Using Markdown: A Short Instruction Guide

By Bill Dyer

Markdown was created as a simple way to write in an easy-to-read format that could be converted to HTML; it is a text tool that allows anyone to create Web pages without knowing any HTML.

While basic Markdown may not be sufficient for creating books, extensions such as CommonMark and Pandoc can take up that slack.

Markdown doesn't do everything we might want, but what it does do simplifies writing greatly. The writer can write, using only a small set of syntax rules, while Markdown does the formatting. If you use text for your drafts, it can take you a long way in simplifying the work. Even the drafts can look good.

This book is an introduction to basic Markdown. Knowing how to use basic Markdown will carry over into the use of extended packages such as CommonMark and Pandoc. Here, then, we'll cover basic Markdown syntax with examples to show you how you can use it right away. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at just how much basic Markdown can do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bill Dyer
• Release date: Apr 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370053735

Bill Dyer

Bill Dyer is a quote collector on the sly.With coffee running through his veins, no time of day or night is safe for the unwary writer or speaker. They may find their words collected.

Book preview

Using Markdown

A Short Instruction Guide

by

William Dyer

Using Markdown: A Short Instruction Guide

William Dyer

Copyright © 2018. William Dyer.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What is Markdown?

Choosing a Text Editor

Headings

Emphasis

Paragraphs and Line Breaks

Blockquotes

Code Blocks

Code Spans

Lists

Unordered Lists

Ordered Lists

Nested Lists

Links

Automatic Links

Inline Links

Reference Links

Implicit Link Name Shortcut

Images

Inline Images

Reference-Style Images

Horizontal Rules

Inline HTML

Auto-Escaping of Special Characters

Conclusion

Appendices

Markdown Cheat Sheet

Headings

Paragraphs

Emphasis

Links

Images

Lists

Code Blocks

Code Spans

Blockquotes

Horizontal Rules

Backslash Escapes

Gotchas and Watch-out-fors

Other Resources

John Gruber's Markdown

CommonMark

MultiMarkdown

Pandoc

GitHub

Fountain

CriticMarkup

Online Markdown Editors

Dingus

StackEdit

Ghost

Dillinger

TextDrop

GitBook

ASCII Guitar Tablature

Miscellaneous Notes

About the Author

Introduction

I discovered Markdown while I was in search of a method to simplify the process of preserving documents. Markdown certainly makes text repairs easier, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much it made all of my other writing tasks easier as well. Today, I perform every writing task with Markdown.

When we create a Markdown document, we write text, adding only a few extra keyboard characters to create emphasis, lists, insert images and more--all without making the document hard to read. Markdown focuses on what is important: creating content, not on presentation. We can write, using only a small set of syntax rules, while Markdown does the conversion. If you use text for your drafts, it can take you a long way in simplifying the work. Even the draft can look good--and Markdown converts it to HTML for us.

Markdown's format for writing has become quite popular. Today, we see it used as a part of a web site's editing features. There are Markdown plug-ins on blogging sites setting the writer to free to write instead of concerning themselves with formatting. As a Web writing tool, Markdown is excellent. That Markdown is used in GitHub, GitBook, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and many others, is proof of this. Authors can use Markdown to write articles and books. While John Gruber's basic Markdown may not be sufficient for creating books, extensions such as CommonMark, MultiMarkdown, Pandoc, etc. can take up that slack.

This book is introductory and covers John Gruber's basic Markdown. Information on extensions, which add more features to Markdown, is readily available if you need it, but knowing how to use basic Markdown will carry over into the use of those extensions--John Gruber's Markdown is the standard. Here, then, we'll cover basic Markdown syntax with examples to show you how you can use it right away. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at just how much basic Markdown can do.

I have avoided including instructions on how to install Markdown. Most Markdown editors use a common installation program, so the installation of a Markdown editor is no different than most other programs. Also, most Markdown editors today have Markdown features built in, so if you have a Markdown editor installed, chances are superb that