MARKDOWN

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Markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can use to add formatting elements to plaintext text documents. Created by John Gruber in 2004, Markdown is now one of the world’s most popular markup languages.

Using Markdown is different than using a WYSIWYG editor. In an application like Microsoft Word, you click buttons to format words and phrases, and the changes are visible immediately. Markdown isn’t like that. When you create a Markdown-formatted file, you add Markdown syntax to the text to indicate which words and phrases should look different.

For instance, to denote a heading, you add a number sign before it (e.g., # Heading One). Or to make a phrase bold, you add two asterisks before and after it (e.g., this text is bold). It may take a while to get used to seeing Markdown syntax in your text, especially if you’re accustomed to WYSIWYG applications.

You can add Markdown formatting elements to a plaintext file using a text editor application. Or you can use one of the many Markdown applications for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android operating systems. There are also several web-based applications specifically designed for writing in Markdown.

Depending on the application you use, you may not be able to preview the formatted document in real time. But that’s okay. According to Gruber, Markdown syntax is designed to be readable and unobtrusive, so the text in Markdown files can be read even if it isn’t rendered.

The overriding design goal for Markdown’s formatting syntax is to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions.

For more details about MARKDOWN syntax read the guide for the MARKDOWN.

Basic Syntax

Headings

To create a heading, add number signs (#) in front of a word or phrase. The number of number signs you use should correspond to the heading level. For example, to create a heading level three (<h3>), use three number signs (e.g., ### My Header).

Markdown	HTML
# Heading level 1	<h1>Heading level 1</h1>
## Heading level 2	<h2>Heading level 2</h2>
### Heading level 3	<h3>Heading level 3</h3>
#### Heading level 4	<h4>Heading level 4</h4>
##### Heading level 5	<h5>Heading level 5</h5>
###### Heading level 6	<h6>Heading level 6</h6>

Alternate Syntax

Alternatively, on the line below the text, add any number of == characters for heading level 1 or -- characters for heading level 2.

Markdown	HTML
Heading level 1 ===============	<h1>Heading level 1</h1>
Heading level 2 ---------------	<h2>Heading level 2</h2>

Heading Best Practices

Markdown applications don't agree on how to handle a missing space between the number signs (#) and the heading name. For compatibility, always put a space between the number signs and the heading name.

Do this	Don't do this
# Here's a Heading	#Here's a Heading

Paragraphs

To create paragraphs, use a blank line to separate one or more lines of text.

Markdown	HTML
I really like using Markdown. I think I'll use it to format all of my documents from now on.	<p>I really like using Markdown.</p> <p>I think I'll use it to format all of my documents from now on.</p>

Paragraph Best Practices

Unless the paragraph is in a list, don't indent paragraphs with spaces or tabs.

Do this	Don't do this
Don't put tabs or spaces in front of your paragraphs. Keep lines left-aligned like this.	This can result in unexpected formatting problems.   Don't add tabs or spaces in front of paragraphs.

Line Breaks

To create a line break (<br>), end a line with two or more spaces, and then type return.

Markdown	HTML	Rendered Output
This is the first line.   And this is the second line.	<p>This is the first line.<br> And this is the second line.</p>	This is the first line. And this is the second line.

Line Break Best Practices

You can use two or more spaces (commonly referred to as "trailing whitespace") for line breaks in nearly every Markdown application, but it's controversial. It's hard to see trailing whitespace in an editor, and many people accidentally or intentionally put two spaces after every sentence. For this reason, you may want to use something other than trailing whitespace for line breaks. Fortunately, there is another option supported by nearly every Markdown application: the <br> HTML tag.

For compatibility, use trailing white space or the <br> HTML tag at the end of the line.

There are two other options I don't recommend using. CommonMark and a few other lightweight markup languages let you type a backslash (\) at the end of the line, but not all Markdown applications support this, so it isn't a great option from a compatibility perspective. And at least a couple lightweight markup languages don't require anything at the end of the line — just type return and they'll create a line break.

Do this	Don't do this
First line with two spaces after.   And the next line. First line with the HTML tag after.<br> And the next line.	First line with a backslash after.\ And the next line. First line with nothing after. And the next line.

Emphasis

Bold

To bold text, add two asterisks or underscores before and after a word or phrase. To bold the middle of a word for emphasis, add two asterisks without spaces around the letters.

Markdown	HTML
I just love **bold text**.	I just love <strong>bold text</strong>.
I just love __bold text__.	I just love <strong>bold text</strong>.
Love**is**bold	Love<strong>is</strong>bold

Bold Best Practices

Markdown applications don't agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to bold the middle of a word for emphasis.

Do this	Don't do this
Love**is**bold	Love__is__bold

Italic

To italicize text, add one asterisk or underscore before and after a word or phrase. To italicize the middle of a word for emphasis, add one asterisk without spaces around the letters.

Markdown	HTML
Italicized text is the *cat's meow*.	Italicized text is the <em>cat's meow</em>.
Italicized text is the _cat's meow_.	Italicized text is the <em>cat's meow</em>.
A*cat*meow	A<em>cat</em>meow

Italic Best Practices

Markdown applications don't agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to italicize the middle of a word for emphasis.

Do this	Don't do this
A*cat*meow	A_cat_meow

Bold and Italic

To emphasize text with bold and italics at the same time, add three asterisks or underscores before and after a word or phrase. To bold and italicize the middle of a word for emphasis, add three asterisks without spaces around the letters.

