Links and validation
Links in the OpenQuok post composer, save-time checks, and how to fix validation errors before you schedule or publish.
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Links and validation
Links in the caption, link fields in Settings, and what blocks save before you schedule.
OpenQuok checks your post before you save. This page covers links in the caption, link fields in Settings, and what blocks a draft or schedule.
For the character counter and editor modes, see Writing the post. For one caption vs per-network text, see Global vs per-channel.
Links in the caption
How you add a link depends on the editor mode. See Editor by platform.
Standard mode
In the plain textarea, type or paste a full URL (for example https://example.com/page). The URL is part of the caption text. OpenQuok does not check the URL shape or fetch a preview card.
The toolbar Link button appears only in Markdown and HTML unlock modes.
Markdown and HTML unlock
When a channel unlocks a rich editor (Dev.to, X), use the toolbar Link button to wrap selected text.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
https://… or http://… | Stored as given |
example.com/path | Normalized to https://example.com/path |
Root-relative path such as /docs/platforms | Kept as a same-site path |
OpenQuok rejects ftp://, file://, mailto:, and bare email addresses. You see a toast: That link is not allowed. Use http(s) URLs or relative paths.
At publish, Dev.to receives Markdown. X still receives plain text — formatting and link markup are stripped. Check Post Preview before you schedule.
Note
No live link preview, as OpenQuok does not crawl URLs in the composer. Post Preview is a layout mock, not a live unfurl from the destination site.
Link fields in Settings
Some networks need a URL in Settings beside Post Preview, not only in the caption.
| Network | Setting | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Page | Embedded URL | Optional link preview on text-only posts — ignored when photos or video are attached |
| Dev.to | Canonical URL | Optional cross-post canonical; must be a valid http or https URL at save time |
| X | Community URL | Optional — post into an X community when the URL matches X’s community link format |
You can open Settings for a channel without unlocking its caption. Other required fields (YouTube title, Dev.to tags, Instagram post type, and more) live in the same panel.
Validation
OpenQuok validates a post against every selected channel before save. If any channel fails, nothing is saved. You see a toast, or red text under the caption or media strip.
The same checks run on the server when you submit. You cannot bypass them by editing the request.
What usually fails
| Error | Cause |
|---|---|
| Empty content | A selected channel has no text and the platform requires some |
| Too long | Over the character limit for that platform — the counter badge turns red |
| Missing setting | A required per-platform field is empty: YouTube title, Dev.to tags, Instagram post type, and similar |
| Media rules | Wrong number or type of attachments for the platform |
| Channel state | No workspace, no channel selected, or a channel needs reconnect |
Media limits are checked separately. See Media.
Fixing them
For length, unlock the tight channel and write a shorter caption. Do not cut the text for every network. See Global vs per-channel.
For media, check the platform rules first. See Posting rules by platform.
For required settings, focus the channel and fill the Settings panel. The platform refuses the post without those fields.
Standard textarea: no URL lint
In Standard mode, a bad or broken URL does not show an inline error. OpenQuok checks link shape only when you use the rich-editor Link button or a Settings URL field at save. If a network rejects the link, you see the failure on publish or in post status.