HTML

[john in la]

Chris
Does HTML no longer work on this new forum or am I having a senior moment and doing this wrong.

<b> Test </b>
<i>Test</i>

 

[cpratt]

That's correct, you have to use bbcode. Like here Test and here Test. bbcode is generated for you by those icons above your post text. I just highlighted the first Test and pressed the B button at the top of the posting window then for the second, highlighted Test and pressed I. HTML is taken as just data by the system (which is why you were able to type it in there and have it just display as regular old characters). You can also just type

[b]Test[/b]

or

[i]Test[/i]

Note, I was able to put those codes in by highlighting the code, clicking the three dots on top of one another and selecting the </> icon. That causes the system to ignore those as actual bbcode.

Direct entry of html was mostly eliminated in forums in the early 2000s because it allowed the bad guys to directly inject viruses/spyware in people's computers due to browser vulnerabilities. bbcode is intentionally simpler and has no facilities to do that. The alternative used by some (including the old Classic View) was to manually filter out most html (disallow as much of it is necessary). That was not very effective since html changes frequently and new exploits have to be filtered out. It was more logical to have a separate code language that was intentionally restricted. Filtering of HTML requires continuous maintenance to keep forum viewers safe (and of course subject to computer types making mistakes and leaving users vulnerable anyway, this is what we had to watch with Classic View). bbcode is an extensive set of formatting options that lacks the really powerful stuff you wouldn't put in a post anyway. For example, there is no way to put a hidden script in bbcode that would automatically redirect you to a virus site when you read a post.

 

[DoubleO7]

Do you have any idea how I managed to turn my bbcode off?

 

[DoubleO7]

Nevermind, I found the switch.....

 

[cpratt]

Nevermind, I found the switch.....

Where is the switch? I have no idea and others will run into the same thing I'm sure.

 

[DoubleO7]

The brackets that show up when you click the three vertical dots next to preview button.

 

[cpratt]

The brackets that show up when you click the three vertical dots next to preview button.

View attachment 2673

Thank you. I wondered what those did.