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Markdown++ Cheatsheet

This cheatsheet is designed to be a reference for quickly discovering the many ways in which you can use Markdown and Markdown++ to organize your content for easy content creation, reuse, and publishing.

Since Markdown++ is designed to be fully backward compatible with Markdown, each section is divided into a Markdown part and a Markdown++ part, allowing users to focus on writing and productivity rather than the issues of content architecture, reuse, and publishing.

Titles

Markdown considers Title and Heading 1 paragraphs to be the most significant paragraphs within a file.

Title paragraphs are one way to attribute the most important heading paragraph in a file, however they are not required.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`Text for Title ===`	Text for Title	Title 1	Paragraph
`Text for Title ---`	Text for Title	Title 2	Paragraph

Titles with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to add additional paragraph information to your Markdown title syntax such as a style name, a custom alias that can be linked to, one or more markers, and a hidden comment that passes through to the generated output.

Markdown++ Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style(s) Type(s)

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`<!--style:CustomTitle--> Text for Title =====`	Text for Title	CustomTitle	Paragraph
`<!--style:CustomTitle; #CustomAlias; pass-through comment--> Title with linkable custom alias ==========================`	Title with linkable custom alias	CustomTitle	Paragraph
`<!--style:CustomTitle; markers:{"TopicAlias":"TopicID","Keywords":"Word1"}--> Title with markers ==================`	Title with markers	CustomTitle	Paragraph

<!--style:CustomTitle-->
Text for Title
=====

Text for Title

CustomTitle

Paragraph

<!--style:CustomTitle; #CustomAlias; pass-through comment-->
Title with linkable custom alias
==========================

Title with linkable custom alias

CustomTitle

Paragraph

<!--style:CustomTitle; markers:{"TopicAlias":"TopicID","Keywords":"Word1"}-->
Title with markers
==================

Title with markers

CustomTitle

Paragraph

Headings

Heading paragraphs are the traditional way to organize hierarchical paragraphs within a markdown file. If Title paragraphs are not used, then the Heading 1 paragraph would be the most significant in the file.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`# Heading`	Heading	Heading 1	Paragraph
`## Heading`	Heading	Heading 2	Paragraph
`### Heading`	Heading	Heading 3	Paragraph
`#### Heading`	Heading	Heading 4	Paragraph
`##### Heading`	Heading	Heading 5	Paragraph
`###### Heading`	Heading	Heading 6	Paragraph

Headings with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to add additional paragraph information to your markdown heading syntax such as a style name, a custom alias that can be linked to, one or more markers, and a hidden comment that passes through to the generated output.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`<!--style:Procedure Title--> # Heading`	Heading	Procedure Title	Paragraph
`<!--style:Section Title; markers:{"TopicAlias":"TopicID", "Keywords":"Word1,Word2", "Description":"Summary text"}--> # Heading`	Heading	Section Title	Paragraph

Paragraphs and Line Breaks

Naturally create paragraphs using one more more lines of text followed by a blank line. Do not indent paragraphs with spaces or tabs unless you intend to nest them as part of a list structure. This is the most common type of paragraph in a file.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`One or more lines of text followed by a blank line`	One or more lines of text followed by a blank line ⏎	Paragraph	Paragraph
`Force a line break using one or more white spaces at the end of the line`	Force a line break⏎ using one or more white spaces at the end of the line	Paragraph	Paragraph
`Embed a line break using the HTML<br /> element`	Embed a line break using the HTML⏎ element	Paragraph	Paragraph

Paragraphs with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to add additional paragraph information to your markdown paragraph syntax such as a style name, a custom alias that can be linked to, one or more markers, and a hidden comment that passes through to the generated output.

Markdown++ Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style(s) Type(s)

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`<!--style:Unique--> Paragraph with unique style name.`	Paragraph with unique style name	Unique	Paragraph
`<!--style:Unique; #CustomAlias--> Paragraph with linkable custom alias`	Paragraph with linkable custom alias	Unique	Paragraph
`<!--style:Unique; markers:{"TopicAlias":"TopicID"}--> Paragraph with marker`	Paragraph with marker	Unique	Paragraph

<!--style:Unique-->
Paragraph with unique style name.

