# Off Topic > The Water Cooler >  > [SOLVED] Extra space or spaces in Text in Forum Post.  BB Code for extra space ?

## Doc.AElstein

*Extra space or spaces in Text in Forum Post.  BB Code for extra space ?*

Hi,
.   When trying to clearly explain something when answering a Thread, there are many occasions when  having the ability to add extra spaces can be very useful. As we all know an annoying characteristic of most vBulletin Software is that it reduces all spaces  greater than 1 back to 1
.   It must be possible to do, but I have often had a few Google sessions and have not hit in it yet.
.   There are loads of Links explaining how to do it in HTML code,  but as yet I have found no BB Code to do it
.   I simply want to be able to add a given number of spaces between words or formulas when replying in a Forum Post.
*.
.   This my best solution up until now, anyone got any better or alternative suggestions?*

    "   big empty space   "         or    ____________


Thanks
Alan



..................................
P.s. The thing a bit in context....

_..   A characteristic of the VBA Evaluate Method,  ( or rather The building of its String Argument ), which can be helpful in particular when trying to understand the tricky Theme of the different type of quotes in a long complicated string Argument, is that the pair of effectively empty VBA Evaluate quote pairs used in conjunction with an ampersand to link The Spreadsheet world to the VBA Code World can have any amount of spaces between them with no effect on the code line.
.
 These basic Code lines
Let ws.Range("B2").Value = Evaluate("=" & ws.Range("A1").Address & "") 'Explicit Version
Let ws.Range("B2").Value = Evaluate("" & ws.Range("A1").Address & "") 'Implicit Default

.  May be rewritten
Let ws.Range("B2").Value = Evaluate(" big empty space " & ws.Range("A1").Address & " big empty space  ") ' 

. As long as there is something in the total string to that can be evaluated this will not error. The explanation would be that within the VBA Evaluate   pair nothing is being evaluated. It is a dead space. ( Note in parsing that it is common practice to leave out the  & and &  pair, 
.
Let ws.Range("B2").Value = Evaluate(ws.Range("A1").Address)'Common but dangerous variation
.
.  This can however catch you out as at least one  & is good practice so as to ensure that a string is taken should the thing ____   inside the  & _____ &    happen to be a number
.  - http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...ml#post4183530


.  
.
.  There will be situations where this can help later to identify which quotes are which, or to which world they belong._

Demonstration in Code Window




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## AlKey

The same issue in formulas can be remedied with use of REPT() function where you can specify how many spaces you want there to be. Ex. *=REPT(" ",5)*

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## HaHoBe

Usually you add the entity code for space:



```

```


which will be changed to a space when posted.

Ciao,
Holger

P.S.: I remember this to be a problem from when I first encountered vBulletin software in 2003, and the solution offered has been the very same ever since.

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## Doc.AElstein

> The same issue in formulas can be remedied with use of REPT() function where you can specify how many spaces you want there to be. Ex. *=REPT(" ",5)*



Thanks for that, I may be able to use that elsewhere.

My issue here was simply getting spaces to come out between text in a Forum Post. As you know the editor always reduces spaces to one when you post.

.Thanks anyway for the reply

Alan.

P.s Did you get on OK in the end with the ADD - IN - did you get my PM about the File I had with the codes in as an alternative to an ADD-In if you were still having problems there?

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## Doc.AElstein

@ HaHoBe
.  Danke ich habe, wie gesagt,  das HTML Losung schon oft gesehen und ZB,. In MrExcel schon viel bemützt habe:
.  es hilft aber nicht bei Excel Forum da HTML ist OFF
. Danke trotzdem

. Thanks, as I mentioned I have seen that HTML solution having found it often bei „Googling“.  Indeed I use it lots at Mr Excel. 
. However here it is no use as HTML is OFF
. Thanks anyway

Alan
Gruß aus Bayern

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## AlKey

> P.s Did you get on OK in the end with the ADD - IN - did you get my PM about the File I had with the codes in as an alternative to an ADD-In if you were still having problems there?



I guess there were too many links :Smilie:  I tried to find the one I was looking for but failed. Thanks anyway.

Alex

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## Doc.AElstein

> I guess there were too many links I tried to find the one I was looking for but failed. Thanks anyway.
> 
> Alex



OK sorry I could not help.  ( I did send you a further PM with just that link in to the one I used in the Thread you noted, and a Further PM offering you a File with the code in for one of the tools rather than as an Add-In. )

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## xladept

I just use a line of tilde's and color them white :Cool:

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## Doc.AElstein

Hi xladept




> I just use a line of tilde's and color them white



.. Thanks. I really should have thought of that .. i have been caught out when text in Excel cells are white which appears then to make the cell empty......
.
.   I see it does not quite make the test invisible  in A Forum Thread
http://www.excelforum.com/developmen...ml#post4191199
http://www.excelfox.com/forum/f17/sa...1905/#post9500

... it is just about seeable by me ( You too ?? )
.
.   But it is very close.  ( Maybe A vbBulitin Board has a default background color slightly off- white  If I could find out what that color was then by putting the text to that color it would be invisible completely as in an excel spreadsheet cell ? )
.
*.    But for demonstration in a Thread it is certainly very close. Thanks*
( Hopefully if someone then did copy a code line where I used this technique then they would realise and see the line of tilde's and delete them ( Of cours in a code tag it is no problem ........




