This guide will help you understand the proper way to format text using Markdown syntax. Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text formatting syntax designed so that it can be converted to HTML and many other formats easily. It is often used to format readmes, documentation files, for writing messages in online discussion forums, and to create rich text using a plain-text editor.
Basics of Markdown
Some of the basic formatting options in Markdown include:
- Headers: indicated by using one or more hash symbols (#)
- Emphasis: using asterisks (*) or underscores (_) to italicize or bold text
- Lists: both ordered and unordered lists are supported
- Links: creating hyperlinks using square brackets and parentheses
- Images: inserting images using an exclamation mark followed by square brackets and parentheses
- Code: displaying code snippets using backticks
Headers
Headers in Markdown are created by using one or more hash symbols followed by the header text. The number of hash symbols indicates the level of the header, with one being the highest level.
Advanced Formatting
In addition to the basic formatting options, Markdown also supports more advanced features such as:
- Tables: creating tables using pipes (|) and dashes (-)
- Blockquotes: indicating quoted text using the greater than symbol (>)
- Horizontal Rules: inserting horizontal rules using three or more hyphens, asterisks, or underscores
Tables
Tables in Markdown are created by using pipes to separate columns and dashes to create the table header. Here is an example of a simple table:
| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|---|---|
| Data 1 | Data 2 |
By mastering Markdown syntax, you can easily format text for various purposes, making your documentation and messages more clear and visually appealing.