Let me explain.
First off, what Semantic Markdown isn’t: it’s not some fancy new syntax or language that you need to learn from scratch. It’s just regular ol’ Markdown (which is already pretty great), but with a few added tags and conventions that make your content more structured and easier to work with.
So, what are these magical Semantic Markdown tags? Well, let me give you an example: instead of using `
` for headings like this:
# This is a heading!
// This line creates a heading using the "#" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the heading. In this case, it is a level 1 heading.
## This is a subheading!
// This line creates a subheading using the "##" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the subheading. In this case, it is a level 2 subheading.
### This is a sub-subheading!
// This line creates a sub-subheading using the "###" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the sub-subheading. In this case, it is a level 3 sub-subheading.
* This is a list item
// This line creates a list item using the "*" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a bullet point in a list.
1. This is a numbered list item
// This line creates a numbered list item using the "1." symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a numbered point in a list.
**This is bolded text**
// This line creates bolded text using the "**" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates bold formatting.
_This is italicized text_
// This line creates italicized text using the "_" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates italic formatting.
[This is a link](https://www.example.com)
// This line creates a link using the "[]" and "()" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a link. The text in the brackets is the visible text for the link, while the URL in the parentheses is the destination of the link.
// This line creates an image using the "!" and "[]" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates an image. The text in the brackets is the alternative text for the image, while the URL in the parentheses is the source of the image.
# This is a heading!
// This line creates a heading using the "#" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the heading. In this case, it is a level 1 heading.
## This is a subheading!
// This line creates a subheading using the "##" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the subheading. In this case, it is a level 2 subheading.
### This is a sub-subheading!
// This line creates a sub-subheading using the "###" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates the level of the sub-subheading. In this case, it is a level 3 sub-subheading.
* This is a list item
// This line creates a list item using the "*" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a bullet point in a list.
1. This is a numbered list item
// This line creates a numbered list item using the "1." symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a numbered point in a list.
**This is bolded text**
// This line creates bolded text using the "**" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates bold formatting.
_This is italicized text_
// This line creates italicized text using the "_" symbol, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates italic formatting.
[This is a link](https://www.example.com)
// This line creates a link using the "[]" and "()" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates a link. The text in the brackets is the visible text for the link, while the URL in the parentheses is the destination of the link.
// This line creates an image using the "!" and "[]" symbols, which is a Semantic Markdown tag that indicates an image. The text in the brackets is the alternative text for the image, while the URL in the parentheses is the source of the image.
You can use the following Semantic Markdown tag to achieve the same result:
// This is a heading with level 2
## Heading 2 ##
// The double hashtag is used to indicate a heading in Semantic Markdown. However, it is not necessary as the heading level is already specified in the tag.
// This is a heading with level 2
## Heading 2 ##
// The double hashtag is used to indicate a heading in Semantic Markdown. However, it is not necessary as the heading level is already specified in the tag.
See how easy that was? No more messing around with HTML tags or remembering which one does what. Just write your content in plain text, and let Semantic Markdown do the heavy lifting for you.
Semantic Markdown also has a few other tricks up its sleeve to make your life easier. For example:
– Use `**bold**` or `__bold__` instead of ``. Same goes for italics (use either `*italic*` or `_italic_`) and underlines (use either `~~underline~~` or `___underline___`). This way, you can choose the syntax that works best for you.
– Use `—` to create horizontal rules instead of `
`. Again, this makes your code cleaner and easier to read.
– Use `[link](url)` instead of `link`. This is especially useful if you’re working with a lot of links in your content (which can be a pain to write out by hand).
But the real magic happens when you start using Semantic Markdown for more complex structures. For example, let’s say you want to create an unordered list:
<ul> <!-- This opening tag indicates the start of an unordered list -->
<li>Item 1</li> <!-- This <li> tag stands for "list item" and indicates the start of a list item -->
<li>Item 2</li>
<li>Item 3</li>
</ul> <!-- This closing tag indicates the end of the unordered list -->
This is great and all, but what if you wanted to add some structure to your list? Maybe you have a list of features for a product or service. In that case, Semantic Markdown has got you covered:
## Features
// This is a heading that indicates the start of a list of features.
* Feature 1 // This is the first feature in the list.
* Feature 2 // This is the second feature in the list.
* Feature 3 // This is the third feature in the list.
See how easy it is to add some structure and context to your content? And what about tables? Instead of using HTML or LaTeX, you can use Semantic Markdown’s table syntax:
| Column Header | Another Column Header | // Creates a table with two columns
| --- | --- | // Separates the column headers from the table rows
| Row 1, Cell 1 | Row 1, Cell 2 | // Adds data to the first row of the table
| Row 2, Cell 1 | Row 2, Cell 2 | // Adds data to the second row of the table
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Semantic Markdown. There are many other tags and conventions that you can use to create more complex structures (like block quotes or definition lists). But the beauty of Semantic Markdown is that it’s flexible enough to work with any content, no matter how simple or complex.
So, if you’re tired of dealing with HTML or LaTeX for your structured content needs, give Semantic Markdown a try! Your life will be easier (and your code cleaner) as a result.