# Centering text **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 22, 2000, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123 "2000-09-22T10:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/1 "2000-09-22T10:28:52Z")
I’m familiar with how to make stuff **bold** , for instance, but is there a way I can center text? ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/2 "2000-09-22T14:29:42Z")
No. We used to HTML, but now we don’t, so you can’t. Triskadecamus was pissed when it happened. –John ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/3 "2000-09-22T15:09:51Z")
I hate to pick nits, but: **Yue Han** is correct only technically. I moved the above text over by inserting blank spaces before it. You can’t just use the space bar, though, you need to type [alt]0160 then release the [alt] key. Each time you do that, your cursor will move one hard space to the right. You can also enclose text in code tags: ```auto ...like this... ``` to maintain formatting spaces. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/4 "2000-09-22T15:11:26Z")
Well, what sdimbert is doing is not called “centering” but “indenting”. And yes, you can indent by using the   HTML code. ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/5 "2000-09-22T18:56:03Z")
And what **Arnold** is doing is called “being snotty,” not “helping”… 😃 Just kidding **AW** - thanks for setting the record straight. I just figured a work-around was the best that our pal **Snooooopy** was going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/6 "2000-09-22T19:21:29Z")
This is just a test.               I’m indenting stuff.               Neato. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/7 "2000-09-22T20:35:26Z")
sdimbert, you should know by know that when someone starts a post (as you did) with the words “I hate to pick nits”, some wise guy (in this case your humble servant) will immediately show up and try to pick nits in the nit-picking post. By the way, when are you going to create a smiley showing a swiss man with an alphorn? Your graphic skills are needed! ;j ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/8 "2000-09-22T20:58:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\*By the way, when are you going to create a smiley showing a swiss man with an alphorn? Your graphic skills are needed! ;j \*\* Well, [here](http://www.geocities.com/sdimbert/alphorn.gif) goes… BTW, I had to look “aphalon” up. Is there a special name for the hat with the feather? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/9 "2000-09-23T02:09:56Z")
Indenting text is not the same thing as centering, because it depends on the resolution you’re viewing it at. **sdimbert** appears to be using 640x480, and it presumably appears centered for him, but here at 800x600, it’s definitely towards the left of the screen. You can also indent more easily by using the list tags without any bullets. It seems that the bullets are totally independent of the indentation, as discovered by **Achernar**. Oh, and **sdimbert** , the horn’s gotta be way longer than that… They’re about 10 meters, or so. I’ve got to try one of those, sometime… ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/10 "2000-09-24T00:16:59Z")
Actually, to me it looks like something that might explode if you lit one end. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/11 "2000-09-24T04:18:20Z")
A noble effort sdimbert! Thank you very much. However I will agree with the previous posters that to me it doesn’t look indubitably like an alphorn. An alphorn is longer, though Chronos was slightly exaggerating. Alphorns are usually between 1.5 and 4.5 metres. Also the hat with the feather in it is an austrian custom, not really swiss. Here is a [picture of an alphorn from Encylopædia Britannica](http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/single_image/0,5716,9090+asmbly%5Fid,00.html). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/12 "2000-09-24T04:39:06Z")
> [@](#): > > An alphorn is longer, though Chronos was slightly exaggerating. Alphorns are usually between 1.5 and 4.5 metres. Dang unit conversions! What I meant, of course, was ten feet, or three meters (right smack in the middle of Arnold’s listed range). Of course, a ten-meter horn would sound really cool… Bass can never get too low 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Show\_Biz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Show\_Biz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Show_Biz)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centering-text/34123/13 "2000-09-25T13:46:23Z")
There’s also the “Code” trick described in the thread below. The best way to learn all the text tricks is this thread: (I try to add tricks in as they get discovered elsewhere) \*\* [Don’t forget the link. Here’s how to post one, Part Next](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=25307)\*\* With 200 posts, I’m surprized you haven’t seen it yet. (A lot of people tell me it’s one of the few threads they have bookmarked.)