Making < show up in a post.
.
I learned a while back that < (meaning 'less than') is HTML for <, and > (meaning 'greater than') is HTML for >. It means that I can write:
"Use and to make italics."
instead of writing:
"Use [i] and [/i] to make italics, but change the [ and ] to < and >."
(And & makes '&' show up, which is how I produced the demonstration above.)
Version #1 is much easier for the new user to understand than version #2 -- and it means I can make examples that are cut-and-paste for ease of use.
So for several months, I went merrily along, typing <i> to produce , and </i> to produce -- or whatever relevant code I wanted.
*HEADDESK!!* One day I suddenly realized that, if you don't 'alert' the HTML elves with a <, the use of > will be ignored. (Sometimes I marvel at my cluelessness, I really do.) So now I can type <i> and save myself three keystrokes for each command I show. It's also easier to proofread.
Can I just repeat -- I. Feel. So. DUMB!!
So, if you want to demonstrate like the red line instead of like the blue line, you only have to remember the code to make <, because > can be typed plain.
.
I learned a while back that < (meaning 'less than') is HTML for <, and > (meaning 'greater than') is HTML for >. It means that I can write:
"Use and to make italics."
instead of writing:
"Use [i] and [/i] to make italics, but change the [ and ] to < and >."
(And & makes '&' show up, which is how I produced the demonstration above.)
Version #1 is much easier for the new user to understand than version #2 -- and it means I can make examples that are cut-and-paste for ease of use.
So for several months, I went merrily along, typing <i> to produce , and </i> to produce -- or whatever relevant code I wanted.
*HEADDESK!!* One day I suddenly realized that, if you don't 'alert' the HTML elves with a <, the use of > will be ignored. (Sometimes I marvel at my cluelessness, I really do.) So now I can type <i> and save myself three keystrokes for each command I show. It's also easier to proofread.
Can I just repeat -- I. Feel. So. DUMB!!
So, if you want to demonstrate like the red line instead of like the blue line, you only have to remember the code to make <, because > can be typed plain.
.