How can I convert a link to a SO-safe link?

Question

I am trying to post this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarjan's_off-line_least_common_ancestors_algorithm

on StackOverflow, and it doesn't get linked because of the '.

How can I convert it into a postable link (w/o using any URL shortners, of course)?

I remember ( can be replaced by a %028. What is the similar conversion for a '?

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Okay, I realized after posting that it was not getting linked in the JavaScript preview, but it gets linked when it is posted. Still, how can I convert the links to JavaScript preview safe links as mentioned above?

Answer 1

1. Use Firefox. It'll automatically encode that pesky apostrophe when you copy the URL out of the address bar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarjan%27s_off-line_least_common_ancestors_algorithm

2. Replace the apostrophe with a HTML entity:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarjan's_off-line_least_common_ancestors_algorithm
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarjan's_off-line_least_common_ancestors_algorithm

3. Don't worry about it. As you note, it works once you've posted it.

Answer 2

As of recently, the editor will do that automatically for you when entering a link via the button (or Ctrl-L).

Answer 3

This is a bug. ' is valid in the path portion of the URL (and so are ( and )).

See RFC 3986:

URI           = scheme ":" hier-part [ "?" query ] [ "#" fragment ]
hier-part     = "//" authority path-abempty
              / path-absolute
              / path-rootless
              / path-empty
path-abempty  = *( "/" segment )
segment       = *pchar
pchar         = unreserved / pct-encoded / sub-delims / ":" / "@"
sub-delims    = "!" / "$" / "&" / "'" / "(" / ")"
              / "*" / "+" / "," / ";" / "="