Paragraph with unique style name

Unique

Paragraph

<!--style:Unique; #CustomAlias-->
Paragraph with linkable custom alias

Paragraph with linkable custom alias

Unique

Paragraph

<!--style:Unique; markers:{"TopicAlias":"TopicID"}-->
Paragraph with marker

Paragraph with marker

Unique

Paragraph

Lists

Use list structures to organize paragraphs into unordered or ordered lists.

To create an unordered list, add dashes (-), asterisks (*), or plus signs (+) in front of line items.
To create an ordered list, add line items with numbers followed by a period and then a space. The exact numerical value is not important as it will be calculated when rendered
Use indentation to nest paragraphs, other lists, or tables within lists.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`- First item - Second item - Third item`	First item Second item Third item	UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`* First item * Second item - Indented item - Indented item`	First item Second item Indented item Indented item	UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`+ First item * Second item - Third item * Fourth item`	First item Second item Third item Fourth item	UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`1. First item 1. Second item 1. Third item`	First item Second item Third item	OList, OList Item, OList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`1. First item 1. Second item 1. Third item 1. Fourth item`	First item Second item Third item Fourth item	OList, OList Item, OList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`1. First item - Second item - Third item 1. Fourth item`	First item Second item Third item Fourth item	OList, OList Item, OList Paragraph, UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`- First item Nested paragraph - Second item`	First item Nested paragraph Second item	UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph

Lists with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to add additional information to your markdown list syntax such as unique style name(s).

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`<!--style:UniqueList--> - First item - Second item - Third item`	First item Second item Third item	UniqueList, UniqueList Item, UniqueList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`- <!--style:Unique--> First item - <!--style:Unique--> Second item - Third item`	First item Second item Third item	UList, UList Item, UList Unique, UList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`<!--style:UniqueList--> 1. First item 1. Second item 1. Third item`	First item Second item Third item	UniqueList, UniqueList Item, UniqueList Paragraph	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph
`<!--style:UniqueList--> 1. <!--style:Unique--> First item 1. <!--style:Unique--> Second item`	First item Second item Third item	UniqueList, UniqueList Item, UniqueList Unique	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph

Code

There are two ways to create code paragraphs in Markdown.

Code Block: indent every line with at least four white space characters
Code Fence: first and last lines contain three consequtive backtick characters.

Code paragraphs have the unique characteristic of preserving white space and not requiring an escape sequence to render characters that have special meaning in markdown.

Markdown Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style(s) Type(s)

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y`	`var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y`	Code Block	Paragraph
``` var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y ```	`var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y`	Code Fence	Paragraph
- List with nested Code Fence ``` var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y ```	List with nested Code Fence `var int x, y, z; z = 3x + 4y`	UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph, Code Fence	Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph

    var int x, y, z;
    
    z = 3*x + 4*y

var int x, y, z;

z = 3*x + 4*y

Code Block

Paragraph

```
var int x, y, z;

z = 3*x + 4*y
```

var int x, y, z;

z = 3*x + 4*y

Code Fence

Paragraph

- List with nested Code Fence
  ```
  var int x, y, z;

  z = 3*x + 4*y
  ```

List with nested Code Fence
```
var int x, y, z;

