A nicely formatted topic goes a long way in helping the community digest your writings.
This guide is part of the Transition Tutorials.
Summary
In the new composer, we can format text using the menu at the top, but there are more options available to make your text look nicer. Learn how in this tutorial.
In this screenshot, you can see the available formatting options in the Composer menu.
In the following table, you can see text styles and what shortcuts you can use.
| Style | In Composer menu | Short cut |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Yes | Type **Bold** |
| Italic | Yes | Type *Italic* |
| Bullet list | Yes | Type * or - and start typing |
| Ordered list | Yes | Type 1, followed by item 1 |
| Emoji | Yes | Type : then type/search |
Link
To get this:
Google Maps
Mark the text and use the chain-icon in the Composer menu. Or Crtl+k on desktops.
Learn more about links and featured links in Adding photos, videos and links
Blockquotes
To get this:
Some text
Type this:
> Some text
Under the 3-dot icon in the Composer menu, you have the following 4 options:
Insert a table
This is explained in Adding tables to your topic.
Hide details
Use this to hide extra text that not all readers need to see. Try click/tap on the next line.
Click here to see the hidden text
This is the hidden text
Use the Composer menu or the following code to create hidden details:
[details="Click here to see the hidden text"]
This is the hidden text
[/details]
Build poll
This is explained in Create interaction with polls.
Blur spoiler
Use this to make the solution unreadable.
You cannot read this password: Peter%&123%& unless you click/tap it.
Use the Composer menu or the following code to create blurred text.
You cannot read this password: [spoiler]Peter%&123%&[/spoiler] unless you click/tap it.
So far, all the formatting styles available in the Composer menu have been presented. The selection is not impressive, so below are a bunch more only available if you know the short cuts.
Mention another user
To get this
@PrasadVR
Type
â@â then select from the dropdown or start typing the username you want to tag.
Add extra tags or categories
To get this:
Google Maps tips & tricks or this connect-forum
Type
â#â and start typing, then select from the dropdown.
Headings
To get these headings:
Top heading
Sub heading
Sub-subheadning
Lower heading
Lowest heading
Tiny heading
Type this:
# Top heading
## Sub heading
### Sub-subheadning
#### Lower heading
##### Lowest heading
###### Tiny heading
Add a horizontal line
Use this to break up your text into sections.
This is a horizontal line:
To insert a horizontal line, just type <hr>.
Task list
To create this type:
- Write the press release
- Update the website
- Contact the media
Type this:
- [x] Write the press release
- [ ] Update the website
- [ ] Contact the media
Highlight
To get this:
This password Peter%&123%& is not a secret.
Type this:
This password <mark>Peter%&123%&</mark> is not a secret.
Strikethrough
To get this:
The world is flat. We now know that the world is round.
Type this:
~~The world is flat.~~ We now know that the world is round.
Superscript
To get this:
X2
Type this:
X<sup>2</sup>
Subscript
To get this
H2O
Type this:
H<sub>2</sub>O
Keybord text
To get this:
CTRL + C
Type:
<kbd>CTRL</kbd> + <kbd>C</kbd>
Small text
To get this:
small text
Type:
<small>small text</small>
Combine styles
To get this:
small link
Type:
<small>[small link](https://www.google.com/maps)</small>
You do not need to use all of them when creating a topic, but knowing about them may help you in writing a topic that is structured and easy to read. Fun fact: all our tutorials use these same text formats!
You may also be interested in:
This is the end of this tutorial.
Credit: The oil painting shown at the top is Beach at Trouville by Eugène Boudin. Painted in 1864/5. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
