I think it's composing in plain text. Hold down shift when clicking Write, Reply or Forward. Plain text doesn't support insertions so they aren't offered in the toolbar or menu when plain text is in use.

It's supposed to open replies and forwards in the appropriate text mode, consistent with the original message. The default for Write for new messages is set in the account settings. However it's also possible to set defaults for individual Contacts, and also for specific domains, so IMHO, it's all too easy for a contradiction or inconsistency to arise at which point the behaviour might be unpredictable.

And I think it's buggy. I occasionally write to a newsgroup where HTML is frowned upon, so TB is set to compose in plain text yet almost always selects HTML. Go figure.

You can just paste links into the text. It doesn't need all the Insert|Link tomfoolery.

Zenos said

I think it's composing in plain text. Hold down shift when clicking Write, Reply or Forward. Plain text doesn't support insertions so they aren't offered in the toolbar or menu when plain text is in use. It's supposed to open replies and forwards in the appropriate text mode, consistent with the original message. The default for Write for new messages is set in the account settings. However it's also possible to set defaults for individual Contacts, and also for specific domains, so IMHO, it's all too easy for a contradiction or inconsistency to arise at which point the behaviour might be unpredictable. And I think it's buggy. I occasionally write to a newsgroup where HTML is frowned upon, so TB is set to compose in plain text yet almost always selects HTML. Go figure. You can just paste links into the text. It doesn't need all the Insert|Link tomfoolery.

Thank you! Although I've used it a while and generally like it, I've never really used TB except in a pretty basic manner for correspondence.

I guess I need to learn more about this sort of thing, including how to compose links separately. I appreciate your help.