# Changing my text again

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849>\
**Category:** Site Feedback\
**Created:** [May 6, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849 "2026-05-06T16:34:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/1 "2026-05-06T16:34:47Z")

</div>

Test:

- 3 (5)

- 2 = 1 (10)

- 3 = 4 (16)

- 2 = 2 (32)
- 1 = 1 (37)

The above was typed with all lines justified left, with plus signs at the beginning of lines 2 and 4 and minus signs at the beginning of lines 3, 5, and 6. Why the hell is Discourse changing what I type? There is **NO** excuse for this!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/2 "2026-05-06T16:54:53Z")

</div>

3 (5)  
+2 = 1 (10)  
-3 = 4 (16)  
+2 = 2 (32)  
-1 = 1 (37)

(I see only five lines, not six.)

Don’t put a space between the + or - sign and the number. Discourse interprets those characters as bullet points when there’s a space following them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/3 "2026-05-06T18:56:40Z")

</div>

> [@commasense](#):
>
> (I see only five lines, not six.)

New math?

There was originally another line at the top.

> [@commasense](#):
>
> Don’t put a space between the + or - sign and the number.

“-3” is a negative number. “- 3” is subtraction.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/4 "2026-05-06T19:25:15Z")

</div>

3 (5)  
+ 2 = 1 (10)  
- 3 = 4 (16)  
+ 2 = 2 (32)  
- 1 = 1 (37)

If you want math symbols to not be parsed as markdown, enclose them in $'s.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/5 "2026-05-06T19:34:40Z")

</div>

It is mis-interpreting your input as bullet points.

To get around it, enclose the whole thing in a preformatted text block. You can push the \</\> button in the toolbar, use the hotkey (CMD/CTRL-E), or enclose it with triple backticks (```) above and below.

Like this:  
[![](https://fightingignorance.org/acd90283-a24f-4e15-b985-c6a5710c54d2-2026-05-06-000062.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/acd90283-a24f-4e15-b985-c6a5710c54d2-2026-05-06-000062.jpg)

Then it shows up like:

```txt
3 (5)
+ 2 = 1 (10)
- 3 = 4 (16)
+ 2 = 2 (32)
+ 1 = 1 (37)

```

The “txt” is optional, but lets Discourse know to not try to guess what’s in that block. Otherwise it might think it’s code of some sort and accidentally try to colorize it.

Discourse just tries to be too many things to too many people and will often mis-guess your input as something it wasn’t meant to be, especially if you start a paragraph with a symbol of any sort.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849/6 "2026-05-06T19:37:56Z")

</div>

(Edit: Nevermind, this won’t work if you’re in the newer WYSIWYG editor mode).

* * *

~~Also, if it’s easier to remember, you can also just use the old-fashioned HTML `<pre>` tag (for “preformatted text”), like this:~~

```html
<pre>
3 (5)
+ 2 = 1 (10)
- 3 = 4 (16)
+ 2 = 2 (32)
+ 1 = 1 (37)
</pre>

```

~~Will show up as:~~

```
3 (5)
+ 2 = 1 (10)
- 3 = 4 (16)
+ 2 = 2 (32)
+ 1 = 1 (37)
```