# Automatic Paragraph Spacing **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 2, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591 "2019-09-02T16:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/1 "2019-09-02T16:14:47Z")
Is there a way to turn off this (apparently) newish feature that automatically inserts space between paragraphs? I’ve always made my own double-line-spacing between paragraphs, and now all of my posts are coming out with extra-large gaps between paragraphs because the forum is inserting extra space in addition to my own spacing. It forces typing a wall of text when typing up a question or reply to get normal paragraph spacing. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/2 "2019-09-02T16:28:55Z")
Test1. Test2. EDIT: Nothing changed for me – I put an empty line between the two when I typed, and I see a single empty line between the two on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/3 "2019-09-02T19:06:37Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Is there a way to turn off this (apparently) newish feature that automatically inserts space between paragraphs? I’ve always made my own double-line-spacing between paragraphs, and now all of my posts are coming out with extra-large gaps between paragraphs because the forum is inserting extra space in addition to my own spacing. > It forces typing a wall of text when typing up a question or reply to get normal paragraph spacing. Are you using Tapatalk, by any chance? It’s started inserting extra line spaces when I posting using it. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/4 "2019-09-02T19:54:36Z")
Nope, I’m posting directly on the site, using Firefox on Windows 10. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/5 "2019-09-03T20:14:29Z")
It happens to me as well, Safari on iPhone X using Sultantheme. Not every time, it’s random. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/6 "2019-09-03T20:27:51Z")
I’m set to the standard SDMB theme. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/7 "2019-09-07T22:39:07Z")
I have that problem (even started an ATMB thread about it.) It annyos the hell out of me. I try to work around it, but never quite figute out the rules. I tbink it is okay to add a return and it ends up showing two. I skip the return and it _doesn’t_ add one. So I either end up with half my posts looking like I don’t know how to format paragraphs or with the “edited by” at the bottom where I have had to go back and fix the board software’s fuckup. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/8 "2019-09-07T22:45:29Z")
There are two different editor modes (at least on the regular theme - I haven’t tried Sultanstheme). On most browsers the button to switch between them is the A/A button on the upper right of the reply box. You might try switching editor modes to see if that fixes your problem. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/9 "2019-09-08T00:31:45Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > There are two different editor modes (at least on the regular theme - I haven’t tried Sultanstheme). On most browsers the button to switch between them is the A/A button on the upper right of the reply box. You might try switching editor modes to see if that fixes your problem. Sultantheme on Safari has no such button in either quick reply or advanced mode, not that I can see. ☹ Hmm, not unless the “Automatically parse links in text” option is it…? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/10 "2019-09-08T00:49:38Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Sultantheme on Safari has no such button in either quick reply or advanced mode, not that I can see. ☹ > > Hmm, not unless the “Automatically parse links in text” option is it…? The button is there in Sultanstheme. However, when I tested it on different browsers, it did not show up in Chrome. I don’t have Safari, but apparently the existence of the button is browser specific, not theme specific. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/11 "2019-09-08T01:56:26Z")
I think you’re right, I checked the reply box in the original theme and it’s the same, so it must be a Safari issue. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/12 "2019-09-08T02:51:56Z")
Testing one Enter Testing Testing two Enters Testing ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/13 "2019-09-08T02:59:32Z")
So after the first line up there, I pressed Enter once, then typed again on the very next line with no blank space. Got one linespace. Typed the “Testing two Enters”, pressed Enter twice, and got two linespaces. This was after clicking the AA button in Firefox. Clicking that button made no difference (and the tooltip says “Remove Text Formatting” - I don’t think it switches modes, it just clears any formatting you’ve already typed). I wish I could say exactly when this started. From 2003 to early 2018, I posted from Macs, using various browsers. In early 2018 I converted to Windows 10, and posted from Chrome until switching to Firefox a few months ago. I only noticed this spacing issue in the last month or so, but for the last couple years I haven’t posted nearly as much as I used to, so maybe it started sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/14 "2019-09-08T05:31:56Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Clicking that button made no difference (and the tooltip says “Remove Text Formatting” - I don’t think it switches modes, it just clears any formatting you’ve already typed). Oh, that’s what the button is? In that case it shows up in Safari in either skin (top left, not right). But like you said it doesn’t help. I know about the button that removes formatting, I assumed there was another “change mode” button. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/15 "2019-09-08T13:12:49Z")
Remove Text Formatting is on the upper left (on my browser at least). On some browsers, another button shows up on the right, with the tool tip “Switch Editor Mode”. It’s not the same button. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/16 "2019-09-08T14:08:29Z")
D’OH! I’m blind. The other a/a button is there on the right. Test Test Test ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/17 "2019-09-08T14:11:50Z")
It seems that did the trick, now that I’m clicking the correct button. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/18 "2019-09-08T14:21:25Z")
Hmm. It appears that, after clicking the correct button, I’m now in WYSIWYG mode, which I know for a fact I’ve never used here before, as previously, clicking the formatting buttons have always wrapped tags around the selected text. Just checked in Chrome, and the Switch Editor Mode button does not appear in Chrome. So it would still appear that something has changed for _non_-WYSIWYG mode, to insert extra lines. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/19 "2019-09-08T21:23:31Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Remove Text Formatting is on the upper left (on my browser at least). > > On some browsers, another button shows up on the right, with the tool tip “Switch Editor Mode”. It’s not the same button. Thanks for clearing that up e\_c\_g. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591/20 "2019-09-30T03:41:09Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > It forces typing a wall of text when typing up a question or reply to get normal paragraph spacing. Rezzing this thread because I’m still having this issue. And I’ve quoted this bit from my OP because I just typed a post in another thread and deliberately typed it as a “wall of text” with no blank lines … and it posted as a wall of text with no blank lines. So I seem to be damned if I do and damned if I don’t. If I insert a blank line, the board inserts another one. If I don’t insert a blank line, neither does the board. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-paragraph-spacing/839591.md?page=2)