reading-notes
Course 102, Entry 1: Markdown
Initially created in 2004 by John Gruber, Markdown is a Lightweight Markup Language (LML), a simple, easy-to-use text-encoding language which adds formatting and structure to plaintext documents via inserted symbols and statements (jointly, syntax). There are many different Markdown editors available to users, web-based and application, with all major mobile and desktop platforms being supported (Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux). Some of these options offer a preview pane feature, allowing users to immediately see the results of their edits. However, as an LML, Markdown is meant to be easy enough to use that a basic text editor should suffice, as the syntax of Markdown is designed to be very readable.
Advantages
- Dynamic. Innumerable use cases. Documentation, presentations, emails, and websites are just a few uses for Markdown.
- Compatible. Being that the output is quite simple, it is easy to integrate with other code.
- Embraced. Supported across multiple operating platforms.
- Durable. Being that it is so simple, it is highly unlikely to break at your next update.
- Pervasive. Implemented in many places, including big-name websites like Reddit, Github, SourceForge, and Stack Exchange.
Notable Examples:
Headings
To create a heading in Markdown, simply use #, followed by a space before the text to be formatted. The number of times # is inserted is inversely related to the size of text. One # creates the largest heading, six creates the smallest.
Example:
# Super-Duper-Title
###### Super-Duper-Title
Output:
Bold
Due to potential compatibility issues, the best practice for applying bold to text is to use ** immediately before and after the target text.
Example:
Text **text**.
Output:
Italic
Likewise, to apply italic to text, it is best practice to to use * immediately before and after the target text, rather than underscores.
Example:
Text *text*.
Output:
Links
To create a link in Markdown, use [ immediately before the text and ] immediately after, with the URL following, with ( and ) immediately before and after the URL text, respectively.
Example:
For the best open-source code versioning platform, go to [GitHub](https://github.com).
Output:
Unordered Lists
To create an unordered list, you can use the delimiters -, +, or *, with the elected symbol being followed by a space, preceding the target text. Indents can also be used. Best practice is to not mix and match these delimiters though, else issues could arise.
Example:
+ Apples
+ Oranges
+ Tangerines
+ Grapes
Output: