In terms of closing HTML. This would not be tough to program, but might give some performance issues.

Search through the post for allowed tags, count each tag (number of bolds, number of fonts , number of pres .. etc.) Count closes at the same time (number of end bold, number of end pre, etc..). where there is a positive difference, generate closing tags, and add to end of post.

If we did this, (and I'd be glad to create the code), I think we might add an html check box next to the posting box (by default unchecked).

If checked then we parse for HTML -including generating closing tags. IF not hmtl is just posted as literals (giving a new way to generate fake tags as well). Since a lot of posts have nt html, the savings in not having to parse those would make up for the extra time in checking for and generating closing tags.

Worth the trouble? Or not?

Can I suggest a simple hack instead? How about just appending closing tags to each post [/i] [/a], etc.? Would that work?

It should. I've never run into a browser that runs into trouble with extra closing tags. But this many extra closing tags? We might discover an unexpected bug. Also it does not take care of all cases. What if someone leaves two tags open? three? Or course the really simple solution is the one we use. Ask people not leave tags open. When they forget close the tag for them, and remind them so they can edit.

As someone who works with XML, I just cringe at the thought of extra closing tags. Yes, it might work fine in all the browsers, but every time I looked at the board I'd wonder if there were extra ending tags just lurking under the surface of the pretty formatting.

I didn't say it wasn't a hack.

I think there ought to be some more elegant and less computationally intensive way of doing it than either of the solutions presented so far, and if there turns out not to be, my sense of the rightness of the universe will be thwarted.

And if you're looking for extra tags under the surface, highlight the area right below the navigation links but above the text-entry box -- an elegant hack, indeed.

Well, those aren't tags.

Oddly, Opera 6.04 doesn't have this issue, since it takes the closing of the <p> tag as a block level tag, and closes the inline tags. Just like a </table> will close any open <tr> or <td>.

So can't everyone just upgrade? That's my kinda hack.

But apparently Mozilla does not follow this automatic tag closing. Also, not everyone remembers to /p, Also, John said, if someday a true XML compliant browser comes out , the /p won't work anymore, because XML requires the closing of all tags.

I don't know if this is an obvious question or not, but what does everyone else do (so to speak)? How do they keep their tags in-post?

We remember to close our tags. that is for every t b We make sure that somewhere before the post ends there is a t /b

Oh other boards. Good question. Right. Talk amongst yourselves.

Actually, the code puts in a </p> for every two line breaks. So that's taken care of. No need to remember.

Silly browsers.

I know of one board (Bronze Camp) that does something we've been doing -- closing in a later post.