BBC code stuff

Why can't we use tags such as [td/] or [i/]?

...what? BBC is [letter]stuff[/letter]not letter/.

You can use [i]text[/i] to make italics; I don't know what you mean by "i/".

The "td" tag thing is used in tables.

Well, in html you can do stuff like <element/> instead of having to do <element></element>

Well, in html you can do stuff like <element/> instead of having to do <element></element>

That's html. This is BBC.

I don't know why you think it doesn't work, but it does.

I first thought it didn't, but even [rules/] turns into [rules/].

The tag ofcource must still be valid, and both [td/] and [i/] are invalid because they NEED a closing tag. In HTML you cannot use <TD/> and <I/> either.

Well, in html you can do stuff like <element/> instead of having to do <element></element>

oh, as in <br /> and <img.... />? no wonder i was confused, i thought you were putting the slash at the end of a closing tag.
and lpchip is right, it's xhtml, not html syntax, so it only works for single-element objects, like <img> (in html) and apparently [rules] (in bbc).

and lpchip is right, it's xhtml, not html syntax

Yes, right.