Question: I write LaTeX docs in French, and babel package puts extra spaces before colons (**:**). It is useful, but I don’t want it in URLs:

> 
> http ://docbook.org/ns/docbook
> 
> 
> 

Any thoughts how to solve problem?

Thanks!

Answer: 
My suggestion would be using the package [`hyperref`](http://mirrors.dotsrc.org/ctan/macros/latex/contrib/hyperref/doc/manual.html), and then using the command `\url{http://example.org/url/here}` for your URLs.

With some luck, this hopefully won't be affected by babel.
In french typography colons are special as they should be preceded by a space. The babel package enforces this rule if used with the [french] option.

You can override colons as an active character using the following babel command.

```
\shorthandoff{:}

```

Use the following command to switch back colons as an active character.

```
\shorthandon{:}

```