[wp-hackers] Possible Bug: Displaying HTML in Posts Using WYSIWYG

[Connor McKay]

No matter how hard I try I cannot seem to get HTML to actually display 
in a post (by display I mean that it is not parsed by the browser, it 
shows up as visible text on the page). I write a lot of posts relating 
to HTML, and its really annoying not being able to make any of it visible.

For instance, if I wanted to demonstrate how to write an html link, I 
type "<a href="index.htm">Index</a>" into the editor. At first it shows 
up as visible text, but if I open the HTML editor, the code is not 
escaped as I would expect it to be. Instead it shows up as "<a 
href="index.htm">Index</a>" (its not escaped in other words). If I then 
close the HTML editor, what I wanted to appear as plain text suddenly 
becomes a link. If I save or publish the post without ever opening the 
HTML editor, the same thing happens.

Even if I try escaping my HTML in the HTML editor, "&lt;a 
href=&quot;index.htm&quote&t;Index&lt;/a&gt;", when I hit update it 
turns back into a link.

The last option, typing the escaped HTML into the wysywig DOES work, 
sort of. If I save the post and continue editing, the href attribute 
suddenly becomes xhref, makes this method useless just as much as the 
others.

Is this a bug, or is it supposed to behave this way? Its worth noting 
that the version of tinyMCE available from its website doesn't do this. 
Any HTML typed into the wysiwyg is escaped in the HTML editor. Was this 
modification of tinyMCE intentional for use in WP?

Thanks for the help,
Connor McKay