# & symbol in external text file **URL:** \ **Category:** flash\ **Created:** [July 30, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338 "2004-07-30T11:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Axios](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Axios](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Axios)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/1 "2004-07-30T11:44:25Z")
Hi guys! Hope you can help! I am using external text files loaded into swfs & I need to know if there is any way at all I can use the and symbol (&) and make it appear in the rest of the text? Thanks, Jen :thumb: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/2 "2004-07-30T12:57:01Z")
Put a “” before it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/3 "2004-07-30T13:25:05Z")
Thanks for the reply Kenny, I tried it and it doesnt seem to work ☹ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/4 "2004-07-30T13:28:44Z")
use %26 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/5 "2004-07-30T13:31:02Z")
I found the answer here… [http://www.naked-i.com/blog/archives/000064.php](http://www.naked-i.com/blog/archives/000064.php) > **Special Characters** Our first three characters have special meaning and must be encoded to before being passed to the Flash application. These character will not even appear in your text if you do not encode them. Character\* Special Meaning\* URL Encoded Symbol %\* Used to encode special characters\* %25 &\* Used to separate name/value pairs\* %26 +\* Represents a space within a value\* %2B Thanks for helping me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/6 "2004-07-30T18:24:13Z")
Guess we lose, Sen. …good thing you posted that question, eh? You would’ve been SCREWED without our help. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/7 "2004-09-23T01:48:08Z")
Just found this thread because I had the same problem and just wanted to let others know that %26 DOES work, at least in an html rendered dynamic text field. :love: @ Sen sorry kenny! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/8 "2004-09-23T02:08:20Z")
Guess I learned my lesson, eh? Don’t help. If you’re wrong they throw it right back at you. You’re so clev-ar, you and your tongue emoticon – been a wonderful day and I’m not in the mood for "neener-neener"s right now, so shut it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/symbol-in-external-text-file/59338/9 "2004-09-23T04:35:04Z")
excuse me? :huh: no offense man, i wasn’t poking fun at you. I was just letting others know that some things do work in case anyone was looking for a similar solution, as i was when I found the thread. Maybe your solution works for a different setup. Obviously Sen’s solution didn’t work for Axios, but it worked for me. It won’t work for someone else with a different setup but maybe yours will. Gotta try everything right? Isn’t that what this forum is for? So don’t get your panties in a bunch all right?