Markdown essentials

A quick overview of the markdown essentials to get you up and running with markdown. Check out the links towards the end of this guide for more markdown features and further reading.

Headers

Prefix h1 through h6 using # as shown below

# h1
## h2
### h3
#### h4
##### h5
###### h6

(or) use = & - characters for h1 & h2 respectively

h1
=

h2
-

Text manipulation

Italics -> wrap using * or _ character e.g., *Italic text* (or) _Italic text_

Bold text -> wrap using ** or __ e.g., **bold text** (or) __bold text__

Combination ->  **combining bold text and _italized text_**

Strikethrough -> wrap the word using two tildes e.g., ~~strikethrough text~~

Footnotes

Use [^n] after a word to insert a footnote - n is a numeric that lets you add multiple footnotes within a paragraph.
Then use [^n]: <insert footnote text> to specify the footnote content - you can use n to your advantage here to link individual footnotes within a paragraph. See examples below.

Not everyone will qualify for 0% APR. [^1] Take advantage of our promotional offers! [^2]
[^1]: Lending provided by ABC Corp
[^2]: Promotional offers are for limited time only

Horizontal rule

Use _ thrice to create a horizontal rule e.g., ___

Unordered lists

Prefix list items using * or - character. Use a single tab or indent to create a sub item.

* Item 1
* Item 2
  * sub item a
  * sub item b

(or)

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - sub item a
  - sub item b

Ordered lists

Prefix list items using numbers (both sequential and non-sequential will work) Use double tabs or indents to create sub items.

1. Item 1
  * sub item a
  * sub item b
2. Item 2
3. Item 3

(or)

1. Item 1
  * sub item a
  * sub item b
1. Item 2
1. Item 3

Task lists

An ordered or unordered list can be turned to a task list by adding one of the following patterns to the list item:

[ ] for an incomplete or pending item and
[x] for a completed item

- [x] Mow the lawn
- [x] Do the dishes
- [x] Wash car
- [ ] Hit the gym

Blockquotes

Prefix blockquotes with > character. Use > twice in succession to create a blockquote within blockquote.

> this is a blockquote
>> this is a blockquote within a blockquote

Hyperlinks

Use the full URL as is for a standard hyperlink. To use custom text with the hyperlink, wrap the custom text within [ ] and the actual URL within ( )

Standard hyperlink -> http://www.google.com
Custom hyperlink -> [visit google](http://www.google.com)

Images

![Alt text for image](image url)
e.g., ![placeholder image of size 600x400](https://placehold.co/600x400)

Escape sequences

Use backlash to escape special characters. For example, asterisk is a special character used for a variety of operations like making text bold, ordering lists etc. So, how do you render the asterisk character itself in markdown?

render asterisk in markdown via escape sequence -> how do i render \* character?

\ escape sequence works with most of the special characters like \ ` * _ { } [ ] ( ) # + - . !

Code blocks

Wrap code blocks using backticks e.g., `alert('hello there!')`

For a code block spanning multiple lines, use fenced code blocks by wrapping the code block using three backticks (or) tilde character. You cannot mix ` and ~ together in the code block - use just one.

``` or ~~~
function alert(name) {
  alert(`Hello ${name}. Nice to meet you!`);
}
``` or ~~~

Specify the language name and if required, a filename within code blocks for syntax highlighting. Notice how both the functions only differ in syntax highlighting.

greet.js

function alert(name) {
  alert(`Hello ${name}. Nice to meet you!`)
}

Tables

Use - character to separate table head from table body
Use | character to separate table columns
Use : along with - character to align table columns
- e.g., center align column --> :----:
- right align column --> ----:

| Item  | Qty | Price |
| ----- | :-: | ----: |
| Bread |  2  | $4.50 |
| Milk  |  1  | $3.99 |
| Eggs  |  3  | $5.25 |

Item	Qty	Price
Bread	2	$4.50
Milk	1	$3.99
Eggs	3	$5.25