Readme Markdown Syntax



  1. Markdown Syntax Cheat Sheet
  2. Readme.md Syntax New Line
  3. Readme Markdown Syntax Python
  4. Readme.md Syntax Example

Markdown is a lightweight markup language for adding formatting elements to plain text. IntelliJ IDEA recognizes Markdown files, provides a dedicated editor with highlighting, completion, and formatting, and shows the rendered HTML in a live preview pane.

Create a new Markdown file

  1. While the space is technically required in most standard Markdown implementations, some processors allow for a compact notation as well. ReadMe supports this style, so writing this ###A Valid Heading Lorem ipsum dolor etc. Compact headings must be followed.
  2. We recommend that Git repositories have an up-to-date top-level README.md file. Markdown syntax. Gitiles supports the core Markdown syntax described in Markdown Basics.Additional extensions are supported to more closely match GitHub Flavored Markdown.
  3. Jul 12, 2020 Markdown Syntax As git README.md file is created using markdown language, learning some basic markdown syntax can be very useful to style your README.md file. Learn syntax for the following most commonly used elements in the git README.md.

Apr 07, 2020 ReadMe-Flavored Markdown. Docs & Guides→ The result of this work is our ReadMe-flavored syntax extension and a brand spanking new Markdown engine to go with it! Let’s look a bit deeper at how this works in practice, and why it’s so useful. Say we had some docs we were syncing to ReadMe from our repo. ## Blockquotes Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text-formatting syntax, created in 2004 by John Gruber with Aaron Swartz. Markdown is often used to format readme files, for writing messages in online discussion forums, and to create rich text using a plain text editor.

By default, IntelliJ IDEA recognizes any file with the .md or .markdown extension as a Markdown file.

  1. Right-click a directory in the Project tool window Alt+1 and select New | File.

    Alternatively, you can select the necessary directory, press Alt+Insert, and then select File.

  2. Enter a name for your file with a recognized extension, for example: readme.md.

The Markdown editor provides several basic formatting actions in the toolbar:

  • : Bold

  • : Strikethrough

  • : Italic

  • : Code

  • : Decrease heading level

  • : Increase heading level

  • : Convert an inline link to a reference link

You can use the preview pane to see the rendered HTML.

There is also completion for links to files in the current project, for example, if you need to reference source code, images, or other Markdown files.

Code blocks

To insert a fenced code block, use triple backticks (```) before and after the code block. If you specify the language for the code block, by default, the Markdown editor injects the corresponding language. This enables syntax highlighting and other coding assistance features for the specified language: code completion, inspections, and intention actions.

Disable coding assistance in code blocks

If your code blocks are not meant to be syntactically correct, you may want to disable code injection and syntax errors in code blocks.

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Languages & Frameworks | Markdown.

  2. Configure the following options:

    Disable automatic language injection in code fencesDo not inject any coding assistance for code blocks.
    Hide errors in code fencesDo not check the syntax for errors.
  3. Click OK to apply the changes.

Diagrams

The Markdown editor can render diagrams defined with Mermaid and PlantUML. This is disabled by default and requires the corresponding Markdown extensions.

Enable diagram support

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Languages & Frameworks | Markdown.

  2. Enable either Mermaid or PlantUML under Markdown Extensions.

  3. After IntelliJ IDEA downloads the relevant extensions, click OK to apply the changes.

HTML preview

By default, the Markdown editor shows a preview pane next to it for rendered HTML code based on the Markdown file. You can use or in the top right corner of the Markdown editor to show only the editor or the preview pane.

The scrollbars in the editor and in the preview pane are synchronized, meaning that the location in the preview pane corresponds to the location in the source. To disable this, click in the top right corner of the Markdown editor.

To split the editor and preview pane horizontally (top and bottom) instead of the default vertical split, in the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Languages & Frameworks | Markdown, and then select Split horizontally under Editor and Preview Panel Layout.

Custom CSS

IntelliJ IDEA provides default style sheets for rendering HTML in the preview pane. These style sheets were designed to be consistent with the default UI themes. You can configure specific CSS rules to make small presentation changes (for example, change the font size for headings or line spacing in lists) or you can provide an entirely new CSS to better match your expected output (for example, if you want to replicate the GitHub Markdown style).

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Languages & Frameworks | Markdown.

  2. Configure the settings under Custom CSS:

    • Select Load from URI to specify the location of a custom CSS file.

    • Select Add CSS rules rules to enter specific CSS rules that you want to override.

Reformat Markdown files

IntelliJ IDEA can format Markdown files with proper line wrappings, blank lines, and indentation. For more information, see Reformat and rearrange code.

  • From the main menu, select Code | Reformat Code or press Ctrl+Alt+L.

