HTML editor error in content builder

Question

We're transitioning all our old email code from the Classic Content into the Content Builder, but I've run into an issue several times that looks like a glitch in the HTML editor (NOT the wysiwyg) to me when writing AmpScript. When using the 'less than' operator < in a comparison, the html editor is interpreting that as an HTML tag opening like you'd see in <table>. as a result when I save my HTML block the editor goes through and edits my code assuming that I've screwed up an HTML tag and keeps my intended ampscript from functioning.

My code is this: elseif ROWCOUNT(@rs_email) < 1 then

I'm checking whether a data extension has results for my intended audience. My workaround currently is switching the order of the comparison, since the "greater than" operator isn't misinterpreted.

Workaround code: elseif 1 > ROWCOUNT(@rs_email) then

It's annoying and I'm wondering if this is a known issue for anyone else, or if I'm doing something wrong.

Here's a screenshot:

The code highlighting is indicating that it's trying to read this portion as HTML. It's in an HTML block, but that's how we've always done our AmpScript before, not sure why it would change in Content Builder.

Answer 1

EDIT: Thanks to your screenshot I now reproduced the issue and have a workaround for this that might be easier to put into action as you are possibly migrating a lot of emails and changing every operator is quite painful then.

The workaround is similar to Adam Spriggs approach (see original answer below) to solve the messed up preview, which my workaround also does, but uses html-comments instead and therefore also fixes the misinterpreted operator:

%%[
  /*<!--*/ 
    Var @count, @output
    Set @count = 2

    IF @count > 0 THEN
        Set @output = "greater than 0"
    ELSEIF @count < 1 THEN
        Set @output = "less than 1"
    ENDIF
  /*-->*/
]%%

<p>%%=V(@output)=%%</p>

Original answer:

Usually there is no problem when using HTML content blocks or HTML emails. However AMPscript in other types of content blocks doesn't work properly.

When using the opening %%[ and closing ]%% tags I never had problems with misinterpreted operators.

Only preview is pretty messed up, but Adam Spriggs proposed a workaround for this which is extraordinarily helpful:

%%[/* Modify to view AMPScript <div style="display:none"> */
/* your big blob of AMPScript goes here */
/*</div>*/
]%%