Markdown & GFM Syntax Guide
Markdown is a lightweight markup language for creating formatted text using a plain-text editor. This guide covers both standard Markdown and GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM).Feel free to edit the code blocks below to see the preview update in real-time!
Basic Syntax
These are the core Markdown elements outlined in John Gruber's original design document. They work in almost every Markdown application.
Headings
To create a heading, add one to six # symbols before your heading text. The number of hashes determines the heading level.
Heading level 1
Heading level 2
Heading level 3
Heading level 4
Heading level 5
Heading level 6
Emphasis (Bold & Italic)
You can add emphasis by making text bold or italic.
I just love bold text.
It is also possible to use bold text.
Italicized text is the cat's meow.
You can also use underscores.
This text is really important.
Lists
You can organize items into ordered and unordered lists.
Unordered List:
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
- Indented item
- Another indented item
Ordered List:
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
- Indented item
- Another indented item
Links
To create a link, enclose the link text in brackets and then follow it immediately with the URL in parentheses.
My favorite search engine is DuckDuckGo.
You can also add a title (tooltip):
xyzEditor
Images
To add an image, add an exclamation mark (!), followed by alt text in brackets, and the path or URL to the image asset in parentheses.
Blockquotes
To create a blockquote, add a > in front of a paragraph.
Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.
The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor.
Horizontal Rules
To create a horizontal rule, use three or more asterisks (***), dashes (---), or underscores (___) on a line by themselves.
Three underscores:
Three asterisks:
Extended Syntax (GFM)
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds features that aren't available in standard Markdown. xyzEditor fully supports these extensions.
Tables
To add a table, use three or more hyphens (---) to create each column's header, and use pipes (|) to separate each column.
| Syntax | Description | Test Text |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Title | Here's this |
| Paragraph | Text | And more |
Notice the colons (:) in the second row? They dictate the text alignment of the column (left, center, or right).
Fenced Code Blocks & Syntax Highlighting
Use three backticks (```) or three tildes (~~~) to enclose code. You can specify a language next to the backticks to enable syntax highlighting.
function calculateTax(amount, rate) { return amount * rate; }
Strikethrough
You can cross out words by putting two tildes (~~) before and after the text.
The world is flat round.
Footnotes
Footnotes allow you to add notes and references without cluttering the body of the document. When you create a footnote, a superscript link with a number appears where you added the footnote reference.
Emoji
You can add emoji to your Markdown file by typing the emoji directly or by using emoji shortcodes.
Gone camping! ⛺ Be back soon.
That is so funny! 😂
Task Lists
Task lists allow you to create a list of items with checkboxes.
- Write the press release
- Update the website
- Contact the media
Alerts (GitHub style)
Alerts are a Markdown extension based on the blockquote syntax that you can use to emphasize critical information. There are 5 types of alerts: NOTE, TIP, IMPORTANT, WARNING, and CAUTION.
NOTE
Useful information that users should know.
TIP
Helpful advice for doing things better.
WARNING
Urgent info that needs immediate attention.
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