z = 3*x + 4*y
```

UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph, Code Fence

Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph

Blockquotes

To create a blockquote place a greater-than (>) character followed by a white space at the beginning of one or more consequtive lines.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style(s)	Type(s)
`> Abrahim Lincoln said: > Four score and seven years ago...`	Abrahim Lincoln said: Four score and seven years ago...	Blockquote	Paragraph
`> My original email >> Your first reply >>> My reply to your reply`	My original email Your first reply My reply to your reply	Blockquote	Paragraph
`- List with blockquote > blockquote here > second line of blockquote`	List with blockquote blockquote here second line of blockquote	Blockquote	Paragraph

Horizontal Rules

To seperate paragraphs with a solid line, you can place three or more hyphens, dashes, or underscores (-, \*, or \_) together on a line by themselves.

Markdown Syntax	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`---`	Horizontal Rule	Paragraph
`***`	Horizontal Rule	Paragraph
`___`	Horizontal Rule	Paragraph

HTML

To use HTML code directly within your source content, just start and end the HTML code with matching start and end tags. For example:

<h1>Hello World!</h1>

Markdown Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style Name(s) Style Type(s)

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`<iframe width="165" height="90" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D4QoQWboM-U" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen> </iframe>`		HTML	Paragraph

<iframe 
  width="165"
  height="90"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D4QoQWboM-U"
  frameborder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowfullscreen>
</iframe>

HTML

Paragraph

Tables

Use table structures to organize column information. In markdown, tables are easy to create and can organize paragraphs into one or more columns with a heading row and one or more body rows.

Markdown Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style Name(s) Style Type(s)

|Cell Head1|Cell Head2|
|----------|----------|
|Cell Body1|Cell Body2|

Cell Head1	Cell Head2
Cell Body1	Cell Body2

Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

- List item with nested table
  |Cell Head1|Cell Head2|
  |----------|----------|
  |Cell Body1|Cell Body2|

List item with nested table
Cell Head1 Cell Head2
Cell Body1 Cell Body2

UList, UList Item, UList Paragraph, Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Paragraph, Paragraph, Paragraph, Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

|Default Alignment|
|-----------------|
|Body|

Default Alignment
Body

Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

|Left Alignment|
|:-------------|
|Body|

Left Alignment
Body

Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

|Center Alignment|
|:--------------:|
|Body|

Center Alignment
Body

Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

|Right Alignment|
|-------------:|
|Body|

Right Alignment
Body

Default, Table Cell Head, Table Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

Tables with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to assign a unique style name to your tables.

Markdown++ Syntax Generated Output ePublisher Style Name(s) Style Type(s)

<!--style:Unique-->
|Cell Head1|Cell Head2|
|----------|----------|
|Cell Body1|Cell Body2|

Cell Head1	Cell Head2
Cell Body1	Cell Body2

Unique, Unique Cell Head, Unique Cell Body

Table, Paragraph, Paragraph

Inline Text

To add style to one or more characters of text, use the *, _, ~, or ` characters both before and after the text.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`Bold text`	Bold text	Bold	Character
`Italic text`	Italic text	Italic	Character
`~~Strikethrough text~~`	~~Strikethrough text~~	Strikethrough	Character
`Embedded code`	`Embedded code`	Code	Character
`*Bold nested italic* text**`	*Bold nested italic* text**	Bold, Italic	Character, Character
`__Alternate Bold text__`	Alternate bold text	Bold	Character
`_Alternate Italic text_`	Alternate italic text	Italic	Character

Inline Text with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to assign a unique style name to your inline text.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`<!--style:CustomBold-->Bold`	Bold	CustomBold	Character

Images

To insert an image into your source content use the following pattern to describe the path to your image, its alternate text, and its title text.

![<Alt text>](<Path> "Title text")

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`![logo](images/logo.png "Logo")`		Image	Graphic

Images with Markdown++

Examples of using Markdown++ to assign a unique style name to your image.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`<!--style:CustomImage-->![logo](images/logo.png "Logo")`		CustomImage	Graphic

Aliases

There are two kinds of aliases used in Markdown++ for resolving link destinations.

Heading Aliases: created automatically for markdown heading paragraphs using the paragraph text.
Automatic generation convention:
- All text is converted to lowercase
- All non-word text (such as punctuation or HTML) is removed
- All spaces are converted to hyphens
