# Trying the Italics Function
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [January 20, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955 "2021-01-20T11:05:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/1 "2021-01-20T11:05:22Z")
I just used the ‘\*’ italics function, and it didn’t work. I did put it in quote marks. So that may have had something to do with it.
IAE, I will try it now just to make sure:
_italics_
Now:
not italics.
Anyone notice anything similar? 🙂 🙂
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/2 "2021-01-20T16:02:33Z")
# _Italics_
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/3 "2021-01-20T16:07:43Z")
If you want to put text in italics, just click _I_ in the toolbar above the reply box, then type your text where it says “emphasized text”.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2021, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/4 "2021-01-20T17:57:14Z")
Or type it between two asterisks. That’s an ancient coding called setext which this board supports.
Or type left bracket [then an i then a right bracket]
followed by what you want to italicize then
left bracket [then a slash i like this /i then a right bracket] – that’s the old vBulletin style and works here too.
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### Author:  [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/5 "2021-01-22T09:35:21Z")
But… it did work? So what’s the problem?
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### Author:  [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2021, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/6 "2021-01-22T10:14:15Z")
I usually write the text first, then highlight the part I want in _italics_ and use [Ctrl] and “i” (or “b” for **bold** ), but “s” does not work for strike out nor does “u” work for underline, for that I have to go the way @AHunter3 explained above with the [and the /s or /u and], no idea why some codes work and some do not)
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-the-italics-function/930955/7 "2021-01-23T01:29:10Z")
I usually write the text first, then _highlight the part I want in italics_ and click the slanted I in the line of symbols at the top of the text typing box. Quick, simple, and doesn’t require remembering anything other than that there’s an italics symbol right above my typing.
You can also bold that way; but discourse doesn’t seem to have a symbol there for either strike out or underline. I don’t use either of those much, though.