Introduction

Markdown allows us to format plain text with headers, bold and italicized text, lists, fancy quotes and clickable links, but maintains the advantages of plain text.

Markdown was invented by John Gruber in 2004,

The overriding design goal for Markdown’s formatting syntax is to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. While Markdown’s syntax has been influenced by several existing text-to-HTML filters, the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown’s syntax is the format of plain text email.

TutnIQ supports standard Markdown with a few limitations and enhancements.

Headings

We can indicate a heading in Markdown by using the hash ( # ) symbol. One hash indicates a very important heading, and 5 hashes a heading that is less important. Each of these is displayed slightly differently. This:

# This is a heading 1 (H1)
## This is a heading 2 (H2)
### This is a heading 3 (H3)
#### This is a heading 4 (H4)
##### This is a heading 5 (H5)   

Will produce the following output:

This is a heading 1 (H1)

This is a heading 2 (H2)

This is a heading 3 (H3)

This is a heading 4 (H4)

This is a heading 5 (H5)

We can use closing hashes, but these are optional. Example: ###Closing hashes follow###.

Alternatively, for H1 and H2, we can indicate a heading by underlining with the equal (=) or dash (-)symbol respectively. This:

Alternative syntax: H1
======================

Alternative syntax: H2
----------------------

Will produce the following output:

Alternative syntax: H1

Alternative syntax: H2

Information boxes

TutnIQ treats a 6-hash heading as an information box. An information box is useful for emphasizing a block of information. This functionality is specific to TutnIQ, on other sites a 6-hash heading will simply appear as a heading. This:

######  This treatment is unique to TutnIQ.

Will produce the following output:

This treatment is unique to TutnIQ.

Paragraphs and line breaks

A blank line starts a new paragraph.

Two spaces at the
end of a line[space][space]
indicate a line break.
This is useful for poetry,
or postal addresses.

Emphasis of text

We can call attention to text in Markdown by emphasizing the text with italics, bold or both using asterisks and underscores. This:

Emphasis, aka italics, with *asterisks* or _underscores_.  
Strong emphasis, aka bold, with **double asterisks** or __double underscores__.  
Combined emphasis with **asterisks and _underscores_**.  

Will produce the following output:

Emphasis, aka italics, with asterisks or underscores.
Strong emphasis, aka bold, with double asterisks or double underscores.
Combined emphasis with asterisks and underscores.

Horizontal lines

We can rule a line across the page with: --- or ___ or === on a separate line (with a blank line above):

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