Welcome to the Forum!
New (04/20-00) ~ Now you have the ability to assign certain "smiley" and/or format codes, so that you have more control over how your message looks, without having to know or use actual HTML codes! Below, you'll find a brief explanation of how those features work.
"Smiley" Codes
If you include certain ASCII "smiley" characters (also known as "emoticons") in the subjects or bodies of your messages, they'll be automatically converted to graphics, as follows.
:) Smile
:( Frown
:O Oh
:D GigGrin
;) Wink
8) Glasses
:b Tongue
:\ OhWell
>:( Angry
:| Indifferent
Formatting Codes
The following codes are available to you if you want or need to specially format your messages. (Unlike the "smiley" codes, these will work only in the bodies of your messages.) Simply put the appropriate formatting codes before and after the text you want formatted, and voila, you've moved out of the world of plain text!
[b]Bold Text[/b] = Bold Text [i]Italic Text[/i] = Italic Text [list][*]Item 1[*]Item 2[/list] =
- Item 1
- Item 2
[quote]Quoted Text[/quote] = Quoted (block-indented) Text [code]Fixed-Width Text[/code] = [center]Centered Text[/center] = Centered Text [big]Big Text[/big] = Big Text [small]Small Text[/small] = Small Text [red]Red Text[/red] = Red Text
For example, the following message:
This is a [red]test[/red] of the Emergency Formatting System. This is [i]only[/i] a test. If this were real formatting, you'd need to do the following: [list][*]Read the Message[*]Memorize It[*]Destroy It[/list]
Would appear on the forum as:
This is a test of the Emergency Formatting System. This is only a test. If this were real formatting, you'd need to do the following:
- Read the Message
- Memorize It
- Destroy It
Important General Tip
Never assume that your message will look the way you expect it to look! Previewing your message before you post it is always a good idea, anyway, but is even more important if you're using the above codes, since if you mis-type something, the message won't look the way you expect it to look!