# Testing the basic coding stuff

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 30, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013 "2024-07-30T16:33:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/1 "2024-07-30T16:33:12Z")

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I’m a 99er and for some reason, some basic coding isn’t working. I know I can click in the above menu to **Cartooniverse** \<----bold that name. And yet, in Preview, it’s not bolded.

If I use the old-school method of brackets and Bs, it appears to work here in this test thread. Yet, in regular threads ( as was just the case a few moments ago ), bolding a member’s name as I write doesn’t deliver the name bolded in my post. It’s a small thing, but it’s a shame.

How do I fix this? And, is there a coding method whereby I can write out a member’s name and they know I’ve mentioned their name in my post?

If I use the brackets/ bolding, I get [b]Cartooniverse[/ b] to work when typed out without spacing: Cartooniverse .

Frustrating. I cannot discern if it’s bolding or not. Which is in and of itself weird.

What’s the Straight Dope on coding? Where do I find the list of basic hand-typed codes to modify as I write?

Many thanks.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/2 "2024-07-30T16:47:21Z")

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This might be a better fit for the Site Feedback forum, since that’s where questions and discussions about the Discourse software seem to belong.

I’m not sure what you’re having trouble with. The “old-school method of brackets and Bs” should work to make text boldface. In your OP, I see your name bolded both places it should be (and not in the place where you left the spaces in the brackets). Alternatively, you can surround the word to be bolded with double asterisks (single asterisks get you italics).

I agree that there ought to be a “basic list of hand-typed codes” but I’m not sure where.

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**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:** [July 30, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/3 "2024-07-30T16:50:32Z")

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> [@Cartooniverse](#):
>
> How do I fix this? And, is there a coding method whereby I can write out a member’s name and they know I’ve mentioned their name in my post?

For that, you want to precede the name with an @ sign. If you type an @ and then keep typing, Discourse will even suggest autocompletes (I think it lists folks in the thread first, then all matching members, maybe sorted by how active they are).

Like this: @Cartooniverse . Which I typed with an @ symbol, then a C, then tab to autocomplete it.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/4 "2024-07-30T16:53:08Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> For that, you want to precede the name with an @ sign.

The user will get notified if you do this, so that they know someone’s talking to or about them. Often this is what you want, but if it’s not, you can use “regular” boldfacing.

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/5 "2024-07-30T17:59:45Z")

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> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> In your OP, I see your name bolded both places it should be (and not in the place where you left the spaces in the brackets).

My Edits.

Wow. When I SEE my post in this thread, nothing is Bolded. Hmph.

@Chronos, thank you for that tip !! Will deploy with great alacrity.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/6 "2024-07-30T18:08:05Z")

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> [@Cartooniverse](#):
>
> When I SEE my post in this thread, nothing is Bolded.

I’m bolding your name here: **Cartooniverse**. And now I’m @-ing you: @Cartooniverse (which to me looks not bolded but with a gray background).

I maybe have a vague memory of people complaining that, in at least one of the “themes,” bolding doesn’t show up very well, but I don’t remember which. You could try switching your theme and see if that has an effect.

To change your theme (at least from a computer), click your avatar (next to the three-lines “hamburger” menu), then click “Preferences” (the head-and-shoulders icon), click “Preferences” again on the screen that comes up (which has a “gear” icon next to it), select “Interface,” choose a theme from the drop-down menu, and click Save Changes.

At least, that’s how I found it. The theme I use is “Straight Dope Light,” which I think is closest to the way the board looked back in the vBulletin days.

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/7 "2024-07-30T18:21:52Z")

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There is a guide here:

> **[Formatting posts using markdown, BBCode, and HTML](https://meta.discourse.org/t/formatting-posts-using-markdown-bbcode-and-html/239348)**
>
> 🔖 This reference guide details all the formatting options available in Discourse posts, including markdown, BBCode, and HTML. It specifies what is supported and provides resources where you can see examples. 🙋 Required user level: All users ...

If you google “discourse text formatting” it’s not the first thing that shows up, but it is on the first page of google results.

Looking through it, I do see one error. Quote tags need to be on a line all by themselves. You can’t put the quote tags inline the way it says on that page. Everything else looked correct, but I did only take a quick glance at it.

The way I typically bold things is just to highlight it with my mouse or cursor and then press CTRL-B. Discourse will put two asterisks on either side of what you have selected to make it bold. You can also just type the asterisks yourself.

If the text doesn’t look bold, that may be an issue with whatever theme you are using or with your particular browser and operating system or device.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/8 "2024-07-30T18:32:15Z")

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> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> Looking through it, I do see one error. Quote tags need to be on a line all by themselves. You can’t put the quote tags inline the way it says on that page.

I actually found that page but hesitated to recommend it because the error you note jumped out at me and made me wonder what else there was untrustworthy.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 30, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/9 "2024-07-30T18:48:22Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Testing

That was quote tags on the same line. Which does work, but only if what’s quoted is also all one line (i.e., has no returns in it). A number of other tags also work that way: They can either be all one line, or the tags each on a line by themselves, but no combination.

```auto
this = code
```

`So {
is
this
}`, but it was supposed to be multiple lines, but I put the tags next on the same line as other stuff.

```auto
Here{
 the tags;
 are each on their;
 own line;
}
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-the-basic-coding-stuff/1005013/10 "2024-07-31T12:51:42Z")

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> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> If the text doesn’t look bold, that may be an issue with whatever theme you are using or with your particular browser and operating system or device.

My Edit of your post above.

Yes- it may well be the theme. I always prefer the darkest themed backgrounds. Across all software platforms. There is [no hard evidence that bluelight from monitors damage the retinas](https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/digital-devices-your-eyes), but I do find a pure white background to be hard on my eyes. Going with the darkest theme possible is easier to look at, for me. That said- the dark theme here may well eliminate the perceived bolding I’ve been using in my posts that others say they can see. --Shrug-- I can live with that.

As always, thanks for the detailed info, **engineer\_comp\_geek**