2024-02-10T10:01:39
Status: #moc
Tags: #markdown
Links: [[Technology]] | [[Software Development]] | [[Standards]] | [[Knowledge base]]
# Markdown
**Markdown** is a [lightweight markup language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightweight_markup_language "Lightweight markup language") for creating [formatted text](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formatted_text "Formatted text") using a [plain-text editor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_editor "Text editor"). [John Gruber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber "John Gruber") and [Aaron Swartz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz "Aaron Swartz") created Markdown in 2004 as a [markup language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markup_language "Markup language") that is intended to be easy to read in its source code form. Markdown is widely used for [blogging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog "Blog") and [instant messaging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging "Instant messaging"), and also used elsewhere in [online forums](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_forums "Online forums"), [collaborative software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_software "Collaborative software"), [documentation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentation "Documentation") pages, and [readme files](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/README "README").
The initial description of Markdown contained ambiguities and raised unanswered questions, causing implementations to both intentionally and accidentally diverge from the original version. This was addressed in 2014 when long-standing Markdown contributors released [CommonMark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown#Standardization), an unambiguous specification and test suite for Markdown.
This page itself is written in Markdown syntax using [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md), as is my entire blog and [[Knowledge base]], and is transformed into HTML by the Publishing module in Obsidian.
Markdown is in many ways similar to [Wiki text](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki#Editing) formatting.
## Examples
| Style | Syntax | Example | Output |
| ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| Bold | `** **` or <br>`__ __` | `**Bold text**` | **Bold text** |
| Italic | `* *` or <br>`_ _` | `*Italic text*` | _Italic text_ |
| Strikethrough | `~~ ~~` | `~~Striked out text~~` | ~~Striked out text~~ |
| Bold and nested italic | `** **` and <br>`_ _` | `**Bold text and _nested italic_ text**` | **Bold text and _nested italic_ text** |
| Bold and italic | `*** ***` or <br>`___ ___` | `***Bold and italic text***` | **_Bold and italic text_** |
| Heading | `#` | `# Heading` | <h1>Heading</h1> |
| Sub-heading | `##` | `## Sub-heading` | <h2>Sub-heading</h2> |
| Bullet list | `-` | `- list item` | <ul><li>list item</li></ul> |
| Numbered list | `1.` | `1. list item` | <ol><li>list item</li></ol> |
## Used by
- [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md)
- [ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com/)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/)
- [Discord](https://discord.com/)
- [[XMLSpy]] [Markdown Editor](https://www.altova.com/xmlspy-xml-editor/markdown-editor)
- and many more...
## Related Blog Posts
- [[Reorganizing my Knowledge Base]]
## References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown
- https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/
- https://www.markdownguide.org/
- https://www.altova.com/xmlspy-xml-editor/markdown-editor
- https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Basic+formatting+syntax
- https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github/getting-started-with-writing-and-formatting-on-github/basic-writing-and-formatting-syntax