Why Does Formatting Disappear After Editing?

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    Whenever I modify a blog page I lose all the paragraph formatting and have to re-format. Why is that? I’m in Mac Safari 7.15. Refresh did not help.

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    galois · Member ·

    I lose all the paragraph formatting

    What format did you used?
    HTML Troubleshooting
    https://en.support.wordpress.com/html-troubleshooting/
    Advanced HTML
    https://en.support.wordpress.com/advanced-html/

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    What do you mean by format? I mean conventional text paragraphing, created simply by hitting “return.” When I go to edit text, although it looks OK on the reader page, it becomes a single paragraph on the editing page. If I do not alter the text, the user page remains normally formatted, but if I make any alteration of the text and go to “view page,” the entire article appears there as a single paragraph.

  • Unknown's avatar
    galois · Member ·

    What do you mean by format?

    I mean just format.
    Example:

    Extra line breaks
    The Visual editor leaves one blank line between each paragraph by default. If you attempt to add additional line breaks using the “enter” or “return” key, those spaces will be stripped out when you publish.

    To force the editor to keep those spaces, you can add the following code in the Text editor:

     

    You’d want to add that as many times as you want blank lines, so if you want three blank lines between two paragraphs, you’d add the following in your Text editor:

     
 
 

    This is HTML for a non-breaking space. But a word of warning! If, after adding those spaces, you click back to the Visual editor before publishing or updating your post, those spaces will be stripped out again.

    If you have trouble getting those spaces to stay, you can also use a bit of inline CSS to add extra line breaks.

    To do this, wrap your paragraph in the following code:

    <p style="padding-top:14px;">Your paragraph of text here.</p>

    This tells the editor to leave 14 pixels of space above your paragraph. You can increase the number for more space or decrease it for less. You can also use “padding-bottom” rather than “padding-top” to add extra space below a paragraph instead of above it.

    https://en.support.wordpress.com/advanced-html/#extra-line-breaks

    If I do not alter the text, the user page remains normally formatted, but if I make any alteration of the text and go to “view page,” the entire article appears there as a single paragraph.

    Are you switching between the Visual Editor & the Text Editor?

    Are you using the “new” Beep Beep Doom Editor (BTW I hate it) or the “classic” editor?

    http://jazzessaysdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    Thanks for your detailed reply.

    Yes, using DOOM – and it has been problematic for me, gradually improved but this glitch remains. Not switching between Visual and Text, not at all conversant with HTML (tried studying it once but don’t need it now, just using the blog format to exhibit my essays). Want to keep my process maximally simple.

    From what you write I wonder if I should pull out the text into a Word doc, adjust the paragraphs there, then just paste it all back in – maybe WordPress would then retain the formatting going forward?

    Or maybe switch back over to classic?

  • Unknown's avatar
    galois · Member ·

    Yes, using DOOM

    Or maybe switch back over to classic?

    Try with the classic:

    To use the classic editor to create posts
    go to Dashboard > Posts > Add New
    Here is the model so you can see the format
    http://NAME_OF_YOUR_BLOG_/wp-admin/post-new.php

    Here is the link to the page on your blog
    http://jazzessaysdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

    2. To use the classic editor when you edit posts,
    go the Posts -> All Posts menu, hover over the post title and click the Edit link.

    http://NAME_OF_YOUR_BLOG/wp-admin/edit.php

    Here is the link to the page on your blog
    http://jazzessaysdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit.php

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    Thanks for this. Off to work now but will check this out and advise results later.

  • Unknown's avatar
    galois · Member ·

    You’re welcome & best wishes.

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    Just had a chance to go in and look at my Categories, which do not rally at all match up with what appears on the home page. They have been in flux ever since the switchover to DOOM. Mainly, one category that is doubled on the home page doesn’t exist on the Categories page!

    How do I switch the whole site back to classic? Can’t find that.

  • Unknown's avatar
    galois · Member ·

    How do I switch the whole site back to classic? Can’t find that.

    You can’t switch the editors.

    But for use the classic editor, see my response above:
    https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/why-does-formatting-disappear-after-editing?replies=9#post-2357311

  • Unknown's avatar
    arnbar · Member ·

    OK, I see this is the old editing environment.

    But this path also leads to my nonsensical Categories list. It behaves irrationally.

    Thanks again.

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