Wordpress... add paragraphs... How?

[maxine]

I spent ages tinkering with a new theme and now find that I cannot enter line spaces between paragraphs.

I don't really want to change the theme yet again but not sure how I should get around this.

Do I need to alter the <p> tags in the css files or is there any easier option (as me and css don't get on much).

??

Thanks for help :)

[Faevilangel]

You want to have a line under the paragraphs or a space under them?

You will need to do some css e.g.


#div-name p {
border-bottom:1px solid #000;
}


For spacing just add the margin attribute.

[maxine]

Hmmm (still stuck) but thank anyway :) I don't want a solid line between paragraphs, just spaces (so is that a margin attribute?) so that instead of

12345
Once I caught a fish alive
678910
then I let it go again

I get...

12345
Once I caught a fish alive

678910
Then I let it go again


found this blog (http://www.webmasters-central.com/article-blog/blogging-and-autoblogging/wordpress-line-break-and-paragraph-problem-and-how-to-fix-it/) but which says to locate the <p> tag in css file then add the following lines to it:

padding-top:1.0em;
padding-bottom:1.0em;

problem is I can't find the <p> tag! :)


way, way, way out my depth :) (was hoping a plugin would solve my problems but no such luck!) :)

[cmcp]

You are after bottom margin on your paragraphs. What's the address of he site? It might not be the p tag the text is inserted with.

[Zeal]

Maxine, as a temp fix do this:

When you've written your content - click on the "HTML" tab.
Go to where you want the break
Type this:

<br>&nbsp;</br>

DON'T go back to the "Visual" tab though, other wise you'll lose the <br>&nbsp;</br> - you just put in.

Wordpress doesn't like "shift + enter".
There is a plugin somewhere what fixed this.. I'll see if I can dig it out.

[cmcp]

Try a little longer with the styles before resorting to that ^.

[maxine]

You are after bottom margin on your paragraphs. What's the address of he site? It might not be the p tag the text is inserted with.

its www.find-me-an-accountant.com (http://www.find-me-an-accountant.com)

Maxine, as a temp fix do this:

When you've written your content - click on the "HTML" tab.
Go to where you want the break
Type this:

<br>&nbsp;</br>

DON'T go back to the "Visual" tab though, other wise you'll lose the <br>&nbsp;</br> - you just put in.

Woo Hoo.. that worked http://www.find-me-an-accountant.com/?p=144
(even for a donut like me!)


Wordpress doesn't like "shift + enter".
There is a plugin somewhere what fixed this.. I'll see if I can dig it out.

I found loads of articles talking about the problem.. but nothing suggesting a plugin to fix so that would be fab :) otherwise, at least I know now how to paste the <br>&nbsp;</br> into html tab for now so thank you for that :)

[cmcp]

Your p tag should have margins either side of it not padding.

[Zeal]

Glad it fixed it for now! :)

I'm going out now - taking young 'un to an animal farm :D
But I'll check back later for the plugin. I'm sure it's on the laptop somewhere...

[maxine]

Thank you all :)

I shall try to find something beginning with p with margins :) ... or carry on a search for a plugin and post on here if I find it.

Have a good time at the farm and hope its warmer where you are as its def jumper and coats weather here :)

[maxine]

Your p tag should have margins either side of it not padding.

ok, so in theme/editor the css shows

.post {
margin: 0 0 20px 0;
text-align: left;
}


Is this my p tag? and should I type in a line under it for bottom margin attribute or do I change what is there already?

:)

[cmcp]

You're going to have to be more specific, your paragraphs all look fine to me and have padding (should be margin) above and below.

Where exactly is the bit you're not happy with?

[maxine]

Thanks cmcp

Well whatever I did seems to be working ok now. This is what the new bit in the css looks like

.post p {
line-height: 1.5em;
margin: 0px 0px 7px 0px;
padding-top:1.0em;
padding-bottom:1.0em;
}


I don't understand the difference between padding and margins (so don't know if I can be more specific) but it's giving me spaces in between paragraphs now so that's cool :) (I think)

:)

[cmcp]

Cool :)

If you think about every element being a box, padding is spacing applied to the inner border of that box, margin is spacing applied to the outer border of that box.

We use margins between blocks of text because they collapse when placed together so only the largest is adopted.

[stugster]

maxine,

you could be naughty and cheat ;) <br /> <br /> <br />



weee!

[Zeal]

Stugster - that doesn't work. It needs something in between - hence: &nbsp; = non-breaking space

[stugster]

Sorry, Z, didn't see your post at the beginning!

[maxine]

I've thanked you anyway Stugster for encouraging me to be naughty and cheat :)

but.. fingers crossed that whatever I put in the css has worked... let's hope I don't have to do it again in a hurry though as I won't be able to remember what I did

:)

[Zeal]

Oh -Stug... teach ya not to jump ahead in future! :p lol

.oO( I do that all the time though! :( )

[BusinessIdeas]

Well done Maxine :) I too have been playing with my wordpress files and css and php. It took me all afternoon to figure out how to turn a php driven link into ordinary h2 text. I did learn a lot though so it was worth doing it. Keep at it with css its worth it and good luck - Gina

[crossdaz]

Well done Maxine :) I too have been playing with my wordpress files and css and php. It took me all afternoon to figure out how to turn a php driven link into ordinary h2 text. I did learn a lot though so it was worth doing it. Keep at it with css its worth it and good luck - Gina

This guy has some good tips for optimising wordpress
http://yoast.com/

[maxine]

It took me all afternoon to figure out how to turn a php driven link into ordinary h2 text. Gina

... Thanks Gina, but I have no idea what you just said! :)

[maxine]

Thanks crossdaz, I've just signed up for the newsletter :)

[BusinessIdeas]

... Thanks Gina, but I have no idea what you just said! :)

Sorry Max :D I suppose I am getting more jargon infested by the day (thats what my OH says) :D :D

[crossdaz]

Sorry Max :D I suppose I am getting more jargon infested by the day (thats what my OH says) :D :D

youv'e been playing with the funny question mark and squiggly line things :)

[BusinessIdeas]

youv'e been playing with the funny question mark and squiggly line things :)

Yep, that is what I have been doing, :) probably doing more harm than good, got to experiment though, that is how I learn stuff - hopefully :D

[maxine]

I have got just soooo much to learn about wordpress.

I changed my "permalink" thingies today from p=123 etc to proper words and it wiped out all my twitter counts :(

hey ho... live and learn :)

[crossdaz]

and it wiped out all my twitter counts :(


Yet another benefit of Wordpress :)