# Generic bullet points **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 2, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389 "2002-04-02T15:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/1 "2002-04-02T15:09:47Z")
On the old board, [li] used to be converted to a plain bullet (inside a [list /list] pair they could be rendered as numbers or letters, but on their own, they used to make a bullet).[/li] Was this a standard feature or a SDMB-specific modification? (I know we can still get them like this: [ul] [li]firstly[/li][li]and secondly[/li][li]Hi Opal![/li][/ul] But I thought I’d ask (not that I’m complaining mind). ---
**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:** [April 2, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/2 "2002-04-02T15:52:32Z")
I never noticed that. To make sure I understand you correctly, let me rephrase that. Are you asserting that: In vBulletin 1.x, [li] would convert to a bullet point even if it wasn’t inside the [ul] [/ul] vBcode tags…[/li]In vBulletin 2.x, [li] will convert to a bullet point _only_ if it’s inside the [ul] [/ul] vBcode tags.[/li] I don’t know about the first part, but I can easily verify the second part (as a matter of fact I just did in this post.) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/3 "2002-04-02T15:54:46Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* In vBulletin 1.x, [li] would convert to a bullet point even if it wasn’t inside the [ul] [/ul] vBcode tags…[/li]In vBulletin 2.x, [li] will convert to a bullet point _only_ if it’s inside the [ul] [/ul] vBcode tags.[/li][/QUOTE] I can confirm that. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/4 "2002-04-02T15:58:52Z")
And no, we never created a custom vBcode, specific to the SDMB, to make a a bullet point. You could also make a bullet point by typing in � which would turn into a bullet point: • ---
**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:** [April 2, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/5 "2002-04-02T16:00:46Z")
Finally - to see the HTML codes for special characters, you can look [here](http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/reference/special_characters/). ---
**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:** [April 2, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/6 "2002-04-02T16:02:13Z")
OK then, Mangetout, KneadToKnow - that “feature” has obviously been “corrected” in vBulletin 2.x. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/7 "2002-04-02T16:45:53Z")
That works for me. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/8 "2002-04-02T17:56:31Z")
If you wanna be really difficult about it, you could use the bullet that’s available in the symbol font, too. [symbol]·[/symbol] ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/9 "2002-04-02T21:56:56Z")
I just still write [li]. I used that just the other day actually.[/li] I guess I’m not good with change. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/10 "2002-04-02T22:26:08Z")
[symbol]·[/symbol] [symbol]·[/symbol] [symbol]·[/symbol] [symbol]·[/symbol] • • • • • ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/11 "2002-04-03T13:10:54Z")
I see smoke signals … they spell out … F … U … ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/12 "2002-04-03T20:42:18Z")
Look, you made **UncleBeer** cry. [ul][li][/ul][/li] ^ just a test Esprix ---
**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:** [April 4, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/13 "2002-04-04T04:33:22Z")
Yeah, and they also took away the feature where you could use [\*\*\*\*/quote] to make a horizontal line, and the feature where you could use [\*\*/b] to change the font to Times! They don’t let us have _any_ fun anymore! ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-bullet-points/101389/14 "2002-04-04T18:18:26Z")
Get back to your books, Chronos. If you have time for fun, you have time to come back and moderate.