HTML markup in your dataset descriptions
- Matthew Harp
Use HTML tags in your collection and dataset descriptions for readability.
We all want just to cut and paste to get things done, and sometimes a simple text block is all we need to convey a good description but datasets. Their corresponding dependencies can be complex and undecipherable to newcomers. Use HyperText Markup Language (HTML) tags to break text into blocks, create ordered and unordered lists, and employ other formatting elements to make your description more reader-friendly and link to related web pages.
The description metadata field in Dataverse collections and Dataset records is the only field that allows HTML tags.
Break up text blocks
If you have two blocks of text, adding a couple of carriage returns will just get ignored. You’ll need to add at least two <br> tags in the text to separate lines. Or use the paragraph tag <p> at the beginning and </p> at the end of each block to create clean separate paragraphs. These tags also help with the machine readability of your metadata for assistive technologies.
Text blocks are just one example of many formatting possibilities. Select the HTML link to get a temporary pop-up of supported tags for a quick guide on supported tags to format text.
Unfamiliar with what each tag means? W3Schools.com provides explanations and help on how to use these tags.
You will see the markup in line with the text until you save your changes and any time in edit mode.