An odd non-link

In this thread I included a url tag in my OP that didn’t get linked correctly. Evidently brackets within a link screws it up? Let’s try:

Is this a link?

Is [this] a link?

Is [this] a link?

Is this[this] a link?

Is [this]this a link?

Is this[this]this a link?

Is this [] this a link?

Is [this this a link?

Is [this ] this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/) a link?

Bingo! The presence of a left bracket within the text of a url tag prevents the conversion to a link. Explanation?

If vB code is anything like HTML, the left bracket indicates a tag opening. Whatever’s interpreting the vB code may be expecting a vB command to follow. It doesn’t know you meant to use a bracket in a non-vB sense.

Possibly, Crusoe,

But [this] is in italics, as is [this and this]
and [this] is in bold
and [this] is underlined…
and [sub][subscript]?[/sub] Check.
and [sup][superscript]?[/sup] Check.
and [sym][symbol]?[/sym] Check.

Seems that only the url tag is affected by the presence of brackets.

I don’t know about these things but…
in one of my post I did everything right and I could not get the proper link coding, so (confused) I just started adding stuff til it acted right. Don’t remember the post but it (eventually) looked some thing like this:

{url=“http://www.xxx.com”} } link {/url}

(Except instead of { } and no spaces) Probably just a ‘glitch’?
Oh, and my ‘double’ or second " ] " didn’t show on the final…FWIW.