Most of you probably already had contact with it. The overall-mystic MD-Files.
At least if you have been working with GitHub you have seen a Readme.md file. But what is that file?
The MD File
It is easy to see, that md stands for markdown. Markdown is an easy to use formatting syntax, similar to html (funfact: which is a markup language). Markdown can be used to quickly and fast format content without leaving the keyboard. In the end the result will be a text file with additional formatting information applied.
Common markdowns
| Markdown | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| # | Level 1 heading | # Level 1 heading |
| ## | Level 2 heading | ## Level 2 heading |
| * | Italic | *some italic text* |
| ** | Bold | **some bold text here** |
| *** | Italic AND bold | ***so important italic and bold*** |
| > | Blockquote | > Citing others is pretty odd |
| 1. | Ordered list | 1. First element 1. Second element 1. Third element |
| – | Unordered list | – First element – Second element – Third element |
Markdown is a pretty commonly used syntax for creating documentation in the IT. Therefore I highly recommend taking a look into the basics to be prepared in case you somewhen need it for work.
I personally use Markdown for creating longer text passages like article and blog posts. I like the idea of focusing on the content and just having a minimal formatting on-the-fly while writing.
Wanna try it out
You can use one of the many online Markdown editors in the “internet” if you want to give it a try. I can recommend Dillinger to get started. But be aware, that Dillinger supports additional Markdowns which are not part of the default set of formatting options.
References
Markdown Guide | “Basic Syntax” (2021-03-12)