# Links don't work in placeholder forms

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578
**Category:** Bug
**Tags:** placeholder-forms
**Created:** [January 12, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578 "2025-01-12T22:18:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Canapin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/canapin/32/119591_2.png) [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578/1 "2025-01-12T22:18:13Z")

</div>

Is it possible to use a placeholder in a link ? I can’t achieve it:

`[https://=D0MAIN=]()`

https://=DOMAIN=

The link is not clickable, whether I use markdown or HTML in the composer.

It outputs:

```html
<a>https://discourse.org</a>

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Don](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/don/32/228726_2.png) [@Don](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Don)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2025, 7:29am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578/2 "2025-01-13T07:29:34Z")

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Hello 👋

I think it’s because the link href () is empty on your example.

Try this 🔽

`[https://=D0MAIN=](https://=D0MAIN=)`

Or simply

`https://=D0MAIN=`

Block onebox

`<https://=D0MAIN=>`

Or you can use HTML too.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Canapin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/canapin/32/119591_2.png) [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2025, 10:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578/3 "2025-01-13T10:00:12Z")

</div>

No one work:

`<a href="https://=D0MAIN=">https://=D0MAIN=</a>`  
https://=DOMAIN=

* * *

`[https://=D0MAIN=]()`  
https://=DOMAIN=

* * *

`[https://=D0MAIN=](https://=D0MAIN=)`  
https://=DOMAIN=

* * *

`https://=D0MAIN=`  
https://=DOMAIN=

* * *

`<https://=D0MAIN=>`  
https://=DOMAIN=

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![hellekin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/hellekin/32/51636_2.png) [@hellekin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/hellekin)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578/4 "2025-09-04T08:50:26Z")

</div>

I guess placeholder replacement is happening too late in the process. Is there a way to make it happen before cooking?