# Multi-line code test - inline tables **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 21, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945 "2018-03-21T04:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/1 "2018-03-21T04:00:40Z")
I’ll need to post this to compare the 2 bulletin board skins. Courier font, with periods: If a friend of yours confessed to sniffing glue to you but not his priest, do you think that: … 1980 Vote …Carter…Reagan It is immoral… 86%…51% It is NOT immoral… 7%… 21% Not Sure…8%…28% Code, with spaces: ```auto If a friend of yours confessed to sniffing glue to you but not his priest, do you think that: 1980 Vote Carter Reagan It is immoral 86% 51% It is NOT immoral 7% 21% Not Sure 8% 28% ``` php: ```php If a friend of yours confessed to sniffing glue to you but not his priest, do you think that: 1980 Vote Carter Reagan It is immoral 86% 51% It is NOT immoral 7% 21% Not Sure 8% 28% ``` Under the new mobile skin, code doesn’t work, but php is readable albeit with weird colors. The period method works with a fixed font (i.e. Courier New). While I’m here I’ll try out a poll. Links: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=844725](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=844725) Post 572: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=835598&page=12](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=835598&page=12) ---
**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:** [March 21, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/2 "2018-03-21T10:51:05Z")
On my screen (Firefox, OSX, old skin), the periods method looks like it works correctly. The PHP method mostly lines up the same way as the periods, but with slight differences, to its detriment. The code method has larger differences, to its greater detriment. Did you use tab characters at all, or was it all just spaces? Was the text inside the tags exactly the same in both tagged cases? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/3 "2018-03-21T15:02:25Z")
On my screen (Chrome, Windows, old skin) neither the code nor php line up quite right. Php is better, but the characters are blue and green. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/4 "2018-03-22T04:24:08Z")
I just used spaces Code, with tabs: ```auto What's your opinion regarding the aqua butterfly? 1980 Vote Carter Reagan It is immoral 86% 51% It is NOT immoral 7% 21% Not Sure 8% 28% ``` php, with tabs: ```php What's your opinion regarding the aqua butterfly? 1980 Vote Carter Reagan It is immoral 86% 51% It is NOT immoral 7% 21% Not Sure 8% 28% ``` Tabs are harder to work with, since they need to be added in a text editor. Hitting tab while typing in the board’s message box brings you to the “Submit Reply” button. In the old style skin at least, php can have rather erratic coloring. Apostrophe-s apparently made the following characters red, which isn’t great for the color-blind or the aesthetically sensitive. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/5 "2018-03-22T12:48:45Z")
Huh, I was expecting use of tabs to make things _more_ screwed up. But with the tabs, the code tag works perfectly, under the old skin (but the php version with tabs is screwy). From what I know, all of these should work equally well. So apparently what I know is inadequate. Anyone with better insight into how these tags actually work? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/6 "2018-03-22T23:56:55Z")
To be clear, misalignment can be fixed with repeated previews. Remaining misalignment above is probably due to my laziness. Under the new skin code-tagging is fubar, while php-tagging just gives odd colors. The Courier font system with periods is effective, though slightly more time consuming. Until TPTB fix the bug in the mobile skin, I’ll probably switch to php, though the colors are sometimes unfriendly to the colorblind. Hijack! According to Wiki, [INDENT][INDENT]"PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. It is originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994,[3] the PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group.[4] PHP originally stood for Personal Home Page,[3] but it now stands for the recursive acronym PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor[5]. PHP code may be embedded into HTML code, or it can be used in combination with various web template systems, web content management systems, and web frameworks. "[/INDENT][/INDENT] ## I see from the web that php-tagging can be a little wonky in vBulletin: [PHP Closing Tags - vBulletin Community Forum](https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-legacy-versions-products/legacy-vbulletin-versions/vbulletin-2-how-do-i-and-troubleshooting/84658-php-closing-tags) Excel paste: ``` Hiddey Hiddey hi hi hi hohoho ``` Democrats 24 76 Republicans 55 45 Excel paste: ``` Hiddey Hiddey hi hi hi hohoho ``` Democrats 24 76 Republicans 55 45 Excel paste into code: ```auto Hiddey Hiddey hi hi hi hohoho Democrats 24 76 Republicans 55 45 ``` Excel paste into php: ```php Hiddey Hiddey hi hi hi hohoho Democrats 24 76 Republicans 55 45 ``` Excel paste into php, edited in textpad ~4 times: ```php Hiddey Hiddey hi hi hi hohoho Democrats 24 76 Republicans 55 45 ``` Honestly, tabs are a PITA in this context. Spacing is easier as it can be eddited in the board’s message box. Though the 1st pass will be in my text editor. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/7 "2018-03-30T06:13:29Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Tabs are harder to work with, since they need to be added in a text editor. Hitting tab while typing in the board’s message box brings you to the “Submit Reply” button. Sometimes I copy a single tab to the clipboard and then use paste as often as necessary to get around this. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/8 "2018-03-30T13:53:39Z")
I can’t answer the poll, since I intend to continue using CODE where appropriate. If you want to view my posts, select the “v3.7.3 Restore Sanity” option in the lower-left of this page. America invaded the continent of Europe successfully in 1944; America landed a man on the Moon, and brought him safely back to Earth. Call me a giddy optimist, but I hope America is still great enough to install a tiny _already-published_ patch into the SDMB script. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/9 "2018-03-30T14:09:34Z")
Classic skin user here. The php and code versions fail, on my computer, to render in monospace; hence nothing lines up worth shit. It might be a setting in my browser for default fonts or something. (I seem to recall it working better once upon a time). The periods version in courier new is much nicer and probably more bulletproof-reliable in multiple environments. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/10 "2018-04-05T02:09:08Z")
What’s your opinion regarding the aqua butterfly?                     1980 Vote                   Carter  Reagan   It is immoral       86%     51% It is NOT immoral    7%     21% Not Sure             8%     28% Note to self: The non-breaking space gets destroyed by vBulletin, but the [figure space](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_space) doesn’t seem to on Chrome/Windows. After I post, I’ll check on Safari/iPhone. [Edit: The figure space on Safari/iPhone isn’t quite the same width as some of the other characters in Courier New. Hmm.] ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/11 "2018-04-05T03:07:32Z")
Huh–thanks for turning me on to the [intricacies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_character) of what I thought was the ascii space. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/12 "2018-04-05T05:49:02Z")
I am the walrus. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-line-code-test-inline-tables/810945/13 "2018-04-05T06:12:22Z")
\_\_\_\_I found a convenient way to create blank \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ space, like for indented paragraphs, by simply using white underscores. Though, using them to construct tables might be more work than they are worth.