Markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can use to add formatting elements to plaintext text documents. ... Using Markdown is different than using a WYSIWYG editor. In an application like Microsoft Word, you click buttons to format words and phrases, and the changes are visible immediately.
Is Markdown a programming language?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text-formatting syntax, created in 2004 by John Gruber with Aaron Swartz. Markdown is often used for formatting readme files, for writing messages in online discussion forums, and to create rich text using a plain text editor.
What is the purpose of markdown?
“Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).
What is the difference between markdown and markup language?
Markdown is a play on words because it is markup. "Markdown" is a proper noun. ... Markup is a general term for content formatting - such as HTML - but markdown is a library that generates HTML markup.
What Is It?
Markdown is a plain text formatting syntax aimed at making writing for the internet easier. The philosophy behind Markdown is that plain text documents should be readable without tags mussing everything up, but there should still be ways to add text modifiers like lists, bold, italics, etc. It is an alternative to WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors, which use rich text that later gets converted to proper HTML.
It’s possible you’ve encountered Markdown without realizing it. Facebook chat, Skype, and Reddit all let you use different flavors of Markdown to format your messages.
Here’s a quick example: to make words bold using Markdown, you simply enclose them in * (asterisks). So, *bold word* would look like a bold word when everything is said and done.
All told, Markdown is a great way to write for the web using plain text.
Why Use It?
- It’s Easy to Learn and Fast to Use
- It Converts to HTML Easily
- Markdown is Futureproof
- It’s Used Everywhere
- You Don’t Have to Switch Editors to Write Prose