IntelliJ IDEA formats the contents according to the code style settings for Markdown files.

Configure Markdown code style settings

  • In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Editor | Code Style | Markdown.

Markdown code style settings include the following:

Configure the options for breaking lines.

Hard wrap atSpecify at which column to put a line break. IntelliJ IDEA shows a vertical line at the specified column and breaks lines between words, not within words.
Wrap on typingAdd line breaks as you type. Disable this option to add line breaks only when IntelliJ IDEA performs formatting.
Visual guidesShow an additional vertical line at the specified column.

Configure the options for nesting text blocks and alignment within a block.

Use tab characterUse the tab character for indentation. Disable this option to use spaces for indentation.
Smart tabsNest blocks with tabs and align with spaces. Disable this option to use only tabs and replace spaces that fit the specified tab size with tabs.
Tab sizeSpecify the number of spaces to render in place of one tab character.
IndentSpecify the number of spaces used for each indentation level.
Continuation indentSpecify the number of spaces used for continuing the same text block.
Keep indents on empty linesRetain tabs and spaces on empty lines. By default, this option is disabled and IntelliJ IDEA removes tabs and spaces if there is nothing else on that line.

Set the maximum and minimum number of blank lines to keep for various text elements.

Around headerBefore and after chapter headings.
Around block elementsBefore and after code blocks.
Between paragraphsBetween two adjacent paragraphs.

Specify which elements should have exactly one space.

Between wordsRemove extra spaces between words.
After header symbolRemove extra spaces or add a missing space between the header symbol and the header title.
After list markerRemove extra spaces or add a missing space between the list item marker and the list item text.
After blockquote markerRemove extra spaces or add a missing space between the block quote marker and the text of the block quote.

Productivity tips

Customize highlighting for Markdown

IntelliJ IDEA highlights various Markdown elements according to the color scheme settings.

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Editor | Color Scheme | Markdown.

  2. Select the color scheme, accept the highlighting settings inherited from defaults, or customize them as described in Configuring colors and fonts.

Navigate in a large Markdown file

  • Use the Structure tool window Alt+7 or the File Structure popup Ctrl+F12 to view and jump to the relevant headings.

Markdown does not have dedicated syntax for commenting out lines. However, it is possible to emulate a comment line using a link label without an address, like this:

There must be a blank line before the link label.

  • Put the caret at the line that you want to comment out and press Ctrl+/.

    This will add a link label with the commented out text in parentheses and a blank line before it if necessary. Press the same shortcut to uncomment.

Last modified: 08 March 2021

Overview

The basic syntax outlined in John Gruber’s original design document added many of the elements needed on a day-to-day basis, but it wasn’t enough for some people. That’s where extended syntax comes in.

Several individuals and organizations took it upon themselves to extend the basic syntax by adding additional elements like tables, code blocks, syntax highlighting, URL auto-linking, and footnotes. These elements can be enabled by using a lightweight markup language that builds upon the basic Markdown syntax, or by adding an extension to a compatible Markdown processor.

Availability

Not all Markdown applications support extended syntax elements. You’ll need to check whether or not the lightweight markup language your application is using supports the extended syntax elements you want to use. If it doesn’t, it may still be possible to enable extensions in your Markdown processor.

Lightweight Markup Languages

There are several lightweight markup languages that are supersets of Markdown. They include Gruber’s basic syntax and build upon it by adding additional elements like tables, code blocks, syntax highlighting, URL auto-linking, and footnotes. Many of the most popular Markdown applications use one of the following lightweight markup languages:

Markdown Processors

There are dozens of Markdown processors available. Many of them allow you to add extensions that enable extended syntax elements. Check your processor’s documentation for more information.

Tables

To add a table, use three or more hyphens (---) to create each column’s header, and use pipes (|) to separate each column. You can optionally add pipes on either end of the table.

The rendered output looks like this:

SyntaxDescription
HeaderTitle
ParagraphText

Cell widths can vary, as shown below. The rendered output will look the same.

Tip: Creating tables with hyphens and pipes can be tedious. To speed up the process, try using the Markdown Tables Generator. Build a table using the graphical interface, and then copy the generated Markdown-formatted text into your file.

Alignment

You can align text in the columns to the left, right, or center by adding a colon (:) to the left, right, or on both side of the hyphens within the header row.

The rendered output looks like this:

SyntaxDescriptionTest Text
HeaderTitleHere’s this
ParagraphTextAnd more

Formatting Text in Tables

You can format the text within tables. For example, you can add links, code (words or phrases in backticks (`) only, not code blocks), and emphasis.

You can’t add headings, blockquotes, lists, horizontal rules, images, or HTML tags.

Escaping Pipe Characters in Tables

You can display a pipe (|) character in a table by using its HTML character code (|).

