literature

dA Guide: Text Formatting

Deviation Actions

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UPDATE for January 2020:
I created this guide in 2011, so you'll have to take it with a grain of salt since dA has updated a bazillion things since then LOL. It now looks like many codes don't work in Literature submissions anymore,  (or disable the "Eclipse" version of the site and show the old site instead), so some of the demonstrations here only look like regular text.  But they should display properly if you copy/paste them in the comments.   I'm so glad to see how many of you wonderful people still utilize this resource, so I wish you the best and encourage you to go ahead and experiment to see what works and what doesn't!  Much love~!
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This is just a quick text formatting guide for dA. My goal was to make a simple html guide for easy reference.  Please PAY ATTENTION to where the codes WILL and WILL NOT work!  (Certain codes won't work in comments and deviation descriptions, no matter how hard you try.)  :'D

 

I provided "working examples," which might make the codes easier to understand because you can see them in action. (Keep in mind that when you type html tags, the effects won't be visible until AFTER you hit "Preview" on your comment, journal, etc. I only made them visible for the purpose of demonstration.) Enjoy!!!

 





Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace

The following codes can be used in
comments, deviation descriptions, journals, and profile page widgets.


Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace



<b>This will make bold text.</b>
<strong>This will also make bold text.</strong>



<i>This will make italicized text.</i>
<em>This will also make italicized text.</em>



<u>This will make underlined text.</u>



<s>This will make striked out text.</s>
<strike>This will also make striked out text.</strike>
<del>This will also make striked out text.</del>



You can also <b><u>combine multiple codes like this,</u></b> easy!
      *Note: When using multiple tags, close the most recent tag first (like how I put </u> before </b>).



<sub>This will display the text in subscript.</sub>
<sub>Use it multiple times to make text smaller  <sub>and smaller <sub>and smaller</sub></sub></sub>!



<sup>This will display the text in superscript.</sup>
<sup>Use it multiple times to make text smaller  <sup>and smaller <sup>and smaller</sup></sup></sup>!



<small>This will make text smaller (and not go below like subscript or above like superscript).</small>
      *Note: This tag doesn't work in literature submissions, so that's why it's showing up like subscript here.  XD



You can create cool effects like thissssss by typing this<sub>s<sub>s<sub>s<sub>s<sub>s</sub></sub></sub></sub></sub>!



<code>This will change your text to a monospaced font.</code>
<tt>This will also change your text to a monospaced font.</tt>
      *Note: Monospaced fonts include Consolas, Courier, DejaVu Sans Mono, Lucida Console, Monaco, Prestige, etc.



Type <hr /> or <hr> to get the nice line I've been using throughout this guide! ↓



If you want something like :) instead of :) there are a few options:

Type :<i></i>)

Type : then  &#41; for the )
(Here is a list of the ASCII character set: www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_asc…)

Sometimes you can also type :<span>)
(For example, it works in comments but not in deviation descriptions.)



           <blockquote>Use this to create an indented section of text.</blockquote>

                      <blockquote><blockquote>Use it multiple times to indent text further!</blockquote></blockquote>



To get an ordered (numbered) list like

An artist's essential items:


      
  1. Coffee
  2.   
  3. deviantART
  4.   
  5. Photoshop
  6.   
  7. Wacom
you can use the Ordered List tag <ol> by typing:

<h4>An artist's essential items:</h4>
<ol>
  <li>Coffee</li>
  <li>deviantART</li>
  <li>Photoshop</li>
  <li>Wacom</li>
</ol>

(You don't need to hit "Enter" between all of the <li> tags [they can all be on one line] because they will go on separate lines automatically.  I just kept them on separate lines so that the code is easier to see.)



To get an un-ordered list like

An artist's essential items:


      
  • Coffee
  •   
  • deviantART
  •   
  • Photoshop
  •   
  • Wacom
you can use the Un-Ordered List tag <ul> by typing:

h4>An artist's essential items:</h4>
<ul>
  <li>Coffee</li>
  <li>deviantART</li>
  <li>Photoshop</li>
  <li>Wacom</li>
</ul>

(You don't need to hit "Enter" between all of the <li> tags [they can all be on one line] because they will go on separate lines automatically.  I just kept them on separate lines so that the code is easier to see.)







Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace

The following codes can ONLY be used in
journals and profile page widgets.


Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace



<font face="Arial">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Arial Black">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Comic Sans MS">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Courier New">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Georgia">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Impact">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Lucida Console">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Lucida Sans Unicode">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Palatino Linotype">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Tahoma">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Times New Roman">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Trebuchet MS">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>
<font face="Verdana">Change the font name in the "quotation marks."</font>

      *Note: Fonts will only show up if the viewer has that font installed on their computer. Otherwise it will show up as another default font.  Here is a list of Web Safe Fonts that will work on most computers: www.w3schools.com/cssref/css_w…



<font size="1">This will change the size of your font.</font>
<font size="2">This will change the size of your font.</font>
<font size="3">This will change the size of your font.</font>
<font size="4">This will change the size of your font.</font>
<font size="5">This will change the size...</font>
<font size="6">This will change the size...</font>
<font size="7">This will change the size...</font>
      *Note: Size 7 is the maximum size.



<div align="left">This will align your text to the left.</div>


<div align="center">This will center your text.</div>


<div align="justify">This will justify your text.</div>


<div align="right">This will align your text to the right.</div>



<h1>

This will give you heading text.

</h1>



<h2>

This will give you heading text.

</h2>



<h3>

This will give you heading text.

</h3>



<h4>

This will give you heading text.

</h4>



<h5>
This will give you heading text.
</h5>



<h6>
This will give you heading text.
</h6>







Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace

The following codes can be used for links.
Some types of links may or may not work in different places on dA.


Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace Divider (4) by LadyMidnightSolace


Avatar Linking


    Type :iconsweetduke: to get :iconsweetduke:
   
         *Note: Obviously change my username "sweetduke" to anyone else's username for it to work.  ;)



Username Linking



    Typing :devsweetduke: or @sweetduke will give you SweetDuke
   
         *Note: Obviously change my username "sweetduke" to anyone else's username for it to work.  ;)



Text Linking (changing the name of links)


   
    <a href="Image URL address">Name of Image</a>
         
         This is a link to my page.
             
              *Note: Copy/paste your link into the "quotation marks," and type whatever you want for the Name of Image.



Image Linking


    <a href="URL address"><img src="Image URL address" alt="Name of Image" /></a>

         Ren's sprite is cute!
             
              *Note: Go to the deviation and copy/paste the link in "URL address."  Then DOWNLOAD the deviation, and copy/paste that new link in "Image URL address" (the link should start with http://orig or http://fc). Type whatever you want for the Name of Image.



Thumb Codes (and how to use stamps)



    :thumb174033030: Status Stamps + Plz Accounts by SweetDuke

    :bigthumb174033030: Status Stamps + Plz Accounts by SweetDuke

         *Note: Here is a visual tutorial on how to find the thumb codes: fav.me/d41g4pz  Or you can go to the right of the image and find the share buttons (Note, Facebook, Tumblr, & Twitter) and click the down arrow, then copy/paste the thumb code.  You can also scroll down further to the right under "Details" and copy the thumb code there. Type :bigthumb#####: to get a bigger thumbnail image.






I hope some people found this to be helpful! If you see any mistakes or have other codes you think should be added, you can add them to the comments to help others!  Unfortunately I don't have time to keep this guide updated very often.

UPDATE for January 2020:
I created this guide in 2011, so you'll have to take it with a grain of salt since dA has updated a bazillion things since then LOL. It now looks like many codes don't work in Literature submissions anymore (or disable the "Eclipse" version of the site and show the old site instead), so some of the demonstrations here only look like regular text,. But they should display properly if you copy/paste them in the comments.   I'm so glad to see how many of you wonderful people still utilize this resource, so I wish you the best and encourage you to go ahead and experiment to see what works and what doesn't!  Much love~!


This is just a simple html guide to text formatting on dA. :aww: I know that many people know these already, but there are some people who don't and there might be a few tips that are new to you (I learned a lot of new ones when I compiled this heehee). I just tried to make a simple, easy to understand compilation for quick reference.  (And thanks to DamselStock for the Ordered List example!)  I did not include media embedding or acronym/popup tags, so if you're interested, you can check the FAQ #104 below.  


If you see any mistakes or have other codes you think should be added, you can add them to the comments to help others!  Unfortunately I don't have time to keep this guide updated very often.


To change the FONT COLOR, use these codes (they work in some areas but not in others):
:thumb393243218:

Dividers created by LadyMidnightSolace



More Resources


Here are a couple FAQ entries and tutorials to help with other formatting questions that I didn't address in this guide:





Preview image created with backup-lunari.deviantart.com/a…
© 2011 - 2025 SweetDuke
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AdvanceRun's avatar

<b>This dont work anymore</b>
<strong>This dont work anymore</strong>