# Tips and tricks for posting using vB tags (spoilers, links, etc...)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [December 26, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689 "2004-12-26T15:56:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/1 "2004-12-26T15:56:42Z")
vB tags are denoted by use of square brackets. I have bolded these tags for clarity in this text. When you use them, they will not appear bold, but rather are simply regular square brackets and regular text.
To make **bold text** , use the **[b]bold tags[/b]**.
To make _italics text_, use the **[i]_italics tags_[/i]**.
To make underlined text, use the **[u]underline tags[/u]**.
To make [sup]superscript text[/sup], use the **[\*\*\*\*sup]**[sup]superscript tags[/sup]**[\*\*\*\*/sup]**.
To make [sub]subscript text[/sub], use the **[\*\*\*\*sub]**[sub]subscript tags[/sub]**[\*\*\*\*/sub]**.
To read spoiler text, highlight the entire black box. (Drag the mouse over it with the left mouse button held down.)When posting spoilers, which give away plot points that would ruin a story if known beforehand, use **[spoiler]spoiler tags[/spoiler]**.
> [@](#):
>
> The easiest (and best) way to quote a post is to use the _Reply with Quote_ button, which is located in the bottom right corner of every post. Otherwise, use **[quote]quote tags[/quote]** for a generic quote, or **[quote=_username_]quote tags[/quote]** if you wish to include the “originally posted by” header line in your quote.
>
> > [@Auther](#):
> >
> > You can embed quotes inside quotes using the same methods. Generally, it is a good idea to put the embedded quote at the top in order to keep the text in its original chronological order. (As opposed to this example, which has the embedded quote at the bottom.)
[ul][li]To make a list of items,[/li][li] use one set of **[list]list tags[/list]**[/li][li]at the beginning and end of the entire list. [/li][li]Put each item on its own line,[/li][li]preceeded by a **[**\***]** bullet point tag.[/ul][/li]To [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=2) another thread (or any web page), use the url tags. The format for url tags is:
**[url=_[http://yourlinkhere](http://yourlinkhere)_]_Display text here_[/url]**.
To open a post into its own window without the rest of the thread, click on the post number, (#_1_), which appears in the upper right corner of each post. Once opened, you can copy and paste the url in your browser’s address bar for use in the url tags. This allows you to link to a single post without linking to the entire thread. Since this removes context, it is not the best way to link to a single post inside a thread. If you run across one of these, notice that you can open the entire thread by clicking the thread name in the upper right corner.
To link to a thread and have it open at a certain post is the classiest of links, but also the most difficult kind to figure out how to do. Here’s the step by step process for doing so:
[ul][li]Open the thread and locate the post (and page, if applicable) you want selected.[/li][li]Copy the url from your browser’s address bar and create url tags using this address.[/li][li]Now hover your mouse over the _Reply with Quote_ button of the post you want selected.[/li][li]Look at the status bar and note the end of the text where it says **do=newreply&p=#######** , with actual digits instead of number signs. This number is the PostID of that post. [/li]Go to the url tags you created and add **&p=#######** to the end of the address, using the PostID instead of number signs.[/ul]If done correctly, this link will open that thread to the post you want selected. This should work in most cases, although it may fail if you do this in a single-page thread that later grows into a multi-page thread. Perhaps there is a way to handle that scenario, but I’m not sure what it is yet.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/2 "2004-12-26T16:54:55Z")
Most of that info is already [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/misc.php?do=bbcode). And you missed a few. 😛
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### Author:  [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/3 "2004-12-26T17:57:06Z")
Let’s not forget the [fabulous] tag, either.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/4 "2004-12-26T18:57:56Z")
I hope you have that code saved in notepad somewhere and didn’t type it out yourself. Otherwise, I’ll be just a little bit frightened.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/5 "2004-12-26T19:00:49Z")
> [@Aesiron](#):
>
> I hope you have that code saved in notepad somewhere and didn’t type it out yourself. Otherwise, I’ll be just a little bit frightened.
Someone came up with a program for doing fancy things with vB tags a while back. They had it up for download someplace, but I dont’ know if it’s still there. I’ll see if I can come up with a link for it later, unless someone beats me to it. I probably still have a copy of it somewhere, too.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/6 "2004-12-26T19:23:26Z")
Ah, [here it is](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=156572). Written by our own **Mangetout**. Looks like the program is still available [[http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Mangetout/bbBuddy/bbBuddy.htm](http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Mangetout/bbBuddy/bbBuddy.htm)]here.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/7 "2004-12-26T19:24:33Z")
Or something. [:smack:](http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Mangetout/bbBuddy/bbBuddy.htm)
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### Author:  [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/8 "2004-12-26T19:42:06Z")
How’d you do that, elmwood?
WRS
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/9 "2004-12-26T19:48:32Z")
Thanks, **Q.E.D.** I doubt I’ll ever use it but I downloaded it anyway. Could come in useful at some time in the future.
**Sauron** : either follow **Q.E.D.**'s link or just click “quote” in elmwood’s post to see the coding yourself.
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### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/10 "2004-12-26T19:52:41Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#):
>
> To link to a thread and have it open at a certain post is the classiest of links, but also the most difficult kind to figure out how to do. Here’s the step by step process for doing so:
The latest release of vBulletin made it very easy, and it’s described at the link **Q.E.D.** gave. Just get the post number as you have outlined, then code
{post=postnumber}description{/post}
replacing the curly brackets with square ones.
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### Author:  [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-using-vb-tags-spoilers-links-etc/281689/11 "2004-12-26T20:06:13Z")
Thanks, **Aesiron**.
That’s a lot of code. Looks very pretty, though.
WRS - We love all things fabulous.