Markdown

Markdown is a better-than-wiki Markup that helps you format text in an elegant, text-only way. Markdown works the way we are used to when writing email, and focuses on meaning of what you want to say, not appearance.

This help guide is written in plain text and formatted with Markdown.

To write in markdown, follow these principles:

Paragraphs

    Paragraphs are surrounded by blank lines. No matter 
how the line 
wraps, the paragraph only 
        stops after an empty line.

The above plain text produces a paragraph like this:

Paragraphs are surrounded by blank lines. No matter how the line wraps, the paragraph only stops after an empty line.

Line Breaks

To break a line without starting a new paragraph, end the line with two spaces and press enter.    
Two spaces above (colored grey for illustration) created a line break, without starting a new paragraph. Note there is no extra spacing between this and the previous line.

New paragraph does have extra spacing above the first line.

Emphasis

Use asterisks to emphasize words:

Emphasis is surrounded with asterisks: *emphasis*.

Strong emphasis is surrounded with two asterisks: **strong emphasis**.

Headings

Form headings by prefixing them with number of hash signs: # for first heading, ## for second, and so on:

# Heading 1 creates the title like on top of this page.

## Heading 2 creates a second level title, like sub-sections on this page.

### Heading 3 creates a third-level heading.

Bullets

Bullets are asterisks:

* First bullet
* Second bullet
  * Indent two spaces to create next level  

        Indent the line to align with bullet text to create 
        linked paragraph (either with two spaces or a blank line before it).

The above plain text will create the following output:

  • First bullet
  • Second bullet

    • Indent two spaces to create next level

      Indent the line to align with bullet text to create linked paragraph (either with two spaces or a blank line before it).

Links

Insert a link like this: [link title](http://actual_link). To link to an image prefix the address with exclamation mark: ![alt text](/path/to/image.jpg)

Block Quotes

> To block quote text like this, start the paragraph with `>` sign. The remainder of the paragraph 
  will be block indented. 

>> To use second-level block quote, begin the first line of the paragraph with two `>>` signs in front.

The above plain text will produce formatting like this:

To block quote text like this, start the paragraph with > sign. The remainder of the paragraph will be block indented.

To use second-level block quote, begin the first line of the paragraph with two >> signs in front.

Embed HTML

For more complex formatting, embed HTML into text:

    To add <sup>super</sup>script for example.

To add superscript for example.