Guide

Markdown cheat sheet

Markdown is a way to format text with a few plain characters: a # for a heading, **stars** for bold, a - for a list. The file stays readable as plain text and works in almost every app. Here is every piece of syntax you need, with an example to copy.

Headings

Start a line with one to six # signs and a space. One # is the title; use fewer levels than you think you need.

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4

Bold, italic and more

Lists

Use -, * or + for bullets and numbers with a full stop for steps. Indent by two or four spaces to nest a list.

- Milk
- Bread
  - Sourdough
  - Rye

1. Preheat the oven
2. Mix the dough
3. Bake for 40 minutes

The numbers don't have to be in order: 1. on every line still gives 1, 2, 3.

Task lists

A list item that starts with [ ] becomes a checkbox; [x] is ticked. In AmberText you can tick them with a click.

- [x] Write the draft
- [ ] Ask for feedback
- [ ] Publish

Links

[AmberText on GitHub](https://github.com/Xtendr/AmberText)
[Link with a title](https://example.com "Shown on hover")
<https://example.com>
[Jump to a heading](#tables)

Most editors also turn a bare address like https://example.com into a link automatically.

Images

Like a link, with an exclamation mark in front. The text in brackets describes the image for screen readers.

![A cup of coffee on a desk](assets/coffee.jpg)
![Logo](https://example.com/logo.png)

Paths are relative to the note. AmberText copies pasted or dropped images into an assets folder next to the note for you.

Quotes

> The details are not the details. They make the design.
> — Charles Eames

Code

Wrap code in three backticks. Add the language name after the first three for syntax highlighting.

```js
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}`;
}
```

Common names are js, ts, python, bash, json, css, html, sql and go.

Tables

Separate columns with | and put a row of dashes under the header. Colons in that row align the column.

| Plan     | Price | Devices |
| :------- | ----: | :-----: |
| Free     |    $0 |    1    |
| Personal |    $5 |    3    |

:--- aligns left, ---: right and :---: centre. The columns don't have to line up in the file; in AmberText, Tab moves between cells and tidies them as you go.

Footnotes

Markdown was created in 2004.[^1]

[^1]: By John Gruber, with Aaron Swartz.

The note shows a small number; the footnote text appears at the bottom of the page.

Callouts

GitHub-style alerts turn a quote into a coloured box. They work on GitHub, in Obsidian and in AmberText.

> [!NOTE]
> Useful information.

> [!TIP]
> A helpful suggestion.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Something people need to know.

> [!WARNING]
> Needs attention.

> [!CAUTION]
> Risky or destructive.

In AmberText you can also give a callout its own title: > [!TIP] Before you start.

Diagrams

A code block with the language mermaid is drawn as a diagram: flowcharts, sequence diagrams, timelines, Gantt and pie charts.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  Idea --> Draft --> Edit --> Publish
```

Math

Equations use LaTeX between dollar signs: single for inline, double for a block.

The area of a circle is $A = \pi r^2$.

$$
e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0
$$

Front matter

Properties at the very top of a file, between two lines of three dashes. Many tools read them; AmberText shows them as a tidy card.

---
title: Q3 board update
author: Sofie Lund
status: Draft
---

Dividers and line breaks

Three dashes on their own line make a horizontal rule. Leave an empty line between paragraphs; a single line break inside a paragraph is joined up unless you end the line with a backslash.

First paragraph.

---

Second paragraph,\
on two lines.

Escaping characters

Put a backslash in front of a character to show it as-is instead of formatting: \*not italic\*, \# not a heading.