Markdown	HTML
This text is ***really important***.	This text is <strong><em>really important</em></strong>.
This text is ___really important___.	This text is <strong><em>really important</em></strong>.
This text is __*really important*__.	This text is <strong><em>really important</em></strong>.
This text is **_really important_**.	This text is <strong><em>really important</em></strong>.
This is really***very***important text.	This is really<strong><em>very</em></strong>important text.

Bold and Italic Best Practices

Markdown applications don't agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to bold and italicize the middle of a word for emphasis.

Do this	Don't do this
This is really***very***important text.	This is really___very___important text.

Blockquotes

To create a blockquote, add a > in front of a paragraph.

> Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

Blockquotes with Multiple Paragraphs

Blockquotes can contain multiple paragraphs. Add a > on the blank lines between the paragraphs.

> Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.
>
> The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

Nested Blockquotes

Blockquotes can be nested. Add a >> in front of the paragraph you want to nest.

> Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.
>
>> The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

Blockquotes with Other Elements

Blockquotes can contain other Markdown formatted elements. Not all elements can be used — you'll need to experiment to see which ones work.

> #### The quarterly results look great!
>
> - Revenue was off the chart.
> - Profits were higher than ever.
>
>  *Everything* is going according to **plan**.

The rendered output looks like this:

The quarterly results look great!

• Revenue was off the chart.
• Profits were higher than ever.

Everything is going according to plan.

Lists

You can organize items into ordered and unordered lists.

Ordered Lists

To create an ordered list, add line items with numbers followed by periods. The numbers don't have to be in numerical order, but the list should start with the number one.

Markdown	HTML
1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item 4. Fourth item	<ol>   <li>First item</li>     <li>Second item</li>     <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ol>
1. First item 1. Second item 1. Third item 1. Fourth item	<ol>   <li>First item</li>     <li>Second item</li>     <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ol>
1. First item 8. Second item 3. Third item 5. Fourth item	<ol>   <li>First item</li>     <li>Second item</li>     <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ol>
1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item     1. Indented item     2. Indented item 4. Fourth item	<ol>   <li>First item</li>    <li>Second item</li>    <li>Third item      <ol>           <li>Indented item</li>           <li>Indented item</li>       </ol>   </li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ol>

Ordered List Best Practices

CommonMark and a few other lightweight markup languages let you use a parenthesis ()) as a delimiter (e.g., 1) First item), but not all Markdown applications support this, so it isn’t a great option from a compatibility perspective. For compatibility, use periods only.

Do this	Don't do this
1. First item 2. Second item	1) First item 2) Second item

Unordered Lists

To create an unordered list, add dashes (-), asterisks (*), or plus signs (+) in front of line items. Indent one or more items to create a nested list.

Markdown	HTML
- First item - Second item - Third item - Fourth item	<ul>   <li>First item</li>   <li>Second item</li>   <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ul>
* First item * Second item * Third item * Fourth item	<ul>   <li>First item</li>   <li>Second item</li>   <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ul>
+ First item + Second item + Third item + Fourth item	<ul>   <li>First item</li>   <li>Second item</li>   <li>Third item</li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ul>
- First item - Second item - Third item     - Indented item     - Indented item - Fourth item	<ol>   <li>First item</li>    <li>Second item</li>    <li>Third item      <ol>           <li>Indented item</li>           <li>Indented item</li>       </ol>   </li>   <li>Fourth item</li> </ol>

Unordered List Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle different delimiters in the same list. For compatibility, don't mix and match delimiters in the same list — pick one and stick with it.

Do this	Don't do this
- First item - Second item - Third item - Fourth item	+ First item * Second item - Third item + Fourth item

Adding Elements in Lists

To add another element in a list while preserving the continuity of the list, indent the element four spaces or one tab, as shown in the following examples.

Paragraphs

*   This is the first list item.
*   Here's the second list item.

    I need to add another paragraph below the second list item.

*   And here's the third list item.

The rendered output looks like this:

• This is the first list item.

• Here's the second list item.

  I need to add another paragraph below the second list item.

• And here's the third list item.

Blockquotes

*   This is the first list item.
*   Here's the second list item.

    > A blockquote would look great below the second list item.

*   And here's the third list item.

The rendered output looks like this:

• This is the first list item.

• Here's the second list item.

  A blockquote would look great below the second list item.

• And here's the third list item.

Images

1.  Open the file containing the Linux mascot.
2.  Marvel at its beauty.

    ![Flextype](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/a0e5b6039aa6d34aaa5550bf375a9dce9314db6f/68747470733a2f2f696d61676573322e696d67626f782e636f6d2f34392f38642f346970487155636a5f6f2e6a7067)

3.  Close the file.

The rendered output looks like this:

1. Open the file containing the Linux mascot.

2. Marvel at its beauty.

   

3. Close the file.

Lists

You can nest an unordered list in an ordered list, or vice versa.

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
    - Indented item
    - Indented item
4. Fourth item

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
   • Indented item
   • Indented item
4. Fourth item

Code

To denote a word or phrase as code, enclose it in backticks (`).

Markdown	HTML
At the command prompt, type `nano`.	At the command prompt, type <code>nano</code>.

Horizontal Rules

If the word or phrase you want to denote as code includes one or more backticks, you can escape it by enclosing the word or phrase in double backticks (`).

Markdown	HTML
``Use `code` in your Markdown file.``	<code>Use `code` in your Markdown file.</code>

Note: To create code blocks without indenting lines, use fenced code blocks.

Horizontal Rules

To create a horizontal rule, use three or more asterisks (***), dashes (---), or underscores (___) on a line by themselves.

***