Entries on the form below will be posted automatically when you click on "Post comments".
Serendip's posting program treats your material either as a "Plain Text" document or an "HTML" document, depending on which format you specify. The default value is "Plain Text". If you leave it on this setting, your posting will appear much like it does when you type it: carriage returns will be translated into the appropriate HTML tags so that blank lines will appear where you want them. You cannot use tabs in your text, though; if you hit the tab key, your cursor will move to the next field on the form. Also, multiple spaces will appear as a single space in your final posting. (Please note that the "Preview" button will not show blank lines as they will appear in the final posting.)
If you are (or wish to become) adept at web publishing, you can change the setting for your posting to "HTML". Then, you can freely use all HTML tags in your comment, making it possible to include, for example, active links to other sites as well as text formatting (boldface, italics, etc). In this case, if you want blank lines in your text, you will have to use the appropriate <p> and <br> tags. If you do use HTML tags, please check your submission using the "Preview for HTML" button, since improper tag use may affect not only your posting but all subsequent ones . You may also find the "Preview" procedure useful to develop your own skills with HTML tags. Try tags out and see what happens when you click "Preview for HTML". In this case, though, please avoid posting your exercises by being sure NOT to click "Post comments".
You can create a link within your message to another message in the same forum (an anchor link) by referencing the message-id of the message to which you want to link. For example, you can create a link to message #9 as follows: As Margaret said in <a href="#9">her message</a>