BBCode is an abbreviation for Bulletin Board Code, the lightweight markup language used to format posts in many message boards. It is also called forum codes. The available tags are usually indicated by rectangular brackets surrounding a keyword, and they are parsed by the message board system before being translated into a markup language that web browsers understand, usually HTML or XHTML. A lightweight markup language is a markup language with simpler syntax, so that it is easier for a human to enter with a simple text editor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An example of parsing a mathematical expression. ... A specialized markup language using SGML is used to write the electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary. ... An example of a web browser (Internet Explorer), displaying the English Wikipedia main page. ... HTML, short for Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for the creation of web pages. ... The Extensible HyperText Markup Language, or XHTML, is a markup language that has the same depth of expression as HTML, but also conforms to XML syntax. ...

Purpose

BBCode was devised to provide a safer, easier and more limited way of allowing users to format their messages. Programmer convenience was certainly another factor, as BBCode is very simple to implement. Previously, many message boards allowed the users to include HTML, which could be used to break/imitate parts of the layout, or run JavaScript leading to XSS attacks. Some implementations of BBCode have suffered problems related to the way they translate the BBCode into HTML, which could negate the security that was intended to be given by BBCode. An alternative is a properly written HTML filter (many of which are freely available). JavaScript is a scripting language most often used for client-side web development. ... Cross site scripting (XSS) is a type of computer security exploit where information from one context, where it is not trusted, can be inserted into another context, where it is. ...

Although the basic tags of BBCode are similar in most internet forum software, there is currently no standards document for BBCode and there are consequently many incompatible variants. Some variants require tags to be in the correct case whilst others are not case-sensitive. Some variants have tags which highlight the formatting of HTML, ASP, PHP, SQL and other markup languages and programming languages. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Text sometimes exhibits case sensitivity, that is, words can differ in meaning based on the differing use of uppercase and lowercase letters. ... HTML, short for Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for the creation of web pages. ... Active Server Pages (ASP) is Microsofts Server-side script engine for dynamically-generated web pages. ... PHP is a reflective programming language originally designed for producing dynamic web pages. ... SQL (IPA: or IPA: ), commonly expanded as Structured Query Language, is a computer language designed for the retrieval and management of data in relational database management systems, database schema creation and modification, and database object access control management. ... A specialized markup language using SGML is used to write the electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary. ... A programming language is an artificial language that can be used to control the behavior of a machine, particularly a computer. ...

BBCode tags

The following are the most common BBCode tags available to most modern message boards, and are displayed here with their XHTML equivalents. However, it should be noted that the effect of these tags can be changed substantially, and the effect may not be identical on all sites using BBCode.

BBCode	XHTML	Effect
[b]bolded text[/b]	<b>bolded text</b>	bolded text
[i]italicized text[/i]	<i>italicized text</i>	italicized text
[u]underlined text[/u]	<u>underlined text</u>	underlined text
[url]http://wikipedia.org[/url]	<a href="http://wikipedia.org">http://wikipedia.org</a>	http://wikipedia.org
[url=http://wikipedia.org]Wikipedia[/url]	<a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a>	Wikipedia
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/thumb/6/63/Wikipedia-logo.png/ 150px-Wikipedia-logo.png[/img]	<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/thumb/6/63/Wikipedia-logo.png/ 150px-Wikipedia-logo.png" />
[quote]quoted text[/quote]	<blockquote><p>quoted text</p></blockquote> (usually implemented in more advanced ways)	To quote: quoted text Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1058x1058, 477 KB) aa Wikipedia logo, version 1058px square, no text Wikipedia logo by Nohat (concept by Paullusmagnus); compare Wikipedia File links The following pages link to this file: Arabic language Talk:Anarcho-capitalism Talk:Algorithm Talk:Anno Domini Talk:The...
[code]monospaced text[/code]	<pre>monospaced text</pre>	monospaced text
[size=15]Large Text[/size] ("12" is usually standard on message boards. Usually measured in pixels (px))	<span style="font-size:12px">Large Text</span>	Large Text
[color=red]Red Text[/color] or [color=#FF0000]Red Text[/color] (Can use many different color names or hex codes.)	<span style="color:#FF0000">Red Text</span>	Red Text
[:-)] (Not always enclosed in brackets.) or :smile: (And usually other emoticons) An emoticon (pronounced (IPA) ) is a small piece of specialized ASCII art (usually two to five characters, always on a single line) used in text messages as informal markup to indicate emotions and attitudes that would be conveyed by body language in face-to-face communications. ...	<img src="Face-smile.gif" alt="" />	(Specific image and size vary) Image File history File links Face-smile. ...

Many message boards include a FAQ with information on how to use their own variants of BBCode. FAQ is an abbreviation for Frequently Asked Question(s). The term refers to listed questions and answers, all supposed to be frequently asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. ...

External links

• BBCode guide at phpBB.com
• BBCode quick reference
• BBCode extension for Mozilla Firefox
• HTML::BBCode perl module
• HTML::BBReverse perl module
• Python BBCode implementation

phpBB is a popular internet forum package written in the PHP programming language. ... Mozilla Firefox is a graphical web browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation and a large community of external contributors. ...

PHP Implementations

• PECL (PHP extension) BBCode implementation - with configurable C library
• PHP BBCode implementation
• Recruiting Parser - over 25 tags, bundled smilies and extras
• PHP BBcode translation script (BBcode2HTML)