# Changing type faces: how does the use of brackets affect this? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 18, 2001, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108 "2001-11-18T22:22:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/1 "2001-11-18T22:22:03Z")
I’ve noted sometimes when I try to indicate italic/ boldface with the wrong symbol–{} instead of , for example, I may get a different typeface on the screen or printed page; or it may occur if I don’t properly match up opening indicators with closing. Is there a format for this so I can do so _deliberately?_ Thanks very much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/2 "2001-11-18T22:26:33Z")
What browser are you using? I’m on IE5 and I’ve never seen different fonts on here. In theory all text on the page is displayed using \, so unless you’ve got a stylesheet overriding your browser settings I’m not sure why another font would be displayed. Sorry that wasn’t much help. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/3 "2001-11-18T22:30:24Z")
I use, about 50-50, Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. (I’ve already ranted on the SDMB about why I won’t use AOL.) ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/4 "2001-11-19T08:08:30Z")
If you’re using Netscape 4.x, you should be able to get it to switch from Helvetica/Arial to the default font, which is probably Times, by putting in an extraneous [**/b] or [**/i] tag. It might work with [\*\*\*\*/u] too, but I’ve never tested it. I use Netscape 6.2, and it, like IE, doesn’t have this “feature” - otherwise I’d test it right now. Also, I’m not sure, but I believe that once you convert the text to the default font, there’s no easy way to get it back in the same post. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/5 "2001-11-20T00:24:10Z")
That’s OK with me, Achernar. I prefer Times Roman, but rarely see it on the screen or printed pages. Thanx. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/6 "2001-12-03T22:46:21Z")
In _other_ words, \* if I do this it should switch to Times Roman, eh? We shall see, as Clemenceau commented… ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/7 "2001-12-04T05:09:35Z")
IIRC, it’s one of the results of Netscape not complying with all the W3C’s standards. That is, the font is not supposed to change to your default font after a \ \ or whatever tag. \*\* This should be in Times New Roman for Netscape users. I will try to see if a [\*\*\*\*/sym] tag changes it back, on a hunch. [/sym] If this works, this should now be in the normal font. I use IE, so I really have no idea myself. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/8 "2001-12-04T05:57:09Z")
Well, I use Netscape 6. It’s supposed to be more standards-compliant than either Netscape 4 or Internet Explorer 5. In your post, **waterj2** , N6 _did_ revert to the default font, but for an orphaned [\*\*/b] tag, it doesn’t. Looking at the source code, I believe that in the case of a random [/sym] tag, the browser should definitely revert to the default. As for the others, though, I think it’s undefined, though I can’t exactly tell from the specs. From [the HTML 4.01 specification, §3.2](http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/intro/sgmltut.html#h-3.2): > [@](#): > > Similarly, if a paragraph is enclosed by a block element, as in: > > \ > \This is the paragraph. > \ > > the end tag of the enclosing block element (here, \) implies the end tag of the open \ start tag. And, from [§15.2.1](http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/present/graphics.html#h-15.2.1): > [@](#): > > Font style elements must be properly nested. Rendering of nested font style elements depends on the user agent. It seems to me that it’s undefined, and both the way N4 handles it and the way N6 handles it are both okay. I can’t speak for IE, but I think it probably does it fine too, as long as it really does revert back to the default on that [/sym\*\*\*\*]. Now, I’m not a designer, so I could be wrong about this standards thing; someone can welcomely correct me. ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/9 "2001-12-04T10:19:56Z")
In IE 5.5 all of **water2js** post appears in Arial, _apart_ from: If this works, this should now be in the normal font. I use IE, so I really have no idea myself. Which appears in Times New Roman ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/10 "2001-12-05T21:21:01Z")
So: \*\* This should be in normal board font, while [/sym] this should be in Times. I think. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-type-faces-how-does-the-use-of-brackets-affect-this/94108/11 "2001-12-06T03:58:17Z")
Not Times, necessarily, but your default font. My default font is the same (I think) as the board font.