SPAWNIX

Forum shortcodes

Every shortcode you can type in a forum post, with examples, plus the toolbar, Preview, the Quote button and spoilers.

Forum posts support shortcodes: short tags in square brackets, like [b]bold[/b] or [spoiler]...[/spoiler]. You type them as plain text, and they turn into formatting when the post is shown. If you've used forums such as Invision Power Board, they'll feel familiar. Shortcodes work everywhere a post is shown: in the dashboard and on the public forum of your website.

The editor toolbar

The post editor has two groups of buttons.

The first group formats text directly: Bold, Italic, Underline, Heading, Bullet list, Numbered list and Link.

The second group inserts shortcodes for you:

Button What it does
Spoiler Wraps the selected text in [spoiler] and [/spoiler]
Quote Wraps the selected text in [quote] and [/quote]
Code Wraps the selected text in [code] and [/code]
Image Asks for an image link and inserts [img]link[/img]
Video (YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch) Asks for a video link and inserts [media]link[/media]

On the right are two more buttons:

  • Shortcodes opens a cheat sheet of every code, right inside the editor.
  • Preview shows your post exactly as it will look once posted. Click it again to keep writing.

Every shortcode

You type What it does
[b]bold[/b] Bold text
[i]italic[/i] Italic text
[u]underline[/u] Underlined text
[s]strike[/s] Struck-through text
[color=red]text[/color] Colored text, using a color name
[color=#ff8800]text[/color] Colored text, using a hex color (#rgb or #rrggbb)
[size=5]text[/size] Text size from 1 (tiny) to 7 (huge); 3 is normal
[url]https://example.com[/url] A link that shows its own address
[url=https://example.com]our wiki[/url] A link with your own text
[img]https://example.com/map.png[/img] An image from a link
[media]https://youtube.com/watch?v=...[/media] A YouTube, Vimeo or Twitch player ([youtube] works too)
[spoiler]hidden text[/spoiler] Hidden until someone clicks it
[spoiler=Boss tactics]...[/spoiler] A spoiler with your own title
[quote]text[/quote] A quote
[quote name="Ayla"]text[/quote] A quote that says "Ayla said:"
[code]text[/code] Monospaced text, shown exactly as typed; nothing inside is formatted
[list][*]one[*]two[/list] A bullet list
[list=1][*]first[*]second[/list] A numbered list
[center]text[/center] Centered text
[left]text[/left] and [right]text[/right] Left- or right-aligned text
[indent]text[/indent] Indented text
[hr] A divider line (no closing tag)
x[sub]2[/sub] Subscript
x[sup]2[/sup] Superscript

Shortcode names aren't case-sensitive, so [B] works like [b].

Codes that span several lines

Spoilers, quotes, code, lists, alignment, indents and videos are block codes, and they can hold several lines. Put the opening tag on its own line, then the content, then the closing tag on its own line:

[spoiler=Phase 2 positions]
Tanks stack on the north pillar.
Healers stay at max range.
Everyone else spreads out.
[/spoiler]

A list works the same way, one item per line:

[list=1]
[*]Flask and food
[*]Repair your gear
[*]Join voice by 8pm
[/list]

Inline codes, such as [b], [color], [size] and [url], style text within a line. Open and close them on the same line.

When a code doesn't work

Shortcodes never break your post. If something can't be turned into formatting, it simply shows as you typed it:

  • A code that's never closed, like [b]bold with no [/b], shows as typed.
  • Codes closed in the wrong order, like [b][i]text[/b][/i], show partly as typed. Close codes in reverse order: [b][i]text[/i][/b].
  • A color that isn't a color name or #hex leaves the text in its normal color.
  • A link with spaces, quotes or parentheses in it stays plain text.
  • An [img] or [media] link that isn't a supported image or video shows as plain text.

Use Preview before posting to catch any of these.

Images and videos

  • [img] shows an image from a web link. Use an https:// link that points straight to the picture (ending in something like .png or .jpg). Big images are scaled to fit, up to 600 pixels tall.
  • [media] embeds a player for YouTube (including Shorts and youtu.be links), Vimeo and Twitch (channels and videos). Other sites aren't supported. YouTube videos play through YouTube's privacy-enhanced player.

Spoilers

A spoiler shows as a closed box with a title ("Spoiler" unless you give your own). Readers click it to open it. Spoilers are also kept hidden in two places where posts show as plain text:

  • forum search result snippets, and
  • Discord announcements of new threads, where a spoiler shows as "(spoiler)".

That makes spoilers safe for raid strategies, story twists and anything you'd rather not have in a Discord preview.

Quoting someone

Every post has a Quote button when you can reply in the thread. Click it and Spawnix adds the post to the end of your reply box, wrapped in [quote name="their name"]...[/quote], and scrolls you to the reply box. Then write your answer under it.

Pasting text

Text you paste into the editor is pasted as plain text, so formatting from other websites or documents doesn't come along. Use the toolbar or shortcodes to format it again.

Tips and tricks

  • Click Shortcodes in the editor any time you forget a code; the cheat sheet is always one click away.
  • Title your spoilers, like [spoiler=Boss tactics], so members know what's inside before they open it.
  • Use [code] for macros, addon strings and coordinates. Nothing inside is formatted, so brackets and symbols stay exactly as typed.
  • Combine codes for clean announcements: [center][size=5][b]Raid night moved to Friday[/b][/size][/center].
  • Start long guides with a numbered [list=1] of steps and put the details in titled spoilers underneath.
  • Hit Preview before posting a long guide. It's much easier than editing afterward.