github-flavored-markdown.md

/* Title: Github Flavored Markdown Author: The Codex Project */

Github Flavored Markdown

Codex uses GitHub Flavored Markdown, or GFM, for all documentation markup. It differs from standard Markdown (SM) in a few significant ways, and adds some additional functionality.

If you're not already familiar with Markdown, take a look at Markdown Basics.

Differences from traditional Markdown

Multiple underscores in words

"Normal" Markdown transforms underscores (_) into italics, such that wow_great_stuff becomes wowgreatstuff.

It is not reasonable to italicize just part of a word, especially when you're dealing with code and names often appear with multiple underscores. Therefore, GFM ignores underscores in words, like this:

• wow_great_stuff
• do_this_and_do_that_and_another_thing.

URL autolinking

GFM will autolink standard URLs, so if you want to link to a URL (instead of setting link text), you can simply enter the URL and it will be turned into a link to that URL.

http://example.com

becomes

http://example.com

Strikethrough

GFM adds syntax to create strikethrough text, which is missing from standard Markdown.

~~Mistaken text.~~

becomes

Mistaken text.

Fenced code blocks

Standard Markdown converts text with four spaces at the beginning of each line into a code blockl; GFM also supports fenced blocks. Just wrap your code in ``` (three backticks; as shown below) and you won't need to indent it by four spaces.

Note that although fenced code blocks don't have to be preceeded by a blank line -- unlike indented code blocks -- we recommend placing a blank line before them to make the raw Markdown easier to read.

Here's an example:

```
function text() {
	console.log("notice the blank line before this function?");
}
```

Syntax highlighting

Code blocks can be take a step further by adding syntax highlighting. In your fenced block, add an optional language identifier and we'll run it through syntax highlighting. For example, to syntax highlight PHP code:

```php
function sayHello()
{
	echo "Hello World!";
}

sayHello();
```

becomes

function sayHello()
{
	echo "Hello World!";
}

sayHello();

Tables

You can create tables by assembling a list of words and dividing them with hyphens - (for the first row), and then separating each column with a pipe |:

First Header  | Second Header
------------- | -------------
Content Cell  | Content Cell
Content Cell  | Content Cell

For aesthetic purposes, you can also add extra pipes on the ends:

| First Header  | Second Header |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Content Cell  | Content Cell  |
| Content Cell  | Content Cell  |

Note that the dashes at the top don't need to match the length of the header text exactly.

| Name | Description            |
| ------------- | ------------- |
| Help     | ~~Display the~~ help window.|
| Close    | _Closes_ a window      |

becomes

Name	Description
Help	Display the help window.
Close	Closes a window

Finally, by including colons : within the header row, you can define text to be left-aligned, right-aligned, or center-aligned:

| Left-Aligned  | Center Aligned  | Right Aligned |
| :------------ | :--------------:| -----:|
| col 3 is      | some wordy text | $1600 |
| col 2 is      | centered        |   $12 |
| zebra stripes | are neat        |    $1 |

becomes

Left-Aligned	Center Aligned	Right Aligned
col 3 is	some wordy text	$1600
col 2 is	centered	$12
zebra stripes	are neat	$1

• A colon on the left-most side indicates a left-aligned column.
• A colon on the right-most side indicates a right-aligned column.
• A colon on both sides indicates a center-aligned column.

HTML

You can use a subset of HTML within your pages.