# CODE directive, single-lined? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 17, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418 "2001-01-17T00:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/1 "2001-01-17T00:23:51Z")
I thought I’d asked this question before, but I can’t find it when I search this Forum, so I guess I DIDN’T ask this question before. To wit: When I use the {CODE} vB command (using square brackets instead of curly braces, of course), everything between it and the following {/CODE} command is DOUBLE SPACED, i.e. with a blank line between each line, like this: ```auto line 1 line 2 line 3 ``` Is there a way to make the CODE command display things as SINGLE spaced, without the blank line in between each entry? It would be VERY useful for doing ASCII-art diagrams of organic chemicals. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/2 "2001-01-18T20:55:51Z")
Your post is single spaced on my screen. I’m using IE5.5 on a 1024x768 setting. Anyone else see double spacing there? What are you running? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/3 "2001-01-18T22:00:37Z")
Yes, I see the extra blanks lines. The problem is a combination of the way vB translates [**code][**/code] tags into \,\ (preformatted text) tags. Instead of accepting the data as type, vB adds a \ tag between each line. When Netscape lays out the page, it see the carriage return at the end of the line as one line break and the \ as a 2nd one. When IE lays it out, it ignores the \ tag completely. Which is “right”, I don’t know. They both execute \ tag inside the \ tags, but only Netscape executes the \ tag. Really, though, the \ tag shouldn’t be there in the first place. I don’t think Jelsoft (makers of vBulletin) even bothers to check their code with Netscape. Jim ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/4 "2001-01-18T22:03:46Z")
I am also using IE 5.5 on 1024x768. It is double spaced for me. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/5 "2001-01-18T22:49:03Z")
That’s interesting. I have Netscape 4.74 and IE 5.0 and Netscape is double spaced and IE is single spaced, no matter what screen resolution I use. Wonder what the different is. Jim ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/6 "2001-01-22T02:18:21Z")
I, too, am running Netscape 4.7, and it’s double-spaced for me. I’ve also noticed the following anomaly in Netscape 4.7: If I post a {/b} or a {/i} directive that doesn’t come after a corresponding {b} or {i}, Netscape 4.7 displays the rest of the message in a Times Roman font, but IE 5.x keeps using the same (sans sarif) font that the rest of the message was in. Viz: This sentence is in the normal font. \*In a Netscape browser, this sentence is in Times Roman. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/code-directive-single-lined/50418/7 "2001-01-22T02:23:36Z")
I just looked at the HTML generated by the {CODE} directive, and I think I know why it’s appearing double-spaced in my browser. The HTML looks like this: \ line 1 \ line 2 \ line 3 \ Those \ tags should not be there. Everything between the \ and \ tags is automatically displayed exactly as it’s written, with separate lines preserved. \ within a \ block is totally unnecessary.