want to open in a new tab, or new window, when you click to test the link so that your post is still there to go back to for changes if it didn't work. Whether it works or not, you can just close the new tab/window and you'll be back at the preview.

If it works, the "Preview" button will be "unchecked" in the preview window, and you can just hit Submit Message again to post it. If you were just "practicing" you can hit the "Back" arrow to get out of the preview without posting your mistakes for everybody to giggle over.

John