In & Outs have many formats available for members to use. The available Preset Display Formats that are highlighted below will give you an idea how they may look in your own In & Out. If you need a specialized format that is not displayed below, you may need to create your own In & Out display format. For more information about that option, please see "Custom In & Out Display Formats" .

The preset display formats that are available for In & Outs are (click to see examples):1

For the sake of these examples, assume the following information is used:


There will be two examples for each type: With Require Item IDs: No and With Require Item IDs: Yes. If only one example is shown, then changing that setting has no effect. It should be noted, however, that for all display types, changing from No to Yes will hide all the entries that were created while the setting was No.

Also, some formats are anonymous, which means that the names of the people posting entries remains unknown to everyone except Writing.Com Staff, the In & Out's owner, and, if applicable, those with edit access. Some formats will also process WritingML while others will not. These two characteristics are noted for each type of format.


Classic    ^TOP
The Classic format with Require Item IDs set to Yes is the only In & Out type to make use of all the fields in Section 5: Item Type Specific Settings  . Each line has a customizable header and lists a different piece of information.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: No

With Require Item IDs: No


With Require Item IDs: Yes




Centered    ^TOP
The most distinguishing characteristic of the Centered format is that the entries are all centered on the page. It displays the exact same information as the Classic format, but has a more streamlined appearance.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require Item IDs: No



With Require Item IDs: Yes




Conversational    ^TOP
A simple type of display, the Conversational format only shows the name of the person who posted the comment followed by that comment in dialogue format. Item IDs will NOT be displayed.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes




Detailed    ^TOP
The Detailed format is specifically designed to require item IDs and is by far the preferred choice for "plug" pages. Unlike the Classic, Centered, Graffiti Wall (Timed), and Timed Styles, it does not record the time that an entry is posted. (In an actual In & Out, the space to the left of Item Posted, Genre(s), and Description contains the WdC image and text for that item type. If the item type features subtypes, the text will show the subtype instead.)

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: No

With Require Item IDs: No



With Require Item IDs: Yes




Graffiti Wall    ^TOP
The simplest style of all, Graffiti Wall displays only the post body. If you are the owner of a Graffiti Wall, you will be able to see the name of the poster.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: Yes




Graffiti Wall (Timed)    ^TOP
A spin-off of Graffiti Wall, the Graffiti Wall (Timed) format retains the anonymity and simplicity of its predecessor while adding the time that each entry is posted.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: Yes




List    ^TOP
There is no space between posts in a List Style In & Out, and they all have numbers before them. Since the post preceded by 1 is always at the top, Display Order may be more important than usual. If Display Order is set to Newest First, that means the most recent post will always be preceded by 1. If Display Order is set to Newest Last, that means the most recent post will be preceded by the highest number on the list. Once you've reached the number of posts selected from Show How Many Entries, numbers will not continue to increase. For example, if you show 10 entries at a time, the posts will always be numbered from 1 to 10; never 11, 12, and so on.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: No




List (Timed)    ^TOP
Just as the Graffiti Wall has Graffiti Wall (Timed), the List has List (Timed). The first line looks much the same as the regular List format, but there is an additional line that includes the time of posting.

Allows Anonymous Posts: Yes
Processes WritingML: No




Quotation    ^TOP
Like the Conversational and Post-Byline formats, a Quotation format with Require Item IDs set to No only displays the post body and its author; however, setting Require Item IDs to Yes will have an effect in this case.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require Item IDs: No


With Require Item IDs: Yes




Post Byline    ^TOP
Unlike the Conversational and Quotation, the post body in a Post-Byline format is not surrounded by quotation marks and is more like the Graffiti Wall format. The difference is the person who made the entry is identified parenthetically after the post body.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes




Timed    ^TOP
Like the Centered Style, a Timed Style In & Out displays all the same information as the Classic Style but in a more compact form.

Allows Anonymous Posts: No
Processes WritingML: Yes

With Require Item IDs: No



With Require Item IDs: Yes




Custom    ^TOP
If you are not satisfied with the preset In & Out formats that are provided by Writing.Com, you can always create your own custom format. For complete information, please see: "Custom In & Out Display Formats" .


Perhaps the best option for you is to experiment with the various formats offered to determine which one is right for your requirements.