Summary of Formatting Conventions
This page summarizes the formatting conventions that will most often be encountered when editing Code Articles. For more information see HelpOnFormatting and HelpOnEditing. Some conflicts between Wiki conventions and Code formats are explained below.
Edit mode
To edit a page, click on the pencil-and-paper icon near the top of the page, or the Edit(Text) link at the bottom of the page. In edit mode you can see the markup used in the page. Try to avoid using Edit(GUI) mode, as it automatically changes some formatting.
Emphasis
Use two single quotation marks ('') before and after text to italicize it.
Use three single quotation marks (''') before and after text to make it bold.
Use five single quotation marks (''''') for bold italic.
Line Spacing
To put a break between paragraphs, use a hard return (the "Enter" key).
To put a line break within a paragraph, type [[BR]].
Note: the Wiki software automatically inserts blank lines in some places, for example where a non-indented line is followed by an indented one (as shown in the next section). It also ignores extra blank lines and extra spaces.
Indenting
Putting space, period, space (" . ") before a line indents it. Two spaces before the period create a double indent, three spaces create a triple indent, etc:
No indent
Single indent (" . ")
Double indent (" . ")
Triple indent (" . ")
Note: Because the Wiki software ignores extra spaces, a double indent will be turned into a single indent unless it follows a single or double indent. Thus, if Examples and Recommendations are put flush left as in the print edition of the Code, the appropriate indent level cannot be resumed. Instead Examples and Recommendations are indented to the level of the section they relate to, which also increases legibility.
Conflicts between Code text and Wiki conventions
Wiki conventions have several shortcuts for establish hyperlinks internal to the Wiki (See HelpOnLinking). Two of these create conflicts with Code text:
Internal capitalization. A word with internal capitalization is treated as a link to a page of the same name. Thus the word "McCoy" in the example for Article 74.6 is seen as a hyperlink. To prevent this, the word must be prefixed with an exclamation point: "!McCoy".
Square brackets: Square brackets with quoted text inside indicate a link to a page with the quoted name. Thus in Recommendation 22A.2.3, the text ["1969"] is treated as a hyperlink. To prevent this, the brackets must be enclosed with grave accent marks "`[`"1969"`]`" (also called backticks). These marks remove all formatting from their contents.