# how do I shorten a link?? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 3, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571 "2002-04-03T13:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pegleg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@pegleg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pegleg)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/1 "2002-04-03T13:05:18Z")
When supplying a link, how do I shorten it from [http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm](http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm) to “click here” or just “here” Thanks, Bob ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/2 "2002-04-03T13:56:25Z")
Check out where it says [VB Code is ON](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/misc.php?s=&action=bbcode) at the bottom of the page here somewhere. Or click on “Reply with Quote” for this post here (my post) to see how the trick was done for this link here. Basically it’s Bracket URL Equals the Address Bracket The Text Bracket End URL Bracket, which is how **I** manage to remember it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/3 "2002-04-03T18:39:35Z")
Yup, ya type in this: {URL=“[http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm](http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm)”}Click here{/URL} Replace the { and } with [and] respectively, and you’ll wind up with this: [Click here](http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/4 "2002-04-03T18:49:56Z")
For extra credit, you can provide examples without those darn {'s. 😛 [**URL=“[http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm](http://www.skytechimages.com/pages/cpcheli.htm)”]Click here[**/URL] ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/5 "2002-04-03T19:17:04Z")
This version of VBulletin doesn’t ask for the quotation marks, guys. If it has the quotation marks, it won’t make a link anyway, whether or not you fool around with the other coding (and after all the time we spent learning to put them in there with the last version of VBulletin). ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/6 "2002-04-03T19:42:04Z")
**Dog** to **Duck1** : Yair, I know there’s a way to do that. I seem to remember **Arnold** or **Coldie** or someone going to great lengths to explain it once. I guess I could check the source to see how you did it, but it’s 5:30am here in Sydney, I’ve been up with insomnia, so I’ll just take your word for it… 🙂 **Dog** to **Duck2** : Thanks. You just fought a lil’ bit o’ ignorance. The link still works though. Anyway, I’ll try to break the sixty-sixes and ninety-nines habit. Don’t these cursed software developers know we Dopers are a luddite lot that hate change? Geez, I’m still getting used to Windows3.11. 😃 ---
**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 3, 2002, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/7 "2002-04-03T19:55:58Z")
There are several ways to show coding examples with the vBcode included in the post. One method (mentioned by waterj2 recently) is to include a “blank” tag inside the “real” tag. The method I prefer is to use [and] for the beginning and ending square brackets, like so: **bold example** will become **bold example** ---
**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 3, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/8 "2002-04-03T20:03:20Z")
Putting double quotes around urls in the url tag - that might still be necessary if the url contains special characters, e.g. a space. Does anyone have an URL with a space in it we can use as an example? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/9 "2002-04-03T20:33:33Z")
**Why A Duck** ’s Method: [**URL=http://www.straightdope.com]Click Here[**/URL] The **Duck** did it by typing: [[**b][**/b]URL=http://www.straightdope.com]Click Here[[**b][**/b]/URL] **Arnold** ’s Method: [URL=http://www.straightdope.com]Click Here[/URL] **Arnold** does it by typing: & **#91URL=http://www.straightdope.com&** #93Click here& **#91/URL&** #93 Guys. let me know if I got that wrong. And **DDG** , look ma, no quotation marks! 😃 I know this has all been shown before, but it’s just for my own benefit to make sure I know how to do it. Not showing off at all. 😛 [sup]Damn insomnia. I’ve got my second wind.[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![pegleg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@pegleg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pegleg)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/10 "2002-04-03T21:29:20Z")
Thanks to **DDG, LOADED DOG, WHY A DUCK** (the not Bobs)and **ARNOLD** The REAL Bob ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/11 "2002-04-04T00:17:18Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by pegleg \* > \*\* (the not Bobs)_\* BAND NAME! ---
**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 4, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/12 "2002-04-04T00:27:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > **Arnold** ’s Method: > > [Click Here](http://www.straightdope.com) > > **Arnold** does it by typing: > > [URL=http://www.straightdope.com]Click here[/URL] > > Guys. let me know if I got that wrong. Since your assessment of my “method” was not 100% correct I took the liberty of correcting you. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/13 "2002-04-04T00:36:31Z")
Thanks **Arnold** , I hadn’t realised I’d forgotten the semicolon (thought it looked a bit sparse at the time), but _it worked anyway_. This, on top of the fact that I got away with using quotation marks in my first post, despite **DDG** ’s assurance that doing so would bugger things up nicely… Has vBulletin become idiotproof? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/14 "2002-04-04T11:56:28Z")
Of course, the easiest way would be to hit the “http://” button right above the posting window. Not that I… admit to using that button or anything. I code everything by hand. Yeah, that’s it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/15 "2002-04-05T00:59:09Z")
**test bold** ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/16 "2002-04-05T01:17:25Z")
Arnold, that’s a lot neater than including a vB sequence inside another one. I’ve found a tweak to this technique. You only have to provide the escape code for **one of the brackets** to disable the vB code. You can type the other brackets normally. **test bold** **test bold** There’s only one thing to note: if you disable the closing code of the first field and the opening code of the next, vB will match the opening code of the first field and the closing code of the next like so: **test bold** **test bold** So with multiple fields, always use the escape code for the same bracket. Left bracket of the opening code is probably a good choice. ---
**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 5, 2002, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/17 "2002-04-05T13:23:18Z")
rowrrbazzle, your method may save on typing, but it offends my sense of symmetry. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/18 "2002-04-05T13:34:15Z")
That’s why I stick with my empty code pair. And I find typing [or] to be aesthetically unpleasing too. Not to mention I feel like I’m comic-book swearing when I do it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-shorten-a-link/101571/19 "2002-04-05T13:36:41Z")
Sigh… I meant typing &#\*\*\*\*91; and &#\*\*\*\*93; of course. mumble-mumble-mumble