# External links are not parsed for spaces

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/external-links-are-not-parsed-for-spaces/49921>\
**Category:** Feature\
**Created:** [2016年九月9日 06:12 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/external-links-are-not-parsed-for-spaces/49921 "2016-09-09T06:12:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sudhirkhanger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sudhirkhanger/32/121167_2.png) [@sudhirkhanger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sudhirkhanger)\
**Post date:** [2016年九月9日 06:12 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/external-links-are-not-parsed-for-spaces/49921/1 "2016-09-09T06:12:50Z")

</div>

Hello,

Some URLs may contain spaces and these spaces are not parsed as `%20` for them to be openable.

What happens in discourse:

```plaintext
[Link in Discourse](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/database/sqlite/SQLiteDatabase.html#query(java.lang.String, java.lang.String[], java.lang.String, java.lang.String[], java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.lang.String))

[Link in Stackoverflow](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/database/sqlite/SQLiteDatabase.html#query(java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String[],%20java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String[],%20java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String,%20java.lang.String))

```

You see how SO will convert those spaces into %20.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/codinghorror/32/110067_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)\
**Post date:** [2016年九月9日 07:40 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/external-links-are-not-parsed-for-spaces/49921/2 "2016-09-09T07:40:46Z")

</div>

This is by design, spaces are not supported in URLs.