- Two or more hyphens in a row are converted to one
- If a header with the same ID has already been generated, a unique incrementing number is appended, starting at "1"
Custom Aliases (Markdown++) which are manually inserted into your content as follows:
```

```
Markdown++ Custom Aliases are recommended over Heading Aliases unless your heading text is guaranteed to remain static (unchanged) over time.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`<!--#CustomAlias-->`		N/A	N/A
`<!--style:Procedure Title; #CustomAlias--> # Heading`	Heading	Procedure Title	Paragraph

Links

There are two types of links that can be created in markdown.

Link within the same or to a different markdown file
[Link text](<Path>#<Optional Fragment> "Title Text")`

Link to a web address

[Link text](https://www.webworks.com/ "webworks website")

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`[My Link](#MyAnchor "Title")`	My Link	Link	Character
`[My Link](topics/file.md#MyAnchor "Title")`	My Link	Link	Character
`[My Link](https://www.webworks.com/ "WebWorks")`	My Link	Link	Character
`<https://www.webworks.com/>`	https://www.webworks.com/	Link	Character
`[Reverb Runtime Context Link](#context/<TopicID> "Title")`	Reverb Runtime Context Link	Link	Character
`[Reverb Runtime Search Link](#search/<Words> "Search for Words")`	Reverb Runtime Search Link	Link	Character

Links with Markdown++

Assigning a custom ePublisher style name to the link text.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`[<!--style:CustomLink-->Link text](topics/file.md#MyAnchor "Title")`	My Link	CustomLink	Character

Link References

A link reference is a link created using a link key enclosed in brackets: [<Link Key>]. Then somewhere else in the file the link key is used with a : character to supply the actual link path and fragment.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`[<Link Text>][<Link Key>]`	<Link Text>	Link	Character
`[<Link Key>]: topics/file.md#fragment "Title"`		Link, Paragraph	Character, Paragraph

Footnotes

Footnotes use a sequential key enclosed in brackets, such as: [^1]. Then somewhere else in the file the footnote key is used with a : character to define the footnote content.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`quick brown fox[^1]`	quick brown fox¹	Footnote Reference, Paragraph	Character, Paragraph
`[^1]: Foxes are red.`	¹Foxes are red.	Paragraph	Paragraph

Footnotes with Markdown++

Assigning a custom style name to the footnote definition paragraph.

Markdown++ Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`[^1]: <!--style:CustomParagraph--> Foxes are red.`	¹Foxes are red.	CustomParagraph	Paragraph

Escape Character (\)

The escape character is the backslash character: \, which allows you to quickly disable special handling of reserve characters such as, *, #, |, <, and \.

Markdown Syntax	Generated Output	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`\* not a bullet`	* not a bullet	N/A	N/A

Markers

A markers command allows you to insert one or more meta data name/value pairs at a specific location in your source content files. Then during the publication process, the meta data can be used to enable functionality or characteristics in the generated output.

Markdown Syntax	ePublisher Style Name(s)	Style Type(s)
`<!--markers:{"Keywords": "word1, word2"}-->`	Keywords	Marker
`<!--markers:{"Description": "Topic summary here"}-->`	Description	Marker
`<!--markers:{"TopicAlias": "TopicID"}-->`	TopicAlias	Marker

Includes

An include command allows you to include the Markdown++ source content from another file into your current source file. If your <Path> is relative, it should be relative to the file that includes it.

Includes Syntax

<!--include:<Path>-->

Conditions

A condition command allows you to delineate a chunk of content so that its inclusion in the final output can be controlled by ePublisher using the names of conditions and setting their value to Hidden or Visible.

Conditions Syntax

Single Condition

<!--condition:<ConditionName>-->
Conditional content here.
<!--/condition-->

Require Multiple Conditions (Logical AND)

<!--condition: OnlineOnly Version1-->
Conditional content that is visible only when both conditions are set to visible in ePublisher.
<!--/condition-->

One of Multiple Conditions (Logical OR)

<!--condition: OnlineOnly, PrintOnly-->
Conditional content that is visible when at least one of the conditions is set to visible in ePublisher.
<!--/condition-->

Using Logical Not (!) Character

<!--condition: !PrintOnly !OnlineOnly-->
Conditional content that is visible when the PrintOnly and OnlineOnly conditions are set to hidden.
<!--/condition-->

Variables

A variable can be used as a placeholder in your source content that will be set to a specific value by ePublisher when generating output. Variables are preceeded with the character: $ and ended with the character: ;. You can use them as text in your source content as well as in your markers.

Variables Syntax

Text with variable: $ProductName;

Variables are for use with chunks of single line text and their values in ePublisher cannot include other variables or Markdown++ commands.

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Last modified date: 10/28/2021