BBCode

BBCode is the abbreviation of Bulletin Board Code , a simplification of the language HTML used to format the messages of discussion forums. By abuse language, the elements of the BBCode are called beacons. The name of a beacon is delimited by the hooks and, contrary to the HTML where the characters < and > are used. Certain beacons have property, such a called attribute, whose value is assigned with the beacon itself using the symbol =.

BBCode beacons

The most current beacons BBCode are the following ones:

Text in fat: “ Text ” = Text .
Text in italic: “ Text ” = Text .
underlined Text: “ Text ” = Texte.
barred Text: “ Text ” = ~~Texte~~.
Text colored in red: “ Text ” = Texte
Hypertext link: of the bond '' Title of the lien' “ or '' URL of the bond ” = Wikipédia or http://fr.wikipedia.org

Image: '' URL of the image '
Hypertext link and image: of the bond '''' URL of the image [/url]

It is also possible to meet:

quoted Text: “ Text quoted of James” “; One finds also ” Texte emphasized/quoted “
Texte of different size: ” SMALL “
Text centered ” Text “
Text ravelling ” Text “
Text going up ” Text “
Text with mirror effect: ” Text “
Text with a dirty effect: ” Text “
hidden Text appearing when one clicks on “Spoiler: ”: ” Text “
hidden Text appearing when one clicks on a sentence or a word: ”: of the spoiler ''' Texte' “
Animation flash: ” animation flash “
Text with an effect gradation color: ” Text (with Javascript)

List (use the jump of line to pass at the second point) “ first sentence then jump of line to change ”

For lists with the numbered lines (use asterisks between accodances to pass from one line to the other): [*] first sentence “ second sentence ”

For lists with the lines numbered alphabetically (use asterisks between accodances to pass from one line to the other): [*] first sentence “ second sentence ”

One can also make combinations of " balises" BBCode:

Text ravelling in diagonal: [scroll] Texte' [/updown]

Attention however! : [updown] Texte [/updown] is not good because the beacons are alternate (principle identical to the HTML).

Decline of BBCodes

In the context of Web 2.0, simple working is not always sufficient to make it possible to develop the semantic contents of way. This is why many are those which pass from BBCodes to the XBBcodes, Wikicodes or directly with XHTML. BBCode was created before the appearance of Internet and was used in the lans create by the professional data processing specialists or amateurs eager to exchange information.

Favors of BBcode

One of the advantages of BBcode is to restrict the user with relatively simple workings. That aims at preserving the total esthetics of the contents.

Internal bonds

Wikicode

External bonds

Syntax of BBcode and its implementations
Guide of BBCode of PhpBB
Extension FoxyCode (BBCode, XHTML…) for Firefox
BBCode Editor, XBBCode, XHTML and Wiki for Firefox

Implementations

HTML:: BBCode Perl modulates (in)
HTML:: BBReverse Perl modulates (in)
Python BBCode implementation (in)

Implementations PHP

extension PHP BBCode - with librarie out of C
BBCode Implementation in PEAR

Random links: