Help with php & mysql &textarea

[drachma]

Hi all.

I'm trying to create a in a forum then upload the data into mysql.

However I noticed that once I upload the data, all formatting such as 'new line' and tab are completely gotten rid of.

Now I understand that you need tags to emulate 'new line',

, but how do I insert that into the textarea data before putting it into mysql?

I see the vB and bulletin boards around do that, I was wondering how.

Furthermore, is there a php function that automatically formats plain text or string?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated.

[[idkfa]]

nl2br($string) is your friend :)

[drachma]

thanks so so much. this prob's been plaguin me for a while. and you know what's worse? i scanned through the php read me for like half an hour but totally didn't see that function.

thanks so much