Fenced Code Blocks

The basic Markdown syntax allows you to create code blocks by indenting lines by four spaces or one tab. If you find that inconvenient, try using fenced code blocks. Depending on your Markdown processor or editor, you’ll use three backticks (```) or three tildes (~~~) on the lines before and after the code block. The best part? You don’t have to indent any lines!

The rendered output looks like this:

Tip: Need to display backticks inside a code block? See this section to learn how to escape them.

Syntax Highlighting

Many Markdown processors support syntax highlighting for fenced code blocks. This feature allows you to add color highlighting for whatever language your code was written in. To add syntax highlighting, specify a language next to the backticks before the fenced code block.

The rendered output looks like this:

Footnotes

Footnotes allow you to add notes and references without cluttering the body of the document. When you create a footnote, a superscript number with a link appears where you added the footnote reference. Readers can click the link to jump to the content of the footnote at the bottom of the page.

To create a footnote reference, add a caret and an identifier inside brackets ([^1]). Identifiers can be numbers or words, but they can’t contain spaces or tabs. Identifiers only correlate the footnote reference with the footnote itself — in the output, footnotes are numbered sequentially.

Add the footnote using another caret and number inside brackets with a colon and text ([^1]: My footnote.). You don’t have to put footnotes at the end of the document. You can put them anywhere except inside other elements like lists, block quotes, and tables.

The rendered output looks like this:

Here’s a simple footnote,1 and here’s a longer one.2

  1. This is the first footnote. ↩

  2. Here’s one with multiple paragraphs and code.

    Indent paragraphs to include them in the footnote.

    { my code }

    Add as many paragraphs as you like. ↩

Readme

Heading IDs

Many Markdown processors support custom IDs for headings — some Markdown processors automatically add them. Adding custom IDs allows you to link directly to headings and modify them with CSS. To add a custom heading ID, enclose the custom ID in curly braces on the same line as the heading.

The HTML looks like this:

Linking to Heading IDs

You can link to headings with custom IDs in the file by creating a standard link with a number sign (#) followed by the custom heading ID.

MarkdownHTMLRendered Output
[Heading IDs](#heading-ids) <a href='#heading-ids'>Heading IDs</a>Heading IDs

Other websites can link to the heading by adding the custom heading ID to the full URL of the webpage (e.g, [Heading IDs](https://www.markdownguide.org/extended-syntax#heading-ids)).

Definition Lists

Some Markdown processors allow you to create definition lists of terms and their corresponding definitions. To create a definition list, type the term on the first line. On the next line, type a colon followed by a space and the definition.

The HTML looks like this:

Markdown Syntax Cheat Sheet

The rendered output looks like this:

First Term
This is the definition of the first term.
Second Term
This is one definition of the second term.
This is another definition of the second term.

Strikethrough

You can strikethrough words by putting a horizontal line through the center of them. The result looks like this. This feature allows you to indicate that certain words are a mistake not meant for inclusion in the document. To strikethrough words, use two tilde symbols (~~) before and after the words.

The rendered output looks like this:

The world is flat. We now know that the world is round.

Task Lists

Task lists allow you to create a list of items with checkboxes. In Markdown applications that support task lists, checkboxes will be displayed next to the content. To create a task list, add dashes (-) and brackets with a space ([ ]) in front of task list items. To select a checkbox, add an x in between the brackets ([x]).

The rendered output looks like this:

Emoji

There are two ways to add emoji to Markdown files: copy and paste the emoji into your Markdown-formatted text, or type emoji shortcodes.

Copying and Pasting Emoji

In most cases, you can simply copy an emoji from a source like Emojipedia and paste it into your document. Many Markdown applications will automatically display the emoji in the Markdown-formatted text. The HTML and PDF files you export from your Markdown application should display the emoji.

Tip: If you're using a static site generator, make sure you encode HTML pages as UTF-8.

Using Emoji Shortcodes

Some Markdown applications allow you to insert emoji by typing emoji shortcodes. These begin and end with a colon and include the name of an emoji.

The rendered output looks like this:

Gone camping! ⛺ Be back soon.

That is so funny! 😂

Note: You can use this list of emoji shortcodes, but keep in mind that emoji shortcodes vary from application to application. Refer to your Markdown application's documentation for more information.

Automatic URL Linking

Many Markdown processors automatically turn URLs into links. That means if you type http://www.example.com, your Markdown processor will automatically turn it into a link even though you haven’t used brackets.

The rendered output looks like this:

Readme.md Syntax New Line

Disabling Automatic URL Linking

If you don’t want a URL to be automatically linked, you can remove the link by denoting the URL as code with backticks.

Readme Markdown Syntax Python

The rendered output looks like this:

http://www.example.com

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Readme.md Syntax Example

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