Can I turn OFF Smileys ?

[BuckSkin]

I have searched through my settings and cannot find the option to turn off "smileys" in everything I type/post; they are highly annoying.

When I type a message and use proper punctuation, almost every time, at least one unwanted smiley shows up and often several, forcing me to put in spaces where they don't belong and eliminate punctuation marks that need to be there, just to get rid of the unwanted smileys.

Is there a means for me to permanently, or even temporarily post-by-post, turn them OFF ?

Thanks.

 

[DavidWatts]

Are you typing the colon : character when you are writing text?

 

[OhLook]

Are you typing the colon : character when you are writing text?

That's a good question. @BuckSkin, the codes for smileys include, variously, colons, semicolons, and even parentheses, with no spaces next to the letter(s) that form the core of each code. For instance, the code for "laugh" is LOL with colons before and after, no spaces. I'm guessing that you inadvertently omit spaces next to these punctuation marks, or for some reason your spaces don't register with the site.

 

[BuckSkin]

Then, is it not possible to just turn them OFF ?

Most sites have the option to turn them OFF in both the messages I type and in the messages I read from others; but, I am not finding that option here.

 

[joayne]

OhLook has the answer.. When using the Colon ":" there need to be 2 spaces after it, to use it correctly.

It is part of coding protocol to not use a space after a colon to trigger an action.
Correct punctuation requires 2 spaces after the colon.

 

[Joeseph]

Then, is it not possible to just turn them OFF

not individually per user. it may be possible with additional software - I'll look into it.

 

[BuckSkin]

not individually per user. it may be possible with additional software - I'll look into it.

Thank you; much appreciated.

 

[OhLook]

OhLook has the answer.. When using the Colon ":" there need to be 2 spaces after it, to use it correctly.

It is part of coding protocol to not use a space after a colon to trigger an action.
Correct punctuation requires 2 spaces after the colon.

I'm sorry, joayne, not all of that is true. Please trust my long experience as a copy editor. In general publishing, you use just one space after a colon. You can check this in any printed book or magazine: there shouldn't be double spaces. (You can check it in my previous sentence, too.) I type one space after a colon all the time and don't get accidental smileys.

The true part is that, when typing online, leaving out the space risks triggering a smiley.

 

[joayne]

You are correct Look.. my bad. I have yet to trigger a smiley. We do agree that no space sets you up for BB Code