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.... )   )

Thanks again xladept
Alan

P.s. ( I think might use something other than tilde's  I seem to remember they are sometimes used in a code for something.  Maybe I will just write space ! )

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## xladept

Hi Doc,

Any old thing will do :Smilie:

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## Tony Valko

I just use underscore characters in white font:

Many spaces __________________ here.

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## FDibbins

Doc, can I ask that you post normal text when you post.  Your style of using different fonts and colors often make your posts unnecesarily hard to read

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## Doc.AElstein

@ Tony




> .... underscore characters in white font:
> Many spaces __________________ here.



** yep the White font bit seems to be the one most people are using, and the underscore seem OK, - ‘bin just using that quite a bit, seems good.
Thanks
Alan

**
I’ll mark the Thread as solved in a Day or two if no other suggestions come in..
*************

@ FDibbins




> ..can I ask that you post normal text when you post.  Your style of using different fonts and colors often make your posts unnecessarily hard to read



* yep I do fight a bit with trying to get a clear final Thread. It is difficult with Editor Limitations and it does not always come out so good as I wanted. I confess when coming back to some of my Older Threads the long posts overwhelm myself.
*  I was slightly surprised by your comment to just use normal text..( or order – I respect your judgement and position here very highly so i will do what you say ). I have had a lot of good comments from Ops for my nice explicit “Pretty” explanations. ( You even gave me a Rep for one particularly “Pretty one”
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...ml#post4165851
*  But I’ll do me “blog” type posts elsewhere.  :Smilie: 
*
Thanks
Alan..

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## FDibbins

Alan, I meant no offence by my suggestion, and the contents of your posts are good - even the paragraphing.  It is just the colors you sometimes use  :Wink:

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## Kyle123

And could you possibly refrain from the full stops at the beginning of each line? - I find it difficult to parse

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## Doc.AElstein

*Hi*
  Just out of passing interest for anyone wanting to do anything similar to the subject of this Thread...
http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...tra-space.html

_  I have a couple of codes now to do this. ( At least for the case that you are preparing your Post in Word**** before copying across to the Forum Editor. ) 
_ ( The codes put in Orrin’s (xladept’s ) white Tidlie bits )  

_ The first basically does what you do manually when you use the  “Find Replace  Dialogue   Box   thing “..
_  But note: Very important It effectively does a replace with a literal text string that is entered into the Replace dialog in Word, and that dialog uses your local system settings. So you may need to change this

.Text = *"~{1;}"* 'German XL
to
.Text = *"~{1,}"* ' English XL !!!! *********

Here is this code, ( to be used with XL Word )
Sub AlanHansClipboardTextGetFindReplace()
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...t=#post4329034

The above code will take for example this ( if it is selected in Word )



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And then in the Clipboard you get this

[color=white]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/color]I do not want the Forum Editor to  [color=white]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/color]EAT[color=white]~~~[/color]MY[color=white]~~~~~~~~~[/color].......S[color=white]~~[/color]P[color=white]~~~[/color]A[color=white]~~~~~[/color]C[color=white]~~~[/color]E[color=white]~~~~[/color]S[color=white]~~~~~[/color]!!!!!

Which looks like that in the Forum Editor , ......but.......

_............................ then... in the post itself it should look like this

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I do not want the Forum Editor to  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EAT~~~MY~~~~~~~~~.......S~~P~~~A~~~~~C~~~E~~~~S~~~~~!!!!!  

_............................................................................................

_ I did a second code , as a learning excessive and as a comparison. The second code uses ( I think ) all “VBA” things, in particular the Regular expressions stuff. There is then, for example no discrepancy with the
_  *"~{1,}"* 
_  as VBA does things in “English” wherever you are!

_ I did the code as an academic size. It makes an interesting comparison and as with the other code it has extensive explain ‘comments on it. It is currently limited to about 31 spaces, and i sometimes had some problems with a carriage return vanishing. 

Here is that code in *two parts* : ( Again to be used with XL Word )
Sub REGinaldsExpressingWTFToReplace()

http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...t=#post4329045
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...t=#post4329049
*Note: Both Parts are one code. The second part should be posted directly under the first part in the same Code module*


*Thank you for watching!*
Reginbald Expressions
( aka *Alan* )
( aka   DocAElstein (Banned)  )

P.s.
BTW.,**** I have always done this Word Way, as I post a bit “rambling”. But considering recent problems with postings not working for one reason or another, or  the original vanishing when editing, then others may wish to consider this option )


Rem Ref
http://www.eileenslounge.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=22603

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## xladept

Hi Doc,

Thanks for this.

Orrin

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## Doc.AElstein

> ......Thanks for this.
> Orrin



Congratulations on your 8000 Tiddlie Wonk

May you Tiddle Healthily further

Orrins8000Tiddles.JPG

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## xladept

Thanks Doc,

I didn't realize what you were referring to - and thanks for the rep! :Smilie:  

How did you discover my Tilde trick?  Did I tell you?

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## Doc.AElstein

> ......
> How did you discover my Tilde trick?  Did I tell you?



yep... in this very Thread!!!!! ( The Thread we are in now!! )
http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...ml#post4190827

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## xladept

Duhhhhhhhhh!  You better get out of that Valley :Smilie: 

BTW - it should be Throe, just saying :Smilie:

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## Doc.AElstein

Thanks    :Smilie:

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