Extended Syntax Introduction

The basic syntax outlined in John Gruber's original design document was mainly designed to handle most of the daily required elements for most situations.

However, for some people, this is not enough, which is where extended syntax comes in.

Some individuals and organizations began extending the basic syntax by adding other elements such as tables, code blocks, syntax highlighting, URL auto-linking, and footnotes.

These elements can be enabled by using lightweight markup languages based on basic Markdown syntax, or by adding extensions to compatible Markdown processors.

Extended Syntax Availability

Not all Markdown applications support extended syntax. You need to check whether the lightweight markup language used by your application supports the extended syntax elements you want to use. If not, you may need to enable extensions in the Markdown processor.

Lightweight Markup Languages

There are several lightweight markup languages that are supersets of Markdown. They include Gruber's basic syntax and build upon it by adding other elements such as tables, code blocks, syntax highlighting, URL auto-linking, and footnotes. Many of the most popular Markdown applications use one of the following lightweight markup languages:

• CommonMark
• GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)
• PHP Markdown Extra
• MultiMarkdown
• R Markdown

Enabling Extensions in Markdown Processors

If your Markdown application doesn't support the extended syntax elements you want to use, you may need to enable extensions in the Markdown processor.

For example, if you're using Typora, you can enable extended syntax in the settings.