If you regularly use social media or discussion forums, chances are you’ve seen or used Markdown without even knowing what Markdown is.
For many Internet users, HTML was the first and most rudimentary programming language they learned. However, Markdown is even simpler. In fact, it is so simple that there are no courses on it at all. You can find out in minutes.
In this article, let’s go over the basics of what Markdown is and everything you need to know about one of the most popular and lightweight markdown languages ??on the web.
What is Markdown?
The name Markdown is a play on the word “markup”. Markup is defined as “the process or result of correcting text in preparation for print,†which is a precise description of how programming languages ??interact with interpreters and rendering engines to render text to those who browse the Internet.
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, so Markdown is a way to write HTML more easily, albeit less securely.
Markdown was created in 2004 by John Gruber and Aaron Schwartz, who wanted to allow people to “write in an easy-to-read and write plain text format, converting it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML) as needed.”
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One of the main goals of Markdown was to make it easier to read compared to its alternatives. This makes it easier to write Markdown and read Markdown code with plain text.
What sites use Markdown?
Since Markdown is simply an easier way to write HTML, you won’t see websites claiming to be “written in Markdown.” However, you will find many websites that allow users to contribute or post in ways that accept Markdown.
One example is GitHub. Markdown is allowed in the pre-generated README.md file for each GitHub repository. As it follows, MD is the extension used for files written using Markdown code.
Reddit and Stack Exchange also use Markdown to help users better organize their posts and express their thoughts. Stack Exchange sites like Stack Overflow wouldn’t be the same without Markdown for converting plain text into readable, formatted snippets.
How to use Markdown
The image above shows examples of Markdown formatting for composing a new Reddit text message. While it covers the basics of Markdown, some general examples are not included. Let’s go through them.
Headings
In Markdown, you can create a heading by typing # (number / pound sign) in front of the text. The number of digits / pounds you use will decrease the heading level. For example, # will be the largest heading, and ### will show the smaller subheading.
In HTML, they are simply converted to tags. For example, # is
and ### is
.
Images
Like links, images in Markdown are created by enclosing alt text in square brackets and URLs in brackets. Here’s an example:
[Help Desk Geek Logo] (https://blog.pkrtousd.gb.net/wp-content/themes/hdg/images/hdg-banner.png)
Embedded Code
Starting a line with four spaces will create a block of code, but for inline code, you can simply enclose the text in backticks. Here’s an example:
?Int main () {printf (“Hello world n”); return 0;} `
Markdown Text Editors
If you’re interested in mastering Markdown, finding PC text editor support is a great place to start. However, since Markdown can be rendered directly in the browser and does not require complex server-side interaction, there are even online Markdown editors.
Standalone Markdown Editors
Sublime Text is one of the best stand-alone Markdown editors (and text editors in general) for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
All you need to do to enable Markdown syntax highlighting is download the MD file or set the syntax highlighting to Markdown by clicking Plain Text on the right side of the status bar.
Two other great free Markdown editors are Typora (Mac) and Remarkable (Linux).
Markdown Web Editors
Markdown web editors are generally more feature rich, so we highly recommend them.
For example, StackEdit provides a distraction-free interface with two panels: one for Markdown code and one for dynamic live text preview.
If you’re new to StackEdit, all you have to do is click on the “Start Writing” button and you will be taken to its web editor, which already has sample Markdown code and instructions.
If StackEdit doesn’t have what you’re looking for, visit Dillinger or Editor.md
Markdown is all over the web, and if you are new to the web it will probably be the first unofficial “programming language” you learn to use. This is extremely useful and empowers our online communication through text, so we hope this article helped you learn more about it!
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