Forum Ignores spaces in pasted documents?

[Ambush Bug]

So, here I am trying to update Desecration (yes, for real!), and it's giving me fits.

First I formatted the story for the forum like I usually do. I go in, search for italics and bold, pop in the usual tags. No problems there. Then I cut and paste the whole thing into the post window. It pastes just fine, looks exactly like the text in OpenOffice.

On previewing the post, however, all tabs at the beginning of paragraphs have been utterly removed. I end up with this:

“Heavy-heavy,” RD remarked. “You're not usually so pinched about procedure, Boss. What gives?”

...instead of a nice paragraph with a tab at the front. So I removed the tabs, replaced them with five spaces. Tried it again, no dice. Then, when writing this post, I tried putting spaces at the front of the paragraph manually, again, no dice.

Makes me think my prose is gonna be stuck in block format, y'know? Anyone got some help for me?

[XMEN Gambit]

I'll look into the issue. Thanks for finding it!

Watch this space for updates...

[Gryphon]

Spaces on the web have to be coded. Regular spaces no matter how many you put in will only show 1 space.

If you want to keep formatting, use the (code) tags. However this will put the text into Courier font and put it in a marked table.

Code: Select all

     This is a 5 space indent. Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test.

The other way is to put the following for every space you want without using the (code) tags, however html needs to be enabled, which it looks like it is:

Code: Select all

 

There is no html equivalent for Tab.

[XMEN Gambit]

That's of course correct for html, Gryph, but Bug has previously posted (on EZBoard) stories with multiple leading spaces, and he input them as tabs or contiguous spaces. So what he wants is phpBB to automatically convert a tab in the input box into a few nbsp's.

[XMEN Gambit]

One simple solution is to use the html PRE tag. Example:

Code: Select all

<pre>
        this is a test
This is           only         a test
</pre>

outputs this:
<pre>
this is a test
This is only a test
</pre>

So, you can cut-n-paste, then slap the PRE tags at the beginning and end. The only problem I've found with it then is the fonts and a tendancy to double-space on a hard return.... Still looking, though.

[Spinning Hat]

Wow.. AB is alive.... Haven't seen you online in ages.

[Ambush Bug]

Yeah, it's been a bit wierd. Still haven't gotten a job, despite the huge numbers of applications I've sent out. We're talking, oh, probably sixty of 'em by now. I think I've had four interviews the whole time.

Despite that, I'm keeping a bit busy. Something clicked yesterday, and my story-apathy dried up for a bit and I blew right through the latest chapter.

[Spinning Hat]

w00t! At least you're staying busy... Maybe it's time to go back to school? Try a new profession? Expand your certifications, or start a business?

[Ambush Bug]

This is damned weird now. I've checked my profile settings, and HTML is on there, and I don't have 'disable HTML' checked in the post-box... but when I try and use the code Gryphon used ($nbsp;) I get this:

&nbsp;

I even tried having OpenOffice save to HTML and copying the whole doc in from Notepad... no dice, all the HTML code shows right up as if I had turned off HTML.

Hm. Worse comes to worse, I guess I can try putting up the whole thing on my Charter webspace and linking you guys there, but I'd really like to figure out what is going on.

[Ambush Bug]

Spaces on the web have to be coded. Regular spaces no matter how many you put in will only show 1 space.

And as a followup, here they aren't showing any spaces if they're at the beginning of a line. Just wanna be absolutely certain that the problem is clearly defined.

[Spinning Hat]

AB, if it somes down to it, Post on my forum, http://www.ianglenn.com/forum and you should be OK there. I've got vBulletin running there. Or I can upload a page for you, and send out the link to it.

[Gryphon]

Same ting will happen with vB

[Spinning Hat]

:p I can host it anyway if you want, AB. Also, I've got a cms up, and you can find it at ianglenn.com/oc :p It's just up today, and not pretty at all, but it's functional, and integrated with my vB forum.

[Ambush Bug]

Ah, I put up the doc in RTF format for everyone to download. Was getting frustrated trying to make things work here.

[XMEN Gambit]

Did you try the PRE tags? Didn't like the double-space?