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The Markdown Guide

The Markdown Guide is a comprehensive reference to the Markdown markup language. New users will get a brief overview of the language and available applications, then hit the ground running by experimenting with the syntax. Advanced users will appreciate the careful attention to syntax details.

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About

About

About the Book

You Need to Learn Markdown

I'm a technical writer, and I've used a lot of writing tools over the course of my professional career. One of the most interesting tools I've encountered is Markdown.

I've been using Markdown for years now and I recommend it to everyone I know. There are lots of reasons why you should learn to write using Markdown, but one of the best reasons is that it's better than the alternatives.

Learning Markdown means you can stop using all the subpar writing tools you've tolerated for years. It can also further your career. Believe it or not, knowing how to write using Markdown is a requirement for many jobs.

Markdown is Everywhere

My litmus test for a successful writing tool is whether using it can become second nature. Does writing with it feel natural? Or do I feel like I'm constantly fighting against it? I stop using tools that hinder me. Time is valuable, and I don't have the luxury of indulging things that squander that precious resource.

Markdown passes the test with flying colors. Writing using Markdown just feels right. Since its introduction in 2004, millions of people have starting using it to write everything from notes to documents. It's one of the most successful markup languages of all time.

Markdown has succeeded where other markup languages have failed because it strikes the right balance between power and simplicity. It's easy to learn and simple to use. Its tremendous success means it's ubiquitous enough to replace WYSIWYG editors on websites like Reddit and GitHub. But Markdown is also powerful enough to create documents, books, and technical documentation. Markdown is literally everywhere.

Get Going Fast

So you want to learn to write using Markdown. Great! Now what?

I was in your shoes once, too. I wanted to learn Markdown, but I couldn't find any good resources for beginners. That's why I decided to create the Markdown Guide. It's designed to be a comprehensive reference guide to the Markdown markup language.

Author

About the Author

Matt Cone

Matt Cone is a technical writer at Fastly. He has experience creating documentation for organizations like Linode and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Matt's first book, Master Your Mac, was published by No Starch Press. To get in touch with Matt, visit https://www.mattcone.com.

Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

  1. How to Read This Book
  2. Beginner Resources
  3. Syntax Examples
  4. Asides
  5. Quirks
  6. Contributing
  7. Reporting Issues
  8. Acknowledgements

1.Getting Started

  1. Why Use Markdown?
  2. Kicking the Tires
  3. How Markdown Works
  4. Flavors of Markdown
  5. Additional Resources

2.Doing Things With Markdown

  1. Websites
  2. Documents
  3. Notes
  4. Books
  5. Presentations
  6. Email
  7. Collaboration
  8. Documentation

3.Basic Syntax

  1. Headings
  2. Alternate Syntax
  3. Heading Best Practices
  4. Paragraphs
  5. Paragraph Best Practices
  6. Line Breaks
  7. Line Break Best Practices
  8. Emphasis
  9. Bold
  10. Italic
  11. Bold and Italic
  12. Blockquotes
  13. Blockquotes with Multiple Paragraphs
  14. Nested Blockquotes
  15. Blockquotes with Other Elements
  16. Blockquotes Best Practices
  17. Lists
  18. Ordered Lists
  19. Unordered Lists
  20. Adding Elements in Lists
  21. Code
  22. Escaping Backticks
  23. Code Blocks
  24. Horizontal Rules
  25. Horizontal Rule Best Practices
  26. Links
  27. Adding Titles
  28. URLs and Email Addresses
  29. Formatting Links
  30. Reference-style Links
  31. Link Best Practices
  32. Images
  33. Linking Images
  34. Escaping Characters
  35. Characters You Can Escape
  36. HTML
  37. HTML Best Practices

4.Extended Syntax

  1. Availability
  2. Lightweight Markup Languages
  3. Markdown Processors
  4. Tables
  5. Alignment
  6. Formatting Text in Tables
  7. Escaping Pipe Characters in Tables
  8. Fenced Code Blocks
  9. Syntax Highlighting
  10. Footnotes
  11. Heading IDs
  12. Linking to Heading IDs
  13. Definition Lists
  14. Strikethrough
  15. Task Lists
  16. Emoji
  17. Copying and Pasting Emoji
  18. Using Emoji Shortcodes
  19. Automatic URL Linking
  20. Disabling Automatic URL Linking

5.Cheat Sheet

  1. Basic Syntax
  2. Extended Syntax

About the Author

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