Text Formatting

Members format a message while they write it — bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bulleted and numbered lists, headings and links — and the message field shows it formatted as they go, the way the conversation will show it. No syntax to remember. Markdown typed by hand works alongside the buttons, and both give the same result.

A group conversation: a sent message with a heading, a bulleted list and a link, and in the message field a selected word under the formatting bar, its Bold button pressed

What it adds#

Formatting buttons for bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bulleted lists, numbered lists, headings in three sizes and links
Formatting shown live in the message field, not as symbols
A choice of where the buttons show — over selected text, behind a button in the message field, always above it, or hidden — with separate choices for mini chats and phones
A choice of which buttons members get
Works in every conversation type — private conversations, group chats, chat rooms — and in the mini chats and the mobile app

The buttons#

Button	What it makes	Markdown equivalent
B	Bold text	`bold`
I	Italic text	`italic`
U	Underlined text	(no Markdown form)
S	~~Strikethrough~~	`~~strikethrough~~`
Bulleted list	A bulleted list	`- item`
Numbered list	A numbered list	`1. item`
H1	A large heading	`# heading`
H2	A medium heading	`## heading`
H3	A small heading	`### heading`
Link	Clickable link text	`[text](https://example.com)`

Bold, italic, underline and strikethrough apply to the selected words, or with nothing selected, to what is typed next. A list or a heading applies to the line the cursor is on, and pressing the same button again takes it off. Pressing another heading size changes the heading to that size. Bold is greyed out in a heading, which is bold already.

The Link button asks for the address. example.com/page becomes https://example.com/page, and a bare email address becomes a mail link. With nothing selected it asks for the words to show as well. On an existing link it offers to change the address or remove the link.

Inside a list, the key that starts a new line starts the next item, and on an empty item it ends the list. With Send on Enter on, the default, that is Shift+Enter, and Enter sends the message from the list as it does anywhere else. With it off, and on a phone where Enter starts a new line, Enter starts the next item. See Send on Enter.

Where the buttons show#

WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → Appearance → Conversation → Message field → Formatting buttons:

Choice	What members see
Over selected text (default)	A bar over the selected words, as in 2.0
Behind a button	A formatting button beside the emoji button opens the bar above the message field for the message being written. Sending the message closes it
Always shown	The bar sits above the message field
Hidden	No formatting buttons. Typed Markdown and the keyboard shortcuts still work

The formatting bar open above the message field, which holds a small heading, a bulleted list and a line with a link. The cursor is in the heading, so H3 shows pressed and Bold is greyed out, and the formatting button beside the emoji button is highlighted

Mini chat windows have their own choice under Appearance → Mini widgets → Mini chat windows → Formatting buttons, with the same four choices and Over selected text as the default. It also covers a conversation opened inside the widget in combined mode.

Phones, tablets and the mobile app have their own choice under Appearance → Mobile → Message field → Formatting buttons — behind a button, always shown, or hidden, which is the default. A bar over the selected words is not offered there, because a phone opens its own copy and paste menu in that place.

The Appearance preview shows each choice the moment it is made, and its message field takes typing, so the buttons can be tried there. Nothing typed in the preview is sent.

Choosing the buttons#

Appearance → Conversation → Message field → Buttons offered ticks the buttons members get, on desktop, in mini chats and on phones alike. Each heading size is a tick of its own, so a site can offer only the smaller headings, or none. A format without its button cannot be added with its keyboard shortcut (Ctrl/Cmd+B, I or U) or come in with pasted text either. With nothing ticked, no formatting buttons show anywhere.

The Message field group of the Appearance settings: Formatting buttons set to Over selected text, and Buttons offered with Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Bulleted list, Numbered list, Large heading, Medium heading, Small heading and Link all ticked

How it is stored#

Bold, italic, underline and strikethrough are stored as their HTML tags. Lists, headings and links are stored as Markdown, the same text a member could have typed. Editing a message or coming back to a draft shows them formatted in the message field again.

Frequently asked questions#

Does formatting survive when a message is edited?#

Yes. Editing a message shows its lists, headings, links and emphasis formatted in the message field, and saving it unchanged stores exactly the same text.

Does formatting appear in email notifications?#

Email notifications are plain text. Lists keep their dashes and numbers, headings and emphasis read as plain words, and a link reads as its words followed by its address. Notifications on the mobile app read the same way.

Can administrators restrict which formatting is available?#

Yes, with Buttons offered. It decides which buttons members get and what the keyboard shortcuts and pasted text may add. Markdown typed by hand still renders.

Can I add a button of my own?#

The buttons are part of the messenger and not an extension point. For a format you need, open a feature request.

Does formatting count toward the maximum message length?#

Bold, italic, underline and strikethrough do not. The Markdown a list, a heading or a link is stored as does, a link's address included, and the counter in the message field counts it the same way. See Maximum message length.