How do I use Markdown?

Markdown is an easy-to-use markup language that is used with plain text to add formatting elements (headings, bulleted lists, URLs) to plain text without the use of a formal text editor or the use of HTML tags. Markdown is device agnostic and displays the writing format consistently across device types.

What is Markdown?

Markdown is an easy-to-use simplified markup language that is an alternative to using HTML. Standard HTML uses tags to surround plain text to specify how that text displays. For example, if you want a line to display as a HEADING 1 the standard syntax is to enclosed the plain text word with HTML tags,<H1>HEADING 1</H1>. When the text displays in a browser, browsers recognize the HTML tags and display the text as HEADING 1.

Markdown language simplifies formatting plain text by using keyboard strokes. For example, to display a HEADING 1 the Markdown syntax is to precede the plain text word with the Markdown hash tag #HEADING 1. When the text displays in a browser, browsers recognize the Markdown syntax and display the text as HEADING 1.

Show Me How Markdown Works

Use Markdown syntax elements to create visual interest for your question answers. You can add Headings, URLs, bulleted lists, images, Blockquotes, and other formatting elements as shown in the following screen capture.

For example, in this following example, the answer to the question I need career advice, where do I start? is entered into the text area and formatted with Markdown.

The name of each URL link is surrounded by square brackets [] and the actual URL is formatted with parenthesis ( ).

When the question answer is saved and displays in the Watson Career Coach interface, the Markdown formatting displays the URLs as active hyperlinks.

Use these Markdown elements to create visual interest in your WCC question answers.